Day 76: Wootton Creek-Cowes
With the finish line in sight I was anxious to make an early start knowing the tides were going to change and bad weather was on the horizon. My morning routine was slightly altered to fit in an interview before I set off and for the first time no chart was needed as I knew the waters so well, having sailed into Wootton Creek as part of my Yachtmaster exam.
I set off with my brother in the boat, who jumped on the bandwagon for the last 5 miles in a desperate attempt to steal the show and make it onto the news! I made it very clear on the boat he was not keeping the ‘stash’ (kit) as he described it.
We headed out from the pontoon whilst the ferry was loading to avoid any unnecessary trouble and sailed gently out of the harbour with the wind behind us. This annoyingly did not last and as we turned the corner the wind frustratingly went onto the nose making progress slower than predicted. With the wind being unpredictable it was a tricky sail, with gusts coming on every 10 minutes or so. As we crept around Gurnard Bay the tide pushed us strongly back and for a short while we had sunny weather.
As we rounded the corner and the line came into sight, fittingly it started raining and the wind slowly picked up on the nose. It wouldn’t have been right if the cameras from the shore had picked up photos of us in the boiling sun.
It was a slow sail into Cowes and as the wind dropped we missed the small tidal gate meaning we arrived back on shore at 12.30pm to be met by Dame Ellen MacArthur on the pontoon- what an honour. It was great also to see so family, friends and supporters braving the rain mid week as well as 21 young people who had just spent their first four days sailing with the Trust.
It definitely had not sunk in and it was a mixture of emotions but chiefly relief that I had conquered Britain despite the bizarre summer weather. The necessary photos were done and the boat was tied up for the final time. It was great that Ellen commented on how neat the boat looked. If you look after the boat, the boat will look after you.
I headed down the pontoon to be met by many supporters, to whom I am so grateful for their continued commitment to the cause. A sumptuous spread made a welcome sight and with a cold pint in my hand it was time for speeches and a chance for me to thank everyone who had made this trip possible. The rest of the afternoon was spent fulfilling media calls and then a celebratory dinner and a very comfortable night’s sleep untroubled by nightmares of winds, tides, charts and other potential sailing hazards!
Thank you to the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust for allowing us to hold the party there. Frank Fletcher was an absolute pleasure to work with on the challenge as were all his team who are immensely passionate about helping others.
Massive thanks to all who crewed-watch this space for a full run-down on all of them which will be posted soon.
Particular thanks are due to Garrett O’Connor for masterminding the logistics from the land and for being there to support me from the inception of this trip to the conclusion and to David Richardson for stepping in at literally five minutes notice and who crewed, took most of the wonderful blog photographs and was very useful with his Leatherman when bits fell off the boat.
Big thanks to Jeremy and Angela Palmer for boundless enthusiasm, (Angela) and masterful crewing and organizational skills (Jeremy) and for their continued support.
Last but not least I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my parents for their unstinting support throughout, without which it might well not have happened.
Please do keep visiting my website and this blog for more stories from crew members and those who followed me on land. More spectacular snaps to follow too. Please carry on donating if you haven’t already and keep on spreading the word if you have! Thanks again to everyone who made this trip possible. It truly has been an epic adventure!
Day 75 - 11th July 2012
"Courage is not having the energy to go on, it's going on when you do not have the energy".
Dame Ellen MacArthur
Day 74 - Littlehampton to Wootton Creek - 10th July 2012
The penultimate leg was sailed into familiar waters in relatively strong winds. With the strong wind warning out and a torrential downpour we waited for the rain to stop before heading off on the short 30 mile leg towards the Isle of Wight. I later found out that Littlehampton and Bognor Regis flooded after we left- my timing this trip has seemed to be immaculate.
Leaving Littlehampton brought its own challenges; we were tidally constrained so had to leave before 8.30am. Getting out of the entrance reminded me of going over the Pentland Firth. Breakers formed over the shallow water and we struggled to make it over the waves. But once out I was surprised by the lack of wind, so I quickly shook out the reef I had put in, in the expectation of the strong winds forecast. Progress was slow over the first hour due to light headwinds but as the wind steadily increased we sped up and the Isle of Wight came into view. Never have I been so pleased to see the island.
As the wind rose I decided to put the reef back in early. Within 5 minutes the boat heeled over and the wind was easily a force 5. The squalls were building and we tried our best to dodge them. This worked brilliantly until the entire horizon filled with black clouds. There was no dodging this one. Navigation proved tough to do in the squalls but we successfully found the channel inside Selsey and passed one of our final headlands. I then set the course towards the forts outside Portsmouth and started hiking out in full racing mode in order to speed up.
It was time for a bit of payback. My new crew Barry had trained me for the London Marathon and I had not forgotten the punishing runs. As a result he ended up being sprayed every second wave. Full splashes of water in the face. There was no avoiding it! I've come to the conclusion that the main job of the crew is to keep the skipper dry- thank you everyone who has crewed for me, it wouldn't have been possible without you.
As we neared the forts they slowly disappeared behind the huge rain cloud that had emerged from the horizon. Although the worst had hit Portsmouth we anticipated the conditions by further reefing the genoa. The torrential downpour passed without too much trouble; the wind was gustier but we had prepared well. The forts re-emerged much closer and we headed into the Solent dodging the massive Grimaldi line ship.
The tide was against us as we neared Wootton Creek so it took a lot longer to get in. Passing Ryde the water was short and choppy meaning Barry got even more soaked, if that was possible. It was great that the Royal Victoria Yacht Club had arranged to bring David out on their rib to get some photos- see them below. I really loved sailing in the relatively flat Solent in strong winds.
The rest of the afternoon was spent doing a telephone interview and meeting the Commodore, Nigel Talbot and members of the yacht club. Thank you for your free berth and kind hospitality.
Leaving Littlehampton brought its own challenges; we were tidally constrained so had to leave before 8.30am. Getting out of the entrance reminded me of going over the Pentland Firth. Breakers formed over the shallow water and we struggled to make it over the waves. But once out I was surprised by the lack of wind, so I quickly shook out the reef I had put in, in the expectation of the strong winds forecast. Progress was slow over the first hour due to light headwinds but as the wind steadily increased we sped up and the Isle of Wight came into view. Never have I been so pleased to see the island.
As the wind rose I decided to put the reef back in early. Within 5 minutes the boat heeled over and the wind was easily a force 5. The squalls were building and we tried our best to dodge them. This worked brilliantly until the entire horizon filled with black clouds. There was no dodging this one. Navigation proved tough to do in the squalls but we successfully found the channel inside Selsey and passed one of our final headlands. I then set the course towards the forts outside Portsmouth and started hiking out in full racing mode in order to speed up.
It was time for a bit of payback. My new crew Barry had trained me for the London Marathon and I had not forgotten the punishing runs. As a result he ended up being sprayed every second wave. Full splashes of water in the face. There was no avoiding it! I've come to the conclusion that the main job of the crew is to keep the skipper dry- thank you everyone who has crewed for me, it wouldn't have been possible without you.
As we neared the forts they slowly disappeared behind the huge rain cloud that had emerged from the horizon. Although the worst had hit Portsmouth we anticipated the conditions by further reefing the genoa. The torrential downpour passed without too much trouble; the wind was gustier but we had prepared well. The forts re-emerged much closer and we headed into the Solent dodging the massive Grimaldi line ship.
The tide was against us as we neared Wootton Creek so it took a lot longer to get in. Passing Ryde the water was short and choppy meaning Barry got even more soaked, if that was possible. It was great that the Royal Victoria Yacht Club had arranged to bring David out on their rib to get some photos- see them below. I really loved sailing in the relatively flat Solent in strong winds.
The rest of the afternoon was spent doing a telephone interview and meeting the Commodore, Nigel Talbot and members of the yacht club. Thank you for your free berth and kind hospitality.
Day 73 - Eastbourne to Littlehampton - 9th July 2012
With a strong wind warning in place and a new crew, my cousin Guy, I was sceptical about the chances of sailing. Pairing that with my extreme exhaustion having sailed on consecutive days for a week, I struggled to get out of bed and into the boat. I decided to delay an hour and have a power nap to try and boost my energy.
At 6am we slipped lines and headed out of the sheltered harbour into the lock and then out of the harbour. Immediately it was obvious that it was going to be a long slog upwind. I was hoping to make Chichester but that was an unrealistic expectation in the wind conditions.
The main problem I had was momentum. Although the wind was only a force 5, the sea state was moderate and around the headland the short and sharp waves stopped any forward motion. Both Guy and I were really struggling after 2 hours to get any forward progress. Every other wave made the rig shudder - it was not a pleasant experience and one that brought back memories of Kinlochbervie.
As we passed the headland the sea state steadily improved, which meant that we picked up speed. It was great to have a crew who was willing to hike out all day. For once the sun came out from behind the clouds and we made swift progress along the coast. The only real problem was that the wind was inevitably on the nose. This not only slows us down but it makes the whole motion of the boat hard to predict. I believe I am now becoming a much more proficient upwind sailor having had headwinds the entire way around the country. I would be surprised if mothballs have not started forming on the kite.
The other problem was the amount of spray from the waves. The salt was layering our faces and covered both Guy and my eyes. It even managed to get into our lunch. I don’t recommend softmint with salt - it's not exactly Michelin star food.
As the day wore on and our backs slowly started to stiffen up, I was pleasantly surprised at the speed we were making. A few other yachts were around us. They all had their motors on but we were still faster than them as we could control our motion over the waves better. As we neared Littlehampton, I made sure the charts were readable and we furled the jib for better visibility. We then sailed into the river which had an incredibly fast current. I am sure I set off the speed camera!
It was great to get in. I was physically and mentally exhausted. However I am now within one day of the Isle of Wight. I still intend to sail to Cowes on Thursday, but for now we have to stick to the basics and get the boat safely home in one last push.
Thank you for all your donations so far - please spread the word amongst your friends and family. I would also like to recommend Jeremy’s account of the trip. Please click here to read it.
At 6am we slipped lines and headed out of the sheltered harbour into the lock and then out of the harbour. Immediately it was obvious that it was going to be a long slog upwind. I was hoping to make Chichester but that was an unrealistic expectation in the wind conditions.
The main problem I had was momentum. Although the wind was only a force 5, the sea state was moderate and around the headland the short and sharp waves stopped any forward motion. Both Guy and I were really struggling after 2 hours to get any forward progress. Every other wave made the rig shudder - it was not a pleasant experience and one that brought back memories of Kinlochbervie.
As we passed the headland the sea state steadily improved, which meant that we picked up speed. It was great to have a crew who was willing to hike out all day. For once the sun came out from behind the clouds and we made swift progress along the coast. The only real problem was that the wind was inevitably on the nose. This not only slows us down but it makes the whole motion of the boat hard to predict. I believe I am now becoming a much more proficient upwind sailor having had headwinds the entire way around the country. I would be surprised if mothballs have not started forming on the kite.
The other problem was the amount of spray from the waves. The salt was layering our faces and covered both Guy and my eyes. It even managed to get into our lunch. I don’t recommend softmint with salt - it's not exactly Michelin star food.
As the day wore on and our backs slowly started to stiffen up, I was pleasantly surprised at the speed we were making. A few other yachts were around us. They all had their motors on but we were still faster than them as we could control our motion over the waves better. As we neared Littlehampton, I made sure the charts were readable and we furled the jib for better visibility. We then sailed into the river which had an incredibly fast current. I am sure I set off the speed camera!
It was great to get in. I was physically and mentally exhausted. However I am now within one day of the Isle of Wight. I still intend to sail to Cowes on Thursday, but for now we have to stick to the basics and get the boat safely home in one last push.
Thank you for all your donations so far - please spread the word amongst your friends and family. I would also like to recommend Jeremy’s account of the trip. Please click here to read it.
Day 72 - Hastings to Eastbourne - 8th July 2012
After the drama of yesterday it was hugely satisfying to get back on the water after such a short turn around. I am not going to deny I was shaken by yesterday's events. It was a situation I was not expecting to be in; although I had not prepared for what happened, I thought I dealt with it successfully and safely. As RNLI Hastings said - it is always best to prevent a situation. I believe if we had tried to land on the steep shingle, we could have lost the boat.
I had driven to get the spare part last night in order to be able to sail today. I ended up staying in a local B&B- thank you for your donation and very comfy bed. It was the first proper night's sleep for the last week.
I got up at 7.30am to go down to the boat but upon arrival I saw that heavy squalls dominated the bay. I felt that we should wait a couple of hours and see the rain pass. By 10am the rain had passed and with the boat ready, it was time to leave. Annoyingly it was low tide. The boat and yacht club offered to give us a hand but with their rollers only going halfway we decided to use the very kind offer of the RNLI Hastings to put the boat back in the water.
Using their brand new bulldozer, they slowly edged us down the almost vertical slope and into the water. After towing us in yesterday they tweeted to their thousand followers about our rescue. Please follow their work and shout outs. The video from our tow will be up within the next day.
The sail across to Eastbourne was dominated by dodging the showers. We ended up being soaked by one shower in the 2 hours we were out. A lucky escape as we heard there were a fair few torrential downpours landing either side of us.
The day ended unfortunately on a down note as David slipped on the boat and was knocked out as he landed head first onto fiberglass. It was an accident and luckily David was all right but it was a stark reminder of what can happen even if you are tied up on shore. David spent the rest of the day sleeping off the headache.
It was great to finally complete the intended passage, and I hope to make real progress on Monday even though the wind will be on the nose. We are so close however I will stay concentrated and focused to make sure there are no more dramas before Thursday, the finishing day in Cowes.
The shore crew felt the need to use the services of the RNLI themselves as they slightly misjudged the hazards of being on land! The pictures tell the story...
I had driven to get the spare part last night in order to be able to sail today. I ended up staying in a local B&B- thank you for your donation and very comfy bed. It was the first proper night's sleep for the last week.
I got up at 7.30am to go down to the boat but upon arrival I saw that heavy squalls dominated the bay. I felt that we should wait a couple of hours and see the rain pass. By 10am the rain had passed and with the boat ready, it was time to leave. Annoyingly it was low tide. The boat and yacht club offered to give us a hand but with their rollers only going halfway we decided to use the very kind offer of the RNLI Hastings to put the boat back in the water.
Using their brand new bulldozer, they slowly edged us down the almost vertical slope and into the water. After towing us in yesterday they tweeted to their thousand followers about our rescue. Please follow their work and shout outs. The video from our tow will be up within the next day.
The sail across to Eastbourne was dominated by dodging the showers. We ended up being soaked by one shower in the 2 hours we were out. A lucky escape as we heard there were a fair few torrential downpours landing either side of us.
