Yacht Doris

Book Sale

2012-02-06T15:25:00.001+00:00

Now I am a 'Land Lubber' I am selling my sailing books on Ebay.

My New Blog

2011-09-17T10:16:00.000+01:00

Just a quick link to my new Blog about wood working. Learning traditional methods of joinery using only hand tools, where I will document my own progress as a complete beginner. http://woodbyhand.blogspot.com/ .

Enjoy...

The End ...

2009-08-18T15:04:00.002+01:00

With Doris all cleaned, polished and painted and sitting proudly on display waiting to find a new owner on the Michael Schidt sales hard standing at Hamble Point, it seems that this is the logical end of the YachtDoris blog.

Tomorrow (Weds) evening (19:45 19.08.09) I fly out from London City airport (via Paris) to St Martin in the Caribbean to see Katla for the first time.

For those of you who have been following (and wish to continue to follow) my antics on YachtDoris, please update your bookmarks to YachtKatla (http://yachtkatla.blogspot.com) as from now on this is will be my new Blog. Long live YachtDoris!

A new adventure is about to begin ...

One Year Later

2009-08-08T22:42:00.003+01:00

Wow! ... What a year, so much has happened.

I've had the adventure of a lifetime (and lived to tell the tale), seen and witnessed the most amazing things, made new friends, and had emotional highs and lows. In addition, I finally feel like I can sail a boat and almost know what I'm talking about.

I wonder what the next 365 days will bring? Who knows ... but I'm certainly looking forward to it!

Here's to more of the above.

Living the dream baby!...

Boo.

Azores to the UK (Pics)

2009-08-02T23:29:00.003+01:00

Just a few pics from our Horta Azores to Falmouth UK and on to Brighton trip(s).

BBQ in Brighton (Pics)

2009-08-02T23:00:00.001+01:00

Just a few pics from the BBQ in Brighton.

Happy Birthday Me!

2009-07-31T20:46:00.003+01:00

OK where are we?...

Well with Kat & Daves help, I (we) have finished the following:

DONE

Emptied the boat of all my stuff.

Cleaned the ForePeak & Heads.

Derigged Sails and StackPack.

Removed and Scrubbed the Sprayhood.

Acid Treated the teak - its like new!

Soapy washed the topsides.

Polished all the Stainless.

TO DO

Polish the topsides & Hull

Prepare and AntiFoul the Bottom.

Clean the Saloon and Rear Berth.

Kat has now left and Dave has returned to Brighton until tomorrow (weather permitting).

I spent ththis afternoon finishing the stainless and after completing the last bit, turned around to find huge red splodges of bright red bird crap! Hamble has a starling problem - perfect!

Its a bit weird being in Hamble Point Marina living 'on the hard'. Tomorrow is going to be even weirder as its my (Single Handed) 39th birthday. Another day older & wiser ...

OK well older anyway!

2009-07-31T11:49:00.002+01:00

Hi all ...

My inbox has been full over the last few days and I have not been recieving emails properly.

If you have emailed me recently could you please resend.

Many thanks

Boo.

Quick Update!

2009-07-29T22:56:00.002+01:00

Hi folks - Just a quick update to bring you all up to speed!

After completing the Azores to UK crossing, we (Kat & I) spent a really nice day with Jess (of Veracity fame) in Falmouth and met some of her friends on the Penryn river.

Since then we have sailed the 200nm from Falmouth to Brighton in one hit (2 nights at sea) and then had a really good day with all my friends at a BBQ hosted by Francois (thanks man!).

We are now back in Hamble on the Solent and today Doris got lifted out on to the Sales Hard Standing. Dave from Brighton is also here and helping to get her cleaned and ready for selling.

I will post more details of all the above including pictures when I have a little more time as things are hectic at the moment!

I'll be back soon...

Azores - UK (3)

2009-07-20T16:44:00.002+01:00

Wednesday (PM) 15th July 2009

We continued to be becalmed throughout the day with the ocean looking more like a lake. I commented on the fact that you would expect to see more wildlife given the mirror like conditions before heading off to the toilet.

Sitting there enjoying the calm motion and finishing 'A Voyage for Madmen', a high pitched shrieking is coming from the cockpit. Yup, it's Kat freaking out! She's seen a whale and is convinced we are about to be rammed and sunk before I have a chance to even get my trousers up. Once I get up on deck it doesn't surprise me to find out it was 'on the horizon'. We continue on, while I continue to snooze below.

At 2030utc I am woken up to the high pitched shrieking again except this time it's not Kat, it's the AIS! I look up on deck to find a massive tanker about 2nm off our port beam running parallel and Kat grinning because she thinks she's seen more whales. Sure enough a pod of what look to be around six whales swim between us and the tanker. A quick look at the Crutey Atlantic Ocean wildlife book, with me shouting to Kat with the binoculars 'what colour are their lips', implies either Melon Head or Pilot whales. I'm going with Melon Head coz they sound cool.

Kat's phobias are semi submerged ship containers (check - had one of those), whales (check - had some of those) and sharks (gulp!).

Finally the wind started to fill in and we got full sail up to make 5kn in the right direction pinched up tight. Just in case the calms returned we took the opportunity to top up the diesel tank from the spare cans.

The winds continued to build along with the seas and before long we were racing along with 2 reefs in and a scrap of jib. We had a light dinner of Pate on toasted Pitas just as it got dark.

Kat turned to me with a puzzled look and said 'what's that noise?' If you listened carefully you could hear sonar and 'chatter' of either Dolphins or small whales. Up on deck you could see the 'Casper' like luminous trails as they torpedoed alongside us. Although she's seen plenty of dolphins this was the first time she'd heard them through the hull so was entranced with the experience.

I cooked Chilli Con Carne around midnight before the nightshift began.

Thursday 16th July 2009

Not too much to share with you guys about the first part of the day as Kat and I were in 'heated discussions'.

Noon position N46 47.61 W13 20.04 with 112nm covered.

In the evening I was below deck and Kat had just scanned the horizon and making her way back down the stairs she commented how the sky looked 'painted'. Literally as the words left her lips I heard the familiar crescendo of a squall. The boat started to accelerate as I pushed past Kat just managing to get to the gybe preventer line in time. I rounded Doris up and hove to, losing the jib and sheeting in the mainsail as the wind gauge read 38kn. She would have naturally rounded up, but with a tightly prevented boom we might have suffered some damage such as a bent boom or worse. Close one!

After the squall the seas continued to build in stark contrast to the lake we had enjoyed twenty four hours earlier. With the possibility of more squalls and worsening conditions we took down the mainsail and continued on jib alone.

Kat made some hotdog pasta for dinner as it got dark.

Friday 17th July 2009

Despite the sea being 'rough', Kat managed to spend the day reading in the cockpit wearing a cap to protect her already 'microwaved' nose. I spent most of the time below catching up on sleep and being frustrated that the seas were preventing us from making any north progress. I just managed to keep Doris slightly north of east with the waves slightly in front of the beam.

With more bad weather and likely big seas being forecast it was starting to look like we may have to 'run' east into Brest.

We finished the hotdog pasta for lunch and had another washing up session.
Our noon position was N47 23.67 W11 44.43 with only 83nm covered.

