Wavelength - Autumn 2012

Wavelength The magazine of the Sussex Yacht Club • Autumn 2012

Atlantic crossings by sail and oar Sailing yarns from Japan, the Caribbean and closer to home VPRS - a new rating system for all?

NEWS & CLUB BUSINESS

Contents Editorial.............................................................................. 2 Commodores Report.................................................. 3 House Committee........................................................ 4 Integrated Access Sailing......................................... 4 Shorebased Training.................................................... 5 Getting to know SYC................................................... 5 Moorings and Maintenance.................................... 6 Sailability gets stuck into 2012!............................ 7 Rowing boat for sale................................................... 8 Fixture List........................................................................ 8 New SYC brochure....................................................... 8 Advertise in Wavelength........................................... 8 Membership Survey..................................................... 9 Steps to Heaven..........................................................10 A Flota in Hota.............................................................12 RS800 at 50................................................................13 Scilly Sailing...................................................................14 Tommy Tippets .......................................................... 16 BSAC 007......................................................................17 Diving El Cubano.........................................................17 A passage through the Corinth Canal.............18 Cape Verdes to Antigua on Serefe .................20 Dunkirk Little Ship.....................................................22 Rating System Review.............................................24 Sussex Regatta............................................................26 With Marelanja across the Atlantic...................28 Falling for it...................................................................30 Christmas Crackers...................................................34

Editorial Welcome to what is now the autumn edition of Wavelength, the magazine of the Sussex Yacht Club. This edition contains tales of members cruising the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, diving locally and away, and of the story of two remarkable Atlantic crossings under oars. It also brings news of matters in closer to home, where the club continues to strengthen its position, with an expanded and improved restaurant service, and the development of additional berthing facilities. Despite the hard economic times, the club remains financially sound and this is due to the most careful and conservative budgeting and subsequent control of expenditure.

Every effort is going into making sure that every penny of member’s money is wisely spent in these difficult times.

These are difficult times in other ways as well. The cold hand of government bureaucracy and interference is gripping our sport ever tighter, and this is particularly true in with the conservation field, where we risk to lose rights of passage, of motoring and of anchoring in places which have been traditionally used by boaters. This has already happened in the Mediterranean. The problem is that we are guilty until proven innocent, and the other side has only to make unproven assertions to start the ball rolling.

Everybody of course must support reasonable environmental measures, as to enjoy the beauty of wild places and of the flora and fauna is one of the main reasons we go to sea.

But every effort must also be made to ensure that these decisions are taken on the basis of facts, and the RYA to their credit are trying to do this. But they need our help.

The impact of rushed government pronouncements by inexperienced ministers is amply demonstrated by the absurd red diesel fiasco. An underlying problem remains however in that red diesel in our tanks continues to be a source of potential difficulty for those who cruise in Europe beyond the French coast immediately opposite. The French authorities from Brest to Calais are arguably too pragmatic to be concerned and do not wish to see the summer flow of British yachts with their attendant Euro spend dry up, but further afield this is not necessarily the case.

This edition has been delayed by the indisposition of your editor, so if you have submitted an article which doesn’t appear here, please be in contact. One of the functions of this magazine is to give members somewhere to publish their experiences and to have their say in ongoing matters of importance.

In preparing this edition we are indebted to all those who have contributed articles and photographs, but particularly to Steve Vyse who has stepped in to mastermind the layout and graphic design. Thank you Steve!

Finally, congratulations must go to our secretary Tim on the occasion of his marriage to Kate. May you both enjoy many years of health and happiness together.

Miles Mayall Editor

SUSSEXFOUNDED YACHT CLUB 1892 Brighton Road, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex BN43 6RE Brighton Road, Shoreham-by-Sea, WestOffice: Sussex01273 BN43464868 6RE SYC Fax: 464217464868 SYC 01273 Office: 01273 Restaurant: 01273 441190 Fax: 01273 464217 Restaurant: 01273 441190 secretary@sussexyachtclub.org.uk secretary@sussexyachtclub.org.uk www.sussexyachtclub.org.uk www.sussexyachtclub.org.uk EDITOR: Miles Mayall EDITOR: MilesBY: Mayall PRODUCED www.electricfarm.co.uk PRODUCED BY: www.electricfarm.co.uk FRONT COVER PICTURE: Bombardier, Highland Daughter and Catch FRONT COVER PICTURE: 22 racing at Highland SYC. Bombardier, Daughter and Picture courtesy www.vyso.co.uk Catch 22 racing at SYC. Picture courtesy www.vyso.co.uk

2

wavelength | Autumn autumn 2012 2012

NEWS & CLUB BUSINESS

Commodores Report Following from the Annual General Meeting in January, Laurence Woodhams was elected as Honorary Treasurer and Rear Commodore. I know Laurence has since spent a great deal of time getting to grips with the club’s finances, as well as a lot of time with Tim and Chris in the office and I am confident that this aspect of the club is in very capable hands.

As many of you will have found out, the boat park was full to capacity last winter. This may well have made car parking difficult but it certainly helps with the financial situation. Your Directors are all working very hard to try to reduce the financial strains on all of the members in these difficult fiscal times. It is very important, and the duty of all Directors, to ensure the club continues on a sound financial footing in order that we all may enjoy the great facilities that the club has to offer.

It was also good to be able to welcome Terry Kinch, Steve Vyse, Ian O’Dell and Dave Norwood as Directors.

One piece of good news is that we have now agreed a new contract with Hocine and we hope that he will continue to run the bar in his own inimitable manner for the foreseeable future. As well as Hocine, House Committee have also agreed a new contract with Simon and Sharon, our caterers, and at last we hope to bring some stability to the club’s restaurant. For those members who have not been into the restaurant recently I urge you to give it a try, you will not be disappointed, but remember to book as it does get very busy at weekends. One new and welcome innovation is the availability of bacon and sausage baps before racing on a Sunday morning at Southwick. Simon also has fresh sandwiches and salads available at the bar on a daily basis.

The Buildings Maintenance Committee have spent several weeks researching the best way forward for the heating in the bar and restaurant and, having received several quotes for the new system, a contractor has been selected and the installation is now in progress. We are also looking at modernising the changing rooms and toilets as some of the fittings are becoming decidedly tired.

This winter we have sadly lost several more of our members. One who will be particularly missed is Adele Boysons. I well remember being in awe of her, and slightly frightened, when she was Commodore during the Club’s Centenary celebrations and having got to know both her and Tony over the years I know what a special person she was. I know all Tony’s friends have rallied round and he still continues to be a welcome presence at the bar.

It is particularly gratifying to see members enjoying the SYC restaurant once more with such obvious enthusiasm.

consultation with the proposed wind farm project, the development of the Parcel Force site and the possible development of site to the East of Parcel Force.

After the wettest April on recent record, and the resultant drought, the weather has continued to be disappointing all summer. It would be nice to hope for a good late Indian summer and some enjoyable sailing for the rest of this year.

During the course of the last two years I have had to deal with several members complaints. These are always taken seriously and always acted upon at the earliest opportunity. Please, though, if you are inclined to make a complaint be prepared to substantiate it and attend a meeting if required.

Two of our members, Kat Taylor and Chris Miles, have married and I’m sure those members who know them wish them well. Finally I would like to congratulate our club secretary on his recent marriage. I am fortunate to have both Tim and Kate crewing on my boat and I wish them all the best for the future. Now perhaps they will be able to concentrate on sail trim.

Alan Saunders Commodore

As you will no doubt learn in a later article in this magazine we are in the process of establishing some new moorings at Southwick, being an extension of our existing pontoons and we are ready to start work when we receive Land Registry approval. We are also managing new moorings at Aldrington basin.

One thing the club has to do is look after our interests with reference to local developments, several of which are currently being considered for planning permission. The new footbridge is under construction, which will lead to quite a lot of disruption, especially as we will lose our West entrance access for some considerable time. We were at least able to have our input to the planners and contractors in order to minimise it’s impact on the club. We are in An early-morning Commodore and and David Skinner get to grips with Simons baps.

wavelength | autumn 2012

3

NEWS & CLUB BUSINESS

House Committee Chris West, one of the unsung heroes of SYC for his tireless work as Chair of the House Committee explains how you can get a free meal at the club.

Those of you who have visited the clubhouse in the last twelve months, will have noticed the vast improvement in the quality of the restaurant.

Sharon, (who has worked for various club caterers over the years and who has an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of the members names and preferences), has teamed up with Simon to provide the catering for the members at Shoreham.

Simon has at least twenty-five years of event catering and is an accomplished chef, using only fresh food, prepared in the spotless club’s kitchen, for our enjoyment.

The popularity of the Sunday roast lunches is growing apace and the club has assisted in the promotion of a ‘free meal service’ by writing directly to those with a birthday in the coming months and offering them, on Simon’s behalf, a free meal if they book for three or more others to enjoy the lunch with them at the club. The meal has to be taken during the birthday month and I wouild emphacise that this service is entirely funded and offered by the club’s caterer alone, so to book call or text Simon Haffenden on 7702 615870 The offer has only been in operation for only a few months, but the take up has been very encouraging and it has enabled the restaurant / bar to be much busier on a Sunday, than it was over a year ago, under the old caterer.

The monthly Club Nights, (held on the first Friday of each month) are also popular with

The very popular Sunday lunch carvery.

those wishing to meet friends, perhaps to share a simple meal and have a glass or three whilst re-living past glories or plotting new strategies for the future. The Club Night raffle is always a fun event, entirely non-profit making, with funds going back into the raffle pot to buy more prizes.

Tickets are on sale during the evening with the draw on or before 22:00hrs, so that everyone has a chance of buying a ‘winning ticket’.

started to offer sandwiches and filled baguettes on Friday and Saturday lunchtimes available from a refrigerated cabinet behind the bar. As demand increases, hot food will also hopefully be available on Saturday lunchtimes. Simon’s BBQ and gazebo service have enjoyed great success on the revamped balcony, in the glorious (?) weather, by jolly crews of members and their friends.

The ‘Big Five’ club events are still with us, the Summer Party having been a sell-out success with a capacity crowd, so early booking will now be necessary for the Laying Up Supper / Christmas Party and New Year’s Eve if disappointment is to be avoided.

We seem to have finally found a cheerful and enthusiastic chef with a flair for ensuring that our members are well catered for, using freshly cooked food and complimented by Sharon’s encyclopaedic knowledge of those who use the club regularly.

During the last couple of months, Simon

Chris West

Integrated Access Sailing

Pat Jackson keeps us up to date with the doings of the access fleet Katy Turquoise in Access 303, Haze, continued her successful season by winning the club Langley icicle series and also the cream of the fleet pot for overall racing in the river. Over the winter five Access dinghies joined in the icicle before Christmas, Alan Hall in his Solo was second and Pat Jachson in an Access 2.3 was third. Three Access dinghies started the cooler series in the canal at Southwick. The Accesses and Toppers enjoyed some close on the water

4

wavelength | Autumn 2012

sailing since they have similar PYs. Two of the 2.3s had to drop out later but Katy managed a fourth place, just pipped in the last race by Ian in an Enterprise.

The first of the National Access Traveller series at Nottingham was postponed due to high winds, rain and snow! Hopefully we will see other members of the group towing to these events during the season.

Pat Jackson

Des and his splendid hat says don’t forget the Icicle Series for dinghies starts in the canal on Sunday 14 October at 11:00

NEWS & CLUB BUSINESS

Shorebased Training The club has a significant RYA training activity, and this both brings income to the club and just as importantly exposes us to new potential members.

about the subject prior to the course.

I will prepare the Royal Escape room prior to the course day and check that all necessary visual equipment is in good working order and most importantly that there are sufficient refreshments for the students throughout the day, all this studying is thirsty work!

Starting soon will be the RYA Day Skipper Theory and RYA Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster Theory courses.

These courses are taught by our enthusiastic expert instructor Alwyn Evans, they prove very popular and are always over subscribed so reserve your place early to avoid disappointment!

The Day Skipper course starts on 27 November, it runs on a Tuesday evening and some Saturdays through the winter totalling 40 hours of study with 2 assessment papers.

To be successful these courses require considerable admin and Paula Fox, who is the member of Tim’s team responsible for these matters explains her role.

I have been working part time at the club for just over a year now and one of my responsibilities is to coordinate the shorebased training at the Shoreham clubhouse. We run a number of RYA theory courses including First Aid at Sea, VHF Radio, Day Skipper & Yachtmaster.

The courses are very popular and as such need to be coordinated efficiently for the smooth running of the course. I have regular contact with Kevin Headon, Training Principal and the different course instructors in order to ensure we have all the necessary books and equipment for each course.

Prior to the start of each course all students are emailed with joining instructions, this gives them information on how the course will run including times, location and any necessary items which they may need to bring with them. All communication is now mainly by email although for some courses, such as VHF Radio, we will send the joining instructions by post together with the course book in order for students to read and gain some background information

The Yacht Master course starts on 28 November, it runs on Wednesday evenings and some Sundays through the winter totalling 44 hours study and 3 exams.

The cost of the courses for members, which are heavily discounted versus the non-member rates, are:-

• RYA Day Skipper Theory £195 • RYA Coastal Skipper & Yacht Master Theory £195 We also have an exciting new venture in the pipeline tying up our theory courses with practical courses at a fantastic sailing school in the Solent. This will give students to opportunity to put all the classroom work to the test on first class yachts... keep an eye out for further information.