The day ended unfortunately on a down note as David slipped on the boat and was knocked out as he landed head first onto fiberglass. It was an accident and luckily David was all right but it was a stark reminder of what can happen even if you are tied up on shore. David spent the rest of the day sleeping off the headache.
It was great to finally complete the intended passage, and I hope to make real progress on Monday even though the wind will be on the nose. We are so close however I will stay concentrated and focused to make sure there are no more dramas before Thursday, the finishing day in Cowes.
The shore crew felt the need to use the services of the RNLI themselves as they slightly misjudged the hazards of being on land! The pictures tell the story...
Day 71 - Dover to Hastings - 7th July 2012
Setting off with my uncle Owen before sunrise was a hard task. My energy levels were low as I have been sailing for so many consecutive days. However it was well worth it for the sunrise we had behind us. Getting out of Dover was simple; I radioed the control tower and all was clear, unlike coming into the port.
As we turned onto our heading it was clear the tide was against us and as a result progress was slow. Both the wind and the tide were pushing strongly against us and it was a struggle. As soon as the tide turned and the wind shifted to a Southerly the sail was a lot easier. We had 4 other yachts around us and we were scooting along at 6-7 knots. I believe that it was the best sailing I had done for the last month. The sun was out and we were flying along a very familiar coastline. We passed Dungeness point fully hiking out and flying. It was great to be making such good progress in amazing weather. But our luck was about to run out.
As we passed the 20 mile mark and were well over halfway, we had an absolute drama occur. I was helming at 6-7 knots and suddenly the boat turned into wind, crash tacking. I instantly pulled the tiller towards me as the boat turned direction with no effect. As the boat heeled over and nearly capsized, I blew the main sheet. To my horror the rudder had snapped off and was slowly floating past us.
I instantly went into emergency mode. I had to get the boat under control. Although I am trained to sail a boat rudderless, it is impossible to do it with a fully laden Wayfarer. We finally managed to furl the jib away and get the boat back to a stable condition. We then retrieved the snapped rudder and assessed the situation. We were a full 15 miles away from our destination so we decided to head for our emergency port - Hastings. I rang the shore team straight away and told them the situation. The problem of coming into land without a rudder on a rocky beach really worried me.
I got within 3 miles and called the shore team, anxious about the weather coming in. The landing was going to be hard with a shingle beach. I requested a RIB to be brought out to help us in. Then the coastguard rang me on a mobile informing me that a RNLI RIB was going to tow us in. I didn’t ask for one over the radio as I did not feel I was in imminent danger. I later found out that the shore team had felt this was the safest option.
I was met by the inshore team 2.5 miles off Hastings. It was great to see faces who wanted to help us. I strongly believe that the rudder is the only part of the boat that would cause me to stop sailing and need rescuing once broken. It was an unfortunate incident but all I can say is that it was fortunate it didn’t occur when I was 25 miles offshore in the middle of a shipping lane.
The RNLI crew at Hastings towed us into shore - three of them on the boat helped to slowly tow us in. It took a great deal of time as we had no rudder to follow the rib and the waves constantly threw us from side to side. When we arrived on shore thoroughly shaken we were met by further RNLI personnel who helped us get the boat on the trailer. The water that we had accumulated from our bumpy way in was bailed out using all methods - including RNLI helmets!
The boat was safely towed up the beach and although I was thoroughly shaken by the incident, I understood why the shore team had alerted the relevant authorities. I strongly believe that the only way this happened was because I hit some debris underneath the water line. I know the rudder was in perfect shape only a few days ago.
I would like to thank all the RNLI Hasting crew for their efficiency and help in difficult circumstances. They were helpful and charming and helped me to shore when I was struggling. For myself and Owen to be handed a cup of tea by the lady from the RNLI shop demonstrates the generosity and kindness of these amazing volunteers.
The rest of the day was spent driving to Chichester to pick up a spare rudder blade from Ian Porter - thank you! I was lucky to get in when I did as we were soon soaked by a torrential downpour.
As we turned onto our heading it was clear the tide was against us and as a result progress was slow. Both the wind and the tide were pushing strongly against us and it was a struggle. As soon as the tide turned and the wind shifted to a Southerly the sail was a lot easier. We had 4 other yachts around us and we were scooting along at 6-7 knots. I believe that it was the best sailing I had done for the last month. The sun was out and we were flying along a very familiar coastline. We passed Dungeness point fully hiking out and flying. It was great to be making such good progress in amazing weather. But our luck was about to run out.
As we passed the 20 mile mark and were well over halfway, we had an absolute drama occur. I was helming at 6-7 knots and suddenly the boat turned into wind, crash tacking. I instantly pulled the tiller towards me as the boat turned direction with no effect. As the boat heeled over and nearly capsized, I blew the main sheet. To my horror the rudder had snapped off and was slowly floating past us.
I instantly went into emergency mode. I had to get the boat under control. Although I am trained to sail a boat rudderless, it is impossible to do it with a fully laden Wayfarer. We finally managed to furl the jib away and get the boat back to a stable condition. We then retrieved the snapped rudder and assessed the situation. We were a full 15 miles away from our destination so we decided to head for our emergency port - Hastings. I rang the shore team straight away and told them the situation. The problem of coming into land without a rudder on a rocky beach really worried me.
I got within 3 miles and called the shore team, anxious about the weather coming in. The landing was going to be hard with a shingle beach. I requested a RIB to be brought out to help us in. Then the coastguard rang me on a mobile informing me that a RNLI RIB was going to tow us in. I didn’t ask for one over the radio as I did not feel I was in imminent danger. I later found out that the shore team had felt this was the safest option.
I was met by the inshore team 2.5 miles off Hastings. It was great to see faces who wanted to help us. I strongly believe that the rudder is the only part of the boat that would cause me to stop sailing and need rescuing once broken. It was an unfortunate incident but all I can say is that it was fortunate it didn’t occur when I was 25 miles offshore in the middle of a shipping lane.
The RNLI crew at Hastings towed us into shore - three of them on the boat helped to slowly tow us in. It took a great deal of time as we had no rudder to follow the rib and the waves constantly threw us from side to side. When we arrived on shore thoroughly shaken we were met by further RNLI personnel who helped us get the boat on the trailer. The water that we had accumulated from our bumpy way in was bailed out using all methods - including RNLI helmets!
The boat was safely towed up the beach and although I was thoroughly shaken by the incident, I understood why the shore team had alerted the relevant authorities. I strongly believe that the only way this happened was because I hit some debris underneath the water line. I know the rudder was in perfect shape only a few days ago.
I would like to thank all the RNLI Hasting crew for their efficiency and help in difficult circumstances. They were helpful and charming and helped me to shore when I was struggling. For myself and Owen to be handed a cup of tea by the lady from the RNLI shop demonstrates the generosity and kindness of these amazing volunteers.
The rest of the day was spent driving to Chichester to pick up a spare rudder blade from Ian Porter - thank you! I was lucky to get in when I did as we were soon soaked by a torrential downpour.
Day 70 - Ramsgate to Dover - 6th July 2012
Having set up the campsite when we got in at 9pm, it was hardly surprising that it started raining immediately. This rain didn't stop for 15 hours and I hear that certain parts of the country got hit pretty bad.
We had to leave later in the day than normal to ensure that we had the tide with us, and to enable us to skirt all the forecasted showers. Even so, the wind was on the nose (what's new?) and for the first hour or so we made little real headway, despite having a good sail.
However it was with much relief that we managed to pass the fourth and final corner, aptly named Hope Point, and the white cliffs of Dover.
We headed towards the entrance of the Port of Dover, liaising with port control on the VHF; taking great care to keep out of the way of the numerous cross-channel ferries that dwarfed us. After about 30 minutes of bobbing around outside the eastern entrance we were given the green light to enter. We were then guided across the bay to the marina by a pilot boat, where a friendly seal made us very welcome. After a quick supper it was then off to bed before an early start.
We had to leave later in the day than normal to ensure that we had the tide with us, and to enable us to skirt all the forecasted showers. Even so, the wind was on the nose (what's new?) and for the first hour or so we made little real headway, despite having a good sail.
However it was with much relief that we managed to pass the fourth and final corner, aptly named Hope Point, and the white cliffs of Dover.
We headed towards the entrance of the Port of Dover, liaising with port control on the VHF; taking great care to keep out of the way of the numerous cross-channel ferries that dwarfed us. After about 30 minutes of bobbing around outside the eastern entrance we were given the green light to enter. We were then guided across the bay to the marina by a pilot boat, where a friendly seal made us very welcome. After a quick supper it was then off to bed before an early start.
Day 69 - Aldeburgh to Ramsgate - 5th July 2012
Having woken up from a brilliant night's sleep I was pleasantly surprised to find it was not raining. A quick look on the radar showed that it had passed through early. So we set off to the boat straight away and set it up. Unfortunately the fisherman who had given us a lift was not up so we roped in another one to bulldoze through the shingle and set us on our way.
Once departed, the land rapidly disappeared from behind us and the visibility went really low. It was not long before the mist (not forecast at all) had swallowed us up. It became clear we would have to listen out for fog horns. I could have turned to Harwich but the prospect of trying to get in there in fog was not ideal. So we ploughed on with the tide at a rate of knots. At one point the visibility was so low that a north cardinal was only 20m away when it suddenly revealed itself. That didn't do my heart any favours.
As the fog slowly lifted after four hours we had passed one shipping lane and had made fantastic progress with tide. However the wind slowly built on the nose and the speed dropped off. The last few hours were done in glorious sunshine but were very slow. Passing the wind farms reminded us of how small we were. Shipping increased and we dodged a few ships. At least the red sails make us highly visible on the water.
Ramsgate was not the easiest of harbours to get in to so once we were in it felt great to hit dry land. We had sailed over the Thames estuary and completed a huge shortcut. Not long to go now!
Stats: S2/3. Misty then sunny.
Once departed, the land rapidly disappeared from behind us and the visibility went really low. It was not long before the mist (not forecast at all) had swallowed us up. It became clear we would have to listen out for fog horns. I could have turned to Harwich but the prospect of trying to get in there in fog was not ideal. So we ploughed on with the tide at a rate of knots. At one point the visibility was so low that a north cardinal was only 20m away when it suddenly revealed itself. That didn't do my heart any favours.
As the fog slowly lifted after four hours we had passed one shipping lane and had made fantastic progress with tide. However the wind slowly built on the nose and the speed dropped off. The last few hours were done in glorious sunshine but were very slow. Passing the wind farms reminded us of how small we were. Shipping increased and we dodged a few ships. At least the red sails make us highly visible on the water.
Ramsgate was not the easiest of harbours to get in to so once we were in it felt great to hit dry land. We had sailed over the Thames estuary and completed a huge shortcut. Not long to go now!
Stats: S2/3. Misty then sunny.
Day 68 - Lowestoft to Aldeburgh - 4th July 2012
Ludo's Helper
After waiting for some early morning rain to pass, we slipped lines at 10am. It was great to have a lie in and recharge the batteries before a long week ahead. There are some vital legs over the next few days, such as getting past the Thames estuary.
Our chosen destination was Aldeburgh. Although most sailing is done in the river, I had chatted with and arranged to be hauled out of the sea by a local fisherman. I was extremely worried about landing on a pebble beach, fearing damage to the boat.
We set off from Lowestoft after receiving the OK from Port control over VHF channel 14- that no ships were entering or exiting. Although progress was reasonably quick the wind was on the nose. Will there ever be one day where I can get the kite out? As the tide turned, progress slowed. Poppy, my crewmate, decided to use the nuclear power station as a landmark. We sat watching it as we sailed past for 4 slow hours. I never want to see it again. It is great to have new crew on board and getting to hear new stories.
We slowly approached the beach in glorious sunshine (finally Britain has a summer!). We then lined up perfectly with the tractor in place and headed towards the shore. Rubber mats from an old conveyer belt were laid down as we headed in at speed. They were perfect mats to avoid damage. We needed the speed to make sure the boat went up and out of the water so that the waves didn’t break over the stern and fill the boat with water. It was a perfectly executed landing and the boat was bone dry.
The boat was then lifted onto its trailer and dragged up the beach by the bulldozer. Huge thanks must go to local fisherman Kirk for his great work in helping us land the boat and drag it up the beach. After safely getting the boat up to the high water mark we then went and bought some local fish freshly caught from that day; thanks to Janet for her advice. I can assure you it was delicious when we had it for supper. The stories Kirk told us about landing his boat in storms were terrifying. Thank god it was calm when I beached.
If you are ever in Aldeburgh go and visit their shop on the sea front (see the pictures below). Thanks also to Mike and Torna for letting us stay in their cottage. It is great to be in a bed for a night before an epic passage across the Thames estuary. It is also great to see Murray through to another semi-final. I hope to be in on Friday to watch his game with Tsonga.
Our chosen destination was Aldeburgh. Although most sailing is done in the river, I had chatted with and arranged to be hauled out of the sea by a local fisherman. I was extremely worried about landing on a pebble beach, fearing damage to the boat.
We set off from Lowestoft after receiving the OK from Port control over VHF channel 14- that no ships were entering or exiting. Although progress was reasonably quick the wind was on the nose. Will there ever be one day where I can get the kite out? As the tide turned, progress slowed. Poppy, my crewmate, decided to use the nuclear power station as a landmark. We sat watching it as we sailed past for 4 slow hours. I never want to see it again. It is great to have new crew on board and getting to hear new stories.
We slowly approached the beach in glorious sunshine (finally Britain has a summer!). We then lined up perfectly with the tractor in place and headed towards the shore. Rubber mats from an old conveyer belt were laid down as we headed in at speed. They were perfect mats to avoid damage. We needed the speed to make sure the boat went up and out of the water so that the waves didn’t break over the stern and fill the boat with water. It was a perfectly executed landing and the boat was bone dry.
The boat was then lifted onto its trailer and dragged up the beach by the bulldozer. Huge thanks must go to local fisherman Kirk for his great work in helping us land the boat and drag it up the beach. After safely getting the boat up to the high water mark we then went and bought some local fish freshly caught from that day; thanks to Janet for her advice. I can assure you it was delicious when we had it for supper. The stories Kirk told us about landing his boat in storms were terrifying. Thank god it was calm when I beached.
If you are ever in Aldeburgh go and visit their shop on the sea front (see the pictures below). Thanks also to Mike and Torna for letting us stay in their cottage. It is great to be in a bed for a night before an epic passage across the Thames estuary. It is also great to see Murray through to another semi-final. I hope to be in on Friday to watch his game with Tsonga.
Day 67 - Happisburgh to Lowestoft - 3rd July 2012
After what seemed like an eternity we finally made our way out of Norfolk. I was very happy to have spent some time with my cousins but it’s always on my mind as to when I can go. The forecast seems to change by the hour and I think I must have worked out every contingency plan and option for the East coast by now!