That evening we (I - Kat fell asleep) watched the 'Longitude' documentary about the Harrison clocks - gripping stuff!

The AIS has finally seen a ship before us and earned its keep. I went up to check the horizon and returned with an 'all clear verdict' just as it was getting dark. About ten minutes later the alarm sounded and we were surprised to see a huge cargo ship about 3nm away, it must have not had its 'nav' lights on - that's my excuse!

Kat has her own theory - Vampire Boats! We never see many (if any) boats in daylight, however, as soon as its dark they appear less than a few miles away, almost as regular as clockwork.

I stayed awake for most of the night calling Kat from her 'cozy pit' just before it got light around 0400utc with a cup of hot chocolate.

Saturday 18th July 2009

I cooked us some porridge for breakfast and Kat followed that up a little later with cheese and chorizo toasties for brunch. I downloaded some fresh grib files and have conflicting forecasts. The grib files suggest that the weather should be easing, but the NavTex is warning that our f6 winds will increase to f7 and possibly Gale force 8 with associated 'very rough' sea conditions.

Strategy; I decide to stay north of our rhumb line in case we have to run with the seas we can still make the English Channel entrance. Our noon position was N48 15.45 W09 47.69 with 104nm covered.

I slept throughout the day and read 'Longitude' by Dava Sobel, an easy but very interesting read about the birth of modern navigation. Kat finished reading 'The Game' (and now has a cynical outlook of all mankind!).

Just after midnight we sighted our first fishing boat, a trawler about 3nm off, an indication we are getting closer to 'home waters'. Kat headed off to bed slightly later than usual due to the 'excitement' of the trawler and I stood watch until calling her at 0500utc with no other ships sighted.

Sunday 19th July 2009

We had a breakfast of scrambled eggs cooked by Kat at 0600utc, which I followed up with cereal around 1100utc and then at 1430utc Kat got hungry again and we got stuck in to Potato Gratin with corned beef. In short we spent Sunday eating and plodding along under headsail in the dying swell.

Our noon position was N49 19.79 W07 47.26 with 107nm covered.

I spent the day as always snoozing and having an afternoon 'rave' in the cockpit listening to AeroSmith, while Kat either slept or read. At 2300utc I cooked a Mediterranean rice style dish in an attempt to use most of our fresh produce, which we ate before beginning the nightshift.

Monday 20th July 2009

By midnight the wind had dropped to less than 10kn and the headsail started to flap and gybe, driving us both mad. Kat kept watch until 0230utc, with me taking over until 0700utc. I tried everything I could think of to keep Doris moving until 0500utc when I conceded defeat and turned on the engine.

Just our luck that with our last day to go at sea and a forecast of f5 to f6 winds we are becalmed. Especially as the majority of the trip has been in
25kn+ winds and rough seas, typical!

Our noon position was N49 44.25 W05 37.81 around 20nm south of Land's End as we crossed the shipping channels. Our 24 hour mileage run was 101nm. We had a close call when we caught a huge clump of seaweed on the prop followed by a carrier bag, both of which cleared without me having to get a wetsuit on.
Thank God as its freezing!

The time is now 1300utc and the wind has started to fill in giving us full sail and around 5kn of boat speed. We might just make it into Falmouth, around 40nm to go before it gets dark. Kat wants a pub with a warm fire and a pint of Cider, not to mention a hot shower.

Reunion / Birthday Get-Together

Francois has mentioned a BBQ at his home in Brighton for us all to get together again. Hopefully we can do the weekend of August 1st as it's my Birthday! Also, it will be exactly a year since we all had my farewell party - where you all thought you would never see me alive again! If not, the weekend of 25th July is a back up.

I have yet to confirm anything solid with Francois, but in the event that he is not available on either of these weekends then another venue can be suggested.

It would be great to see you all again and catch up with what I have missed over the last year. I know some of you are now married and others have new family members etc.

This will be a short visit as I need to get back out and protect Katla (the new boat) from hurricanes in the Caribbean and will be looking to fly out early August.

I will have mobile phone coverage by Tuesday morning.

Azores - UK (2)

2009-07-15T17:14:00.003+01:00

Friday (PM) 10th July 2009

After sending the blog to Mr Crute and downloading some fresh Grib files, I cooked us cheese & chorizo pita 'toasties' for lunch. Kat has started (and soon gave up on) reading The Planets by Dava Sobel. She still hasn't really found her sea legs and feels queasy when reading below decks.

A lack of appetite led to Haribo sweets for dinner. To be honest this is the first ever trip I have also felt slightly queasy with a lack of appetite which is unusual for me. It may be a mental thing because I can see Kat suffering mild sea sickness effects?

Saturday 11th July 2009

Due to the uncomfortable swell, we 'hove to' at 0130utc to get some sleep. The day turned out to be sunny and a 'big day' for Kat. She went to the toilet for the first time in 5 days (no wonder she's been feeling queasy!) and then had a cockpit shower. It's a good thing this isn't a three week trip as she 'only' managed to use 25l of fresh water.

I cooked us some 'cheesy chips' for lunch which we enjoyed in the cockpit.

Today's mileage was 101nm with a noon position of N42 15.39 W21 40.68.

We have been watching a massive low pressure system carefully and it looks like we will be heading straight into it. While the maximum winds we should see are only about 30kn its size and duration indicate some big seas. Wind, I can handle, waves - no thanks!

I cooked hotdogs in pasta sauce for dinner and Kat kept a watch in the cockpit from midnight to 0430utc under a clear moonlit sky while listening to The Railway Children on her ipod.

Around 2030utc we heard a 'Securite' message from a yacht called Pure Magic announcing a floating (semi submerged) ships container in position N42 54.98 W21 09.37, about 16nm away from us.

Sunday 12th July 2009

Being on the very edge of the storm system, I decided to 'hove to' after Kat finished her watch at 0430utc. If the seas start to build very quickly or if the forecast is wrong this gives me the chance to run south out of the worst of it. The Navtex has been reporting the north of the system around Ireland producing Severe Gales (9) with possible Storm Force (10) winds. We remained 'hove to' mainly sleeping for about 10 hours until 1500utc when I was happy that the Grib files matched what we were seeing before progressing slowly deeper into the system.

Our noon position was N43 12.85 W20 29.38 with 89nm covered. Dropping the mainsail and running with the steep waves (~2m) under a scrap of jib. The winds were around 25kn with squalls to 30kn.

I downloaded a fresh Grib file of the storm and Kat started to worry that our Satphone credit was running low. Mainly because she wanted the comfort of being able to talk to someone in the event of her having to look after me or get advice should anything (God Forbid) happen. Understandable as I'm still (relatively) pretty new to this sailing lark and this is her first
(significant) trip without other more experienced crew around. We sent an SMS message to Mr Crute (the ground crew) requesting a credit 'top up'.

Kat cooked her first meal of tuna in pasta sauce for lunch and we settled in to listen to James & The Giant Peach. Again a lack of proper evening meal led to too many Haribo sweets being consumed. The sailing throughout the night was pretty rough with the building sea conditions.