We hope that all the students enjoy the courses and find them beneficial, the feedback we have been receiving has been very positive. If you would like more information about any of our courses including availability contact me by email using the address paula@sussexyachtclub.org.uk, check the club website at www.sussexyachtclub.org.uk or call the office on 01273 464868.

Getting to know SYC

Olivia Cleary on her introduction to sailing, instructing and Cowes week, and her impressions of the club I first started sailing with Sussex Yacht Club by joining one of the fabulous Onboard courses, around 4 years ago. Since then, I have had a lot of chances to sail, meet some great people and have a great time! I have improved a lot since I started and now really enjoy sailing with the club.

I was lucky enough to be able to join the SYC ShorehamYouth Team of 2012 and am looking forward to racing at Cowes this summer. Most of us worked through the RYA stages and have now done our Assistant Instructor. It is great fun helping out on courses and Family & Cadets evenings.

We have been working hard, training up for Cowes, yet still have a way to go to be ready to race! This has included courses through the summer and winter, racing series and weekend visits to Cowes. We have worked on a variety of boats, from little Toppers up to yachts! We get on well as a team and are always up for the many sailing opportunities that come our way. It is amazing how I joined one course and am now training for Cowes Week!

We are really grateful for the generosity and kindness of the leaders, especially Kevin Headon, Ian O’Dell, Dorian Woolger and some members of the Youth Team of 2011 who put so much time and effort into shaping us to be sailors! I am very excited for a challenging, enjoyable and hopefully successful Cowes Week.

Olivia Cleary

wavelength | Autumn 2012

5

NEWS & CLUB BUSINESS

Moorings and Maintenance David Skinner, the mainspring of the committee which oversees the yard and club berths describes current developments in his own inimitable style.

During these difficult financial times the income from our boat yard continues to be our all important “Cash Cow”. As I have reported before, members have tended to lift out and lay up less frequently for shorter periods of late.

During the latter part of 2011 this reflected as income below budget. No one is more aware than myself that we are foremost a club and not just a business, but to maintain and improve what we all enjoy the funding has to be available.

Who wants to see a hike in our membership fees to fill the gap? Certainly not a poor old pensioner like me. So we diversified and encouraged non-members to use our facilities at higher rates.

Many joined to have the member’s advantages so a double benefit to the club.

The result of this strictly controlled policy has shown increased usage with recent Income

Please use common sense when parking - if the bosun has deployed cones it is for a reason!

frayed. Please support the work of the bosuns, who very often have to move boats quickly to get them in and out of the water against tidal constraints. If King Canute couldn’t control the tides, we can hardly expect that Ben can do better.

On the point of getting things done the Southwick pontoon extensions are taking longer than I would have liked. I can now report a

positive step forward. The decision was taken by us and the Shoreham Port Authority to go ahead with the work on the west jetty as phase one with a second phase to follow, as and when, we have possessory title over the water needed to extend the middle and east Jetties to the boundaries agreed with the SPA. Phase one will give us a substantial floating pontoon, with all facilities, 12m long to the South to service a further four/five large berths. At the time of

Boat movements are carefully booked and timed.

Please support the work of the bosuns, who very often have to move boats quickly to get them in and out of the water against tidal constraints. back up to 2009/2010 levels and ahead of this year’s budget. The result is that we all benefit and things get done. At the time of writing this updated report we have spare capacity once again. How about giving thought for lifting your boat out for some TLC? With such take up in our yard others have been somewhat inconvenienced. We all park our cars and enjoy that privilege when going into Shoreham for a coffee or a snifter up in the bar. Space is limited which is inevitable. All I can say is please show consideration when you park. Cones are put out and yellow lines painted by the bosons to keep yard movement areas clear. Their job becomes very difficult and time consuming if folk move or ignore them. The boat movements are carefully booked and timed.

If we have to involve Interpol to trace owners to get a boat from the lift into its designated spot, then things can fall apart and tempers get

6

wavelength | Autumn 2012

Our Bosuns can do many things, but holding back the tide for a late running launch is not one of them.

NEWS & CLUB BUSINESS

Sailability gets stuck into 2012!

Wendy Taylor tells of the enthusiasm for helping those who are less fortunate to get afloat in 2012 There’s always soemthing going on in the yard that you can offer considered advice about.

writing our new lease is being looked at by our legal advisors. With the budgeted funds released by main committee the pontoon has been constructed, paid for and awaiting delivery once the piling contractor has agreed a date.

Other services, such as electrics and water are being worked on. Without going into full details I can assure all members that income will repay the capital costs over a period of just a few years depending on the take up. If 100% - which I expect - then payback is around 4 years. A good sound business case - here I go again!

That all sounds great but such goodies do come at a cost. We will have to look at who goes where on the complete pontoon under our rule of sailing/club moorings. The new berths will be designated “sailing moorings” with all this involves. The whole will be debated and agreed with the sailing section before going to main committee for a final decision in

Moonlight Saunter is 21 years young now, which goes to show how a regular dose of SYC boat yard can keep your yacht in fine fettl;e.

accordance with the rule. I hope that all involved will understand just why we will be imposing this rule. None of us “own” our mooring in any way. Our aim will be purely to involve more in club events under our first club rule. Many have asked “what are the numbers to justify a sailing

mooring being allocated?” My own view is that it is better to have flexibility so that each case can be decided on its merits. I would not want to sit on any committee that acted in a draconian manner against a member who had not been able to sail the “quota” in a year when we were aware of shorter term personal problems. More of that when we have everything in place which cannot be long now. If you have views please talk to me.

With the pontoon extension, decisions will have to be taken over the designation and allocation of SYC Southwick moorings as allowed for in the club rules.

The AGM raised two questions of Moorings and Maintenance. The first was the old chestnut of boat yard electrics. The simple answer seems to be inline individual meters. This would be expensive and present difficulties. We will keep the issue of power to where needed in our planning deliberations but no action at the present time. The second was the anomaly of the charges between members who are berth holders and those who are not. This is being addressed and an acceptable solution will be part of our 2012/2013 budget planning which has been done and accepted by main committee Not much else to report apart from the fact that day to day situations-we don’t do problems-are identified and dealt with. I am at the club most days and raise issues with Tim and his team when they come to mind on my regular walks around Shoreham, Southwick and Aldrington Basin.

We aim to please. If we fall short speak to me as something may have been missed.

David Skinner Rear Commodore, Moorings and Maintenance

Despite the weather the energy amongst Sailability folk is unbounded. Over the first few weeks we were busy getting the boats ready. We had the fitting our in March, when volunteers and disabled sailors got involved with preparing the Access’s, Sports 16’s and Wanderer ready and not forgetting anti fouling the Sonars in preparation for competing at Cowes week again this year.

We have also been busy in the training room, having two excellent training sessions run by John Mactear and assisted by Ian Odell , both very well attended.

Meanwhile we have been raising the profile of Sailability and SYC at the Shoreham farmers market in April. We had an Access on display and volunteers handed out leaflets publicising our Sailability boat jumble and car boot sale event in April and the SYC Open Day in June. The rain held off and there was quite a buzz in Shoreham High St. and we raised £176 towards maintaining, refurbishing and replacing boats which is a continuing challenge.

This season will be packed as usual with fantastic Sailability days down on the river, in June for example the Goldman Sachs open day when employees came and to give us a hand then enjoy a great lunch in the club house, plus the usual visit from our friends from Sailability Ringwood.

I have been involved as a volunteer for the past three seasons and have been truly inspired by the impact sailing has on people who wouldn’t otherwise have chance to get out on the water. The brave disabled sailors often find the whole experience calming and empowering. I would highly recommend volunteering as a way of giving something back and getting to know a great bunch of people, so come and join us!

Wendy Taylor

wavelength | Autumn 2012

7

NEWS & CLUB BUSINESS

Rowing boat Call for pictures to feature in a new SYC brochure for sale Steve Vyse is working on a showcase publication for SYC.

along when they visit the club and to have a look through their digital photo albums. I’m seeking images to help uillustrate the folloowing key areas; • Keelboat racing and rallying.

Peter Everard updates us on a unique two handed trans Atlantic rowing trip.

• Dinghy sailing, and racing.

“An Atlantic Calling” in the Autumn 2011 issue of Wavelength introduced Dave & Lloyd and their 7m rowing boat.

• Training Sessions - afloat.

They arrived successfully in Barbados having set off 60 days and 17 hours previously, setting a record for the first independent unsupported transatlantic row from mainland (Morocco). They were able to average 2.3 knots over some 3300 miles and have already raised a substantial sum for the RNLI.

• SYC Office.

As you can imagine they had a number of adventures along the way including near misses with ships, sharks and boat damage. They attribute their success to meticulous planning, determination and remaining positive despite setbacks. And especially to the support they had in all forms.

I hope to bring more detail of their trip in a future article - or see www.atlanticcalling.com for the latest information.

Well done to you both.

Peter Everard PS. Does anyone want to buy a rowing boat?

Fixture List

The fold-out concertina fixture list that has had members flapping arms trying to find the date is going to be replaced by a compact booklet with the months set out on separate pages. The aim is to make it both easier to use and easier to produce.

The fixture list dates are still being worked on but the data has already been published to the website in provisional form for checking and comment - go online and click on ‘Fixtures for 2013’ in the left hand column.

In addition to each section signing off on the online content we’d welcome experienced members having a look. If in your opinion there is a problem with a race time and the tides or perhaps a clash on the social side of things, now is the time to speak up before we go to press in early December.

8

wavelength | Autumn 2012

• Sailability.

• Social events.

• Training sessions - classroom.

• Diving.

• Boat yard.

• Club house - Shoreham • Club House - Southwick.

• River Moorings • Southwick moorings.

I will be working during the latter part of 2012 to produce a prestigious SYC brochure to help promote our club to potential new members and those seeking RYA training etc.

I’m pleased to report that the cost to the club will be zero, with the overheads being entirely offset by an advertising deal agreed with an established publisher, however we will need to have good photos to illustrate all that makes SYC such a great place to be, and that is where you may come in.

I am asking photographers from all sections if they could make a point of taking their camera

I’m keen to see any image that fits the brief, especially if there are smiling faces. I’m also interested in any older images you may have that illustrate the great history of SYC - I can safely scan and return any printed originals.

If you have one or more images you think might be of some use then please let me know by email. If you have lots of pictures then rather than email them all I can provide you with access to a data upload system - ask me for details.

I’ll be giving full credits for all the images used in what I hope will be an exciting and very useful project to be published in February 2013. email steve@electricfarm.co.uk

Advertise in Wavelength The economy is under a cloud and the chill wind of cutbacks has scattered marketing budgets.

Looking at Wavelength dispassionately it was clear that the advertising rates were unrealistic, so after a careful review the rates have been substantially dropped. We are also launching a new classified section which will feature in the next issue, along with advertisers being able to include a banner on the SYC website. If you want further details then please email or call the office.

Email secretary@sussexyachtclub.org.uk or call 01273 464868

NEW LOW ADVERTISING RATES • Back cover £100 • Page £90 • Half page £50 • Quarter page £30 • Eighth page £20 • Classified section £1 per line.

• Website Banner: To get on the SYC website home page with a banner in the rotating carousel adds £20 and runs for the life of the Wavelength issue the ad appears in (the carousel is shared with equal exposure for all advertisers).

NEWS & CLUB BUSINESS

Membership Survey Have you noticed something extra in the envelope with Wavelength? Please don’t recycle it!

Although the club is always actively seeking new members through initiatives such as the successful SYC Open Day managed by David Skinner and his volunteers, we also want to make a fuss of our existing members. To this end we’re asking a few questions in a new SYC Membership Survey which we hope you’ll find the time to complete and return. We really want to understand what you want from your membership at SYC and if there is something that you feel could do with improving, or perhaps an idea about something you’ve seen at another yacht club then let us know. It is important that the committee stays in touch with everybody rather than just those we bump into at the bar or in the locks.

You don’t even have to add your name, as we are just as happy to receive anonymous comments. The survey has been initiated by Steve Vyse, who will also open and assess the confidential returned forms outside of the club, before reporting findings to the main committee. The forms themselves will be kept confidential to Steve Vyse and Flag/ Directors, with the eventual report being a digest with no names mentioned, so don’t hold back. We’ll hopefully publish the findings in a later issue of Wavelength.

As we are aware that not all members are comfortable online, this is a paper rather than web based exercise and you can either pop your completed survey in the post to the SYC office or return it in person - why not bring it along to the 2 November Club Night?

THE BIG ONE SYC PRIZEGIVING Saturday 17th November 2012.

7pm to 1am with a three course dinner and disco for £25.

As always this is a Black Tie and Posh Frock do - it’s the biggest social event of the SYC Year and is always a sell out so please get in with your booking as early as you can.

The ticket applications will be in the office and behind the bar and prizewinners will be offered priority booking from 18th October until 26th October when they will go on general sale.

MIKE GREEN

SAILMAKER

• New Sails • Repairs to all sails including Kites • Sail Washing & Servicing • UV Strips • Spray Hoods • Sail Covers • Dodgers • Jack Stays • Cordage

Call - 07411 140366 Email - mgmrgreen@gmail.com •Your local authorised Hyde Sails Agent •SYC & SSC Member •Sail loft on Shoreham Beach

As a small thank you and to recompense members for the cost of a stamp, all the returns (with names) will go into a draw for a decent bottle of champagne.