We were an hour away from the boat so we had a 5am drive through the countryside to Happisburgh. The fields were flooded and we drove through puddles the size of ponds. I guess the farmers must be as fed up with this weather as we all are.
After a tidy beach launch we made quick progress with the tide. It’s a busy area with lots of traffic and wind turbines as you can see from the photograph. We felt dwarfed as we passed the wind farms. There was constant rain and drizzle, however I had great company with my new crew Poppy. I’ve been blessed with all my crew and I really hope they have enjoyed being on board.
As we approached Lowestoft we were stuck on red lights at the entrance to the harbour for half an hour. A Wind Cat servicing the turbines eventually left and we got the green light.
In the afternoon I went to Aldeburgh on a recce and met a very friendly local fisherman who offered to tow us out tomorrow as we attempt another beach landing on a very shingly shore.
It was disappointing for the first time on this journey to not get a concessionary rate for our berth in the Marina. However it served to remind us of the incredible generosity of those we have met on this adventure; from harbourmasters, lifeboatmen, fishermen and the general public to the marinas, yacht clubs, and campsites. Thank you to Heathland Beach campsite for our free and welcoming stay last night. Without all these people who have gone out of their way to welcome and help us, the journey would have been a lot tougher and a lot less colourful.
Onwards.
We were an hour away from the boat so we had a 5am drive through the countryside to Happisburgh. The fields were flooded and we drove through puddles the size of ponds. I guess the farmers must be as fed up with this weather as we all are.
After a tidy beach launch we made quick progress with the tide. It’s a busy area with lots of traffic and wind turbines as you can see from the photograph. We felt dwarfed as we passed the wind farms. There was constant rain and drizzle, however I had great company with my new crew Poppy. I’ve been blessed with all my crew and I really hope they have enjoyed being on board.
As we approached Lowestoft we were stuck on red lights at the entrance to the harbour for half an hour. A Wind Cat servicing the turbines eventually left and we got the green light.
In the afternoon I went to Aldeburgh on a recce and met a very friendly local fisherman who offered to tow us out tomorrow as we attempt another beach landing on a very shingly shore.
It was disappointing for the first time on this journey to not get a concessionary rate for our berth in the Marina. However it served to remind us of the incredible generosity of those we have met on this adventure; from harbourmasters, lifeboatmen, fishermen and the general public to the marinas, yacht clubs, and campsites. Thank you to Heathland Beach campsite for our free and welcoming stay last night. Without all these people who have gone out of their way to welcome and help us, the journey would have been a lot tougher and a lot less colourful.
Onwards.
Day 66 - Happisburgh - 2nd July 2012
As my beard grows longer and my hair slowly goes greyer (even at the age of 21), the frustration was clear on my face all day. The trees were still bent over by the force of the wind and now accompanying this was torrential rain. Not the best start to July.
After the Metoffice revealed that June’s weather was the wettest since records began and the period between April-July was the worst weather for 230 years, I think that I have made good progress in such adverse conditions. However it is hard to be stopped so close to the finish line for such a long period. I hope to exploit a small weather window tomorrow to go 20 miles down the coast to Lowestoft marina.
Today was a very relaxed day; apart from checking the forecast anxiously every hour. Yes it does change that often! I managed to watch a bit of Wimbledon until that also got rained off. In other news the trusty VW campervan passed its MOT. The rest of the day was spent cleaning the cottage we had been staying in and preparing for the next few days sailing. I even got so bored I went for a run, it's good to keep the fitness up even if I’m not sailing.
The tracker is now fixed, so please follow our progress tomorrow. I hope that this time tomorrow I will be writing the blog from a new county.
After the Metoffice revealed that June’s weather was the wettest since records began and the period between April-July was the worst weather for 230 years, I think that I have made good progress in such adverse conditions. However it is hard to be stopped so close to the finish line for such a long period. I hope to exploit a small weather window tomorrow to go 20 miles down the coast to Lowestoft marina.
Today was a very relaxed day; apart from checking the forecast anxiously every hour. Yes it does change that often! I managed to watch a bit of Wimbledon until that also got rained off. In other news the trusty VW campervan passed its MOT. The rest of the day was spent cleaning the cottage we had been staying in and preparing for the next few days sailing. I even got so bored I went for a run, it's good to keep the fitness up even if I’m not sailing.
The tracker is now fixed, so please follow our progress tomorrow. I hope that this time tomorrow I will be writing the blog from a new county.
Day 64 and 65 - Happisburgh - 30th June and 1st July 2012
Running repairs
I awoke to the depressing sight of trees bending in the wind. A quick check of the forecasts confirmed that there would be no sailing today or tomorrow and that Tuesday was also in the balance. I feel particularly bad for Luke, my 15 year old crew, who was meant to have been sailing with me from last Thursday. He has worked so hard to raise a phenomenal £508 in sponsorship for the challenge and has been denied a chance to sail. I hope to see him at the homecoming in Cowes and want to say a big thank you to him, Patricia and Sean for their incredible efforts.
The one bright part of the weekend was the arrival of my parents who have now contrived to visit on the four weekends where I have been at the most southerly, westerly, northerly and now easterly points of the trip!
An afternoon trip down the coast and conversations with members of the local yacht club, who had cancelled sailing for 2 days, confirmed that sailing would not have been an option today. The wind was gusting force 6/7. Some fishermen told me that this has been the worst June for 230 years; trust me to have picked this year for the challenge!
I continue to believe that once I am round the final corner the home run will be speedy. I hope to make my new homecoming date of Tuesday 10th July.
As a result the rest of the day was spent visiting old ruins: including castles, manors and prairies. Even though my father had disappeared south, one of his favourite pastimes is finding ruins; he would have been proud of our discovery. I decided to hunt out some of Norfolk’s hidden secrets. Although we struggled to find Gresham Castle, we came across Baconsthorpe Castle. It was built in 1450 and a lot of the foundations have survived (see pictures below).
Finally a huge thanks to Jules for putting us up and for putting up with us for rather longer than anticipated!
The one bright part of the weekend was the arrival of my parents who have now contrived to visit on the four weekends where I have been at the most southerly, westerly, northerly and now easterly points of the trip!
An afternoon trip down the coast and conversations with members of the local yacht club, who had cancelled sailing for 2 days, confirmed that sailing would not have been an option today. The wind was gusting force 6/7. Some fishermen told me that this has been the worst June for 230 years; trust me to have picked this year for the challenge!
I continue to believe that once I am round the final corner the home run will be speedy. I hope to make my new homecoming date of Tuesday 10th July.
As a result the rest of the day was spent visiting old ruins: including castles, manors and prairies. Even though my father had disappeared south, one of his favourite pastimes is finding ruins; he would have been proud of our discovery. I decided to hunt out some of Norfolk’s hidden secrets. Although we struggled to find Gresham Castle, we came across Baconsthorpe Castle. It was built in 1450 and a lot of the foundations have survived (see pictures below).
Finally a huge thanks to Jules for putting us up and for putting up with us for rather longer than anticipated!
Day 62 and 63 - Happisburgh - 28th and 29th June 2012
It seems a regular pattern is emerging: making amazing progress down south before being halted for two or three days. I am currently stuck at the RNLI station near Happisburgh. I plan to sail to Lowestoft Marina on Sunday evening in a small weather window, where the wind drops for six hours.
The last few days have been a mixture of frustration and welcomed rest and relaxation. I am constantly watching the weather online. It seems to change hourly, mostly in the wrong direction. On the trip I have trusted two forecasts that have rarely made a mistake- they are XC Weather and Windguru. In my opinion on this trip the Metoffice’s forecasts have been terrible- wrong over 50% of the time. I am not the only person to have experienced this; a lot of the harbourmasters in North Scotland were encouraging me to follow the weather on XC.
I am luckily staying with my cousins at the moment, it has given me time to sort out all my admin. Last night I got tweeted by Miranda Hart! If you’re not already following me on twitter, please follow the link on the website. I tweet whilst on the water so you can get the latest updates from the boat. It’s usually about ships trying to run us down.
I also visited the boat yesterday to do some repair work. Thanks to Sean and his colleagues at the RNLI station for letting us use their pop-rivet gun. The other day when we were sailing we luckily saw the topping lift take off with the reefing line. We managed to catch the pieces, which had broken off the boom. It was a quick fix but essential if we are planning to go out on Sunday evening.
The only comfort I can take in waiting is that I am not further north. It is the wettest June for almost 230 years. It has also been one of the windiest. Fortunately the torrential downpours that hit Newcastle did not hit me; otherwise I may have sailed into Newcastle itself. I can only imagine that being on the boat at that time with no spray hood would not have been a pleasant experience.
I will keep you updated on the tracker being fixed on the website. However if it is not fixed by Sunday, you can follow on this link: http://my.yb.tl/loveludo/
The last few days have been a mixture of frustration and welcomed rest and relaxation. I am constantly watching the weather online. It seems to change hourly, mostly in the wrong direction. On the trip I have trusted two forecasts that have rarely made a mistake- they are XC Weather and Windguru. In my opinion on this trip the Metoffice’s forecasts have been terrible- wrong over 50% of the time. I am not the only person to have experienced this; a lot of the harbourmasters in North Scotland were encouraging me to follow the weather on XC.
I am luckily staying with my cousins at the moment, it has given me time to sort out all my admin. Last night I got tweeted by Miranda Hart! If you’re not already following me on twitter, please follow the link on the website. I tweet whilst on the water so you can get the latest updates from the boat. It’s usually about ships trying to run us down.
I also visited the boat yesterday to do some repair work. Thanks to Sean and his colleagues at the RNLI station for letting us use their pop-rivet gun. The other day when we were sailing we luckily saw the topping lift take off with the reefing line. We managed to catch the pieces, which had broken off the boom. It was a quick fix but essential if we are planning to go out on Sunday evening.
The only comfort I can take in waiting is that I am not further north. It is the wettest June for almost 230 years. It has also been one of the windiest. Fortunately the torrential downpours that hit Newcastle did not hit me; otherwise I may have sailed into Newcastle itself. I can only imagine that being on the boat at that time with no spray hood would not have been a pleasant experience.
I will keep you updated on the tracker being fixed on the website. However if it is not fixed by Sunday, you can follow on this link: http://my.yb.tl/loveludo/
Day 61 - Wells-next-the-Sea to Happisburgh - 27th June 2012
Due to tidal restrictions we left Wells at a rather pleasant 9am. Although the forecast was for mist, the sun was out and a great westerly wind was behind us. Leaving the harbour was trickier than we anticipated. The river winds its way up for 3 miles. Although coming in at high tide was a breeze, leaving before high tide was a mission.
At some points the water was so shallow Will ended up jumping out and walking the boat through knee deep sand bars. It took just over an hour to cover a short distance, not the greatest start to the day. The tide was coming into the river strongly so our progress to the mouth was slow. However when we were finally out we made instant progress down the Norfolk coast.
I got a call about an hour in to report that my YB3 tracker wasn’t working. It became apparent that it wasn’t an issue at our end. We have now found out it is an issue within Google. As it is one of their flagship products you can expect them to get it fixed asap. We will keep you in the loop. If you would like to follow us on an alternative site, with up to date positions, go to: http://my.yb.tl/loveludo/.
Unfortunately for the next few days we are well and truly stormbound. It is frustrating as I am so close to home but next week will see us cross the Thames estuary and get ourselves within a couple of days of the Isle of Wight.
Yesterday’s passage saw us clock up speeds of well over 7 knots with the tide. It is amazing what you can achieve with a following wind and tide. On the other hand the visibility was poor. We couldn’t see the wind farm to our port side and trying to make colours out on land was tricky. This became an issue when the shore crew decided that the slip I had chosen was falling apart. We changed our destination to an RNLI slipway at Cart Gap just past Happisburgh.
The slipway is relatively new and did not show on charts on the boat or any map. This meant the shore crew had to try and give local landmarks as I closed in. With the visibility making the colours hard to see, finding a red and white lighthouse proved anything but straightforward, even though it was only a couple of miles away. However, once we found it the slipway was easy to navigate to.
My only worry was another beach landing; we had mucked up at Easington and I did not want a repeat of nearly wrecking the boat. This time we made no mistake. We had a new policy of steering straight up the beach, chucking the painter onto land and pulling the boat out of the water before a wave could break on the stern. We then lifted the boat onto the trailer. If only we had adopted this method a few days ago!
Once we settled and safely packed the boat up we got a tour of the local RNLI station. See the picture below of the spotless shed and impressive set of boats.
At some points the water was so shallow Will ended up jumping out and walking the boat through knee deep sand bars. It took just over an hour to cover a short distance, not the greatest start to the day. The tide was coming into the river strongly so our progress to the mouth was slow. However when we were finally out we made instant progress down the Norfolk coast.
I got a call about an hour in to report that my YB3 tracker wasn’t working. It became apparent that it wasn’t an issue at our end. We have now found out it is an issue within Google. As it is one of their flagship products you can expect them to get it fixed asap. We will keep you in the loop. If you would like to follow us on an alternative site, with up to date positions, go to: http://my.yb.tl/loveludo/.
Unfortunately for the next few days we are well and truly stormbound. It is frustrating as I am so close to home but next week will see us cross the Thames estuary and get ourselves within a couple of days of the Isle of Wight.
Yesterday’s passage saw us clock up speeds of well over 7 knots with the tide. It is amazing what you can achieve with a following wind and tide. On the other hand the visibility was poor. We couldn’t see the wind farm to our port side and trying to make colours out on land was tricky. This became an issue when the shore crew decided that the slip I had chosen was falling apart. We changed our destination to an RNLI slipway at Cart Gap just past Happisburgh.
The slipway is relatively new and did not show on charts on the boat or any map. This meant the shore crew had to try and give local landmarks as I closed in. With the visibility making the colours hard to see, finding a red and white lighthouse proved anything but straightforward, even though it was only a couple of miles away. However, once we found it the slipway was easy to navigate to.
My only worry was another beach landing; we had mucked up at Easington and I did not want a repeat of nearly wrecking the boat. This time we made no mistake. We had a new policy of steering straight up the beach, chucking the painter onto land and pulling the boat out of the water before a wave could break on the stern. We then lifted the boat onto the trailer. If only we had adopted this method a few days ago!
Once we settled and safely packed the boat up we got a tour of the local RNLI station. See the picture below of the spotless shed and impressive set of boats.
Day 60 - Easington to Wells-next-the-Sea - 26th June 2012
Sunrise in Easington
After yesterday's troublesome landing, today's launch was a breeze. We flew off the beach and headed towards the Binks, enjoying the most amazing sunrise at 4am. The local fishermen had claimed they were dangerous so I kept a wide berth.