Monday 13th July 2009

Continuing under headsail only, we continued to make decent progress in the right direction despite squally conditions and large uncomfortable seas. Crutey sent us a confirmation that the Satphone credit had been 'topped up' which made Kat feel a bit more relaxed in light of the rough conditions.

I cooked us a 'Med style' Egg Fried Rice dish which must have been quite good with Kat having a second portion.

Our noon position was N43 52.10 W18 49.71 with 92nm covered.

In the afternoon I opened up (another) one of the pressies from Kat's gift pack (before she knew she was joining me on the return leg of the trip). A bar of Caramel choccy and 'Longitude' by Dava Sobel, I have been wanting this book for ages. I often wonder if Kat isn't the real Santa Clause or at least secretly wants to be. She always buys, makes, obtains the perfect gifts, maybe she should be a 'Purchasing Assistant' for the Rich & Shameless for job satisfaction.

We listened to the 2nd part of James & The Giant Peach in the afternoon before I cooked us some 'Casolet' Pork Beans with mashed potatoes for evening meal. This quite literally 'didn't go down' too well. I had bad indigestion and Kat proceeded to fart all night long. Come the morning, she was actually convinced that her room was full of 'Casolet gas', this turned out to be the washing up in a bucket in her room!

In the evening Kat sent an SMS text to her parents to let them know she was still alive and well, before we spent another 'uncomfortable' night at sea with (~3m) waves regularly smashing into our beams and coming over the decks.

Tuesday 14th July 2009
Kat and I continued to swing 2hr watches (more like taking turns to scan the horizon with sleep in between) until around midday when Kat cooked us some amazing Cheese & Chorizo toasties for lunch.

By this time the sun had made a welcome re-appearance and the skies showed signs of the weather starting to improve (less squalls). With the reduced wind now on our beam we raised the mainsail for more drive over the remaining (2m) swell.

After a mammoth washing up session in the afternoon the winds were down to ~10kn and we made way at a speed of around 6kn with 1 reef in the mainsail and ¾ jib with the wind just above the beam - perfect sailing conditions for Doris.

Our noon position was N44 41.90 W16 50.42 with 105nm covered.

Kat spent the afternoon in the cockpit reading 'The Game' by Neil Strauss (a book every guy should read - women don't bother as you will only get pissed off). She also insisted on banging her head against various parts of the boat. Just to complete the afternoon she gave me a colourful 'French lesson' after dropping our only tub of cotton buds down the toilet.

With the seas (and wind) dropping fast I managed to keep Doris sailing well throughout the evening and I cooked us some Chilli Con Carne around midnight before the 'nightshift'.

Wednesday 15th July 2009
Kat took a watch at 0300utc and I then kept watch from 0600utc where I saw our first yacht about 4nm on the horizon. By 0900utc the wind was down to ~6kn with a slight swell running in memory of the storm endured over the last three days. I was now struggling to keep Doris moving at any decent pace in the right direction under full sail.

1000utc and a sunglasses wearing Kat (after doing zombie impressions) is happily sat at the wheel with the monotonous drone of the engine running at 2000rpm holding a course of ~50T and shadowing the distant yacht on our port bow horizon. We have the fridge on, the stereo blasting, phones (mobile and Sat) & laptop charging and more importantly the ships batteries above their 12.2v which they have been at for the last three days due to a lack of prolonged sunshine throughout the storm.

1100utc and I have just fixed another broken mainsail slide, my last spare so hopefully this will be the last repair I have to make before reaching the UK - fingers X'ed!

Our noon position is N45 52.90 W15 31.85 with 98nm covered with 517nm to go.

Neither Kat nor I have tried to kill each other and the sun is out. You are now all up to date!

Kats Perspective .

Hey all, I had thought I may need to write the whole blog as Boo announced that, having rounded Cape Horn twice (reading 'Voyage for Madmen') he was too worn out to type. Anyway, luckily he's recovered from this adventure so it's just a quick personal perspective update instead.

As some of you know, this trip was a monumental step for me in terms of my experience thus far. The sailing I've done has always been with at least 3 other crew all of whom are more experienced / qualified than me so I've been able to take comfort in the knowledge that if anything went wrong, there'd be a healthy handful of others who'd deal with things first and that it'd be incredibly unlikely that something would happen to ALL the crew leaving me single-handedly trying to rescue them / handle the boat etc. Whether this has made me a better sailor or not is dubious but I felt it's about time I at least tried a long passage as the only other crew. My notions of embarking on a cruising lifestyle to reset all my bad habits and stress-head tendencies I've gained so far will be hard to materialise if I can't overcome this stumbling block and so, with an ashen face and literal palpitations I booked my flight out to the Azores (with a return option as a) it was cheaper and b) I still wasn't totally sure I'd actually be onboard when the lines were cast off!!!)

I put my queasiness in the first few days down partially to these nerves and partially the motion as I haven't been afloat since March so have truly grown land-lubber legs. I took Boo's advice that it always takes a few days to get your sea legs so I let him take charge of both sailing and catering.

Over a week into the trip I'm still feeling uncomfortable a lot of the time but bit by bit trying to overcome this and successfully cook something to show willing! The food's not fab but then I'm not known as a gourmet chef on land either (and I never got that cooking lesson from Paula in Horta)!

For entertainment I've resorted to listening to my ipod audiobooks more than I expected as I can only read printed literature in the cockpit which limits me to daylight and a dry cockpit (my cockpit cushions I've just made during my upholstery course in the UK are proving to be a god-send) . Saturday night was my kind of nightshift: clear moonlit skies with Doris jogging along under sail and I was able to listen to The Railway Children audiobook from "cover to cover". That's what being out here is all about for me - being forced to sit still and simply reflect and not rush from one thing to the next without ever totally finishing what I've started! I got a taster of this doing the ARC transatlantic on SY Matchmaker last November but that was a 65foot Oyster with 4 other crew so there have been plenty of new experiences doing an offshore passage on Doris with just Boo.

I've found the watch system exhausting as having been used to a structured 4 hours on / 4 hours off rota I'm now seeing how a short-handed crew operate instead. We haven't installed a formal pattern as due to me not being a competent sailor in my own right Boo is fundamentally on-call the whole time in the same way he was single-handing. This in effect means he sleeps wherever possible and has acclimatised to sleeping for 20/30 minute intervals checking the horizon and resuming his adventures in the land of nod. However when I've tried this technique (to allow him to sleep in longer chunks) I feel after 4 hours that I've been run over by a steam engine and laid into by Mike Tyson for desserts! I find it easier to stay awake for my "watch" and as Boo sleeps in the salon to see the sails etc from his bed I'm either in the cockpit (weather permitting) or sitting in the dark opposite him using my ipod for entertainment! Then I crawl into my cubby hole of the aft cabin and try to sleep. I still haven't got used to the whole "bedroom window under water" thing so wake up with a jolt most times we heel and watch anxiously out of the cockpit-facing hatch to check I can still see Boo's legs up there and that he hasn't fallen overboard! Nighttimes still bring out the goulies for me: I dream of containers and whales hitting the boat (not helped by the twack sounds of waves hitting the hull which honestly sound like brick walls not water & are a new sound to me), the boat capsizing (usually encouraged by sensation of heeling during sleep) and Boo falling overboard so then have to check out it's not real! I guess this is all stuff that you rationalise over time and I'm so fickle that as soon as it's daylight and I know other boats can see us more easily and likely to have crew awake on them I can sleep more soundly!