To be included in the champagne draw and have your comments included in the report, completed surveys should be returned clearly marked ‘CONFIDENTIAL SURVEY’ to arrive at the SYC Office no later than 30 November 2012.

wavelength | Autumn 2012

9

WHERE WENT & NEWS &YOU CLUB BUSINESS WHAT YOU DID

7

Steps to Heaven

We continue our serialization of Brian Thomas’ book about his Atlantic circuit in Dances with Waves. In our last issue Brian had sailed as far as the Canary Islands and this abridged episode now takes us as far as the Dutch West Indies.

THIS IS A STORY about a person who wanted to complete a dream that had grown over a lifetime in which normal stages of one’s time on this earth were to unfold. Stages such as growing up through teenage years, starting to build a career, meeting a girl, getting married, having a family and retiring.

had the sailing bug, but I don’t think it ever passed a moment’s thought for my father, even if he did posses the finances to do such a thing. I was alone in my enthusiasm for sailing amongst my three other brothers and many friends and associates. So I am at a loss to comprehend why it was such a bee in my bonnet.

I am one of the fortunate members of the war babies era.

We experienced a completely different lifestyle from our parents and forbears. It was a time of energy, growth and unlimited opportunities. My path enabled me to retire with just enough capital to plan my lifelong dream to sail the Atlantic. The reader will quickly realise that I started this adventure with a large helping of blissful ignorance. Perhaps that was not a bad thing bearing in mind what I was taking on.

What is even more remarkable is the way we all start something and being human feel obliged to finish. It doesn’t occur to us to stop and consider what we are really taking on. It’s like the snowball rolling down the hill.

Once momentum is started there is no stopping the forward rush until the bottom is reached. I’m glad my snowball never deviated or broke up or hit a brick wall on the way down.

My sailing experience was very limited. What you might call a weekend sailor. My parents never

10

wavelength | Autumn 2012

However there were many moments when it was very nearly run out out steam and me meltdown. Here is my story in all it’s raw and open honesty.

The fleet heads over the start line... next stop the Caribbean.

Fifth Step to Heaven Crossing the Atlantic It’s the 22nd November and time for the OFF. Everyone is so excited. The pre event weather was not at all consistent and was all over the place. But we didn’t have to worry. From the very off we had NE winds on a lovely reach heading more or less where we wanted to go. Let’s face it, with 2,700 miles to go a few degrees off for a few hours won’t make much difference.

Most of the fleet left us on our port and headed south to catch the stronger NE trades. We decided to follow a more northerly route keeping to the rhumb line as much as possible.

Good morning America.

I report in at noon everyday on the SSB Net service. I am also a Net Controller so when it’s my rota I have to contact the 10 other boats in our handicap group. This has proved to be very successful and good fun. Firstly I collect all the positions. Then I repeat the weather report that we are sent by email each day from the WCC

headquarters. Lastly I open up the session for general chat. The SSB has performed very well so far. After the general broadcast I prepare the email of positions on my PC laptop and ask if anyone on the boat wishes to reply to their emails received earlier with the weather report First week It’s Saturday 28th Nov and we have made 920 miles which is an average of 131 miles per day.

That’s 11 miles extra each day than I planned for and will get us to St.Lucia in 21 days. Well under our target of 23 days. No wonder I never win the day’s competition guessing the mileage. I am too conservative.

Second Week.

Big rolling seas and nobody really slept properly. Marcus and I had a heated discussion regarding direction. I was for continuing to head south to pick up the stronger winds whilst Marcus was for keeping to the north and on the 270 degree rhumb line. In the end I think we were splitting hairs as

WHERE YOU WENT & NEWS & CLUB BUSINESS WHAT YOU DID day snorkeling and swimming with the turtles. They are not afraid and don’t mind people diving alongside them. They spend all their time grazing on the seaweed. Almost like cows in a field. There’s only a small beach here but the surrounding reefs are fantastic with special buoys to tie up the dinghy. The coral and fish were spectacular.

The different and vivid colour blues that coincided with the various depths will remain in mind forever. I also found Iguanas on the beach and stingrays swimming around the boat.

This area has to be seen to be believed. True Paradise.

Palm Island

the wind got up and after 18 hours of engine we were back to good sailing. In a way I am glad we were part of the back markers because we could see the really black clouds up ahead and a continuous night of lightning. This bad storm was reported the next day on the net controller roll call. Ocean Lady lost the SSB radio transmission so one of the net controllers in our group was now off the air. Also we were getting more and more miles behind resulting in fewer and fewer boats remaining within radio contact of us.

Third Week Our next milestone is 675 miles remaining which is the three quarter mark. Whoops! in a rush I kicked the autohelm control unit.

Although handy to use it’s in a very awkward place. Hopefully the gaffer tape will hold the bracket together.

The unit must be held firm or it starts reading the compass wrongly.

The telescopic runner for the mast spinnaker pole is also a problem.

The plastic runners have worn through but Marcus has managed to fix something up temporarily.

Record day for sailing with 156 miles lopped off our journey.

Diarmid gets a bit grumpy when under pressure on deck. Everyone getting a bit bored and tired now and wishing we were in St.Lucia.

Monday 7th December. 675 miles to go. The weather report is looking very promising for the final push with north easterlies very consistent. Days are hot and sunny but there are bad squalls at night.

The on-watch helmsman has to be on the lookout because the squalls

come up very quickly from behind and so the lighter twin headsail has to be furled or is at risk of getting blown out. So far we have managed but the sail keeps wrapping around the furler. Lots of boats have now finished as we pass the 500 mile mark. Whisky celebration for me as this is my personal goal achieved.

My estimate for finishing on Saturday is looking good.

Only 80 miles to finish.

Saturday 12th Dec.ember 14.12 pm local time. Excellent winds have got us to Rodney bay in 20 days for a fantastic reception. A photographer meets us before the finishing line and takes a great picture of Dances with Waves on a broad reach and going like the clappers. There are lots of motor launches out cheering us over the line and then a warm local reception on the pontoon, with a fruit bowl and of course a magnum of cold beer. How sweet that tasted.

Dances with Waves has got us here safe and sound with only minor problems for such an epic journey.

Thank you DwW.

mooring off the beach and small ferry jetty. The immigration and customs registration was very quick and friendly. Mustique is a beautiful island with empty beaches and well managed walks through the forests and salt marshes. Paths are well signed with information and the town was clean and tidy. One sign had two tortoises humping and a quote underneath from the John Lennon song Beautiful Boy “life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” This island was populated with some very rich people owning very lavish villas, Mick Jagger, Lord Snowden etc.. I think one would need a certain reputation and loads of money to get a place here.

We visited the gorgeous beaches and then toured the town to buy some fresh fish.

Heaven or Paradise? Palm Island, the Grenadines.

15th Jan 2010. We arrived in Bequia about 6.30 am and after many attempts managed to get the anchor set. I’m sure we are being too fussy about getting the entire anchor head buried. But to be fair we were experiencing quite fresh winds and it was quite busy with lots of boats moored very close.

January 22nd. We sailed to Palm Island just a few miles away from Union Island which has a superb beach and typical Caribbean setting with no one in sight. We had to get to Salt Whistle Bay so didn’t actually stop. When we arrived we dropped the anchor 5 times to try and get it set but ended up with it lying on its side with 6 length of chain out. It held all night despite a fresh breeze. In the morning we admired the pelicans diving for fish.

They are so adept. Also today was our first sight of frigate birds. This is a lovely protected bay.

Our next stop was a short brisk bumpy trip to Mustique where there are compulsory buoy

Onto Tobago Cays which was easy enough to navigate. We arrived by 9am so spent the whole

Sixth Step to Heaven Touring the Caribbean

Our stay in Martinique was not the best and I was glad to be on our way to Dominique as soon as I had settled the bill for the Garmin GPS Antennae - 400 Euros. It did not shock me. By now I was like a condemned man who had accepted his fate. Astronomical costs would not stop me enjoying myself.

The Eco Island Dominica - 3rd Feb Rousseau, the capital of Dominica, was interesting with old colonial type houses very similar to Florida Keys. I was very impressed with the Islands stance on environmental conservation. They did not have the number of lovely beaches and holiday type places such as St.Lucia so they were promoting their natural resources such as tropical forests, indigenous birds and animals and natural living. One part of this was a place called Champagne Bay. Here you could swim off the rocks amongst the coral fish and loads of bubbles escaping from the seabed. Quite an experience Back with the Frenchies On the way to Guadaloupe are the Illes de Saints: a set of beautiful islands with lovely beaches and the influence of French colonization.

It was just like arriving in Brittany but with 30 degrees C and sandy beaches. The town was so French chic. Similar to Martinique but much more relaxed and friendly.

An incredible sunset As the evening approached I noticed that the sky had become extremely dark. I thought we were in for a terrific downpour and

wavelength | Autumn 2012

11

WHERE WENT & NEWS &YOU CLUB BUSINESS WHAT YOU DID everyone was looking west over towards the direction of Montserrat.

The sunset was unbelievable. There was a gap between the dark blue sky and the horizon which set off the brightness of the sun. Then it happened. It started to rain down with ash. The volcano had erupted and by the morning the boat was covered in 3 inches of ash We were on the way to Antigua where there was a water shortage so we couldn’t get water to hose the boat down. There were still lots of ash remaining but we managed to make do with sea water.

Then we sailed round to Jolly Harbour. What a beautiful approach with iridescent green and turquoise waters but very milky. I thought it might have been the volcano effect but it seems it is always like this. I took to the marina instantly which is very well laid out and with excellent facilities including an international standard boat yard for hurricane shelter and hot showers – the first since Rodney Bay. I think originally this marina was going to be another large international yacht harbour. There is a very large supermarket just 100 yards away and it’s a short walk to one of the best beaches I’ve seen so close to a Marina. To top it all, the customs and immigration was all in one office and friendly.

18th Feb. We set off for the islands off North Antigua. There are lots of reefs around and navigation is important but should be OK as long as we take care. The first stop was to anchor off Jumby Bay which is across the waters from the mainland and the airport. They ferry holiday makers in directly from the airport and it’s very exclusive.

As soon as we arrived on the beach in the dinghy two burly security guys came up and said gruffly we can stay on the beach but not any further. This did not impress. They know what they can do with their hotel which costs

£2,500 per night to stay.

The next day, we set off for Barbuda and stopped in Dickenson Bay again to give us a good daytime sail to our destination.

It was true what they said in the brochures. The Beach was like walking on a lovely soft springy bed and had a distinctly pinky colour.

We walked over the ridge to the lagoon side which was literally 30 yards and got a water taxi to the capital Codrington We sailed up the coast of Nevis to Shitten Bay for lunch, and then sailed on to Whitehouse Bay for the night. Before sunset we watched the pelicans diving and catching little fish. There was also lots of splashing around the boat as the big fish chased the little fish. Quite a commotion! A booby bird sat on the pulpit and joined us for dinner.

Next stop was St Kitts just a few miles further north. Port Zante marina was very basic for such a busy port. Cold showers, different electricity and no gas refills.

Easy going Eustatia.

It’s the first Dutch owned island I have visited and once again there is a very distinct difference when the home country, in this instance Holland, funds the cost of supporting vital infrastructure services. Good roads, drainage and an information centre with internet services for instance.

So Steep Saba This is last of the small islands between Antigua and St Martin.

It is also Dutch owned and part of the three Dutch colonies with St Maarten being the third. We motored there and anchored in Wells Bay which is a couple of miles up the coast. There was one very small gap in the rocky coastline where it looked if one could feasibly land the dinghy, but the pilot book warned against the dangers.

Brian Thomas

A Flota in Hota Sussex Yacht Club member Warren Fraser sent us this report of his sailing in Japanese waters.

The TSPS Spring Cruise to Hota held on June 2nd and 3rd was a great success. A total of seven boats participated: Akdenizli, Bifrost, Dede III, Diva, Fuji VII, Gone With The Wind, and Voyager.

All crossed Tokyo Bay and tied up at the Hota docks without incident, and at 5PM, the 30 crew members of the fleet gathered around two tables in Banya and began the annual TSPS feast of fresh sashimi, sushi, tempura, nitsuke, shioyaki, and misoshiru, among others, all washed down with many a bottle of Asahi Dry, numerous frosted mugs of namabiru (draft beer), and tall tokuri of atsukan and hiyazake (hot and cold sake).

It was for many people the first chance to meet with TSPS friends in the new year, and the conversations were lively and spirited. Many enjoyed their first TSPS sailing event and one participant, Michael Scott, paid his fees to become a member of the squadron after dinner. Mike is a wine merchant and we owe much of what followed the dinner to him and his satchel of wine bottles.

(Welcome, Mike, and thanks) While some of the crews went to an onsen (hot springs bath) following dinner, others gathered aboard Voyager to continue the revelry. At least ten sailors crowded around Voyager’s tiny cockpit and were in no time bringing the Hota hills alive with the sound of music as they sang numerous renditions of Happy Birthday to Per Knudsen, who was celebrating his 39th (?) birthday on Saturday.

The next day dawned cloudy and hazy, but outside at sunrise it was blue skies, much to everyone’s surprise. The forecast

12

wavelength | Autumn 2012

called for rain all day with winds from the east. Slowly, the boats in Hota harbor came alive with activity, as crews had their coffee and breakfasts outside in the sunshine. The first out of the harbor was Voyager bound for Yokohama, then Diva powering home to Velasis. The rest of the boats departed Hota sometime before noon. The winds built throughout the morning reaching 27-30 knots. Akdenizli left Hota under full sail, but unfortunately tore her mainsail at the aft reefing cringle when putting in a reef and was forced to motor back to Bayside. Voyager sailed for the first few hours on the return to a point near the islands in Tokyo Bay, but finding the wind directly on the nose, decided to motor the remaining 8 miles. Gone With The Wind sailed on and off on it’s return and enjoyed a fantastic sail toward the end of her journey.