Crossing the shipping lanes was difficult. Twelve boats were coming in and out. It's like crossing the M25 by foot. We timed it correctly, nipping behind one ship and safely crossing two lanes. We then headed across another lane but had to make a full 90 degree turn to avoid a ship intent on making sure we turned.
Progress was rapid. At times we got to near 7 knots with the Spring tides. Further dangers were encountered with shallow grounds proving difficult to find without a depth sounder. As a result the waves were short and sharp and the boat got covered in spray. The weather was beautiful but we couldn't enjoy it as we kept on getting mouthfuls of salt water. We certainly had our RDA of salt!
Coming into Wells was a incredibly difficult. Although buoyed, the sand bars either side off the channel are deadly. The channel is only very narrow so it proved to be agonising when another boat decided to leave the harbour as we approached. However we finally sailed in beautifully.
What a day; we completed the Wash and even managed to beat the shore crew who drove around. We were then very kindly offered accommodation by local wayfarer sailors Paula and Peter Baldry. It was lovely to meet you and thank you so much for your generous hospitality.
Stats: E 3/4. Sunny, cloudy later.
Crossing the shipping lanes was difficult. Twelve boats were coming in and out. It's like crossing the M25 by foot. We timed it correctly, nipping behind one ship and safely crossing two lanes. We then headed across another lane but had to make a full 90 degree turn to avoid a ship intent on making sure we turned.
Progress was rapid. At times we got to near 7 knots with the Spring tides. Further dangers were encountered with shallow grounds proving difficult to find without a depth sounder. As a result the waves were short and sharp and the boat got covered in spray. The weather was beautiful but we couldn't enjoy it as we kept on getting mouthfuls of salt water. We certainly had our RDA of salt!
Coming into Wells was a incredibly difficult. Although buoyed, the sand bars either side off the channel are deadly. The channel is only very narrow so it proved to be agonising when another boat decided to leave the harbour as we approached. However we finally sailed in beautifully.
What a day; we completed the Wash and even managed to beat the shore crew who drove around. We were then very kindly offered accommodation by local wayfarer sailors Paula and Peter Baldry. It was lovely to meet you and thank you so much for your generous hospitality.
Stats: E 3/4. Sunny, cloudy later.
Day 59 - Filey to Easington - 25th June 2012
Beach Landing
After a short day yesterday, we finally got to do another proper passage. The wind was perfect for once, a steady NW breeze pushing us towards Flamborough point. As we closed in on the headland, hundreds of gannets swooped around the boat with seaweed in their mouths, obviously for making nests back on shore.
The morning flew by and with the kite set we made good progress. I can safely say that it was the best day's sailing I have had in a while. Shipping activity was certainly on the rise with ships queuing up to enter the Humber estuary on the horizon. The shipping lanes will be the main test tomorrow.
We saw the destination from a while off; the gas station towers stood tall just next to our landing spot. One third of all British gas comes into that station and the security was equivalent to Fort Knox. We also spotted a lighthouse inshore- see pictures below. They are clearly planning for the future. The coastal erosion is shocking on the coast, many houses have been lost to the power of the sea.
Landing was anything but easy. Although there were light winds, there was still some swell. As we headed towards the trailer, the boat ended up side on to a wave and started filling with water. From then on it was a mission to get out. We ended up having to tow the boat out with the Land Rover. We then promptly bailed the boat and lifted it onto the trailer. The boat was covered in sand. A huge thanks to David and Garrett for jumping in fully clothed as I feared for the boat at one stage.
The local fisherman looked less than impressed but we survived and slowly pulled the boat up the beach. After an hour of solid cleaning we had the boat in ship shape condition. A bit of a shame after such a great day's sailing, however a lesson was firmly learnt.
Before supper I quickly headed off to see the local RNLI for advice about the Binks- a set of very shallow waters just off the Humber entrance. I will heed their advice for tomorrow and keep a wide berth. I don't want to be calling them out.
Just before I went off to bed early before another long day, I was visited by local police checking to see if I had permission to stay the night. Although I was grilled at first, they ended up being very jolly and wished me all the best for the future.
Stats: NW 3/4, occasionally 5 at the start. Cloudy (and warm for once).
The morning flew by and with the kite set we made good progress. I can safely say that it was the best day's sailing I have had in a while. Shipping activity was certainly on the rise with ships queuing up to enter the Humber estuary on the horizon. The shipping lanes will be the main test tomorrow.
We saw the destination from a while off; the gas station towers stood tall just next to our landing spot. One third of all British gas comes into that station and the security was equivalent to Fort Knox. We also spotted a lighthouse inshore- see pictures below. They are clearly planning for the future. The coastal erosion is shocking on the coast, many houses have been lost to the power of the sea.
Landing was anything but easy. Although there were light winds, there was still some swell. As we headed towards the trailer, the boat ended up side on to a wave and started filling with water. From then on it was a mission to get out. We ended up having to tow the boat out with the Land Rover. We then promptly bailed the boat and lifted it onto the trailer. The boat was covered in sand. A huge thanks to David and Garrett for jumping in fully clothed as I feared for the boat at one stage.
The local fisherman looked less than impressed but we survived and slowly pulled the boat up the beach. After an hour of solid cleaning we had the boat in ship shape condition. A bit of a shame after such a great day's sailing, however a lesson was firmly learnt.
Before supper I quickly headed off to see the local RNLI for advice about the Binks- a set of very shallow waters just off the Humber entrance. I will heed their advice for tomorrow and keep a wide berth. I don't want to be calling them out.
Just before I went off to bed early before another long day, I was visited by local police checking to see if I had permission to stay the night. Although I was grilled at first, they ended up being very jolly and wished me all the best for the future.
Stats: NW 3/4, occasionally 5 at the start. Cloudy (and warm for once).
Day 58 - Scarborough to Filey - 24th June 2012
Filey Sailing Club boat saying hello
Having sat in Scarborough for what seemed an eternity, we finally made a small hop down the coast to Filey on Sunday morning. It was a very pleasant sail downwind.
The only damage done to the boat after last week's bad weather was our wind indicator flying off for the 2nd time; annoying but easily replaced.
As I woke up and looked out to see the bay shrouded in fog I prepared for another day of kickin my heels. But by the time I had finished breakfast, the sun was slowly burning through. Probably the last sun we saw all day.
We cracked on and had the boat ready by 10am. We set off gliding beautifully towards the next headland. For once we were not cold and we were in good spirits. As we rounded the headland the wind was starting to increase so we nipped into Filey. It turned out to be a wise decision as the weather deteriorated throughout the afternoon.
Filey Sailing Club greeted us warmly both on the water and in the clubhouse. What amazing views they have from their clubhouse perched on the side off the cliff. Thank you for the sandwiches and hot chocolate.
Both Will and David decided to go on a walk as I had a small nap in the van; to my amusement within 30 minutes the heavens opened. One shower passed quickly, the second certainly didn't. It was like a monsoon. Lucky we were on dry land- I'm not sure it would have been great on the boat as the wind increased frighteningly quickly.
David arrived back first, luckily with waterproofs on. Will had only a pair of shorts and a t-shirt on and was far from happy after staying so dry on the sail. It hasn't stopped raining since that moment and I do worry that we may wake up tomorrow morning in a river at the campsite. The roads are already starting to flood; it's supposed to be summer! This brings back memories of D of E when the Shropshire floods occurred. Let's hope it improves for Wimbledon and I can make some progress towards Cowes.
The only damage done to the boat after last week's bad weather was our wind indicator flying off for the 2nd time; annoying but easily replaced.
As I woke up and looked out to see the bay shrouded in fog I prepared for another day of kickin my heels. But by the time I had finished breakfast, the sun was slowly burning through. Probably the last sun we saw all day.
We cracked on and had the boat ready by 10am. We set off gliding beautifully towards the next headland. For once we were not cold and we were in good spirits. As we rounded the headland the wind was starting to increase so we nipped into Filey. It turned out to be a wise decision as the weather deteriorated throughout the afternoon.
Filey Sailing Club greeted us warmly both on the water and in the clubhouse. What amazing views they have from their clubhouse perched on the side off the cliff. Thank you for the sandwiches and hot chocolate.
Both Will and David decided to go on a walk as I had a small nap in the van; to my amusement within 30 minutes the heavens opened. One shower passed quickly, the second certainly didn't. It was like a monsoon. Lucky we were on dry land- I'm not sure it would have been great on the boat as the wind increased frighteningly quickly.
David arrived back first, luckily with waterproofs on. Will had only a pair of shorts and a t-shirt on and was far from happy after staying so dry on the sail. It hasn't stopped raining since that moment and I do worry that we may wake up tomorrow morning in a river at the campsite. The roads are already starting to flood; it's supposed to be summer! This brings back memories of D of E when the Shropshire floods occurred. Let's hope it improves for Wimbledon and I can make some progress towards Cowes.
Day 57 - Armed Forces Day in Scarborough - 23rd June 2012
I'm not going to get the boat up on that slipway.
Knowing the weather was going to be even worse than the previous few days and the wind gusting nearer 40 knots, I decided to scout out the next couple of routes along the coast. I drove down to Spurn head to see the slipway I had chosen to get the boat out. It was fortunate I decided to do this. Due to the coastal erosion the sea had destroyed the slipway and now the road hung perilously close to the cliff edge. As a result I had to find a new landing site. I found a local fisherman who very kindly offered us advice and would let us get the boat out on his land.
When we returned to Scarborough we went and saw the armed forces day that was taking place in the town. It is an annual event where the whole town takes to the streets. The navy divers had been watching the football with us the previous night. Someone nicknamed CT had given Will a good hammering at pool. It turned out he has been navy champion for the last 4 years! It is amazing to meet characters who do such dangerous work for the country.
I agreed to meet up with a crew member who will be joining us for a couple of days, to show him the boat and run through any last minute plans. He will be joining us in Great Yarmouth.
We finished up the day by going to Anton’s, a local bar and grill. They serve great food in there and it would not look out of place in London. Juliet handed out flyers all evening and drummed up local support. Thank you so much! If you’re visiting Scarborough make sure you pop in there for your evening meal. I recommend the steak.
Upon leaving we met a few fellow sailors. Thanks for the sponsorship money from Colin Woodhead. They told us all about their Fastnet experiences and tall ship races- future challenges perhaps?
When we returned to Scarborough we went and saw the armed forces day that was taking place in the town. It is an annual event where the whole town takes to the streets. The navy divers had been watching the football with us the previous night. Someone nicknamed CT had given Will a good hammering at pool. It turned out he has been navy champion for the last 4 years! It is amazing to meet characters who do such dangerous work for the country.
I agreed to meet up with a crew member who will be joining us for a couple of days, to show him the boat and run through any last minute plans. He will be joining us in Great Yarmouth.
We finished up the day by going to Anton’s, a local bar and grill. They serve great food in there and it would not look out of place in London. Juliet handed out flyers all evening and drummed up local support. Thank you so much! If you’re visiting Scarborough make sure you pop in there for your evening meal. I recommend the steak.
Upon leaving we met a few fellow sailors. Thanks for the sponsorship money from Colin Woodhead. They told us all about their Fastnet experiences and tall ship races- future challenges perhaps?
Day 56 - Scarborough - 22nd June 2012
Hat for Ascot?
As the Metoffice announced flood warnings for the entire country and the Isle of Wight struggled to cope with a few muddy fields, I was safely tucked up in Scarborough. The wind was gusting gale force winds and the rain had been torrential all day. There was no chance of leaving the harbour today. It is now just a waiting game for a weather window to come along. The weather was so vile it destroyed Will’s umbrella in a matter of minutes!
Luckily Scarborough did not flood. It ended up being a day where we sorted out business. We then started the Scarborough open pool tournament between ourselves. David’s policy of hit and hope had a few flukey victories. Garrett seems to be in the leading position at the moment after taking 10 straight frames off Will.
In the morning I had headed off to see Bridlington’s harbourmaster. I have been considering making a short hop on Sunday down the coast. It is only a 20 mile passage; I could do it in a few hours and in slightly heavier winds. He was very helpful telling me about the next headland and I am definitely leaving it as an option. I hope to scout out further down the coast on Saturday to explore other ideas.
Luckily Scarborough did not flood. It ended up being a day where we sorted out business. We then started the Scarborough open pool tournament between ourselves. David’s policy of hit and hope had a few flukey victories. Garrett seems to be in the leading position at the moment after taking 10 straight frames off Will.
In the morning I had headed off to see Bridlington’s harbourmaster. I have been considering making a short hop on Sunday down the coast. It is only a 20 mile passage; I could do it in a few hours and in slightly heavier winds. He was very helpful telling me about the next headland and I am definitely leaving it as an option. I hope to scout out further down the coast on Saturday to explore other ideas.
Day 55 - Wet, wild and windy Scarborough - 21st June 2012
After summer joined us briefly yesterday, normal British weather resumed this morning. The rain lashed down on the windows and the wind was gusting 30 knots. It is expected to rise over the next few days, not good news! However this bad weather had been forecast for some
time, so I set off to go see some of the coastline I had
sailed and meet some of the local people.
Unfortunately my drive along the coast did not go as planned. The mist so bad I struggled to see the white lines on the road, let alone the stunning national park surrounding me. My attention was fully geared to keeping the BT Land Rover firmly on the road. I’m not sure I would have been too popular writing a car off on a sailing challenge.
My eventual destination along the coast was Staithes Harbour. The RNLI launching master, Shaun, had contacted me the day before I set off from Sunderland to offer a bed and shelter if I did not make it to Scarborough. He is a local fisherman and obviously knows his way around a boat. I am hoping that his son might join me for a leg in the next few weeks.
He gave me a tour of the newly renovated RNLI station. The facilities were excellent and the boat was a beast. It is great to see such an effort being ploughed into local RNLI stations. They go and rescue people in dangerous seas and deserve the very best equipment.
We had a great chat and discussed the route for the next few days. He gave me numbers for more RNLI stations down the coast. I will be ringing ahead to find out local information- invaluable for a safe and successful passage along the east coast. Thank you Shaun for your help.
On the way back from Staithes, I popped into see a landmark that had stood out from the boat, Whitby Abbey. Although shrouded in fog, it was incredibly impressive to see the structure on land.
In the next few days I will be doing a recce down the coast to my next destination, which will be a beach landing. Fingers crossed for the forecast to improve. However with Wimbledon coming up, I am sure we can expect a bit of rain next week!
Stats: 5-7. Torrential rain and mist.
Unfortunately my drive along the coast did not go as planned. The mist so bad I struggled to see the white lines on the road, let alone the stunning national park surrounding me. My attention was fully geared to keeping the BT Land Rover firmly on the road. I’m not sure I would have been too popular writing a car off on a sailing challenge.