Dreaming also skews my perspective so whilst I was still trying the technique of sleeping between scanning the horizon I woke up during early hours of Sunday morning and could see Boo sleeping soundly on the salon bunk I threw a complete wobbler to myself that those lazy gits in the forecabin don't pull their fair share on the watch system and why does it always have to be Boo and I doing all the work! It took me til daylight to realise there were no other crew in the forecabin! Equally, next night I woke up convinced after 2 days of storm-dodging that we were about to broach or capsize completely. Boo hears a polite voice from the darkness of the aft cabin saying "Baby, are we over-canvassed?" to which he replied: "No sweets, it's blowing 9 knots and we've still got 1 reef in". Can't trust anything out here that's for sure!!!

So, despite the ongoing motion-sickness (which I didn't suffer on the ARC crossing but then the boat was twice the size which I'm sure helped!) and Mother Nature's cruel sense of humour sending my "clumsy phase of the month" to add to the lack of solid sleep and borderline madness accrued thus far I'm actually glad (in a perverse way?) that I'm here!

Azores - UK (1)

2009-07-10T17:12:00.004+01:00

Tuesday 7th July 2009

After waking up to the sight of thick fog rolling down off the surrounding hills we decided to wait a while for it to clear before making a move. Pre departure nerves also aided in stalling the leaving process. Kat had a shower while I readied the boat and then we joined Freya in the café for some breakfast. Finally the fog burnt off and we could see clear waters outside the harbour walls. Some last minute photos of the gang (Freya, Paula, Kat and myself) before we started the process of slipping our lines and escaping from the raft of boats that were now four deep. Doris was alongside our Russian friend who didn't speak a word of English and on the outside of Doris were two French boats, only one of which spoke any English. Despite the mixed methods of communication everything went smoothly (ish) and we motored clear out of Horta marina at 11:15utc.

Kat did her thing stowing the fenders and lines before we hoisted the mainsail (2 reefs) and sailed out into clear waters. Literally minutes later another bank of fog rolled in reducing visibility to about 500 yards. Just to make matters worse the Pico ferry appeared from a bank of white about 1/2nm away doing around 30kn with nothing showing on the AIS. Soon the fog passed over us and Horta vanished as we continued to sail up through the islands. The weather for most of the day consisted of low grey cloud, light winds (10-15kn) and calm seas. We were greeted by several pods of dolphins throughout the day.

Late afternoon bought a brief glimpse of sunshine and we took the opportunity for Kat to have a 'Man Overboard' lesson (slightly surreal for an Ocean crossing). With the wind out of the NE we decided to continue N straight out into the open ocean and passed Graciosa on our starboard side.

Kat had been feeling a bit queasy throughout the day and was still looking for her 'sea legs'. I cooked us some pasta for evening meal and I kept watch until we were a decent distance from land. Despite it being a full moon, we had total cloud cover and the boat got really damp.

Wednesday 8th July 2009

The same conditions followed throughout the day with variable winds
(10-15kn) from the E and the same monotone grey skies. We have been hearing ships on the main VHF radio but as yet nothing on the AIS, probably due to the limited range of the small aerial we are using.

Lunch (Kat's creation) consisted of corned beef & mayo in Pita bread and evening meal (my creation) was a curry soup & beef broth spiced up with mash potato and soya chunks. All in all not a good day in the culinary department. The dolphins are now absent indicating we are out into the 'Ocean proper'. We have been limping along at around 4kn in the dying winds
(~10kn) and calm seas. While slow, making a good introduction to life at sea and allowing us to find our sea legs before the heavy stuff rolls in.

Throughout the evening the wind has continued to veer and is now behind the beam as we sail a course of around 60T closing our rhumbline about 30nm off course. I have also noticed two small (1 inch) tears in the mainsail caused by the reefing block. Hopefully we will get some sunshine to dry out the sail and I can apply a patch.

By morning the wind had freed up allowing us to make NE. Our noon position was N40 06.39 W27 36.48 with 111nm covered.

Thursday 9th July 2009

Early morning visibility is once again reduced to about 500 yards and we are surrounded by evil monotone grey damp fog. Still nothing on the AIS, I hope it works as this will be the only warning we get with such reduced visibility. The alarm function worked within the confines of the harbour walls so I have faith in it (fingers X'ed).

Around midday we were once again visited by dolphins and a lone turtle lazily swimming in the opposite direction. Still nothing on the AIS but we occasionally hear voices on the VHF. Thick banks of fog continued to roll in regularly throughout the day.

Our noon position was N40 53.00 W25 39.27 with 105nm covered.

With 'nothing much' to look at among the shades of grey, Kat and I basically read, slept and ate away the hours. Kat reading 'Changing Course - A woman's guide to choosing the cruising life' and Naomi James - At One with the Sea (Alone Around the World). I have started reading A Voyage for Madman - Peter Nichols. These two titles pretty much sum the pair of us up!

Lunch was yesterdays curry soup / beef broth bulked up (even further) with rice to make 'Spicy Rissoto' (according to Kat) or PotRice (according to me).

Evening meal was an abortion of an omelette that made us both feel a bit queasy, and was therefore followed by more sleep.

Friday 10th July 2009

The highlight of the night came around 05:15utc where we finally spotted a ship. I gauged it to be around 4nm away and wasn't too surprised that the AIS could not 'see it' with its tiny aerial. From the AIS perspective the tanker was not visible, being below the water line, but after a particularly large wave passed under us the AIS finally got a 'glimpse' of it and displayed it on the screen (~7nm away). I think the current set up will only alert us of ships within about 4nm at best - not ideal.

The time is now 1200utc and the wind had been rising since this morning, going from one to two reefs and now the final third with the wind gusting to 25kn+ and a horrible swell building off the starboard quarter.

Our noon position is N41 53.28 W23 31.11 with 115nm covered.

Horta Azores (4)

2009-07-06T20:48:00.004+01:00

My last post (hopefully) from Horta - I've been here way too long!

Kat has now arrived after a stressful departure. Her outbound London to Lisbon flight was delayed and she missed her connection to Horta. So after a night in a hotel, she finally arrived Saturday morning. We immediately set about rigging up the AIS and new replacement handheld GPS, intending to leave Sunday morning, however the weather wasn’t ideal and there were a few things I still needed from the chandlery to make the AIS aerial connection on Monday morning.

We did a final supplies shop Sunday afternoon and joined Freya and Paula (our new found friend) on Grateful Red for a delicious meal of Spag Bol and Mohitos in the evening. It’s now Monday evening and the water tanks have been refilled, the AIS is working and we have checked out of the marina (Ouch, the bill hurt!) , so tomorrow is D-Day!

AIS + GPS mounted on a piece of Ply - Heath Robinson would be proud!

Despite the weather forecast for the first part of the trip not being ideal, we should be in Falmouth in the next two weeks. I will try and post updates every few days, you all know the drill by now.