Bifrost, with Novice Sailing Class students Janice and Graham aboard, enjoyed a wonderful sail under reefed jib and main as she sailed home to Velasis.

Did anyone see the huge submarine entering Yokosuka port?

Once again, the Spring Cruise to Hota was a very enjoyable event. We’d like to thank Cruising Coordinator Per for organizing the cruise, the skippers Demir, Per, Francis, Bobby, Fujimoto-san, Chris and Warren for making their boats available for the trip and for welcoming members aboard, and to all the 30 people who participated in the cruise.

The next sailing event is our next social event, the Spring Rendezvous on June 23. Skippers are welcome to contact Per Knudsen if they would like to reserve a slip at Velasis City Marina Warren Fraser

WHERE YOU WENT & WHAT YOU DID

RS800 at 50

The RS800 in the hands of a racing crew is indeed a fearsome beast.

Peter and Jacqui Everard get to sail the marine equivalent of a rocket car.

Peter and Jacqui

As a birthday treat Jacqui arranged for us to sail an RS800 skiff dinghy. It looked a bit sprightly on the beach, resembling a recently alighted insect with its spindly carbon rig and hiking racks each side. A “more than we can chew” moment came as we helped to rig it.

There were a lot of control lines. Confidence wasn’t helped by the small talk around us: “Have you sailed one of these before?”, “Have you done any skiff sailing?” and “Will you be OK in this breeze?” to which the answers were plainly “no”, “No” and “NO!” To be honest we had previously sat on one and drifted for a bit. That experience ended when it had had enough and slowly capsized to windward on top of us. Thoughts rushed through my mind then along the lines of “how did that happen?” followed by “There’s nothing I can do now” shortly before “Lucky we’re in wetsuits!”

Fortunately Jacqui is quite adventurous.

You see the RS800 is somewhat different to the Cadet and Heron dinghies I sailed at the Club a few years ago. This 5m long shell weighs about the same as the bicycle I ride to work and has enough plain sail area to more than excite. The spinnaker (if you need even more adrenaline) adds another 21m2 (225ft2). It’s the sort of dinghy which might feature on “Top Gear” sprinting against a rocket car.

Setting off is deceptive as with headsail and

main spilling wind it just seems a bit tippy whilst you fit the dagger board and lock the rudder blade down. In fact it seems very tippy until you sheet in a little. There are no seats or toe straps but you soon realise that you won’t be sitting still for long and there are already enough lines through the working area despite the self tacking jib.

Sheet in a little more and the tiny hull leaps forward like a racehorse when the tapes go up. No sitting about now! After a while we get enough control for Jaq to get on the trapeze at the deck edge, and then out onto the rack over the water flashing past. A few wobbly moments then I’m out on the second trapeze wire, steering with the seriously long extension tiller and working at the mainsheet to keep us level so the racks don’t drag in the water.

It takes a few more minutes to draw breath and realise that we are actually planing to windward. I spot the biggest grin across Jacqui’s face and suspect I am grinning like a maniac too. Can you overdose on adrenaline? We’ve been planing for some time and the whole boat thrums with speed and power. The tiller is as light as can be but the sail trim must be instant to anticipate each gust and lull.

Very quickly we run out of space and have to tack. That takes some thought as we are trapezing out on the rack. Spot the gusts. Ease sheet. Get off the rack. Ease more. Off trapeze.

Tack. Hook trapeze on. Sheet in- Out OUT OUT! And another madcap dash begins with spray flying in all directions.

After a while we felt that we’d not actually tamed the beast, but maybe reached a bit of an understanding. It does pretty well what you ask of it so do be careful of what you ask for. In a moment of madness we decide to see what the kite does. Very soon we find out.

We sail to find some space then tack, bear away and hoist. A number of different things are connected to the halyard including the composite bowsprit which sets itself into position. But the spinnaker fouls in the chute and won’t budge. Jaq tugs on lines as we rapidly plane downwind with just the mainsail filling. A nearby rescue boat comes over to help and we promptly capsize on top of it. Luckily the chap doesn’t mind and we soon get disentangled and righted.

Some minutes later we are sailing again for our second attempt. Find a space, bear away, and hoist. The kite goes up, shakes out some water and flaps before filling and we start to lean over. There is nothing left to ease out and we capsize slowly on top of the sail. Our new friend in the rescue boat comes to help and we are soon sailing again. And capsizing again. And again. This happens a few more times in very similar circumstances. Bear away, hoist, capsize, and swim.

Jacqui and I look at each other as we catch our breath whilst the sails flap and water drains off us. We realise that we are both quite tired now. We have maybe the strength to climb into the boat just once more after we next capsize- as surely we will. She’s keen to give the spinnaker one last try. Bear away, hoist, head downwind and watch out for a wrap. We take a few seconds to rebalance the boat then gingerly start to head up. Jacqui works the sheet and all 21m2 fills with a crack, flaps then fills again.

We’re off (and surprisingly still on), shrieking with fun as we streak across the bay.

Eventually common sense returns and we drop the kite before returning the boat to her owners on the beach. This sure beats a birthday tea. Thanks Jacqui, what’s the plan for next year?

Peter Everard

wavelength | autumn 2012

13

WHERE YOU WENT & WHAT YOU DID

Scilly Sailing

Brian Thomas with Dances with Waves certainly gets about a bit and this tale is from Rob Graham who clambered aboard for a trip to the Isles of Scilly.

It was hard to hide our excitement as we set off for the 7 hour drive down to Plymouth for what would hopefully be a glorious week of sailing. Our home for the next week or so was to be ‘Dances with Waves’, a 38 foot Westerley Ocean Ranger owned and skippered by Brian Thomas, whom I have sailed with many times in the past. Joining us as fellow crew members was Chris, his lovely wife Julie, and the equally lovely Pam, making a total of six along with my girlfriend Claire and I. As it was getting late we quickly dropped off our bags and headed ashore for dinner. Having served in the Royal Navy in my younger days, I found it funny watching the antics of the some of the sailors enjoying a night out on the town.

‘Did I really get up to that sort of mischief?’

I thought to myself, a broad smile spreading across my face as I remembered that I had.

I had a good feeling about this trip as the rest of the crew were nice folk that were easy to get along with. Brian was living the dream - having bought the boat a few years ago he has enjoyed many hours spent on ‘his baby’. If he wasn’t already married I’m sure he would have tried to get some sort of special licence allowing him to wed his beloved boat, and why not?

Chris, a mountain of a man, works for the fire brigade, and has a fair amount of sailing experience. Forever cheerful, Chris is always willing to help. Chris’ wife Julie was equally just as easy to get along with. Each day she took great delight in filling in the ship’s log book, and often she could be seen with a sailing book in the hand trying to expand her knowledge. From time to time the sailing book would be replaced

14

wavelength | Autumn 2012

with a glass of wine, and then another; and another. Of course this would only be when we weren’t sailing, as far as we know.

Pam, a refined lady of exquisite taste, is lovely beyond words. She has probably done more sea miles than she can remember. In one year alone she did over thirty thousand miles sailing around the world. Tall and elegant, she would grace the upper deck dressed in bright, vibrant colours guaranteed to make you reach for a camera.

Claire, my Kiwi girlfriend, was looking forward to spending some quality time away from her hectic work schedule. The fact that she would also be spending it with me didn’t seem to get her down too much.

On Saturday morning we left Plymouth to head for Falmouth, a trip that would ideally take us about seven hours and as soon as we were clear of the marina we hoisted our sails and switched off ‘that dreaded engine’ as so often referred to by Pam. Unfortunately for me, a combination of tiredness from the long drive, a few pints and spending too long down below, brought about the dreaded sea-sickness. With my life jacket and harness attached, I tried to ‘feed the fish’. But try as I may, I could not make anything come up except wind and a lot of it. I made my way back to the cockpit, the colour had drained from my face giving me a deathly look, or so my crewmates kindly pointed out. I felt like this for the next seven hours. Eventually, due to my pitiful state, it was agreed to switch on the engine and make best speed for Falmouth.

‘Don’t worry’ said Brian, ‘as soon as we get to the Scilly Isles you will forget all about feeling seasick’. ‘I’m not bloody going’ I thought, ‘As soon as we get to Falmouth I’m getting off’. With that I made a dash to the stern where this time I was noisily sick.

We eventually reached Falmouth where we rafted up alongside another boat. As soon as the boat was sorted, Brian, Chris and I visited ‘The Chain Locker’. The ‘Chain Locker’ was not

an establishment where you could buy chain for boat anchors, no it was a lively pub overlooking the harbour where my companions’ sampled several of the local ale’s, whilst I on the other hand decided to stick to lemonade.

Tidal demands meant we set off at 01:00 and as both Claire and I, myself in particular, had not been well the day before; we were given the choice to sleep on. We didn’t need asking twice and spent the night in the skipper’s luxury en suite cabin, making sure that we took some sea sickness tablets before going to sleep.

We woke up in the morning to find the that engine was still on due to a lack of wind, so I set about trying to catch a fish or two for the day’s menu from a hand line at the stern of the boat.

The distance from Falmouth to St. Marys bay on the Isles’ of Scilly is about 60 miles in a straight line and with the engine on, it should take about 12 hours to complete.

The journey was quite uneventful, though we were given several lectures on tidal heights by our skipper as he wanted everyone to be vigilant regarding depths around the Islands. With all hands, and eyes, on deck, we carefully navigated our way around to St. Marys Bay. Everyone got involved looking for reference points that was on our chart, it was a good team effort which probably helped to relax the skipper as he oversaw the proceedings. With our cardinal markers spotted heading on the correct transit lines, we eventually picked up a mooring buoy in our chosen bay and had a well earned beer handed up from the galley by Julie. ‘Cheers’, we toasted, ‘here’s to a week of sunshine’.

Claire and Julie launched the dinghy and Pam, as diligent as ever, asked Brian if there was enough petrol in the engine, ‘Yes’ he said, ‘I checked it when we were in Falmouth’. With the inflatable now ready, Chris, Julie, and Claire donned their life jackets and headed for the harbour to have a look around. Unfortunately when they got there, Chris fell into the water as he tried to get out of the inflatable, wrenching

WHERE YOU WENT & WHAT YOU DID his shoulder in the process. In no time at all, three members of the UK Border Agency came to his aid and helped him out, all the while being watched by a crowd of tourists on the jetty. They wouldn’t have known that being a fireman, Chris is more used to rescuing people than being rescued himself; and having an audience his pride probably took a bit of a dent.

On Tuesday I decided to stay on board to do some fishing whilst everyone went ashore to explore the Islands. Using the inflatable, I ferried everyone ashore. With the boat all to myself, I set up a couple of fishing lines and chilled out on deck with my book. Perfect.

On Wednesday we woke up to a beautiful morning as the sun sat just above the horizon and lighting up the sandy bay in which we were moored. Waves could be heard lapping against the shore as our boat swayed gently in the cool green waters. It would have been easy to have stayed in bed that morning, enjoying a rare moment of peace and quiet.

On the way back from the shower later that morning the outboard engine again cut-out yet again and Pam’s query regarding the petrol level came into my thoughts. With Chris unable to row because of his shoulder, and the girls unable to row because they are girls, it was left to me to get us back. Now that the dinghy was fully occupied, and with the wind picking up, the effort required for me to row was a lot greater than before. After what seemed like hours, and having bounced off several mooring buoys, we finally made it back to the boat. By this time I could have done with another shower, maybe that’s why Julie had earlier given me two coins?

By one o’clock in the afternoon, we had slipped our mooring buoy and were heading for Tresco bay on the other side of the Islands.

Again it was all hands on deck to help identify navigation markings, which as it turned out was just as well as we had to make a last minute change of course to avoid running aground in a very shallow area.

Brian offered to ferry Pam, Claire, and I ashore before taking himself off to Hells Bay opposite. The three of us strolled past stone built cottages with a colourful array of wild flowers in the gardens. I was struck by how quiet it was, with the only sounds coming from the tiny waves on the beach and the push bikes as they went past us. Even the people we saw appeared to be talking in hushed tones, as if not to spoil the peace and tranquillity. Outside one or two of the cottages, we saw pendants for sale which had been tastefully made from materials found washed up on the local beaches. Alongside these pendants was an ‘honesty’ box in which to put your payment, should you wish to buy any.

I for one, and no doubt many others, had found it very relaxing being here and when we rounded one particular path I was blown away with the view. We had stumbled across a small sandy cove with white washed cottages,

whose gardens backed onto the beach; to their owners it must have felt as if they had their own private beach. Yachts were lying at anchor in the crystal clear water, reflections of the sun in its ripples.

For a few moments we stood there in complete silence, taking in the scene that was probably found on many postcards. At that precise moment, all three of us came up with ideas to enable us to make it financially possible to stay here. We thought of offering a taxi boat service for the visiting yachts, as well as supplying day to day provisions. Yes we were dreaming, but this place had about it a feel good factor that went right off the scale.

We met up with the rest of the crew for dinner at a pub called ‘The New Inn’. A sign outside proclaimed it to be ‘The best pub on the Island’, as it was the ‘only’ pub on the Island, they were probably right. Having arrived first, we looked for a suitable table and with Pam having changed her mind three times, we finally settled for a table outside in the glorious sunshine. She had picked well, and we all enjoyed a selection of fine local food.