My eventual destination along the coast was Staithes Harbour. The RNLI launching master, Shaun, had contacted me the day before I set off from Sunderland to offer a bed and shelter if I did not make it to Scarborough. He is a local fisherman and obviously knows his way around a boat. I am hoping that his son might join me for a leg in the next few weeks.
He gave me a tour of the newly renovated RNLI station. The facilities were excellent and the boat was a beast. It is great to see such an effort being ploughed into local RNLI stations. They go and rescue people in dangerous seas and deserve the very best equipment.
We had a great chat and discussed the route for the next few days. He gave me numbers for more RNLI stations down the coast. I will be ringing ahead to find out local information- invaluable for a safe and successful passage along the east coast. Thank you Shaun for your help.
On the way back from Staithes, I popped into see a landmark that had stood out from the boat, Whitby Abbey. Although shrouded in fog, it was incredibly impressive to see the structure on land.
In the next few days I will be doing a recce down the coast to my next destination, which will be a beach landing. Fingers crossed for the forecast to improve. However with Wimbledon coming up, I am sure we can expect a bit of rain next week!
Stats: 5-7. Torrential rain and mist.
Day 54 - Sunderland to Scarborough - 20th June 2012
Today was one of the first times I struggled to wake up for a shift. 5am was the set off time and I was shattered when waking up. I really appreciated Will, David and Garrett's efforts to get the boat ready whilst I was slowly coming around. Although I struggled, we slipped lines at 5.15am and initially made swift progress with the tide. For the first time for in a month the kite was raised and the speeds were regularly over 6 knots.
Wildlife was great today with sightings of porpoises and birds, including plenty of feeding frenzies. At least now I will be an expert in where to fish on my summer holidays.
Will, my current crew, even cooked a hot lunch. We managed to eat couscous with salami with hot chocolate on the side. However the hot chocolate was not needed to warm us up as we finally had blazing sunshine. By the end of the day there were a few very red faces. Although the winds eased off, today was enjoyable and we passed some awesome landmarks including Whitby Abbey perched high on the cliffs. We also passed Robin Hood's bay. I am reliably informed that Captain Cook set off on his journey from there.
As we passed Whitby we also entered a new shipping forecast zone. We have made great progress so far along the North coast of England but it is set to come to a grinding halt tomorrow. A deep low pressure will be entering the UK and the next day for sailing will be Sunday/Monday. In the meantime we will start the Scarborough open pool tournament between the four of us and hopefully integrate ourselves in the very friendly yacht club.
Stats: Variable 2. Sunny.
Wildlife was great today with sightings of porpoises and birds, including plenty of feeding frenzies. At least now I will be an expert in where to fish on my summer holidays.
Will, my current crew, even cooked a hot lunch. We managed to eat couscous with salami with hot chocolate on the side. However the hot chocolate was not needed to warm us up as we finally had blazing sunshine. By the end of the day there were a few very red faces. Although the winds eased off, today was enjoyable and we passed some awesome landmarks including Whitby Abbey perched high on the cliffs. We also passed Robin Hood's bay. I am reliably informed that Captain Cook set off on his journey from there.
As we passed Whitby we also entered a new shipping forecast zone. We have made great progress so far along the North coast of England but it is set to come to a grinding halt tomorrow. A deep low pressure will be entering the UK and the next day for sailing will be Sunday/Monday. In the meantime we will start the Scarborough open pool tournament between the four of us and hopefully integrate ourselves in the very friendly yacht club.
Stats: Variable 2. Sunny.
Day 53 - Seahouses to Sunderland - 19th June 2012
With the longest day of the year approaching this week, I felt it was only appropriate to start early. The wake up call was set for 2.30am, to sail by 3am. The main reason was to catch the flood tide as it increased to around 2 knots around the first headland. Unfortunately for us when we awoke it was clear we weren’t going to be able to set off that early as it was pelting it down with rain and the dark clouds were blocking any early light. We had a quick 30-minute power nap and got up to a glorious sight of red sky. We all know the tale ‘red sky in the morning shepherds warning’. We were hoping for that theory to be proved wrong today.
As we glided out of the harbour with one other fishing boat we were briefly treated to a beautiful shot of the orange sun burning through the rain clouds. It was brief but magical. The temperature yet again failed to hit double figures and we had to wear ski gloves to helm to avoid our hands falling off.
Along the coast we drifted slowly past wind farms, power stations and more impressive castles. We met many more ships and fishing boats that usually give you a friendly wave. The gannets dive-bombing into the sea were quite a sight; they are the only bird that can dislocate their shoulders back in order to dive from such a height.
As the day progressed it was also clear that we wouldn’t be staying dry; from the west heavy showers bore down us. Towering grey clouds formed a continuous line from one side of the horizon to the other. For the middle part of the morning, not only did it feel like we were in a freezer but it also felt like we had a bucket of cold water being poured over our faces - we were sitting ducks. At that moment I wished I had fitted a spray hood onto the boat. Will’s sun dance from yesterday was not bringing us any joy at all- I suppose we had been warned with the red sky this morning.
The heavy showers continued till we finished but we did see an entire tree float past us. It was bigger than the boat and I was pleased to see it from a distance. Impact with it would have caused considerable damage to the boat.
As we had set off so early it meant we arrived at our destination at a reasonable hour. We had a quick lunch and headed over to the Stadium of Light, home of Sunderland FC. Now we just have to hope England qualify for the Euro playoffs tonight.
Stats: SW 2/3. Raining.
As we glided out of the harbour with one other fishing boat we were briefly treated to a beautiful shot of the orange sun burning through the rain clouds. It was brief but magical. The temperature yet again failed to hit double figures and we had to wear ski gloves to helm to avoid our hands falling off.
Along the coast we drifted slowly past wind farms, power stations and more impressive castles. We met many more ships and fishing boats that usually give you a friendly wave. The gannets dive-bombing into the sea were quite a sight; they are the only bird that can dislocate their shoulders back in order to dive from such a height.
As the day progressed it was also clear that we wouldn’t be staying dry; from the west heavy showers bore down us. Towering grey clouds formed a continuous line from one side of the horizon to the other. For the middle part of the morning, not only did it feel like we were in a freezer but it also felt like we had a bucket of cold water being poured over our faces - we were sitting ducks. At that moment I wished I had fitted a spray hood onto the boat. Will’s sun dance from yesterday was not bringing us any joy at all- I suppose we had been warned with the red sky this morning.
The heavy showers continued till we finished but we did see an entire tree float past us. It was bigger than the boat and I was pleased to see it from a distance. Impact with it would have caused considerable damage to the boat.
As we had set off so early it meant we arrived at our destination at a reasonable hour. We had a quick lunch and headed over to the Stadium of Light, home of Sunderland FC. Now we just have to hope England qualify for the Euro playoffs tonight.
Stats: SW 2/3. Raining.
Day 52 - Dunbar to Seahouses - 18th June 2012
Dunbar Headland
Setting sail from Dunbar at 6am we were fortunate to be south of the torrential rain on the horizon. Unluckily the temperature was low enough to see our own breath. Will summed up what yesterday had been like: ‘getting up at an antisocial hour and sitting in a freezer for 9 hours’. We hoped today would improve.
We made quick progress down past Torness power station. There were quite a few fishermen out. Dunbar hope to expand their harbour in the next few years, hopefully making their entrance more visible for visiting boats!
Finally the wind was behind us and we drifted silently down the coast. It was the first time I had a following wind for over 3 weeks. What a pleasure.
As we headed past Berwick-upon-Tweed we finally re-entered English waters. I have been in Scotland a month; it has been a great trip but certainly long enough. We were also treated to a steady breeze that followed us around the corner as well as perfect sunshine. Even the tide was with us!
As we sailed down the coast, Will made the hot soup of the day, Heinz’s Tomato. It was missing the Worcester sauce but that can be excused. It was brilliant to have a hot meal. Throughout the day the temperature rose which meant removing layers of clothing. Will ended up in his onesie tiger suit (see the pictures below).
The final few hours saw us sail past two huge castles on the beach: Bamburgh and Lindisfarne. We were also joined by a seal that came within a metre of the stern. A strong tide pushed us into the harbour to finish a great day’s sailing. Off to Seaham tomorrow at 3am- oh the joys of the tide!
Stats: Variable 3. Sunny, cloudy at the start.
We made quick progress down past Torness power station. There were quite a few fishermen out. Dunbar hope to expand their harbour in the next few years, hopefully making their entrance more visible for visiting boats!
Finally the wind was behind us and we drifted silently down the coast. It was the first time I had a following wind for over 3 weeks. What a pleasure.
As we headed past Berwick-upon-Tweed we finally re-entered English waters. I have been in Scotland a month; it has been a great trip but certainly long enough. We were also treated to a steady breeze that followed us around the corner as well as perfect sunshine. Even the tide was with us!
As we sailed down the coast, Will made the hot soup of the day, Heinz’s Tomato. It was missing the Worcester sauce but that can be excused. It was brilliant to have a hot meal. Throughout the day the temperature rose which meant removing layers of clothing. Will ended up in his onesie tiger suit (see the pictures below).
The final few hours saw us sail past two huge castles on the beach: Bamburgh and Lindisfarne. We were also joined by a seal that came within a metre of the stern. A strong tide pushed us into the harbour to finish a great day’s sailing. Off to Seaham tomorrow at 3am- oh the joys of the tide!
Stats: Variable 3. Sunny, cloudy at the start.
Day 51 - Johnshaven to Dunbar - 17th June 2012
Entrance to Dunbar harbour
After putting a total of nine layers on this morning, I felt that it was impossible to get cold on the water. The weather, however, thought otherwise and during the day the temperature dropped below 10 degrees. We even had a hot water bottle to go underneath the drysuit to try to keep us warm. Will, my current crew, ended up doing squats on the bow to try and get blood to his toes.
The contrast between today and the storms of yesterday was astonishing. We set off in a light breeze that steadily built. Although it did end up being on the nose it finally became the perfect wind. We ghosted along perfectly with absolutely nothing to report apart from a piece of wood that drifted by us. I believe we debated whether it would be possible for us to water-ski around the UK- what do you think?
The second half of the day was slightly busier with shipping coming out from Edinburgh. A fisherman gave us a great wave whilst we sailed past Bell rock. A huge lighthouse highlights Bell rock in the middle of the sea- it would be cool to be in that during a storm- or damn terrifying!
The end of the day saw us try to dodge some heavy squalls coming from the west. We could see Dunbar from about 15nm out. It disappeared in the rain at one point. Fortunately we did not get wet, unlike the shore crew who ended up being drenched all day. We skirted the worst of the showers and headed into the very narrow gap for the harbour of Dunbar (see above).
Throughout the day we had plenty of bird life around us including gannets to the left, right and centre. They are always amazing to see, diving in from such a height to catch fish.
Tomorrow sees us head to England, and after a month in Scotland, it is long overdue. However I may struggle to understand the Geordie accent as well. Thanks to the Scottish for their amazing hospitality. The harbourmasters have been extremely helpful and informative. I cannot wait to go and cruise around in a yacht at a more relaxed pace and in warmer weather. Thanks also to Johnshaven camping site for our free stay.
Stats: S 2/3. Heavy squalls.
The contrast between today and the storms of yesterday was astonishing. We set off in a light breeze that steadily built. Although it did end up being on the nose it finally became the perfect wind. We ghosted along perfectly with absolutely nothing to report apart from a piece of wood that drifted by us. I believe we debated whether it would be possible for us to water-ski around the UK- what do you think?
The second half of the day was slightly busier with shipping coming out from Edinburgh. A fisherman gave us a great wave whilst we sailed past Bell rock. A huge lighthouse highlights Bell rock in the middle of the sea- it would be cool to be in that during a storm- or damn terrifying!
The end of the day saw us try to dodge some heavy squalls coming from the west. We could see Dunbar from about 15nm out. It disappeared in the rain at one point. Fortunately we did not get wet, unlike the shore crew who ended up being drenched all day. We skirted the worst of the showers and headed into the very narrow gap for the harbour of Dunbar (see above).
Throughout the day we had plenty of bird life around us including gannets to the left, right and centre. They are always amazing to see, diving in from such a height to catch fish.
Tomorrow sees us head to England, and after a month in Scotland, it is long overdue. However I may struggle to understand the Geordie accent as well. Thanks to the Scottish for their amazing hospitality. The harbourmasters have been extremely helpful and informative. I cannot wait to go and cruise around in a yacht at a more relaxed pace and in warmer weather. Thanks also to Johnshaven camping site for our free stay.
Stats: S 2/3. Heavy squalls.
Day 50 - Where is the Summer? - 16th June 2012
A familiar pattern is emerging that Britain is failing to produce any Summer weather. It was 7 degrees Celsius this morning. Today saw a day of rest, relaxation and many frames of pool. Having had a very pleasant lie in, we somehow managed to crawl out of the campsite between the gusty wind and pouring rain. Visibility was so poor - the sea was barely visible!
After sending off a few emails and catching up with other members of the team, we agonisingly watched the last 10 minutes of both Wales and Ireland lose in the Southern hemisphere. Very unlucky and highly frustrating!
We also said goodbye to Aidan. Thank you for your extraordinary faces for the blog these last few days. It's a shame you are leaving so soon. Hopefully we will see you at the finish after your research trip to Falmouth.
Tomorrow we have a good couple of days to make some progress down the East coast; hopefully Dunbar tomorrow and England by Monday night. I feel very fortunate to have made it this far with the current weather we are experiencing. My thoughts go out to the other sailors I have met on the trip like Ian Bartlett who is stuck in Dublin. Of the 56 days he has been sailing, 17 have been gale force winds- a frightening statistic. Good luck for the rest of your trip. I would also like to wish Chris Brooks the best of luck for his catamaran sail. He is currently stormbound in Wales. We are all in the same boat and I hope for everyone's sake that the next week brings us all some better luck as we try to make some headway.
After sending off a few emails and catching up with other members of the team, we agonisingly watched the last 10 minutes of both Wales and Ireland lose in the Southern hemisphere. Very unlucky and highly frustrating!
We also said goodbye to Aidan. Thank you for your extraordinary faces for the blog these last few days. It's a shame you are leaving so soon. Hopefully we will see you at the finish after your research trip to Falmouth.
Tomorrow we have a good couple of days to make some progress down the East coast; hopefully Dunbar tomorrow and England by Monday night. I feel very fortunate to have made it this far with the current weather we are experiencing. My thoughts go out to the other sailors I have met on the trip like Ian Bartlett who is stuck in Dublin. Of the 56 days he has been sailing, 17 have been gale force winds- a frightening statistic. Good luck for the rest of your trip. I would also like to wish Chris Brooks the best of luck for his catamaran sail. He is currently stormbound in Wales. We are all in the same boat and I hope for everyone's sake that the next week brings us all some better luck as we try to make some headway.