This is my first ever passage (of real consequence) with Kat so wish us luck!

Horta (3)

2009-06-27T12:41:00.003+01:00

Ok so whats been going on … Hmn .. Not much!

Frey arrived (at long last) with Super Flavio and they have been beavering away making repairs to poor Otahi. Breakages / breakdowns include Engine Impellor, Heads, Laptop, Solar Panel Regulator, Self Steering, Cooker and some Sail repairs.

I have finally been persuaded to purchase an AIS (after looking at the Landsend AIS feed) and opted for the self contained NASA Radar. Horta price 519 euros (£444), UK price £209 – slight difference! Price match – what is that?!?! The look I get from the local chandlery says ‘what part of the word MONOPOLY is it that you don’t quite understand?’ Being essentially in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean they can pretty much charge what they like – and they do!

In addition, while scrambling down the harbour wall to get back aboard Doris, I managed to drop my handheld GPS in the water (about 2m deep). It was in my pocket after trying to find some terminals to make a cable for it. Now, the water is absolutely disgusting with god knows what is in it (I know what I put into it and that’s bad enough) and a film of oil on the surface.

The GPS is (sapposed to be) ‘kind of’ waterproof, so I either say goodbye to £100 or get the wetsuit on, in the hope it’s still alive. With Frey’s motivational speech of ‘Just Do It!’, I take the plunge! Seconds later I’m coughing and almost spewing my lungs up as my mask leaks like a sieve (due to not shaving for over a week) and handing her the yellow treasure – which is full of water.

Question, why make something that is ‘waterproof’ to a limited depth and not design it so it floats? – Genius! A quick ‘thankyou’ to the shower attendant woman who let me into the showers after climbing out despite them being closed for lunch – I think she took pitty on me, or maybe she could just smell me?

Great! … now I need both an AIS ... and a replacement GPS. While discussing all this with Kat, we decide that the best thing all round is for Kat to order the new toys and then bring them out to Horta, in which case she may as well sail with me back to the UK. After all, it’s about time we actually sailed a bloody passage together!

So .. despite Kat’s comment of ‘I’m absolutely sh*tting myself’ as she booked the flight.

On Friday 3^rd my new ‘crew’ arrives and I will have the luxury of both company and sleep to arrive fresh in Falmouth around 2 weeks later and Kat has her second date with the Atlantic Ocean. Thats the plan - Wish us luck!

Nothing else to report really, Flavio is leaving on Monday and Frey is arranging for someone to come and crew with her back to the UK. All being well, we might even leave together. Watch this space…

Not Quite A New Boat - Take 2.

2009-06-21T15:52:00.003+01:00

I would like to re-introduce Katla.

Otahi has landed! - In Flores.

2009-06-19T17:29:00.002+01:00

Shes alive ... !!!

----- Original Message -----

From:"Otahi"

To: "Simon Boo"

Sent: Friday, June 19, 2009 3:22 PM

Hi boo
in flores had a good trip going to horta on sunday i think.where are you?
Love frey

Not Quite A New Boat

2009-06-18T14:24:00.004+01:00

I was going to proudly announce today that I (we - with Kat's help) have bought a new boat. Its amazing what you get up to while waiting around in marinas with an Internet connection!

For those of you blog followers who are interested the details of her are HERE

Yes - I know shes wood, small, and has no engine!

Anyway, maybe its not meant to be...

UPDATE: Even though my offer was accepted I was slow in getting my deposit paid and hence beaten by a local buyer. CRAP!

Otahi / Euge - Update

2009-06-17T11:43:00.005+01:00

Just a quick post to let everyone (with growing concern) know the latest news from Flavio & Freya on Otahi. James recieved a SPOT update yesterday stating their position as N39.65 W34.10 putting them approximately 260nm from Horta. I have no idea why I have not recieved the same SPOT update on my Sat phone.

Anyway, they have actualy 'gone past' the Azores being slightly north of the islands, probably due to winds, or ... they have decided to carry on straight to the UK!

I hope its the former as a. as I have been waiting for her for 2 weeks and b. the weather forcast for returning back to the UK is far from ideal for at least a week.

Also, Marcus (of Veracity) has reported that Richard & Sarah of Euge have arrived safe in Falmouth.

Horta Azores (2)

2009-06-15T16:06:00.010+01:00

Well it’s now the 15^th of June and I have been here too long (13 days) and really need to get Doris back to Hamble point for selling. Not much to tell you really...

At least the sun is shining again lately, food, coffee and beers are cheap and I have had some fun (read drunken nights) company (albeit briefly) with the crew of SunBird. Unfortunately, Ben & Medi, the 2 Andy’s, Steve the Skipper and Amanda all set sail on Saturday morning at short notice, bound for Palma in the Med possibly via Morocco depending on the winds. I helped them pack their shopping before getting out of their way.

Medi doing what she likes best!

I have been trying to salvage the ‘Doris’ painting, after initial attempts were smudged by both rain (paint that refused to dry) and people climbing over it. At least I have made ‘my mark’ so to speak among friends (Euge & Timshel) and thanks to Kat it’s a damn sight better that I would have managed alone.

Its a 'work in progress' depending on boredom!

Our Danish friends of BlueOcean.

Adrian & Leonor of Bacan enroute to Brighton as we speak.

Still no word from Otahi (she is not actually overdue), but according to calculations she was just over 1200nm away the day I arrived which means based on a rough average of 100nm per day she should arrive any time soon. It’s a shame that Ben & Medi couldn’t also be here to welcome her in and have the ‘crew’ back together again. I will update as soon as she arrives!

Lastly, for those who may be interested (or amazed!), Marcus’ (little Marcus from Sweden) tiny Dory which he sold in English Harbour before flying home has arrived here in Horta.

There’s some brave (or stupid) people out there!

Horta Azores (1)

2009-06-10T11:57:00.007+01:00

Well its now Tuesday 9th June and tomorrow I will have been here a week. So, whats been going on? Well, Kat arrived on the Friday evening and it was great to see her again as its been a good few months since she departed in Antigua. As always, she arrived resembling the proverbial ‘pack horse’, but this time most of what she was carrying was for me. As she unpacked it became like Christmas! Books, Chocolate and general ‘goodies’. She has also put together a ‘series’ of pressies that I am not allowed to open until specified days during the next leg back to the UK! It’s gonna kill me having the self control to not just rip em all open, but at least it will motivate me to not ‘grow roots’ and get going.

Due to the shops closing early on the Saturday and us stagnating and taking things a little too casualy we wont be able to buy any paint to make Doris’ mark as is tradition here in Horta. I do have a can of black and grey onboard but that is pretty limiting.

While sitting opposite the marina eating pizza, I noticed a small but familiar boat and not being sure why I recognized it I had to go and have a closer look. As I suspected! It turned out to be none other than Brian of ‘Timshel’ who I had met back in La Coruna after my Biscay crossing. The last I had heard he was in Africa. He has decided for one reason or another to return home to La Rochelle in France to contemplate setting off again with his girlfriend.