Arriving back at the beach, we found that the tide was a long way out, giving us a long walk carrying the dinghy. But I quietly borrowed a trolley found nearby, which saved us all from a lengthy struggle. A full moon, large and bright, lit up the bay in which we stood and its image was perfectly reflected off the still water, almost as if someone had placed a mirror on its surface.

With everyone safely back on board, Brian’s nightly ritual of ‘anyone for a snifter’? could be heard across the bay. From Pam came her usual reply ‘oh yes please Brian’, whilst the rest of us settled for mugs of horlicks.

We slipped our moorings early the following morning for our trip back to Falmouth, and with a forecast of North Westerlies, force three to four, it promised to be a good sail. But it was not to be, with a lack of wind, we were again forced to use the engine.

The return trip was a lot more enjoyable than our trip out here, as almost immediately we were joined by a pod of dolphins. We were captivated by their presence as they leapt and danced gracefully in our wake, we shouted excitedly as we pointed out the acrobatics they performed. When one pod left, another would arrive shortly afterwards, putting on yet another breathtaking display.

We looked constantly at the wind speed, willing it to increase enough to put up the sails.

We only needed ten knots and then we could put up the cruising chute. We passed yachts going in the opposite direction, possibly heading for the same place that we just left, and we kept an eye on the big container ships as we crossed the shipping lanes. From time to time, we would

reel in our fishing lines hoping that fish would be on today’s menu, but they were still on holiday.

As we passed the Lizard Point, a lighthouse marking the southernmost point of the mainland, we noticed that the wind speed had increased to ten knots. Immediately we set about getting the cruising chute ready, and after a fair amount of ‘where does this go?’ and ‘where does that go?’ we eventually managed to get it hoisted. With the engine now turned off, and even with only ten knots of wind, we were doing seven knots.

Shortly afterwards, we narrowly missed two lobster pots due to the fact that they were slightly submerged, with that; I used the binoculars to scan the water ahead of us for anymore hidden dangers. I spotted something green in the water, then realised that it was a small boat almost full of water. There was no sign of anyone in or near the boat, but I suggested that we should take a closer look. ‘There’s no need’ Brian told me, ‘I will contact the coastguard and let them know.

Back in Falmouth, we found that the marina was full and could see that some boats had to berth two or three abreast, so we eventually settled for a place alongside a fishing boat and hoped that we wouldn’t be woken in the early hours as they set off for a day’s fishing.

With our fenders, rope springs, and mooring lines in place, Julie dutifully handed out the beers as we all sat down to a mouth watering chilli which had been cooked the previous day.

Claire and I left the boat early the following day as Claire had to be back at work, but not before Brian insisted we help clean the boat, even though our train was leaving in just under an hour. Chris kindly offered to do our share of the cleaning but Brian wouldn’t hear of it.

With me doing all the driving yet again, it took us nearly twelve hours to get home because of traffic jams on the inglorious M25.

For the remaining crew, the wind did eventually pick up; but it was the wrong sort of wind, forcing them to stay in Falmouth for a few days before eventually arriving back in Shoreham almost a week later.

Rob Graham

wavelength | Autumn 2012

15

Singlehanded rower Tommy Tippets makes it across the Atlantic

Our last edition started the story of this young man’s extraordinary attempt to row the Atlantic singlehanded.

SYC provided facilities at Shoreham whilst he prepared for the adventure and here he writes of his arrival in Barbados.

So here I am. Back on dry land after 82 days, 8 hours and 40 minutes at sea. It has been a hugely surreal few days since I arrived into Port St Charles, Barbados on Thursday morning, yet as I am sure you can imagine an amazing time.

Before I talk about what I have been up to since arriving, I will quickly run through my last 24 hours at sea. On day 81 the outline of the Barbadian coast finally came into view as I moved to within about 30 miles of the island.

The weather for my last day was perfect, 16-18 knots, 2-3m swell, current following and up until lunchtime I thoroughly enjoyed myself, savouring the feeling of being helped along which I had rarely felt in the previous 6 weeks or so.

At around midday and 25 miles out, I realised that I would not reach land before nightfall and both wanted to make my final approach into North Point during daylight hours and also had agreed with Dad that he and Liz would come out in a boat and meet me at North Point Thursday morning. This meant that the oars were stowed and the rest of the afternoon was sitting in the sunshine listening to the final day of the Windies/ Australia test taking place in Bridgetown and prepping the boat for my arrival.

At one point a light aeroplane flew over and got on the radio to make sure that I was ok and

16

wavelength | Autumn 2012

that I was aware that I was still a few miles South of North Point. I explained that I was waiting until first light Thursday to make my final approach and the current was due to turn North later in the evening so I wanted a few miles to play with, rather than get caught out. This flypast also made me realise I was now back to reality and a pair of shorts should probably be worn!

My final sunset came and went and the lights of Barbados shone out, now only about 15 miles away as I drifted closer towards the island. A few shifts over the night put me in a great position and by 4am I was within about 4 miles of North Point and right on time for the RV with Dad and Liz and the boat at 0630. I should explain that for an Atlantic crossing, the official end is the longitude of North Point, W59° 37’, and then it is a further 6 miles round to the Port.

Right on time the family (excluding Mum who was busy prepping the Port area for my arrival) arrived at North Point. After a few quick greetings I was back on the oars and at 0659 I crossed North Point, completing my Atlantic row. I was very conscious however that the row was not over until I was on dry land and then set about rowing the final 6 miles.

I made good progress over the first hour or so with a couple miles under my belt, but then the conditions changed dramatically. The issue with Barbados is the tides run all the way up and around the island and the wind generally blows offshore, meaning that my about 0830 I was rowing into 1 knot of current and a 12 knot head-wind. As any ocean rower will tell you, the

aim is always to row unsupported from land to land, regardless of where finish lines are etc.

However Barbados, in the wrong conditions, can make this impossible. In the past teams have taken over 12 hours to cover the 6 miles from North Point to Port St Charles. Whilst this can just about be achieved by a team row, for solo’s as soon as you stop to rest or eat you are pushed off the island.

But given my stubbornness, probably essential to anyone wanting to row an ocean, I prevailed for 3 hours and made 3 miles before it got to the point where I wasn’t even moving. We tried coming into the lee of the island to escape the wind and sit over the reef to soften the effect of the current, but the wind was too strong for me.

Therefore, with a heavy heart, I threw my towline over and proceeded to be towed the final few miles to Port St Charles.

However I did have one final experience to cap it all off. Whilst battling the adverse conditions, 3 humpback whales were spotted about 200m ahead in the shallow waters. Being a pretty quiet vessel in the water I was able to row to their position and witness from less than 20ft a huge humpback and her calf, with the calf actually swimming under the boat. It was very difficult to tell the length of the mother but her tail when it rose out the water was about 12ft wide, so a big whale. I had seen none on my crossing and very much hoped that I would, so this was a great way to round things off.

So shortly before 10.40 am I arrived at the entrance to Port St Charles marina, set adrift to row the final few metres into the marina. This almost ended with me on the breakwater at one point with the strong wind against, fortunately I didn’t embarrass myself and steered the boat round the corner to a huge cheer and a load of people standing all around. The customary celebration followed after I had pulled up to the jetty, jumped out and tied my own boat up before heading up the stairs to greet the family.

In the good old English way, the Atlantic was there and I just wanted to see if I could do it.

Tommy Tippets

CLUB SECTION REPORT

BSAC 007 Diving El Cubano A Flota Dave Norwood, the chair of the SYC diving section BSAC 007 recounts the early part of the 2012 season Despite the poor weather this season divers have been doing what diving the conditions permitted.

Despite the poor weather so far this season, the diving section is in good shape and looking forward to the inevitable improvement in the weather (well it can’t go on as it is can it?). Our Members have been busy shaking the spiders and cobwebs out of their suits, making sure all the bits that suck and blow still work, and doing what diving the conditions have permitted.

Martin Naldrett explains the importance of Cuban cigar manufacturing to the Diving fraternity Martin Naldrett explains the importance of Cuban cigar manufacturing to the Diving fraternity

Hi fellow aquaholics, we in the diving section of SYC have been away on another adventure a club outing to Cuba for a fortnight, I know it’s usually Egypt but a change was needed. So here`s a short account. We booked flights with Virgin mainly because I associated the name with rolling cigars and thighs, and partly because it was anyway preferable to the alternative. I shall gloss over Cuba’s immigration process, I will just say it is on a par with the U.S.

We had a very good disco and buffet at Southwick in January. Thanks to Joe for the music and the Members who provided food, (also thanks to the Commodore, Alan, and his wife, Di, for showing us how to get in the building and how the heating worked).

the currency converter, I think I will stick to being abused by pensioners here at home after all.

A coach trip to Varadero was next and we did plenty of diving here. The diving was nearly as much fun as watching Tom Voice trying to get the dive operation to run on time . There were a fair few wrecks to explore and a few fish to poke, and a trip to dive the Bay of Pigs which took even Nigel Haines patience to new realms. Tom of course had been reduced to a jibbering wreck and Charlotte was plotting murder.

Tom and Nic

In February, Keith Phelps gave us a film show and talk about the work of the lifeboat, it was excellent. Thanks, Keith.

In April we had a talk on first aid and CPR. I am happy to report that two of our Club Members, Tom Voice and Martin Naldrett, were able to provide diving services to the Yacht Club by fitting air bags to the chain and anchor holding one of the racing marks allowing it to be retrieved for maintenance work.

Some of our Members went to Cuba for a dive holiday and a great time was had by all, (especially watching the ladies making cigars by rubbing the tobacco on their thighs).

More on this below.

Here’s us from the left Gabi, Me (Martin), and in the back Charlotte, Tom, Nigel and Nic is buying the cigars. We had five nights in Havana, the diving here not so good, so we focused our efforts on big old American cars, Salsa dancing and Binge drinking of which I enjoyed immensely. Havana is a fantastic city full of atmosphere and charm with some of the nicest people you could meet.

When these two pictured below said they rolled cigars, he made his excuses and left.

We have had our boat lifted out for its annual clean and antifoul, when watching Ben and Mike, one can only stand in awe at their skill in manipulating the crane, thanks lads, the boat looks beautiful.

I am sorry to have to end this article on a very sad note, Nic Packwood, who several of us have been on dive holidays with in Egypt, passed away whilst on a diving trip in Egypt with Tom Voice and their wives, Nic was a friend of the Club and will be greatly missed by all who knew him, his beaming smile used to light up a room. To wife Andrea and daughter Holli, Tom and Sue, and his lifelong friends we offer our heartfelt and deepest condolences.

Dave Norwood

An evening stroll through the surf star gazing and sipping a pina colada more than made up for any stresses with dive staff, and I thought to myself what a wonderful time I`m having.

Since writing this article, it is with great sorrow, I must relay to you that our good friend Nic has died from a heart attack whilst diving in Egypt.

It was with disbelief I received the news, and a great sadness has enveloped us all who new and loved him. Our thoughts are with Nic`s loving wife Andrea and beautiful daughter Holli both of whom he loved dearly and was so openly proud.

Martin Naldrett

This place is a paradise for photographers and the large empty Marinas make you think visiting Yachtsmen would enjoy Havana too.

The dilapidated buildings are a site to behold they are quite literally crumbling away, I’m a builder by trade and the promise of all that work was quite exciting until a ran my quote through

wavelength | Autumn 2012

17

WHERE YOU WENT & WHAT YOU DID

Miles Mayall sails a short cut from the Aegean to the Ionian There was something wrong. Standing in closer and closer to the shore in the darkness we should have been able to see the faint green flashing light on a buoy at the end of the ancient submerged breakwater which guarded the old harbour at Vlycada. But it was not visible.

Sighting this buoy before making a night entry was critical as the submerged mole was one and a half cables from the shore but shallow enough to rip the keel out of Zest. The yellow buoy, with its Q Fl G light (not everything is as the book!) had been in place last year and should be there again, now it was early June and the sailing season had come round again.

What to do? The GPS chart plotter was certain that we were clear of hazards and the radar overlay concurred. The orange shore lights of the port showed the buildings of the harbour masters office and the little cafe clearly and the harbour wall must be that line of darkness just a sea level. The subdued lights of the hotel were also in the right place. Should we make an approach to the modern harbour entrance, a line that would take us close to where the old submerged mole lay, relying on the electronics, or was that an unacceptable risk? I was on watch, and anyway as skipper it was my call.

But with only 2 hours to go to dawn, there was no decision to make, so comfortably offshore we hove the boat to on the starboard tack and waited for the dawn to come up.

Vlycada is, save for some superyacht buoys off the town of Thira itself and for the dubious opportunity to anchor in 50m or so of water and run a sternline to one of the commercial quays, the only place to berth a small yacht on the island of Santorini. Perusing the internet gives the impression that Vlycada is an unfriendly place, but this had not been our experience on the four occasions we had visited in 2010 and 2011. The genial harbour master had been very effectively juggling the needs of visiting yachts, dive boats, local fishermen and vast catamarans which departed several times a day to take tourists to local beaches. One might imagine

A passage through the

Corinth Canal that the marina fee in such a place would be stupendous (as it would have been in Italy), but in fact 15 Euro sufficed. Nor was there the tedious paper chase that substitutes for high fees in many Greek harbours, only the vessel and the masters name, together with insurance details being required.