Day 49 - Johnshaven - 15th June 2012
I seem quite relaxed
Having known Friday would have been a bad weather day for a while, we arranged for a press shoot in the nearby town of Perth. We turned up at 10.30 in Perth, with the boat on the trailer in filthy weather. The rain was pouring down and the wind gusting near 25 knots. Not ideal conditions for a photographer!
After much deliberation we decided to get the boat as close to the water as possible without hitting any rocks and, with the photographers ready, ran to the boat. Local and famous (also beautiful!) hairdresser Charlie Taylor joined us. Not only did she give me a great hair wash in her salon afterwards but also jumped into the boat for the photo shoot. Thank you Charlie and Alistair for a your hospitality and willingness to get hypothermia in the Scottish conditions.
Whilst heading back to Johnshaven we stopped by Carnoustie Golf Club. A few golfers had braved the horrific conditions for their round of golf; rather them than me.
Back to the campsite for a game of pool and a nice plate of seafood and some much needed showers after a rain soaked day. There was just enough time to sneak into the local school based in Brotherton Castle. Having sailed past the school, looking much like Hogwarts, it was a pleasure to have a tour of Lathallan School. Doesn’t every kid want to grow up in a castle? The boarding house master showed us around, even though all the children were away on leave-out. I hope to go back and speak to them after I finish the trip whilst doing my school tour.
It was sobering to meet a person later in Johnshaven who declared his wife had terminal cancer, with children aged two, four and six. He explained, “it’s not a life choice but one brought upon their lives and he was proud of what we were doing”. It’s sad to hear news like that but also I hope to inspire others to take up sailing and raise money for causes so important - ones that can affect any of us at any time in our lives. I will certainly think about her as I sail my next passage.
The weather looks bad again for tomorrow but hopefully Sunday we will be heading off towards the Scotland-England border.
Stats. E 6/7. Raining lots.
After much deliberation we decided to get the boat as close to the water as possible without hitting any rocks and, with the photographers ready, ran to the boat. Local and famous (also beautiful!) hairdresser Charlie Taylor joined us. Not only did she give me a great hair wash in her salon afterwards but also jumped into the boat for the photo shoot. Thank you Charlie and Alistair for a your hospitality and willingness to get hypothermia in the Scottish conditions.
Whilst heading back to Johnshaven we stopped by Carnoustie Golf Club. A few golfers had braved the horrific conditions for their round of golf; rather them than me.
Back to the campsite for a game of pool and a nice plate of seafood and some much needed showers after a rain soaked day. There was just enough time to sneak into the local school based in Brotherton Castle. Having sailed past the school, looking much like Hogwarts, it was a pleasure to have a tour of Lathallan School. Doesn’t every kid want to grow up in a castle? The boarding house master showed us around, even though all the children were away on leave-out. I hope to go back and speak to them after I finish the trip whilst doing my school tour.
It was sobering to meet a person later in Johnshaven who declared his wife had terminal cancer, with children aged two, four and six. He explained, “it’s not a life choice but one brought upon their lives and he was proud of what we were doing”. It’s sad to hear news like that but also I hope to inspire others to take up sailing and raise money for causes so important - ones that can affect any of us at any time in our lives. I will certainly think about her as I sail my next passage.
The weather looks bad again for tomorrow but hopefully Sunday we will be heading off towards the Scotland-England border.
Stats. E 6/7. Raining lots.
Day 48 - Fraserburgh to Johnstown - 14th June 2012
As we headed off progress was fast, tide with us and the wind favourable. We passed Rattray Head and a huge gas station. We had passed Peterhead by 7am and were flying along. The weather was great as the sun had come up. However on our starboard side we could see rain. Luckily it disappeared, although it was close enough to see the bands lashing down on the land.
As we neared Aberdeen, shipping increased. Even though we had right of way over one ship to our port and had passed its bow, it turned to port meaning we had to alter course to avoid a collision. An unnecessary manoeuvre for a boat obviously in the wrong - it’s a shame they don’t respect sailing boats and the speed they go.
After our recce yesterday we had decided to land in a small harbour, Johnshaven, before the wind rose to the force 5/6 predicted later. Getting into the harbour was a navigational nightmare. Rocks surround the entrance, and with it only being 2 metres wide the entrance is so slim that even the Wayfarer struggles to squeeze through the narrow entrance. Luckily for me a fishing boat had slipped in 5 minutes beforehand showing the best route, and it looks like the shore crew decided to buy a bit of the catch for the Barbie later.
Having safely sailed in we quickly derigged, including taking the mast down. However only after dragging the boat through the mud as it was low tide - typical! I decided to have a proper rig check, and with a strong easterly due, there will be no sailing for two days. It’s always worthwhile to check the boat once over on a day off. Even the locals aren’t going out tomorrow, so a lie in will be in store.
Stats: Variable 1 to 3. Cloudy.
As we neared Aberdeen, shipping increased. Even though we had right of way over one ship to our port and had passed its bow, it turned to port meaning we had to alter course to avoid a collision. An unnecessary manoeuvre for a boat obviously in the wrong - it’s a shame they don’t respect sailing boats and the speed they go.
After our recce yesterday we had decided to land in a small harbour, Johnshaven, before the wind rose to the force 5/6 predicted later. Getting into the harbour was a navigational nightmare. Rocks surround the entrance, and with it only being 2 metres wide the entrance is so slim that even the Wayfarer struggles to squeeze through the narrow entrance. Luckily for me a fishing boat had slipped in 5 minutes beforehand showing the best route, and it looks like the shore crew decided to buy a bit of the catch for the Barbie later.
Having safely sailed in we quickly derigged, including taking the mast down. However only after dragging the boat through the mud as it was low tide - typical! I decided to have a proper rig check, and with a strong easterly due, there will be no sailing for two days. It’s always worthwhile to check the boat once over on a day off. Even the locals aren’t going out tomorrow, so a lie in will be in store.
Stats: Variable 1 to 3. Cloudy.
Day 47 - Fraserburgh - 13th June 2012
Waiting for a bus
After yesterday's recce down the coast to Rattray Head lighthouse we decided to go on an even bigger road trip down to Montrose to have a look at the possible destinations for Thursday’s sailing. We finally settled on a little fishing port- Johnshaven. Hopefully we will make it there on Thursday afternoon.
Whilst we were away, David managed to get a few shots of the surrounding area including all the local wildlife. A sea lion even managed to come into the harbour today looking for a bit of lunch.
Garrett managed to catch up on his washing. The two crew currently up for sailing, Will and Aidan, even went for a dip in the North Sea- brave or foolish - I cannot decide.
Back to sailing tomorrow and hopefully we can make good progress before another storm comes in on Friday.
Whilst we were away, David managed to get a few shots of the surrounding area including all the local wildlife. A sea lion even managed to come into the harbour today looking for a bit of lunch.
Garrett managed to catch up on his washing. The two crew currently up for sailing, Will and Aidan, even went for a dip in the North Sea- brave or foolish - I cannot decide.
Back to sailing tomorrow and hopefully we can make good progress before another storm comes in on Friday.
Day 46 - Waiting - 12th June 2012
After waking up at 4am to make our way round Rattray Head (another place you would usually only ever hear about on the shipping forecast), the wind had unfortunately risen overnight to a Northerly force 5. It would have been impossible to get out of the harbour. As a result we have to sit and wait for a weather window.
I am only two sailing weeks away from Cowes but at this rate it will take me a month to get back. I need the jet stream to return to its normal place.
After the disappointment of not being out on the water we explored the fishing harbour- fascinating to see the size of these boats and how they operate. We then went down the coast to see Rattray lighthouse and a nearby wreck. Albert, the cox of the lifeboat who rescued them, told us how they managed to get the lifeboat close enough and the fisherman just jumped from the wheelhouse.
Will Homer who crewed on the first week has now rejoined the party and will be helping crew until the end of June- great news!
I am only two sailing weeks away from Cowes but at this rate it will take me a month to get back. I need the jet stream to return to its normal place.
After the disappointment of not being out on the water we explored the fishing harbour- fascinating to see the size of these boats and how they operate. We then went down the coast to see Rattray lighthouse and a nearby wreck. Albert, the cox of the lifeboat who rescued them, told us how they managed to get the lifeboat close enough and the fisherman just jumped from the wheelhouse.
Will Homer who crewed on the first week has now rejoined the party and will be helping crew until the end of June- great news!
Day 45 - Wick to Fraserburgh - 11th June 2012
Leaving Wick at 4am with Aidan on board
With the longest day of the year approaching, North Scotland hardly goes dark. This was ideal for an early start - 3am! By the time we were suited and booted and I welcomed my new crew, Aidan, we had set sail at 4am in bright light.
I was taking a huge shortcut across the Moray Firth - 60 nautical miles to Fraserburgh, cutting out Inverness. It proved to be a great decision as the wind was finally on the beam and we made good speed throughout the whole day.
Dodging the showers was a priority as the temperature was still in single figures. Luckily we didn’t get wet, unlike our shore team who got soaked packing the campsite away.
On the water we spotted oil rigs, wind farms and finally some more boats. It’s great to have company on the water. I expect to see all of the above a lot more on the sail down south. Dolphins also decided to play on the bow, a great sight.
We arrived after 12 hours of perfect sailing conditions into a harbour dominated by fishing boats. It is a huge fishing harbour and we were by far the smallest vessel. It is extraordinary to see us alongside the biggest boats - we are as big as their fenders!
What a day, what a shortcut! If we get the right wind I can be down in Cowes by the start of July. Let's keep the fingers crossed.
Sincere thanks to Andrew Ironside, the harbour master at Fraserburgh for looking after us so well. It was also really nice to meet Freda Marshall and her husband from Peterhead Sailing Club who dropped by to say hello and offer their support.
Stats: N/E 3. Showers.
I was taking a huge shortcut across the Moray Firth - 60 nautical miles to Fraserburgh, cutting out Inverness. It proved to be a great decision as the wind was finally on the beam and we made good speed throughout the whole day.
Dodging the showers was a priority as the temperature was still in single figures. Luckily we didn’t get wet, unlike our shore team who got soaked packing the campsite away.
On the water we spotted oil rigs, wind farms and finally some more boats. It’s great to have company on the water. I expect to see all of the above a lot more on the sail down south. Dolphins also decided to play on the bow, a great sight.
We arrived after 12 hours of perfect sailing conditions into a harbour dominated by fishing boats. It is a huge fishing harbour and we were by far the smallest vessel. It is extraordinary to see us alongside the biggest boats - we are as big as their fenders!
What a day, what a shortcut! If we get the right wind I can be down in Cowes by the start of July. Let's keep the fingers crossed.
Sincere thanks to Andrew Ironside, the harbour master at Fraserburgh for looking after us so well. It was also really nice to meet Freda Marshall and her husband from Peterhead Sailing Club who dropped by to say hello and offer their support.
Stats: N/E 3. Showers.
Day 44 - Thurso to Wick - 10th June 2012
Around the corner
After seeking advice from local fishermen, we decided that today would be the best day to head through the Pentland Firth. See the picture below for the best description that I could find.
Typically, as we set off, the wind was on the nose. This has now been the case for the last 200 nautical miles. Slightly annoying as the prevailing wind in the UK is a SW and the whole trip was planned around this. I have had 2 hours of SW winds over the last 40 days! Unheard of and sod's law!
Progress was quick however, as the tide was with us around Dunnet Head, the most northerly point in the UK. We passed the Merry Men of Mey without too much trouble due to local advice from Malcolm, Wick’s harbourmaster. As the speed rocketed to 8 knots, we flew past John O’Groats.
The main danger still lay ahead. Duncansby Head is where two oceans meet. From 5 miles off I could see a solid line of white water. I had to go for it. Malcolm had told me to go inland, within 100m of the sheer cliffs. It paid off as I could escape the worst of the breakers. However, we did go through the solid white wall.
I told David to brace himself as we approached. The first wave was a shock, the second even bigger. Luckily I could see a bit of a rhythm and adjusted to the very rough seas. We held our nerve for 15 long minutes. The boat crunched every other wave but we managed to sneak through with the tide. Once past the headland we headed downwind and raced towards Wick. The Pentland Firth had been passed and the third corner conquered. Finally we are on the way back down south.
Once moored up in Wick, we headed back to see the Olympic flame at John O’Groats. We went a bit early in order to be at the front. It paid off as Garrett managed to organise for me to touch the Olympic torch. What an honour!
Great day- third corner conquered and touched the Olympic torch. I am now hoping to take a shortcut across the Moray Firth and rejoin all the yachts that have taken the Caledonian Canal.
Stats: NE 3/4. Cloudy.
Typically, as we set off, the wind was on the nose. This has now been the case for the last 200 nautical miles. Slightly annoying as the prevailing wind in the UK is a SW and the whole trip was planned around this. I have had 2 hours of SW winds over the last 40 days! Unheard of and sod's law!
Progress was quick however, as the tide was with us around Dunnet Head, the most northerly point in the UK. We passed the Merry Men of Mey without too much trouble due to local advice from Malcolm, Wick’s harbourmaster. As the speed rocketed to 8 knots, we flew past John O’Groats.
The main danger still lay ahead. Duncansby Head is where two oceans meet. From 5 miles off I could see a solid line of white water. I had to go for it. Malcolm had told me to go inland, within 100m of the sheer cliffs. It paid off as I could escape the worst of the breakers. However, we did go through the solid white wall.
I told David to brace himself as we approached. The first wave was a shock, the second even bigger. Luckily I could see a bit of a rhythm and adjusted to the very rough seas. We held our nerve for 15 long minutes. The boat crunched every other wave but we managed to sneak through with the tide. Once past the headland we headed downwind and raced towards Wick. The Pentland Firth had been passed and the third corner conquered. Finally we are on the way back down south.
Once moored up in Wick, we headed back to see the Olympic flame at John O’Groats. We went a bit early in order to be at the front. It paid off as Garrett managed to organise for me to touch the Olympic torch. What an honour!
Great day- third corner conquered and touched the Olympic torch. I am now hoping to take a shortcut across the Moray Firth and rejoin all the yachts that have taken the Caledonian Canal.
Stats: NE 3/4. Cloudy.
Day 42 and 43 - Stormbound and waiting - 8th and 9th June 2012
Planning ahead
Yet another drab day, or 'dreech' according to Angela- Jeremy's long suffering Scottish wife.