After a few beers on Timshel, I invited Brian over for dinner that eve and Kat and I went off to find the supermarket. There doesn’t appear to be any food shops in close vicinity to the marina but we eventually found a supermarket just out of town (about 15 mins walk). For anyone else who plans to visit – walk ‘out of town’ to the left as you look ashore from the marina. There is a junction where the road turns into cobbles going straight on toward the airport and remains tarmac as it forks around to the right. Follow the road to the right and you will see a ‘GULP’ garage ahead. Just past the garage you will find the supermarket.

Back on Doris, we (Brian, Kat and I) were also joined by two Danish guys who have been cruising in the Florida keys after buying their boat, a Najad there. We discussed boating and swapped stories while getting stuck into beer, wine & cheese and a little pasta dish I knocked up. Another new friend I have is Adrian on Bacan who I am moored up against (inside). He is heading back to the UK to do some contracting work being an IT Project Manager and is heading for Brighton marina!

Sunday morning we got up late and found Brian bearing gifts of two pots of paint (white and black). Needless to say we spent the afternoon painting the marina walls (alongside Euge) with designs for both Timshel & Doris. Kat pulled up her sleeves and unleashed her artistic skills. Unfortunately, the white didn’t seem to want to dry and I think the paint is for wood rather than concrete. We had to wait until later in the eve to finish the Doris design due to the white not drying and finally got something on top of it later that night.

Unfortunately, it also started to rain, so the Doris design is not quite finished, but at least we have done something. The myth says that ‘bad luck at sea befalls those who don’t make their mark before departing Horta’. The highlight was watching Brian apply his hand print using oil based black paint!

I said farewell to Kat on Monday morning as she made her all day flight back to the UK via Lisbon and its now Wednesday the 10th June. It’s been miserable weather for the last two days with squally rain and no sign of any sunshine. I have been hiding away inside the boat reading my new books and eating chocolate. I really am turning into a sailing geek:

Hand Reef & Steer – Tom Cunliffe
An Ocean Away (Small Boat, BigOcean) – Dave Clarke
A Voyage for Madmen – Peter Nichols
Moitessier, A Sailing Legend – Jean Michel Barrault
A Thumbnail Circumnavigation – Paul Packwood
Boat Joinery & Cabinet Making Simplified – Fred Bingham

Having woken up literally 30 minutes ago, after a late night Skype session talking to James (Carribean), Marcus (Falmouth) and Kat (London), I have just helped Brian slip his lines and get on his way back to La Rochelle. Good luck mate and I’ll see you next time around!

Still no sign of Ben & Meddi here in Horta and I have not received a position update on Otahi’s progress, so as soon as I do, I will post it here. I am keen to get going now and get back out to sea. The plan is to try and get either Ben or Meddi or Freya to sail with me back to the UK for some company. If not, Ill Single Hand it again but it would be nice to have some company for a change!

UPDATE: 14000utc - Ben & Medi have just arrived here in Horta on Sunbird. Looks like a few beers will be drunk tonight!

North Atlantic Summary

2009-06-04T18:44:00.002+01:00

Antigua - Azores

Rhumb line Distance: 2170nm
Distance Sailed: 2425nm
Time Taken: 23 Days
Average Speed: 4.39Kn
Maximum Wind: 35kn
Engine Usage: 23.4 hours

A bit of a sad posting I know, but its for my own reference in the future. Besides someone might be interested?

On another note, I have just recieved a position update from Otahi: N34.3126 W52.3617

North Atlantic 8

2009-06-03T16:32:00.003+01:00

Monday 1st June 2009 (Afternoon)
Well what can you do but keep on slogging away through the waves with the promised forecast of reduced wind never really materialising. By nightfall the swell had dropped off in size but was still easily big enough to lay the boat over when the odd one timed its breaking crest just right in time to wack us in the beam or land on us. The wind had dropped, at least I think it had because it was end to end squalls into the early hours meaning the winds were still around 25kn/30kn but gustier.

I noticed a port tricolour a few miles off my starboard side around midnight and after calling them up on the radio they agreed they would give me a call if they saw any ships allowing me to get a better sleep. I forget the name of the vessel, it sounded like ‘Adam Ant’ but that’s not it. Either way, it was a very nice man in an Ocean Packet, who had problems with his radar and other Raymarine stuff (join the gang) and ‘yes’ they had an AIS onboard, it just hadn’t been fitted yet.

I should have shook out the 3rd reef around this time as our speed had reduced to around 4kn with the squalls dropping off and the skies now clear, but I couldn’t face getting ‘suited up’ and going forward in the swell and cold. I waited until first light instead and had a good nights sleep for doing so.

Tuesday 2nd June 2009
Straight after shaking out the 3rd reef (as the winds were now barely 20kn), Doris was off! Almost as if she could smell landfall or something. It was really nice not being under reduced sail and although we still had the 2nd reef in, it made all the difference to the sailing and we averaged about 6.5kn for most of the day.

Our 1200utc position was N37 53.57 W30 47.00 with 114nm covered (101nm to go), not bad considering most of the night we were doing barely 4kn.

I found another book in one of the cupboards and it was a welcome distraction to staring at GPS figures and me worrying that my XTE was not coming down at the right speed and that my VMG was optimal. I get like this when approaching land, much like Doris, who was still going break neck speed!

The book was ‘Are You Experienced’ by Ian Sutcliff, about a guy who goes to India in his ‘Gap Year’ just to shag his mate’s girlfriend. I couldn’t put the book down and by 1400utc I had finished it and I laughed the whole way through. The perfect read for that final landfall approach day. I’m not sure if these books are actually any good, it may be that anything I read is ‘interesting or entertaining’ – I’ve been at sea for over three weeks on my own for Gods Sake! Some poor soul is gonna have their ears chewed off when I find someone to talk to!

I also figured if I have to take to the liferaft now (God forbid!), I’m not going to be drifting at sea for long, being so close to land and on the main rhumb line to Horta. Therefore it would be fine for me to pillage the chocolate bar and bag of sweets in there!

Just before dark I decided to put the 3rd reef back in as the Hydrovane is having problems with the swell (rounding us up) and increasing winds, it’s back up to 20kn (from 15kn). I thought we gybed but actually we rounded up, but with the boom on a ‘preventer’ it looked like the result of a gybe. The GPS is predicting 0930utc arrival tomorrow morning.

The time is now 2300utc (39nm to landfall) and I have made a pot of pasta with cocktail sausages chopped up and a tomato sauce. I was going to prepare enough for another portion tonight, as I won’t be able to sleep. Being so close to land and all the dangers it brings, all the ‘transat’ boats will be converging on Horta, not to mention the commercials and lastly the fishing boats. Oh and land itself!

Anyway I seem to have made enough food for the entire Horta marina! Kat - its pasta for dinner on Friday eve – OK?

Wednesday 3rd June 2009
Not much else to report except that I am now safe and sound in Horta marina. I will confess that from the ‘landfall’ waypoint I put the engine on for the last 8nm. I had an almost dead run with a following swell with barely 9kn of wind – so sue me!

Landfall at dawn.

I tied up alongside another boat around 0930utc and cleared through Customs & Immigration, before being moved to another part of the marina, again alongside. Not the best but hey – it’s got FREE WIFI…wo0ho0!!!