As it was early June, the meltemi had hardly got going yet so the previous day, Zest had left the shelter of Aghios Nicolaos in Crete, where she had spent the winter, with a northerly sailing breeze soon after first light to make the 75 nm passage to Santorini. A gentle beat to windward for most of the journey with the wind strengthening to force 5 as we closed the Santorini group, only to fade in the wee small hours in the immediate lee of the island. Once dawn came up, we negotiated the very shallow entrance to Vlykada and moored outside another yacht, and got our heads down for what remained of the early morning. Around 0800 the harbour master arrived. “Would we mind moving further into the harbour where a fishing boat was temporarily absent and we could have his berth?”. Of course we were happy to comply and fitted ourselves into the end of a concrete quayed box, where electricity, but not water was available. Steve and Bill, crew for this leg, who had not been to Santorini before went off to see the place while I quickly dealt with formalities and then turned in for a nap.

Georgio, Bill and Miles at Korfos.

18

wavelength | Autumn 2012

The next morning, we left Santorini for Milos another hop of 70 nm, this time with the wind on our beam, so progress was much more rapid, and arriving just before dusk we were very lucky to find a berth on the far end of the town quay. Dropping anchor and backing up to the quay we were good for a run ashore and then a decent night’s sleep. Milos is the only Aegean island other than Santorini which is formed from a flooded volcanic caldera, but Santorini has lava flows emanating from a new island in the centre of the caldera whereas Milos seems to

Zest moored up in Korfos.

be quite extinct. The complex geology of Milos has created large mineral deposits which had provided employment to the population before the tourist boom of recent years.

The next leg of journey was due to take us to the island of Idra, an island on which there is no wheeled traffic and which has remained virtually unchanged since I first visited it in the 1960’s (and where as students we could live for 10 shillings a day). Being a day sail from the major concentration of marina’s in the Athens area and by virtue of it’s intrinsic beauty I knew that it’s small harbour would fill early, and so determined to make a pre dawn start so that we would have a reasonable chance of a berth inside the harbour. Accordingly the alarm clocks went off at 0400 the next morning and we made an almost immediate start. Perhaps because of sleep inertia and the lack of a moon, I initially found it difficult to orient myself in the almost completely dark and land locked harbour, and was greatly in need of the electronic screen in front of me to help steer. A little later the tiny light house on the northern shore which marked the turn towards the open sea became visible.

WHERE YOU WENT & WHAT YOU DID We had noticed that the weather forecasts for the east coast of the Pelepponesos peninsula had usually been for northerlies of force one or two Beaufort less than those of the central Aegean, possibly because a local heat low forms over the peninsula and this restricts the meltemi’s normal strength on its western side.

For whatever reason, as our course took us closer to the peninsula we were not surprised to find that the pleasant sailing breezes of the past two days had been replaced by a near calm.

Motoring then was the only option if we were to reach Idra in time to get a berth.

Steve and Bill and a cuppa!

Rounding the eastern end of the island of Idra the sight of vessels sailing in the channel and a wind line on the sea ahead gave hope that some sail could be hoisted, but it proved not to be. Despite an arrival time of 1600 the harbour at Idra was already quite full but we entered anyway to be greeted with the sight of a German yacht trying to berth against the town quay, but whose anchor was already fouled and whose attempts to clear it were using most of the remaining space in the little basin. The situation was getting heated to say the least and rather than become involved we went elsewhere. With some trepidation, fearing the same fouled anchor as afflicted the German, we deployed the stern kedge as we nosed into a mass of yachts and multihulls against the inside of the outer mole. Getting ashore was the problem.

We had to use the gangplank over the bow in a lashed up fashion which would not have met the approval of ‘elf and sayftay. The boats inside us belonged to a medical convention, so had we fallen there was a reasonable chance of prompt assistance!

Anyway, those medics know how to party, so sleep was at a premium that night.

The next day we departed Idra bound north, again, it must be admitted, under engine as

there was no wind at all. At these times there is a painful choice between no progress and the iron tops’l, which latter I’m afraid, usually wins in these circumstances. Threading our way through the narrow Poros channel, dodging the ferries, we found the fuel berth on the western side of the island, refuelled and then departed north. Ancient mariner Bill, who had been a flotilla leader back in the very early days of mass sailing holidays began to ruminate about a bay to the north in which he had antifouled charter boats back in the good old days. We identified this as Korfos and looking for a place to stop for the night, but not really expecting to reconnect with Bill’s long lost youth, put the ship’s head into the bay. “I suppose it’s all changed “ said Bill and selecting a quay in front of a restaurant more or less at random we moored the boat stern to and Bill went ashore. Obviously the choice was less random than at first it appeared as Bill disappeared into the restaurant and began to recognise photographs. The staff all appeared to be young and frankly not of Bill’s era but from the back of the restaurant, Giorgio, the paterfamilias appeared, and he and Bill embraced each other like long lost cousins. Fate or more likely, vague memories had brought us to the very tavern which had fed Bill and other hungry young Brits when working on charter boats many years ago. In those early days of Greek yacht charter, boats were smaller and there were no lifts or fully equipped boat yards available, and over a very convivial meal, stories of careening yachts with scaffolding and blocks and tackles emerged. Well wined and dined we slept soundly in the quiet bay, to be roused by the alarm clock again the next morning.

to see modest scale of the entrance. The fee of £120 had to be paid in cash, as the card machine in the office was u/s.

The procedure for transiting the canal is to motor in convoys which are allowed first in one direction and then in the other. In practice these turned out to be convoys of one vessel in each direction! The transit itself, which took about 3/4 hour was uneventful. Think more of an English inland waterway than a sea canal. On the other side of the isthmus we were in the Gulf of Corinth where the weather was squally, gusting 30 knts on the nose, engine failure and ships without lookout awaited us, but that’s another story.

Miles Mayall

The Corinth Canal (Greek: Διώρυγα της Κορίνθου) is a canal that connects the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. It cuts through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth and separates the Peloponnesian peninsula from the Greek mainland, thus effectively making the former an island. The builders dug the canal through the Isthmus at sea level; no locks are employed. It is 6.4 kilometres (4.0 mi) in length and only 21.3 metres (70 ft) wide at its base, making it impassable for most modern ships. It now has little economic importance.

Miles takes Zest through the canal.

The objective of the trip was very much to pass the Corinth canal, now only some 25 nm to the north, and which was reached easily by lunchtime. Imagining the canal to be a great commercial artery, I was somewhat surprised

The canal was mooted in classical times and an abortive effort was made to build it in the 1st century AD. Construction finally got underway in 1881 but was hampered by geological and financial problems that bankrupted the original builders. It was completed in 1893, but due to the canal’s narrowness, navigational problems and periodic closures to repair landslips from its steep walls, it failed to attract the level of traffic anticipated by its operators.

wavelength | Autumn 2012

19

Cape Verdes to Antigua on Serefe Wavelength has followed the Atlantic voyaging of Serefe over the last several editions.

Here Bob Kerr relates the crossing to the Caribbean from the Cape Verdes Photo: Andrew Cassels. Sunrise with a net around the prop.

a different local coconut airline had been The decision to leave Serefe in Mindelo unceremoniously cancelled, Serefe was, as Marina on the island of Sao Vincente Capo always a welcoming refuge. With the hatches Verde was admittedly taken in haste. The Trans Atlantic crossing of 2010 had been fraught with opened to the warm night air and the glow of problems both with the weather, boat and the the cabin lights we made our introductions to crew. Our intention to spend time cruising the our new crew member Andrew, a last minute ten islands of the Capo Verde archipelago had addition courtesy of the Crewseekers web site. been restricted to our visiting just three. The After the obligatory dram with Glo and Donald travel columns in the Bob and Serefe in Antigua press rave about these . islands being the next place to invest in with glowing reports of the rental potential etc. etc.

Well as far as we could see once you leave the sanctity of the allinclusive resorts there is simply nothing else there. As for cruising in your own boat, there is only one safe marina in Mindelo on the island of Sao Vincente, all other overnight stops must be at anchor on very exposed coast lines, the beaches are steep too and the prospect of we settled down for the night. There dragging onto a lee shore doesn’t bear thinking was a lot to do, it was Friday morning and I about. was to get the boat ready for sea and Glo and Arriving at 01:30 on an unscheduled commuter plane after our reservations with

20

wavelength | Autumn 2012

Donald were to go shopping for the provisions for the crossing. The marina had done a lot of

jobs on the boat over the past season and I had emailed instruction for the engine to be serviced and for divers to go down and inspect and clean the hull.

So at 14:30 on Sunday 20th November 2011 after a year in Mindelo Serefe had her lines cast off and made ready for another Atlantic crossing. The locals call the inter island wind between Sao Vincente and Sao Anteo the washing machine and for good reason. As we left the protection of the harbour and sailing under 2 reefs we were up to 8 knots practically immediately. Glo had prepared food in harbour in case it was going to be rough and so it proved.

Our watch system was a 4 on 4 off through the night with 6 on 6 off from 08:00 hours. We had used this system many times before and it had always worked well, the six hours through the day ensure that the watch alternates so that each crew get an equal share of long and short night shifts. It was good to get behind the wheel again and Serefe felt in good shape.

The auto pilot, one of last years failures, had been stripped down, serviced, and was now working beautifully. On the crossing of last year we had been dogged by either having no wind at all in the south or very strong winds in the north. We chose the north but after being faced with the prospect of at least 10 days of force 9 headwinds and sustaining damage we put into Mindelo. Now we had perfect trade wind conditions, the grib files forecast following winds of 15 to 20 knots. So with good fortune and

WHERE YOU WENT & WHAT YOU DID

.

English Har bour, Antigua

fair winds we should have no problem covering the 2,000 plus miles to Antigua. All went well, Andrew was proving to be a great help and an enthusiastic and energetic addition to our somewhat ageing crew. Although I had rigged our “aquagen” towing generator, we still ran the engine to charge the batteries so as not to slow the boat in light airs. On the 6th night of our trip the sound of Donald’s voice rang through the night air with “Bob come up quick” told me that once again Houston we might have a problem.

It initially was no big deal we had been running the big spinnaker all day but had decided to drop it because we could see several squall clouds all around the horizon. Sure enough one of them came visiting and all hell was let loose trying to get the main reefed. As I took the helm I noticed the ignition lights on the control panel were glowing but the engine was stopped. A brief attempt to restart failed so we immediately switched off all unnecessary power leaving only the compass and masthead light on. “No problem we will fix it in the morning”.

Checking the engine compartment at day break was concerning, diesel was pouring out of the fuel filter and flooding into the bilges. I had had the engine fully serviced in Mindelo along with a complete set of new batteries. The engineer did say that he had had a problem with an ‘O’ ring and now I knew what he meant; it was virtually impossible to reach. On the pontoon it would have been difficult, at sea, what do you think!

The only way was to dismantle the cabinetry surrounding the engine. So after removing the cabin door and all the surrounding woodwork I managed to strip the filter housing, repair the leak, bleed the fuel, rebuild the cabin and hey presto the engine started first time.

The crew - Andrew Cassels

a bit of time was spent every day with each member of the crew taking it in turn to write up the days events. We then connected the lap top to the satellite phone, bought for our 2003 crossing and still working perfectly, to transmit our blogs and emails to friends and family.

The weather charts or Grib files downloaded onto our lap top indicated that there would be an area of very light winds some 200 miles to the east of Antigua. With this prediction when we proceeded to cross this area of the ocean, we intended to simply motor through. With Glo and myself on watch in the dead of night the engine suddenly slowed down and stopped. I figured it was something round the prop. So as dawn broke to the most spectacular sunrise I dived overboard and swam under the boat to check. The water was warm and crystal clear, sure enough wrapped round the prop was a fishing net. Armed with a knife I made attempts to cut us free, Andrew very gallantly then offered to give me a hand and he finally managed to cut us clear. The engine however still refused to fire into life. Thinking it may be a reoccurrence of our fuel filter problem I once again dismantled the panelling and furniture enclosing the engine.

The filter was fine with no leaks whatsoever,

, Donald McSwein. Glo Car

penter, Bob Ker r.

but thinking it may be blocked I bypassed it altogether using the stainless steel tube from the spare gas lighter to connect the inlet and outlet pipes. Still no go, after major attempts to bleed the fuel system I gave up. Thinking the fuel pump had packed up I decided get an engineer to fix it when we got in. Now we had 160 miles to go with no engine, no big deal but in order to conserve the battery power we sailed through the following night with everything turned off except for the glow of the compass light.

Fortunately the wind kicked in and we charged through the night in pitch black at between 8.5 and 9 knots.

So after 16 days Glo got on the radio to call into Antigua slipway to request permission to enter the harbour under sail. They instructed us to stand by whilst they sent a work boat out to tow us in, the charter boat show was in full swing in English Harbour and they weren’t keen on us sailing in amongst their multi-million pound yachts. Tied up alongside and after a cool beer Glo asked what would I like to eat “Anything that once had a pulse and didn’t come out of a packet or a tin please” Bob Kerr

Day after day the boat made good time eating up the distance, on average about 150 miles per day. Glo had worried about provisioning the boat from the available shops of Mindelo. Although some provisions remained from our previous trips she had problems finding any fresh food and stores recognizable to someone more used to Waitrose. I had never had fishing gear on the boat because I didn’t want hooks getting snagged in the sheets and lines, now we wished we had some. As on our previous trips we had set up a blog using the Mailasail web site. Quite

wavelength | Autumn 2012

21

GENERAL INTEREST

Dunkirk Little Ship saved from the scrap yard More than two years of hard work by dedicated volunteers and a near £1 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund are bringing an eighty year old steam tug back to life. Chris English tells the story.