After a decent lie-in I decided to go into Wick to talk to Malcolm Bremner. What a top man he proved to be with his excellent, friendly advice and contacts; including his brother who is an expert navigator of the Pentland Firth. Malcolm summed up his advice by saying to call his brother and “if he says it's ok to go, go - if it's not don't even think about it!” Oh! His other observation was that my father was a bit on the mean side for not getting me a decent sized boat! Ate some delicious home made cake at Morag's- hope to sample a bit more on Sunday.
We went down to the harbour where the sea was crashing in over the sea wall as you can see in David's pictures below. Not surprisingly the harbour was full of boats waiting out the weather and we heard from David Seddon, the harbourmaster at Kinlochbervie, that the harbour there is bursting at the seams with no boats having been able to get out for several days. He said if we hadn't got out when we did we would still be there!
I am feeling cautiously optimistic about getting going again on Sunday and have taken the waiting time to make sure the boat and van are in good order (thanks to Mum and David for the epic van clean-up). I have also studied charts over and over so that I am well prepared for the challenges ahead.
It's farewell for now to my parents and thanks to them for a very comfortable few days. Also huge thanks to Cathy and the wonderful Anne at the Forss House Hotel for their kindness and help, for the delicious meals, best beer and the chance for the rest of the party to be guided each night by Anne through many of the 270+ fine malt whiskies.
Wick here we come…
After a decent lie-in I decided to go into Wick to talk to Malcolm Bremner. What a top man he proved to be with his excellent, friendly advice and contacts; including his brother who is an expert navigator of the Pentland Firth. Malcolm summed up his advice by saying to call his brother and “if he says it's ok to go, go - if it's not don't even think about it!” Oh! His other observation was that my father was a bit on the mean side for not getting me a decent sized boat! Ate some delicious home made cake at Morag's- hope to sample a bit more on Sunday.
We went down to the harbour where the sea was crashing in over the sea wall as you can see in David's pictures below. Not surprisingly the harbour was full of boats waiting out the weather and we heard from David Seddon, the harbourmaster at Kinlochbervie, that the harbour there is bursting at the seams with no boats having been able to get out for several days. He said if we hadn't got out when we did we would still be there!
I am feeling cautiously optimistic about getting going again on Sunday and have taken the waiting time to make sure the boat and van are in good order (thanks to Mum and David for the epic van clean-up). I have also studied charts over and over so that I am well prepared for the challenges ahead.
It's farewell for now to my parents and thanks to them for a very comfortable few days. Also huge thanks to Cathy and the wonderful Anne at the Forss House Hotel for their kindness and help, for the delicious meals, best beer and the chance for the rest of the party to be guided each night by Anne through many of the 270+ fine malt whiskies.
Wick here we come…
Day 41 - Scrabster - 7th June 2012
With the whole of the UK apparently storm bound we took some comfort from looking at the weather charts and seeing that Scotland was faring much better than the South: although the effects were marginal- we were still windswept but not soaked or blown off our feet!
We headed into Scrabster to the harbour offices and talked to John, the harbourmaster, about the challenge of the next few days; he was extremely helpful, giving us good local knowledge and checking four different forecasts to work out when there is most likely to be a weather window that would allow us to negotiate the Pentland Firth safely. Throughout this trip we have had the good fortune to have had the support and advice of harbourmasters around the UK who have, without exception, gone out of their way to help us- a big thank you to all of them.
Having chatted to John we spotted the Seafarer's Mission and popped in there for lunch. This great organisation, founded in 1856, provides a welcome refuge for seafarers in 250 ports worldwide where you can go for a shower and meal, advice and counseling or to use a phone or internet facilities to speak to family or friends.
Garrett went on a recce to Wick, our next port of call, and experienced the same good-natured help from Malcolm, the harbourmaster there. We hope that we may see him on Sunday if the weather forecast doesn't change. As it stands there is currently a weather window in the morning from 7am-1pm, which would hopefully allow us to get round the next corner.
Fingers firmly crossed...
We headed into Scrabster to the harbour offices and talked to John, the harbourmaster, about the challenge of the next few days; he was extremely helpful, giving us good local knowledge and checking four different forecasts to work out when there is most likely to be a weather window that would allow us to negotiate the Pentland Firth safely. Throughout this trip we have had the good fortune to have had the support and advice of harbourmasters around the UK who have, without exception, gone out of their way to help us- a big thank you to all of them.
Having chatted to John we spotted the Seafarer's Mission and popped in there for lunch. This great organisation, founded in 1856, provides a welcome refuge for seafarers in 250 ports worldwide where you can go for a shower and meal, advice and counseling or to use a phone or internet facilities to speak to family or friends.
Garrett went on a recce to Wick, our next port of call, and experienced the same good-natured help from Malcolm, the harbourmaster there. We hope that we may see him on Sunday if the weather forecast doesn't change. As it stands there is currently a weather window in the morning from 7am-1pm, which would hopefully allow us to get round the next corner.
Fingers firmly crossed...
Day 40 - Scrabster - 6th June 2012
Angry white sea
Woke this morning to lashing rain and strong winds -and that was 3 miles inland. After an excellent full Scottish breakfast, I went down to Scrabster harbour to do more running repairs to boat. Decided to do a recce along the coast to John O’Groats and beyond to Duncansby Head and saw the terrifying turmoil of the tidal race known as the Merry Men of Mey where opposing tides meet and added wind creates a maelstrom of gigantic waves. It was a sobering feeling looking down at the navigational challenges that lie ahead. David's pictures give an idea of the waters that lie ahead although we have no intention of setting out in such strong winds; careful planning is key to successfully completing the next leg.
The weather looks bad for the next few days with strong easterlies forecast through until Wednesday although there may be a small opening on Sunday morning where we might try to go round the next corner to Wick.
Fingers crossed that that works out.
Jeremy, who crewed for the 4 countries in 4 days legs arrived for more action on Tuesday but has returned home to Oxford having only seen the boat stowed on a trailer.
Messages of support are always uplifting and I am happy to have received one from Ellen MacArthur and another from Andrew Mitchell MP Secretary of State DFID, which you can see here:
The weather looks bad for the next few days with strong easterlies forecast through until Wednesday although there may be a small opening on Sunday morning where we might try to go round the next corner to Wick.
Fingers crossed that that works out.
Jeremy, who crewed for the 4 countries in 4 days legs arrived for more action on Tuesday but has returned home to Oxford having only seen the boat stowed on a trailer.
Messages of support are always uplifting and I am happy to have received one from Ellen MacArthur and another from Andrew Mitchell MP Secretary of State DFID, which you can see here:
I would like to endorse Old Rugbeian, Ludo Bennett-Jones’ in his efforts to raise funds for disadvantaged children. Ludo is sailing around the choppy waters of the UK in a tiny dinghy in aid of disadvantaged children – including Rwandan children through the Rwandan Cricket Stadium Foundation. I do hope you will support him in raising funds for this excellent cause.
Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell MP (Sutton Coldfield)
Secretary of State for International Development
Here's hoping to be on the home run down the East coast by next week.
Day 39 - Kinlochbervie to Scrabster - 5th June 2012
Moon's up- must be time to get up.
Finally I have conquered Cape Wrath. We waited patiently in the welcoming fishing community of Kinlochbervie for the weather conditions to turn. They did and we rounded the Cape without any problems. We had an extraordinary day, covering nearly 70 nautical miles in just less than 13 hours- the longest day by a long chalk.
Having risen at 3am in the pouring rain, we slipped lines at 4am and headed off into the unknown. There is no safe haven for 15 miles so once you commit you have to go. We had three yachts a couple of hours behind and they passed around without any trouble as well. Before we rounded the Cape we had the pleasure of seeing three orcas. Unfortunately they were camera shy because as soon as David as got the camera out they disappeared. It was the first time I have ever seen a whale (apart from my darling sister), and what a place to see them!
As we headed around the sheer cliffs and the rocky coastline we were conscious that the firing range on the cliffs above us presented another hazard but hoped they were enjoying a Bank Holiday jubilee day off! We changed our mind constantly as to our final destination. David also spotted what he thought was a ‘lobster pot’- it ended up being Dounreay Nuclear Plant. Funny things the sea does to your mind. It is not the first time and certainly won’t be the last we have mistaken objects on land as ships or pots. The journey appears to be sending us potty in fact.
Although progress slowed in the second half of the day as the tide turned, we had made such good progress that we decided to crack on to Scrabster. The yachts by that time had caught us up and motored by us. They even nicked our berth in the harbour!
We slowly drifted past the coastline, past a dramatic wind farm and after a couple of long hours beating against the tide, with our own private rain cloud, we rounded the headland and headed into the well guarded Scrabster harbour. The police where everywhere as they were unloading wind turbines from a boat. At least they weren’t there to get us.
What a fantastic day and a huge amount achieved after a week of bad weather, although it seems we will be stuck again for three days now as the weather is closing in. We will recharge and get ready to head back south. Over halfway now and heading in the right direction. Cannot wait to get onto the East Coast and head home with the Pentland Firth and the Merry Men of Mey to contend with next, as well as a parental visit!
Stats: Variable 2. Showers.
Having risen at 3am in the pouring rain, we slipped lines at 4am and headed off into the unknown. There is no safe haven for 15 miles so once you commit you have to go. We had three yachts a couple of hours behind and they passed around without any trouble as well. Before we rounded the Cape we had the pleasure of seeing three orcas. Unfortunately they were camera shy because as soon as David as got the camera out they disappeared. It was the first time I have ever seen a whale (apart from my darling sister), and what a place to see them!
As we headed around the sheer cliffs and the rocky coastline we were conscious that the firing range on the cliffs above us presented another hazard but hoped they were enjoying a Bank Holiday jubilee day off! We changed our mind constantly as to our final destination. David also spotted what he thought was a ‘lobster pot’- it ended up being Dounreay Nuclear Plant. Funny things the sea does to your mind. It is not the first time and certainly won’t be the last we have mistaken objects on land as ships or pots. The journey appears to be sending us potty in fact.
Although progress slowed in the second half of the day as the tide turned, we had made such good progress that we decided to crack on to Scrabster. The yachts by that time had caught us up and motored by us. They even nicked our berth in the harbour!
We slowly drifted past the coastline, past a dramatic wind farm and after a couple of long hours beating against the tide, with our own private rain cloud, we rounded the headland and headed into the well guarded Scrabster harbour. The police where everywhere as they were unloading wind turbines from a boat. At least they weren’t there to get us.
What a fantastic day and a huge amount achieved after a week of bad weather, although it seems we will be stuck again for three days now as the weather is closing in. We will recharge and get ready to head back south. Over halfway now and heading in the right direction. Cannot wait to get onto the East Coast and head home with the Pentland Firth and the Merry Men of Mey to contend with next, as well as a parental visit!
Stats: Variable 2. Showers.
Day 37 and 38 - Kinlochbervie - 3rd and 4th June 2012
Having got up at 3am to try and beat the rise in wind, we were extremely disappointed to find that the wind was already blowing strongly in the harbour. As a result we have decided to set sail on Tuesday. This decision was justified when we went over to Talmine to speak to the 47ft Moody yacht that we were going to convoy with around the Cape. They had enjoyed the first hour, a pleasant breeze but experienced the same rising in the wind that we had when we sailed into Kinlochbervie. They also said the waves were short, sharp and steep.
David’s article about that day is now up, telling you about what it is like to crew in bad conditions. Please click here to read it.
After kicking our heels, we cannot wait to get back on the boat. Thanks to everyone for making our stay in Kinlochbervie a cracking one- you have been amazing hosts.
David’s article about that day is now up, telling you about what it is like to crew in bad conditions. Please click here to read it.
After kicking our heels, we cannot wait to get back on the boat. Thanks to everyone for making our stay in Kinlochbervie a cracking one- you have been amazing hosts.
Day 36 - Final Day in Kinlochbervie (Hopefully, fingers crossed) - 2nd June 2012
I would just like to say a huge thanks to the whole of Kinlochbervie for the unbelievable hospitality and generous donations. The harbourmaster, David, was incredible on Wednesday, greeting us in a boat as we came in - many thanks for the free berth and information for rounding the Cape.
Thank you also to the hotel for putting up with Garrett and I playing non-stop pool. I am pleased to say I finally have a narrow lead and will be retiring, much to Garrett’s dismay!
I have met another Round Britain Sailor who is going in the other direction, if you would like to follow his progress: http://www.michaelonmisty.blogspot.co.uk/. Good luck for the remainder of your passage to Exeter.
In total contrast to the warm reception is the hostile landscape where we are now based. The risks in the next few days include sheer cliffs and no emergency landings. Rounding the Cape has been thoroughly thought through, as we will have no safe landings for at least 15-20 nautical miles. There is a reason only one other sailing dinghy has ever done this as far as I know!
But having prepared fully I hope to set off tomorrow morning at 3.30am with one other yacht, a 47ft Moody, and hopefully, touch wood, make a clean and thoroughly enjoyable passage round the corner. I hope you follow tomorrow’s progress with interest and we will speak on the other side.
Thank you also to the hotel for putting up with Garrett and I playing non-stop pool. I am pleased to say I finally have a narrow lead and will be retiring, much to Garrett’s dismay!
I have met another Round Britain Sailor who is going in the other direction, if you would like to follow his progress: http://www.michaelonmisty.blogspot.co.uk/. Good luck for the remainder of your passage to Exeter.
In total contrast to the warm reception is the hostile landscape where we are now based. The risks in the next few days include sheer cliffs and no emergency landings. Rounding the Cape has been thoroughly thought through, as we will have no safe landings for at least 15-20 nautical miles. There is a reason only one other sailing dinghy has ever done this as far as I know!
But having prepared fully I hope to set off tomorrow morning at 3.30am with one other yacht, a 47ft Moody, and hopefully, touch wood, make a clean and thoroughly enjoyable passage round the corner. I hope you follow tomorrow’s progress with interest and we will speak on the other side.
Day 35 - Kinlochbervie - 1st June 2012
After seeing the forecast - Metoffice predicting strong northerly wind warnings for the day; we decided to go and visit the local school. Debbie and Susan (deputy and head) were unbelievably helpful. My fun visit involved talking to the children about my challenge and then attending a sailing lesson. It was great to see sailing on the curriculum. I wish that was the case in all schools. What an awesome outdoor classroom!
The sailing was done on Toppers; the school is based on a beautiful inland loch. The instructors (teachers, Alan and Anthony) showed the children how to tack and sail a straightforward beam reach. Although it was gusty, all the kids managed to do the course solo without capsizing. Well done! Then they went out in pairs to a buoy on the other side of the loch- I even managed to get out on a boat and hopefully gave some useful tips to Chloe.
I had a quick spin in the Topper solo as the wind was increasing, even managing to plain. Luckily not capsizing with the camera trained on me.