Just as I was moving Doris I notice ‘Euge’ moored up and then suddenly Sarah & Richard appear. It’s great to see them both again as we hadn’t heard anything from them since they set off from Antigua. However, they were literally casting off for their return to the UK. We had just enough time for a chat and I helped them slip their lines. See you both in Falmouth in a few weeks hopefully!

Richard & Sarah made their mark in Horta.

All day I have spent cleaning myself (as I hadn’t shaved for two weeks) and the boat (it was a sty) up and its now 1530utc and time to relax.

So, it’s over – Amen! The North Atlantic Circuit, Single Handed – this time I really feel like I’ve achieved something and learnt a lot from this passage. Heavy conditions, weather routing decisions, all points of sail, something for the whole family! All morning people around the marina have been commenting on how hard the crossing was and the conditions etc, all of whom arrived either today or yesterday, so maybe I was justified in finding it a little hard going. It’s certainly a nice feeling once you are tied up and secure!

My new 'home' for a while.

North Atlantic 7

2009-06-01T17:50:00.002+01:00

Thursday 28th May 2009 (Afternoon)

I sailed all day deciding to stay 'low' and keep heading East or as near as possible. The evening saw me still sailing despite making around 120T degrees (not quite backwards but close) until around 0200utc when I was finally becalmed. I decided to motorsail for two hours before not being able to stay awake any longer. At 0430utc I dropped all sail and went to bed until 0630utc, then reset the alarm for 0800utc as there was still no wind.

Friday 29th May 2009

After several futile attempts to continue sailing, I turned on the engine again at 0830utc. Luckily, there is just enough wind to allow the Hydrovane to keep me more or less on course, allowing me the freedom to have breakfast etc. I am again staying 'low' (East) due to the incoming storm which is due to hit this evening around 1800utc.

My 1200utc position is N35 13.23 W38 32.22 with 92nm covered.

After cooking a huge bag of popcorn and a pot of pasta, I waited until 1800utc, as according to the grib files, that's when the storm was due to 'officially' start for my position. Sure enough, exactly on time, the wind and waves started to rise and I gibed into the beast.

The wind rose to about 25kn and I was surfing along at over 8kn of boat speed with the Hydrovane taking care of the steering nicely. That is until it had just got dark and we got knocked over! One minute I was sitting there looking at grib files on the laptop and the next flying through the air. Its funny, you hear that familiar rushing water sound and your first thought is 'shit!', followed a microsecond later by 'brace!'. It's a shame they come in that order. Too late, I tried to save the laptop as the boat got laid completely over and my 'sideways' became my new 'downwards'. All three meters of it, with nothing to hit until I face planted into the galley cupboards, smashing my arm somewhere along the way for good measure. My first sickening thought was that I had broken my arm, thankfully just a bruised bone. Dazed and confused (for so long its untrue!), I got out on deck to find us racing along close hauled, the boom was at least on the same side of the boat so we hadn't gybed at least!

The same thing happened again a short while later, unfortunately the victim this time was my beloved kettle, which launched it self from the stove spilling a few cupfuls of water over the floor, lucky it wasn't boiling at the time! Sorry Stu, the kettle now has a dent to mark my North Atlantic crossing.

I was aware that the wave had hit us on the beam, they should almost be following seas! Then I noticed that our downwind course was now 140T as the Hydrovane was following the wind, compared with 60T (what it should have been). I hadn't realised that the storm had passed through already and where the wind was going west to east, it was now going more north to south. The waves were still going in their original direction and I had been completely oblivious to it. Well not oblivious, I was expecting the shift, but not until morning!

Anyway, I kept on sailing with the winds touching 30kn and the seas still rising, slowly came round to being on the beam as well. I had very little sleep, the boat was all over the place with loads of water coming over the cockpit and it was freezing!

Saturday 30th May 2009

At first light I managed to get an hour or so sleep before having to tend the boat. Priority was to get (more) dry clothes on and some hot food inside me.

1200utc position is N35 56.17 W36 31.64 with 117nm covered.

By now the waves were easily over 4m and on one of my routine looks around the horizon, suddenly saw a yellow bridge deck of something big appear for a second less than a mile away. I called them up on the VHF (yes it's still working fine) and found out that the tanker Miramar hadn't yet seen me. The guy on the radio (sounded American) said to someone in the background 'we're right on top of the guy, so he must mean us' before answering me. After re-giving my position, bearing and speed, he finally spotted me visually with still nothing showing on radar, being around only 1/3 of a mile away, this was worrying! He said that from his perspective he could not see the boat, any sails (3rd reef and scrap of jib) or radar reflector as they were all below the level of the waves! We finally, popped upon radar when he was actually passing us.

I must have been pretty tired because despite knowing that I was almost invisible to other vessels I managed to get a good full night of sleeps in.

Sunday 31st May 2009

Three full weeks at sea my longest ever and can't I just wait to reach land! Why is it that the Gods really want their pound of flesh for the final few hundred miles?!?!?

The seas this morning are (for me) terrifying! I have never been in such big seas and they are starting to break. I would have to guess at 5m-6m wave faces and I can't help but think if I get caught beam on to one, I can kiss my ass goodbye - not to mention the rig! The cockpit is a constant wash and some water from under the sprayhood gutters overflows down the companionway steps, making the pretty looking Hanse cabin sole as dangerous as a proverbial ice rink!

On a brighter note, once again as I stare horrified at what's in front of me, do I see lunatic dolphins swooping through the waves and having the time of their lives in their own watery skatepark. It's always a reality check scenario when you look up from your position into the eye of a dolphin set in a crystalline wave face above you! It's good to have them back.

My 1200utc position is N36 31.86 W34 33.85 with 108nm covered.

I can't keep anything on the stove and life below is tiring, while the Hydrovane is still steering perfectly well, I can't bring myself to leave the helm, staring at awe at the sight in front of me! What the hell am I doing out here! The winds are only around 25kn, with gusts to 30kn but the seas are massive. I guess from having a few days to build up and from the higher winds inside the depression? I'd love to know what Passage Weather currently show the swell heights as compared to what I'm seeing.

I received an Otahi update report, all is well at position: N32.2016 W56.2558.

By late afternoon the winds have risen to 30kn+ and I am getting worried about the waves and at what point do I 'run'. My present course keeps them just above the beam my last resort is to run with them, but that means heading south for twenty four hours (100nm+). Kat has decided to visit me this weekend and will be in Horta Friday evening, I just hope I will be as well!

Question, why the hell am I picking up NavTex weather forecasts for the US East coasts (have been for the last few weeks), Grand Banks etc and I can't get anything for the bloody Azores only a few hundred miles away!

According to the grib files the winds should be dropping off around 1800utc, the time now is 1900utc and I am still seeing 30kn+. After a quick call to Kat, it seems that I am going into (towards the Azores) faster than the depression is retreating. Bloody typical, speed when you don't want it!

I manage to get some Ravioli and a hot drink inside me before deciding to follow Kats advice and 'Hove To' and wait for the winds to drop. I am knackered, not from doing anything other than hold on for dear life and fear I think. The winds seem to drop a little and I set Doris to plod higher north under just the fully reefed mainsail making barely 2-3kn. By now its long dark and I jump into the sleeping bag. Bliss.