A steam tug that helped rescue 338,226 men from the beaches of Dunkirk in May and June 1940 as part of the epic Operation Dynamo has been saved from the scrap man for a second time. The Steam Tug Challenge was built in Scotland in 1931 and saw service on the River Thames for more than 40 years before the decline of the London Docks saw her kept as a symbol by the developers of St Katherine’s Harbour by Tower Bridge, and there she lay until she was saved for the first time after being purchased by her current owners, The Dunkirk Little Ships Restoration Trust.

Challenge has been a familiar sight and long term resident in the canal at Portslade since 2005, when her original 1931 built boiler was condemned for further use and the future for this historic vessel seemed very bleak. However, undeterred, a small band of volunteers have since done what they can by way of preventative

maintenance with regular Saturday working parties whose main duties have been largely confined to cleaning and painting, while behind the scenes a small group have spent a huge amount of time and effort working on the crucial fund raising for the drastic renewal and refit programme, that was essential if Challenge was to again put to sea under her own power.

A busy 2011 saw the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) approve a first stage application for funds to install a new boiler and undertake other works to return Challenge to full operation. The second stage bid was submitted in December 2011 and earlier this year the South East Committee of the HLF let it be known that the application had been successful and indeed was “a credit to everyone involved” and had “received overwhelming support from the Committee who recognised the need for this project to safeguard the future of an important vessel”.

Whilst these applications were being made, volunteers achieved a great deal with the port side of the wheelhouse being re-panelled and painted. The house emblems were removed from the funnel and painted and the whole funnel scaled, treated for corrosion and painted.

In addition work had started on treating and painting bulwarks and other deck items such as vent pipes, mooring and towing facilities.

Over the last winter work continued despite some severe weather and the volunteers were able to make a start on a number of the larger jobs. The main engine running gear (piston connecting rods and valve gear) were removed and the crankshaft lifted onto support blocks in order to gain access to the main bearings which needed to be remetaled.

S.T.Challenge at her new SYC Aldrington basin berth.

22

wavelength | Autumn 2012

Once HLF approval was received, the real work began with the appointment of contractors Larssen Engineering and the placing of an order for the new boiler with Yorkshire manufacturers Byworth’s. In the meantime the Larssen team were quickly off the mark and very soon Challenge was being prepared for the move to her new (Sussex Yacht Club) berth where the repairs would be carried out. Firstly though on a very wet Monday 30th April, Challenge was towed from her old berth at Halls Ferry Wharf

GENERAL INTEREST

to the Shoreham Port Authority Dry Dock where almost before the water had drained away, her anchors and chains were let go, the bottom jet washed, the rudder and stock removed and transported away for refurbishment and work on stripping the masts and deck, so as to remove the old boiler, got quickly underway.

After a very short stay in the dry dock, Challenge was once again on the move, this time to the far Eastern end of the canal where in a remarkable short period of time the contractors had removed both masts, the funnel and deck before literally gas cutting the old boiler into moveable pieces so that they could be turned into scrap metal. At this time it became apparent just how close Challenge had come to being lost as not only was the boiler plate almost paper thin, so was much of the hull plating under the boiler where it hadn’t seen light of day since the ship was built in 1931.

As August drew to a close and with the old boiler on the way to becoming baked bean cans, Challenge returned to dry dock where large sections of the hull plating and the whole of the forward bulkhead were cut away and replaced, the base for the new boiler prepared and built, the underwater sections of the hull cleaned, painted and antifouled and all of the sea cocks removed, in most cases for the first time for 50 years, and either repaired or replaced. In the midst of all this, work halted for a short time to allow David Dimbelby to spend some time filming a segment for his shortly to be aired (on BBC One no less) documentary “Britain and the Sea”. It was however the greatly anticipated refitting of both the fully refurbished propellor and rudder that really demonstrated to the volunteers that at long last things were going their way and that there really was that “light at the end of what has become a very long tunnel”.

While of course it may just be coincidence, it was on yet another wet and windy Monday 24th September that Challenge was refloated and once again towed to her SYC berth where no time was lost before her brand new boiler was hoisted into position three days later. Now the work to return Challenge to sea will really start, with not only miles of pipes and cable to rebuild and install, but also the refitting of the main engine bearings that have been refurbished by the Bluebell Railway and the installation of new generators and electronic navigation equipment, plus of course the application of a great deal of paint. While inevitably timings will slip somewhat, it is anticipated that seeing Challenge in steam once again will provide something of a late Christmas (or New Year) present to everyone involved.

A major part of our HLF bid was that there would be many opportunities for volunteers to become involved and, subject to the dreaded ’Elf and Saf’ty’, we would also try to allow the public access so that they could actually see “behind the scenes”. Any interested Wavelength readers will be welcomed, although in the first instance

Signs of real progress as the prop and rudder is refitted in the Shoreham Port Authority dry dock.

contact should be made prior to any such visit so as to ensure access will be possible.

For further details of the Challenge project, please contact one of the following:

• Clive Purser (Chief Engineer) Tel - 01903 214368.

Email - pursers@ntlworld.com • Peter Evison (Volunteer Manager) Tel - 01273 722449 Email - evison35@ntlworld.com • Chris English (Communications Officer): Telephone 07711 717470 Email - chris@cjenglish.demon.co.uk • Photos: Chris English New boiler being settled into place.

wavelength | Autumn 2012

23

NEWS & CLUB BUSINESS

Rating System Review

Sailing Captain Tim Cork explains the merits of a potential new rating system.

As part of the on-going review of the racing that we provide and the current two fleet system, it has become evident that IRC Group 2 is very short on numbers. This has occurred due to the extreme difficulty in combining the IRC & PY handicapping systems into two equal groups.

This is a great pity given that we had 17 yachts competing in this year’s Spring Series, which has the potential make two good sized groups of equal(ish) numbers if we had one rating system providing equal and close racing for all.

In order to alleviate this problem the sailing section is looking to consult with the members on a proposal to simplify the rating procedure by implementing a single rating system. The system we are proposing to use is the ‘Velocity Prediction Rating System’ (VPRS). This single system will enable us to run two groups of equal numbers, thereby improving the quality of racing for all members. In order to assess the suitability of VPRS we propose to trial run the system for all races in 2013.

In addition to SYC trialing VPRS the Sussex Combined Clubs, BMYC & SHYC are also aware of the system and have expressed an interest in

24

wavelength | Autumn 2012

exploring its suitability for their respective clubs, allowing a greater amount of consistency when racing between clubs.

Broadly speaking VPRS predicts the theoretical velocity of a yacht based entirely on its principle dimensions. It has proven to be more accurate in rating yachts of differing types, given that it does not take into account age, type of boat, fudge factor or results, as is the case with, in particular IRC and PY. VPRS has already enjoyed some success and is currently being used by Poole Yacht Racing Association (PYRA) and a large group of racers from SYC and surrounding clubs enjoyed an introductory presentation at SYC by the VPRS management team. PYRA have been using VPRS for the past few years and have found it to be highly efficient in rating boats of widely differing types, so it was interesting to hear their views based on practical experience.

The annual cost of a VPRS rating certificate is £20. In addition to this, owners are allowed two free ‘trial certificates’ per year illustrating the potential changes to a yachts rating with a different sailplan etc. For the trial to be worthwhile it is essential that every yacht at SYC should have a VPRS rating and to enourage participation the club will carry the cost of VPRS for the first year.

It is very important to stress that VPRS will only be adopted with the majority approval of racing members based on the 2013 trial. So please have a read of the description of VPRS that we have added below should you wish to look at more detailed information take a look at the VPRS website at www.vprs.org Description VPRS uses a velocity prediction program (VPP) and a set of principle measurements provided by the owner to predict a yachts speed over a range of wind speeds and several points of sail. An average of these predicted yacht speeds is then taken and expressed as a rating.

This rating is then used to correct a yachts elapsed time in the same way as with current rating systems.

The principle measurements and other data have been carefully selected in order to capture the equipment and design variations which have the greatest impact on yacht speed. In addition, the measurement definitions are written to minimise the opportunities for rating optimisation. The aim is to provide a fair, affordable and easy to use rating system.

History VPRS was developed in response to an invitation by the Poole Yacht Racing Association

NEWS & CLUB BUSINESS

(PYRA) to address widespread dissatisfaction with the existing rating systems used in Poole Harbour, namely IRC and PHHS. The main problems were that IRC was too expensive for many, whilst others considered PHHS to be flawed. This resulted in the use of two rating systems for PYRA races, which reduced the class sizes and made the racing less competitive and consequently less attractive. Comparisons across the split fleet were impossible, the scoring was onerous, and the fleet was reducing in size.

Initially, VPRS evolved from a private research project started in 2007 into predicting yacht velocities. Subsequent testing showed that it accurately modelled a diverse range of craft, and a comparison with IRC ratings revealed a close correlation.

• Certificates are published on the website and can be viewed and checked by anyone.

• Two trial re-ratings are available every year, with free certificate re-issue if required.

• Moveable ballast is taken into account.

• Local adjustments are not needed, so the ratings are universally applicable.

• Ratings suitable for mixed-classes (spinnaker and no-spinnaker) are provided.

• Departures from one-design class rules are accounted for.

• For racing in strict no-spinnaker classes: no-spinnaker TCC’s are given which reflect the true loss in averaged sailing performance expected on the water.

• Every boat has a completely independent data file, to allow individual assessment. As a result, type evolutions during the course of a manufacturing run are reflected.

Advantages

• Modern boats, classic yachts, day boats and sports boats can all be rated.

• Certificates include the rating data and are freely published on the website; the measurements for any boat held on the system can be checked by anyone.

• A VPP (for a scientific assessment of performance) is used together with a straightforward set of measurements.

This makes the measurements easier to understand and the system more accessible.

Basic Aims

In the interests of fair competition the certificates for all rated yachts, which have the measurement data used by the system, are freely published on the VPRS web site. However, the procedure for calculating yacht ratings are not being made public. This means that owners cannot ‘optimise’ their yacht and designers cannot design to a published rule.

Overview • Annual rating certificates for any boat cost £20 (free during the SYC trial period).

• Ratings are direct predictions of boat speed; they are not a means of handicapping.

• The system is designed and run by engineers with racing experience and backgrounds in naval architecture, scientific research and software design.

• A modern sophisticated system costing just £20 for any boat that is accessible to everyone.

In 2009 PYRA became interested and sponsored further development of the VPP as a rating system. This was undertaken in close conjunction with the Poole racing community, and a trial was successfully conducted during 2010. This resulted in a large majority voting at the PYRA AGM to adopt VPRS for the entire fleet, replacing both IRC and PHHS. The change allowed the class structures for 2011 to be simplified, and with fewer classes came the prospect of much more competitive racing.

VPRS aims to meet the aspirations of club racers. Whilst it uses a VPP for performance based ratings, it has also been designed to work with a manageable number of measurements.

refits, modern boats of classic design, and the lack of any practical means of individual assessment all discredit this concession.

• VPRS is strictly measurement based and rates modern hulls, classic designs and sports boats.

• A straightforward set of familiar measurements is used.

• Using a VPP gives a scientific assessment of sailing performance.

• Performance gains from laminated and low cut sails, as well as losses from more cruising orientated sails and furling gear, are reflected in the ratings, and any combination of these is possible.

• Age allowances are not given because major

• Performance gains from laminated and low cut sails, as well as losses from more cruising orientated sails and furling gear, are reflected in the ratings – any combination of these is possible.

• All boats are individually assessed; departures from class norms are accounted for, and significant changes made during a manufacturing run can be captured.

• Ratings are direct predictions of boat speed and they depend entirely on measurement, NOT age, type or fudge factor as is the case with IRC Tim Cork

wavelength | Autumn 2012

25

Sussex Regatta

NEWS & CLUB BUSINESS

No prizes for pointing out this isn’t the current catch 22 or indeed that Andy Uren is in Tim’s usual place.

Sovereign Harbour YC - Eastbourne 2012 Tim Cork recounts the story of the victory of his boat Catch 22 winning the IRC 2 class at Eastbourne this summer.

Early morning on good Friday saw three boats meet for a 7am lock out, the temperature gauge on the car on the drive down having showed minus 4.5°C so it was no surprise to find ice covering the decks. The three boats, Highland Daughter, Catch 22 and Nenriki were heading down to Eastbourne and the Sovereign Harbour Yacht Club for the 2012 Sussex Regatta.

The trip began with Catch 22 not being able to start her engine due to lack of battery power, so Highland Daughter offered to act as tug, towing Catch 22 into the lock where Nenriki’s battery was quickly removed and this provided

26

wavelength | Autumn 2012

the motive power to bring Catch 22’s engine to life. With all on top line, the little fleet headed east as Highland Daughter provided excellent bacon rolls which were passed between vessels on the end of the boat hook (which came across as well to avoid dropping the rolls). A cold but easy passage led to a lunchtime lock in at Eastbourne for Highland Daughter and Catch 22 with Nenriki following a lock behind. Highland Daughter had been able to cook and eat a full lunch on the way down.

On hitting the pontoon, boats started switching from delivery mode to racing mode with Catch 22 unloading sails and putting on the new racing set to get ready for the afternoon race. Nenriki decided to join forces with Highland Daughter and to race one boat for the weekend.