What a great morning topped by the school giving us an incredible donation towards the challenge - thank you and please keep following our progress! I hope to come back later in the year to see how much you have all improved. It is amazing visiting a village with so much community spirit.
Later in the afternoon we headed to Rispond on land to see the coastline. It’s useful to scout out landmarks that you can see from the boat to make the passage easier. I cannot wait to get back on the boat and sail an incredible coastline.
Stats: NE/N 4-5 increasing 6. Sunny.
The sailing was done on Toppers; the school is based on a beautiful inland loch. The instructors (teachers, Alan and Anthony) showed the children how to tack and sail a straightforward beam reach. Although it was gusty, all the kids managed to do the course solo without capsizing. Well done! Then they went out in pairs to a buoy on the other side of the loch- I even managed to get out on a boat and hopefully gave some useful tips to Chloe.
I had a quick spin in the Topper solo as the wind was increasing, even managing to plain. Luckily not capsizing with the camera trained on me.
What a great morning topped by the school giving us an incredible donation towards the challenge - thank you and please keep following our progress! I hope to come back later in the year to see how much you have all improved. It is amazing visiting a village with so much community spirit.
Later in the afternoon we headed to Rispond on land to see the coastline. It’s useful to scout out landmarks that you can see from the boat to make the passage easier. I cannot wait to get back on the boat and sail an incredible coastline.
Stats: NE/N 4-5 increasing 6. Sunny.
Day 34 - Kinlochbervie - 31st May 2012
Stumped Day 34
After yesterday's stark reminder about the weather up in North Scotland, I decided not to sail due to a strong wind warning in place around Cape Wrath. The next sailable day looks like Tuesday next so today we decided to explore the village where we would be spending the Jubilee weekend.
The most important thing to do after yesterday was to rehydrate and fuel up. Due to the sea conditions yesterday, getting a bottle of water out of the boat and to your mouth was impossible due to the wind. I have since discovered the average wind speed was 25 knots gusting 30 knots- not good! Unfortunately I could not get any photos of the conditions but we hope in the next few days to show how rough it is up here in torrid conditions.
Whilst taking time out and relaxing we headed to the local fish market. 8 fishing boats docked today with a total of 2,200 boxes unloaded- an incredible amount of fish, how are there still any fish in the ocean?
I also took time to explore the local area, including meeting the deputy headmaster of the local school. We are going to attend the sailing lesson tomorrow morning. I wish my school could have had sailing on the curriculum.
I would also like to thank the shore crew who have been following around so far. Garrett has done a fantastic job towing the trailer behind on the tricky single track roads. They have also managed to take some fantastic wildlife photos whilst we have been on the boat. Here are some below.
I would like to thank all the people of Kinlochbervie for their hospitality and generous donations. We have managed to raise a staggering £200 with a population of 470, that’s almost 50p a head. It was a great pleasure to meet a member of the community today who has been in remission from cancer for two years. He is an inspiration and thank you for your very generous donation.
I am looking forward to my next few days of rest, before turning the next two corners and heading back south. However, I will still be working hard and am hoping for my 12GB of video footage to be developed in time for next week. Stay tuned and please keep donating!
The most important thing to do after yesterday was to rehydrate and fuel up. Due to the sea conditions yesterday, getting a bottle of water out of the boat and to your mouth was impossible due to the wind. I have since discovered the average wind speed was 25 knots gusting 30 knots- not good! Unfortunately I could not get any photos of the conditions but we hope in the next few days to show how rough it is up here in torrid conditions.
Whilst taking time out and relaxing we headed to the local fish market. 8 fishing boats docked today with a total of 2,200 boxes unloaded- an incredible amount of fish, how are there still any fish in the ocean?
I also took time to explore the local area, including meeting the deputy headmaster of the local school. We are going to attend the sailing lesson tomorrow morning. I wish my school could have had sailing on the curriculum.
I would also like to thank the shore crew who have been following around so far. Garrett has done a fantastic job towing the trailer behind on the tricky single track roads. They have also managed to take some fantastic wildlife photos whilst we have been on the boat. Here are some below.
I would like to thank all the people of Kinlochbervie for their hospitality and generous donations. We have managed to raise a staggering £200 with a population of 470, that’s almost 50p a head. It was a great pleasure to meet a member of the community today who has been in remission from cancer for two years. He is an inspiration and thank you for your very generous donation.
I am looking forward to my next few days of rest, before turning the next two corners and heading back south. However, I will still be working hard and am hoping for my 12GB of video footage to be developed in time for next week. Stay tuned and please keep donating!
Day 33 - Little Dornie to Kinlochbervie - 30th May 2012
Leaving Old Dornie
After setting the alarm for 3.45am as we woke it was abundantly clear that the wind was rushing down the mountain and there was no chance of us making any safe venture out. I made the call, let’s give it 30 mins. We ended up waiting till 9am.
The wind had pleasantly died off and the harbourmaster from our eventual destination had sent a text informing us of good weather and very light winds at the other end, shame it wouldn’t stay like that. We even had to walk the boat out of the harbour due to a combination of the enforced late start and low tides.
The boat started skimming through the water in a pleasant onshore breeze and both the crew and I were already turning our attention to the next days monumental challenge of Cape Wrath. We even had a seagull fly into the sails!
From about halfway, however, the wind started to freshen and it suddenly turned to be right on the nose. This meant tacking up one of the most barren and inhospitable coastlines I have ever seen. I don’t think I saw a single house on the shore for four hours. The cliffs rose above the boat menacingly and the wind kept on rising.
With 11 miles to go we started to get the feeling Scotland was about to show how quickly the weather could change. We went from the perfect cruising weather to survival mode in little under an hour. A reef was put into the main sail and the bags tightly stowed away. As the wind grew the sea state got more vicious. Short, sharp and steep waves meant helming became a mission- I couldn’t get a rhythm and I struggled over every wave with the bow slamming down and the entire rig shuddering, this was boat breaking conditions.
As we ploughed on, the distance doubled due to having to tack the length of the coast. It became unpleasant work. The spray flung onto us from all directions, the sea covered in white foam. I applaud David for guarding me from the majority of spray, he must have been very cold.
After battling through the waves we finally got to a more sheltered area, the waves and swell were blocked by the headland but unluckily for us the wind kept rising as it came off the mountains. The genoa got reefed and we were still fully hiking out of the boat. It was physically exhausting having hiked out for the last 6 hours. I knew we were closing in on the destination but the wind kept on being directly in our face. Whilst we entered the loch the conditions got gusty and unpredictable so I took the decision to take the entire main sail down. We were only 2 miles away but it was the safest option.
I radioed to shore that we were approaching and we had pre-arranged a rib to meet us. Luckily it was already out and they were watching our slow and painful progress. We scrunched the sails up and started to motor slowly and headed towards the rib, relieved to have made shore in very difficult sailing conditions. My primary concern was getting David to a warm bath as he was frozen. We managed to dock the boat a 6pm. It had taken 9 hours to sail 30 miles - for us very slow progress.
Today was a stark reminder for me that we are in remote lands and rounding the Cape has to be in the right conditions. It was a shock to the system facing this weather and one I am now going to be wary of for the rest of the trip. Luckily today the boat and the crew made land safely. But it was not a fun trip and one I will remember for the wrong reasons. It looks like we now have a couple days of rest before heading round the next corner.
Stats: NW2 by 11am N/NE 5-6. Sunny, Sea State Moderate to Rough.
PS- The hospitality extended to us at Am Fuaran Bar in Achiltibuie was incredible, we were treated to a wonderful dinner and had first class accommodation across the road at the Port A Bhaigh Campsite. Thank you very much to Catriona, Andrew and Shona Wilson, most generous.
The wind had pleasantly died off and the harbourmaster from our eventual destination had sent a text informing us of good weather and very light winds at the other end, shame it wouldn’t stay like that. We even had to walk the boat out of the harbour due to a combination of the enforced late start and low tides.
The boat started skimming through the water in a pleasant onshore breeze and both the crew and I were already turning our attention to the next days monumental challenge of Cape Wrath. We even had a seagull fly into the sails!
From about halfway, however, the wind started to freshen and it suddenly turned to be right on the nose. This meant tacking up one of the most barren and inhospitable coastlines I have ever seen. I don’t think I saw a single house on the shore for four hours. The cliffs rose above the boat menacingly and the wind kept on rising.
With 11 miles to go we started to get the feeling Scotland was about to show how quickly the weather could change. We went from the perfect cruising weather to survival mode in little under an hour. A reef was put into the main sail and the bags tightly stowed away. As the wind grew the sea state got more vicious. Short, sharp and steep waves meant helming became a mission- I couldn’t get a rhythm and I struggled over every wave with the bow slamming down and the entire rig shuddering, this was boat breaking conditions.
As we ploughed on, the distance doubled due to having to tack the length of the coast. It became unpleasant work. The spray flung onto us from all directions, the sea covered in white foam. I applaud David for guarding me from the majority of spray, he must have been very cold.
After battling through the waves we finally got to a more sheltered area, the waves and swell were blocked by the headland but unluckily for us the wind kept rising as it came off the mountains. The genoa got reefed and we were still fully hiking out of the boat. It was physically exhausting having hiked out for the last 6 hours. I knew we were closing in on the destination but the wind kept on being directly in our face. Whilst we entered the loch the conditions got gusty and unpredictable so I took the decision to take the entire main sail down. We were only 2 miles away but it was the safest option.
I radioed to shore that we were approaching and we had pre-arranged a rib to meet us. Luckily it was already out and they were watching our slow and painful progress. We scrunched the sails up and started to motor slowly and headed towards the rib, relieved to have made shore in very difficult sailing conditions. My primary concern was getting David to a warm bath as he was frozen. We managed to dock the boat a 6pm. It had taken 9 hours to sail 30 miles - for us very slow progress.
Today was a stark reminder for me that we are in remote lands and rounding the Cape has to be in the right conditions. It was a shock to the system facing this weather and one I am now going to be wary of for the rest of the trip. Luckily today the boat and the crew made land safely. But it was not a fun trip and one I will remember for the wrong reasons. It looks like we now have a couple days of rest before heading round the next corner.
Stats: NW2 by 11am N/NE 5-6. Sunny, Sea State Moderate to Rough.
PS- The hospitality extended to us at Am Fuaran Bar in Achiltibuie was incredible, we were treated to a wonderful dinner and had first class accommodation across the road at the Port A Bhaigh Campsite. Thank you very much to Catriona, Andrew and Shona Wilson, most generous.
Day 32 - Gairloch to Little Dornie - 29th May 2012
Wee Dornie
After much deliberation, I finally decided to sail to a small and very remote harbour in North West Scotland, Little Dornie. It was a result of polar opposite forecasts from XC weather and the Metoffice with the former being correct that swayed me from my original plan. Mum had phoned me at the crack of dawn telling me not to sail due to a strong wind warning by the Metoffice. As we departed from the harbour, I can safely say that the wind was nearer 1 knot than the force 5/6 predicted.
As we cracked on with the passage and accompanied by one other yacht, we headed north towards Cape Wrath. Our nature tally ended up seeing a basking shark less than 50 yards from the boat, plenty of sea birds and the first sea eagles. Awesome! We hope to see a whale soon to complete the wildlife set!
As we headed on, the wind increased around the headland. Unfortunately for us it was right on the nose, sod’s law. But as we carried on the wind was coming round to North West meaning a pleasant sail to the harbour.
David, my current crew, who had given me two simple requirements before he joined me. Firstly, that I give him 2 days warning to join me and secondly, that he had to be home by the 30th May. I have failed on both counts. However, at least he takes fantastic photos, mucks in and is with us for the rest of the trip. However, today was not his day. He forgot how long it took to do the basic task - going to the loo. His drysuit became a wetsuit- Oh dear!
As we came in to this little picturesque harbour we moored alongside the jetty, it became clear we were very remote. Mobile signal was non-existent and the Scottish accents sounded like a different language. We also managed to beat the shore crew, who seem to enjoy taking stereotypical photographs!
Off to another campsite now and tomorrow we will head towards Kinlochbervie, only a day away from Cape Wrath - stay tuned on the tracker for our most important right hand turn!
Stats: NE-NW Variable 1-4. Cloudy then Sunny- temperature dropped 10 degrees in one day, hence the drysuits (well one anyway!).
PS- A huge thanks to Marion and Colin at the Gairloch Holiday Park, we could not have wished to spend our bad weather day anywhere else. Their hospitality and donation is greatly appreciated as is the WiFi (I parked myself in your office to do my blog). The best camp site I’ve ever been to. Keep well.
As we cracked on with the passage and accompanied by one other yacht, we headed north towards Cape Wrath. Our nature tally ended up seeing a basking shark less than 50 yards from the boat, plenty of sea birds and the first sea eagles. Awesome! We hope to see a whale soon to complete the wildlife set!
As we headed on, the wind increased around the headland. Unfortunately for us it was right on the nose, sod’s law. But as we carried on the wind was coming round to North West meaning a pleasant sail to the harbour.
David, my current crew, who had given me two simple requirements before he joined me. Firstly, that I give him 2 days warning to join me and secondly, that he had to be home by the 30th May. I have failed on both counts. However, at least he takes fantastic photos, mucks in and is with us for the rest of the trip. However, today was not his day. He forgot how long it took to do the basic task - going to the loo. His drysuit became a wetsuit- Oh dear!
As we came in to this little picturesque harbour we moored alongside the jetty, it became clear we were very remote. Mobile signal was non-existent and the Scottish accents sounded like a different language. We also managed to beat the shore crew, who seem to enjoy taking stereotypical photographs!
Off to another campsite now and tomorrow we will head towards Kinlochbervie, only a day away from Cape Wrath - stay tuned on the tracker for our most important right hand turn!
Stats: NE-NW Variable 1-4. Cloudy then Sunny- temperature dropped 10 degrees in one day, hence the drysuits (well one anyway!).
PS- A huge thanks to Marion and Colin at the Gairloch Holiday Park, we could not have wished to spend our bad weather day anywhere else. Their hospitality and donation is greatly appreciated as is the WiFi (I parked myself in your office to do my blog). The best camp site I’ve ever been to. Keep well.
Day 31 - Rest, relaxation and respect the elements! - 28th May 2012
Today’s forecast was for rising wind. Although it was flat calm when we woke up, by mid morning white horses dominated the bay. Unfortunately the only windy part of the UK seemed to be North Scotland. At least it gave us a much needed rest after 8 solid days at sea. Thank you to everyone at The Tobermory Hotel and to Owners, Ian and Andi Stevens for their wonderful hospitality.
Stats: NE 4/5 Gusting 6/7. Sunny and windy.
Stats: NE 4/5 Gusting 6/7. Sunny and windy.