Monday 1st June 2009

No sooner do I get underway (0730utc - I had a lie in), so do the winds. They are back up to 30kn with squalls to 35kn. To be fair, the winds do seem to have dropped overall aside from the squalls and its going to take a few days for the seas to go down. The sun is still shining, although with the amount of water over the boat it may as well be pissing it down! Just keep telling myself, this is all good (head) training and experience for bigger things to come, the Pacific, the Southern Ocean, Antarctica ~eh?!?!?

My 1200utc position is N37 14.42 W32 53.23 with 99nm covered. Only 210nm to go!

I am just going to concentrate on going slow and (as James keeps telling me) keeping the rig up, this will also be my last post until I get to Horta or unless something noteworthy happens, as Satphone minutes are running low. Unless I'm lost at sea of course - I'm joking! I'm fine mum.

C you all in a few days.

North Atlantic - Brief update

2009-05-30T18:16:00.004+01:00

Just had a TXT from Boo, he seems fine, although not having that much fun:

"35 53N 36 36W. THRN HED FST ACRS CBN THOUT I BRK ARM. 4 OR 5M SEAS.HAD 30KN TTL DRKNES.SO COLD!"

Translation for those who don't speak TXT:

"Thrown head 1st across the cabin, thought I had broken my arm. 4 or 5M seas. Had 30KN, total darkness. It's very cold".

Crutey

North Atlantic 6

2009-05-28T19:23:00.000+01:00

Monday 25th May 2009 (Afternoon)

Well I tried to go north but the winds once again went light on me, so it was a case of keeping what wind there was in front of the beam resulting in more of a north east direction. Still, I think as long as I maintain this pace I should avoid the calms on Wednesday.

I finally had to put the last three remaining potatoes out of their misery as it just wasn't fair to let them suffer any longer. I sat down in the sunshine of the cockpit with a bowl of pub style 'cheesy chips', served with ketchup and mayo - superb! It reminded me of summertime after work drinks after a day in the office and it was very tempting to open the single can of chilled 'Carib' beer I have saved for my arrival in Horta to complete the experience - I resisted.

The flat seas combined with the sunset this evening was the most amazing so far, a full purple sky leading to a blood orange sunset, no 'Green Flash' though.

Tuesday 26th May 2009

1200utc position N33 34.98 W44 26.84 with 106nm covered in the last 24 hours.

The highlight of the day. A whale sighting, almost a collision to be honest!

At 14:45utc I came up on deck to look straight into the black eye of a whale almost alongside us on the port side. He was about 20ft away from the boat, about 30ft (similar size as Doris) in length but not very 'thick set', swimming completely along the surface (no diving at all). He had a squarish looking head (Moby Dick style), a tiny stumpy dorsal fin and I couldn't see the tail at all. I am sure he was alone. He was in position N33 45.81 W44 11.42, heading NE at around 3kn, also going to the Azores I guess. I did consider slowing the boat down to have a closer look - then thought better of it!

Actually, if Doris had been 20ft further to the left, we'd have tried to mount it doing over 6kn! 'Whale Oil Beef Hooked!'

Before I set sail or leave for any other adventures I have to get books on Sea Mammals, Sea Birds and Fish of the world. If anyone knows what kind of whale this might be I'd love to know.

Well another book completed - 'Ice Bird'. Not a bad read, mainly if you are obsessed with sailing, especially of the Single Handed variety. Always slightly more relevant, reading such books when you are alone in a boat in the middle of an ocean as well!

It did make me get out the pilot guides and have quick look at what's involved in visiting Antarctica. It would be good to say you've been there at least . Hmn?

While I remember:

Nils - Hopefully, you are still in Horta, I'll be there soon I promise!

Dinner was potato gratin and corned beef with grated cheese, thank god for cheese, it makes almost everything edible!

Just as it was starting to get dark I noticed two small seagulls flying around the boat, one of which seemed intent on landing. He hovered over the cockpit several times but the reefing lines and mainsheet kept scaring him off. Then he'd fly off for a while before returning again. This time he managed to get both feet on the mainsheet and then on the winch briefly before flying off again. I saw him circling the mast and then lost sight of him. About an hour later I came up and found him perched on top of the sprayhood. He must be knackered to be so intent on landing after so many attempts. I left him in peace putting out a bowl of water just in case.

Later as the winds got up, I apologised in advance as I had to put a reef in and knew this would likely scare him off and if he was that weak, probably to his death. The poor thing looked frozen and was hanging on for dear life as the boat pitched and rolled in the following sea. Despite me wearing a head torch and making noise with winches and lines etc, he never moved!

During one of my routine watches I did see him stretching his wings, before eventually flying off about four hours later. It crapped on the sprayhood before it left, I wonder if it's still alive?

Tonight things seem even damper than ever. Standing on deck it looks like its raining but it's just the moisture in the air. It's also got quite a bit colder making the trip increasingly miserable. I find myself wanting a long hot bath, something I haven't done since, erm . over a year ago?!?!?!?

Wednesday 27th May 2009

A long damp night with very little sleep. Morning bought grey skies and a horrible lumpy sea. Last night I went from one reef to two and finally three as winds increased, only now to be scratching in 8kn of wind. I cheered myself up with a bar of Cadburys Fruit & Nut chocolate for breakfast!

I have just (1100utc) received an update from Otahi (Freya & Flavio) and there position is N28.7424 W60.512 - all OK. They appear to be only just over 300nm from Bermuda, maybe they are stopping off there or just heading north for better winds?

My 1200utc position is N34 36.94 W42 22.79 with 127nm covered. Only 696nm to landfall - Jeez!

I was barely moving for a few hours in the afternoon, until after constant sail trimming and 'faffing' for want of a better word, we started to move. The wind crept up to 10kn, then 13kn, then 15kn by which time I was thinking of putting in a bloody reef after having barely any wind.

The sky said it all really, I was just to preoccupied to pay it any attention. I found myself flying along in winds of 20kn with gusts to 25kn with 2 reefs in and a scrap of jib. In no time at all the rains came and the seas got ugly. This basically lasted all day and it was a rock & roll ride. When it got dark, maintained 2 reefs until the early hours when again the gusts went over 26kn forcing me to put in the 3rd reef.

Needless to say I didn't get much sleep through the night, having left over potato gratin & corned beef to get me through the night without further cooking. My main worry was other ships with visibility being very limited in the steep seas and driving rain. I kept watch as best as I can but to be honest a lot of time was spent in the sleeping bag.

Thursday 28th May 2009

With first light I shook out the 3rd reef going back to only one as the winds had lightened and the seas flattened off a little. Breakfast was hot porridge followed by catching up on sleep, something I intend to do all day.

My 1200utc position is N35 08.42 W40 17.52 with 114nm covered. I am not sure what to do in terms of routing. Either: A. Carry on going East and staying low to avoid a nasty storm (winds to 30kn+) brewing for tomorrow evening. This may leave it hard for me to go north afterwards.

Or: B. Make as much North direction now while I can and simply 'man out' the storm, then carry on east afterwards. I'll get more up to date weather forecasts later and sleep on it.