The first race went well for both boats: Catch 22 starting the regatta

with a first place in IRC 2 with Highland Daughter 6th in this very competitive class. Arriving back at the harbour on a very low spring tide, Catch 22 was greeted by Revive, a boat from Brighton which was stuck in the mud where she sat for the next three hours. Catch 22 managed to avoid the same fate by following a local boat in and just slid into the lock. Highland Daughter missed this lock, getting all the way to the lock gates to find that they would not be opening until after 9pm and were left outside, finally getting back into the marina later that evening.

Saturday brought some interesting winds with a light westerly forecast but in fact the fleet found a 8-10 knot north easterly outside which led to some good racing. The SCCH fleet were set underway smartly on the first start, but the IRC fleets were held, as the buoy laying boat caught fire

whilst in the process of setting the course. IRC boats were drafted in to help lay the course for the SCCH fleet, whilst another buoy laying boat was sourced from the harbour.

Finally getting underway in a strong tide and fluky wind neither of the SYC boats had their best day on the water. Highland Daughter having had a long day on the Friday and having ripped their headsail returned to the harbour early to avoid the issues of the previous day, leaving Catch 22 to pick up the magic roundabout trophy by hitting the weather mark 3 times in 2 races.

Saturday evening brought a live band hosted by SHYC with some teletubby dancing from the local Kratos crew that was enjoyed by the whole fleet.

On leaving the dock on Sunday morning the fleet was greeted by a 8-10 knot south westerly,

NEWS CLUB SECTION & CLUB BUSINESS REPORTS

drizzle and fog, and this caused the race officer to delay the start until the fog dispersed. In the IRC 2 class in which the SYC boats were competing, four boats were in the frame to take the regatta.

Racing got underway and in the first three races there was very little to separate the four leading boats.

Highland Daughter headed back to Shoreham on the tide after the first race not wanting a repeat of Friday.

was very low. It would be tight whether we would make it in and coming into view of the harbour mouth we could see there was a boat aground with draft similar to our 1.95 metres; it didn’t look good.

We watched a few of the locals heading in with deeper draughts, knowing that if we couldn’t get in we would have a minimum wait

As the evening continued another yacht decided they would have a go at the harbour entrance but ran aground blocking the harbour completely, this gave us a front row view of the local Lifeboat crew practising manoeuvres and making sure the boats where safe.

Another last treat was the cracking sky as we crept into the

Catch 22 went into the last day in third place, 2 points behind the local boat Captain Fantastic and just behind the Brighton boat Jeneral Lee, with the other local Beneteau 34 only one point behind. In the three races on the last day Catch 22 managed one first and two second places. Would that be enough for a class win? In fact it was and Catch 22 won the IRC 2 class on count back from Captain Fantastic with Jeneral Lee 2 points further back in third place.

Tim Cork

Alex Gooch provides an alternative view of the regatta from aboard Highland Daugher.

The weekend started off, with the three boats from SYC (Highland Daughter, Catch 22 and Nenriki) heading down in the early hours of the morning with the help of a fresh breeze. When arriving we seemed to be going the wrong way, with half the fleet coming out of the harbour as we headed in. But we were not to worry; it was just some keen racers getting extra practice in before the start.

After a quick stop and finding our moorings, the SYC fleet picked up the remainder of our racing crew and the two competitive boats headed out to the action.

Leaving the protection of the harbour the wind was plentiful and with the sun shining was a good way to start the racing. Some very nice boats started gearing up for racing, the fleet looked great and we were keen to race the new competition; only to be told we had a postponement. Not to worry, we didn’t mind a short, one hour wait.

After a good first race and getting the boat in the groove, we headed for the harbour realising the tide

Highland Daughter

of three hours before the tide would turn and be high enough for a better attempt. We decided to have a cautious look, but to no prevail, as we nudged the mud and cautiously backed out into deeper water. Unfortunately, not having the knowledge of the channels, and noting that the locals were using a neat trick by leaning the yachts over like dinghies to lessen the draught, we thought discretion the better part of valour. But not to worry, Highland Daughter being equipped with fridge, cooker, telly and many other home comforts meant we dropped anchor and set about making the most of our wait along with a few other yachts.

Some showing signs of a hard day, one having just the head of their blue spinnaker left up the mast.

harbour, finally getting through the lock at about 9:00pm when we headed straight for the bar to enjoy the end of the evening.

As a few of us tucked into some hot cross buns on deck, however, being stuck did have its perks as we were greeted by a little head popping out the water. It was a seal, which we christened Sid, who got everybody excited and up on deck. Sid happily stayed around inquisitively watching on numerous occasions, making the evening that bit more special.

The day continued in the trend set by the morning’s events in the form of a few boats having parts breaking, including our own headsail tearing down most of the leech putting us out of the race, just as we were coming to the closing stages. Luckily Highland Daughter had a cruising headsail which was collected from back at Shoreham ready for the next day’s races.

The next day looked good as we set out to sea all geared up for racing, only to be told we had another postponement and that it would take at least an hour to re-arrange marks for wind shifts.

In addition, the mark laying boat was having a “catastrophic engine failure”, leaving the race officials wondering what best to do. In true regatta spirit Catch 22 set the standard by asking race control if they could assist in moving marks; more of the fleet then joined in by helping recover the stricken powerboat and taking in the mark layers so they could get a spare powerboat.

Having had to retire from Saturday’s racing and having packed the boat away, we found ourselves in an ironic position, after not getting to the bar till very late the night before we were now able to get well established. Having been playing pool from 2 o’clock with the guys from Nenriki, the remainder of the fleet had a lot of catching up to do when they joined us. The night was great, the clubhouse being fantastic, enjoying excellent food and getting well involved dancing with the live band, not forgetting the Fantastic Fat Fighters.

The Sunday would be a difficult one, starting off in the cold and rain with limited wind and tide racing against us. We struggled just to make it to the start area and had to wait another hour and a half for the course to be laid, eventually starting with the wind building to strong. Knowing that Catch 22 had a chance to win the group against Jeneral Lee and us being out of the running, we tried our best to help if we could. In a lucky twist of fate, Jeneral Lee had a false start meaning they had to go back across the line, which just happened to put them right under our much larger sail, they were going nowhere. We held our course allowing Catch 22 to race away gaining them valuable seconds for the overall standings until Jeneral Lee tacked under us to go chase down the competition.

Finishing that race a bit disappointingly after tearing a hole in our spinnaker, and knowing the weather for the return trip on Monday was set for appalling, we made the decision to head for home, retiring from the rest of the day’s races.

It was a wet trip home and after just scraping in the lock along with Nenriki, the Sussex Yacht Club representatives for the Regatta were invited to Will Camp’s house for a Chinese and recap on the weekends events.

Congratulations to Catch 22 who were victorious in winning their class and a big thank you to Will and Jenny as well as Charlie, Joe, Ian, Emma, Mark and Tim, and the remainder of crews from Nenriki and Catch 22 for giving us a GOOD WEEKEND. Alex Gooch. wavelength | Autumn 2012 27

WHERE YOU WENT & WHAT YOU DID

With Marelanja across the Atlantic Here are extracts of David Edgar’s story of his solo Atlantic crossing.

David’s adventure began when he decided that he needed a larger boat and that with a larger boat he could venture further, in fact he could venture across the Atlantic single handed! The larger boat turned out to be the Contessa 32 Marelanja. After 4 months of planning he set off from his home port of Sotogrande in southern Spain...

I left Sotogrande on the 22nd October at 12.25 and motored down the Straits of Gibraltar against a westerly head wind and had an excellent sail past Cape Espartel, Morocco with a days run of 123 miles. However off Casablanca on the 24th the armoured high pressure hose started to spray atomised diesel all over the saloon. I cut out the armoured part and substituted normal hose in its place. This worked. In the early hours of the 25th I was forced to hove to as the wind increased to over 35kts from the SW right on the nose. As always life felt a lot better like this, but the wind generator started smoking, and, with great difficulty, I managed to stop it. Then Blondie, the Haslar self steering gear, started to buckle under the strain and we were taking in water from somewhere. At this point I thought “enough”, waited until dawn when the wind abated a little and turned round to head back to Soto. There is always another day or year. I put a link call through to my wife Jackie to tell her of the change of plan, and had a great sail back to Soto without any dramas.

After the previous year’s events I thought that a sail to Porto Sancto and Madeira instead of going directly to the Canaries might be a good idea. A week on hopefully a beam reach to iron out any problems and an earlier start to catch the Portuguese trades might also enhance my chances of success. So again I left Soto, after a couple of false starts, on the 3rd August with a westerly blowing in my face. Again I had a great sail past Cape Espartel and had the new water towed generator working. Although Blondie was on strike, I was really enjoying myself - the sea a deep lapis lazuli colour. I even managed to get a sailmail through to Jackie. On the second day out a westerly wind got up, so sail was reduced. The wind continued to increase so it was storm jib and three reefs. Marelanja felt comfortable. By dawn

28

wavelength | Autumn 2012

the wind had abated and more canvas was raised.

This gave me an opportunity for an all over wash out of the bucket and a brief rinse from the hand pump shower. I saw about 20 dolphins rounding up a shoal of fish. That kept me captivated for a few minutes.

much for the blue water sailor. Tides had been completely forgotten.

The wind was still northerly on the 7th so I attempted some sextant sights as I hoped to take the ocean yachtmaster viva on my return. These were not a success. The following night I saw a bright orange shooting star - or was it a piece of space debris falling to earth? For a second it was a fantastic sight. Dawn arrived and no Porto Santo was visible but there was a small cloud on the horizon. Breakfast was tea, croissants with lashings of marmalade. Afterwards I looked up, the clouds parted and Porto Santo was there, it’s romantic and majestic peaks rising from the ocean.

Marelanja and I set sail, after breakfast ashore, for Sal in the Cape Verde Islands on Friday 22nd October. Passing through the wind acceleration zone on a reach, we got up to seven knots, all in glorious sunshine. The navtext told me the NE trades were blowing F 4/5 down to the Cape Verde Islands-perfect conditions. The following day I had two foresails up with one sheet through the spinnaker pole, the other through the boom end with the main down, Blondie in charge.

Marelanja looked a little weird but we were surfing down a 3 metre swell effortlessly at six to seven knots. It does not get much better. The noon to noon distance was 150 miles.

I was more south than I should be, so I started tacking up towards Cema lighthouse. Sailing conditions were perfect with 18kts of wind.

The sea was deep azure lapis with little swell and Marelanja sharged through the sea, sun shining, like an arrow at around six knots. What a wonderful end to the passage. I was half a mile from the marina, handing the main and the goose neck broke. Well if it was going to break this was as good a place as any. I motored in, moored up to a free berth and gave Jackie a call on the mobile. It was good to talk and to have completed the first stage.

After a break and a sail to the neighbouring Quinto do Lorde marina David was off to the Canaries...

Then it was off to Palma, Gran Canaria on the 29th August, a two day reach with the cruising chute up during the day in really glorious weather.

Marelanja arrived outside the harbour at 02:00.

I took a silly risk deciding to enter the harbour at night time, instead of waiting outside till daylight. I was lucky - after a few heart stopping moments I was in the marina and tied up to the fuelling quay. I went to sleep. The next thing I knew I was being dumped on the cabin sole as Marelanja was listing heavily to port. The tide had dropped and Marelanja’s weight was resting on her shore lines. As I was working out how to slip them they started to break under the strain, so I cut the remainder and re-secured her. So

After the usual repairs to the electronics, a holiday with his wife, a return to the UK and a massive victualling operation David set out for the Cape Verde Islands.

On the third day out I was getting reasonably accurate results from the sextant which was really satisfying and to add cream to the cake received a lovely Email from Jackie. By 1800 we were half way to Sal. I also had a visitor for a day, a pink three an half inch locust, christened Larry. He did not say a lot but the company was fun. This was easy sailing - all I had to do was look at the waves, an occasional cloud and read a little poetry while listening to Fleetwood Mac. Blondie continued to work well most of the time.

Fourth day out, the wind had dropped to 15 kts, so we were not careering along quite as quickly as before. Apart from finding a a very small flying fish on the foredeck this morning there was nothing around. No fish, no birds, no ships or boats since the first night out. It was like sailing through a sunny maritime desert. Strange, but still immensely enjoyable to be out here alone without being the slightest bit lonely.

That night I was woken by the sound of surfing, There was a full moon the colour of newly burnished gold, giving both sky and sea a wonderful ethereal blue, nearly lapis covered in a gossamer of the finest silk. As I sat there listening to the sound of the surf produced by a huge pod of dolphins, fifty or so strong, surrounding Marelanja there were a series of cracks like a 22 rifle firing. This was the sound of the flying fish hitting the poled out foresails as they tried to escape the eager jaws of the dolphins. I sat on the deck mesmerised for forty five minutes watching this spectacle. Hours earlier I had been musing about the desert that I had been sailing through.

Now there were many flying fish, moving like silver arrows, flying up to forty metres at a time.

Sixth day out, the wind shifted to the east.

Time for some activity, down came the windward foresail and up with the main. The next evening we started to close land and the wind dropped

WHERE YOU WENT & WHAT YOU DID right off. Mr Grunt, the 16 HP Yanmar engine was fired up, which destroyed the peace after seven days glorious sailing and we motored round the northerly tip of Sal to arrive at Palmeira Bay at first light. Then to anchor Marelanja for the first time amongst a dozen others, which was a little nerve racking.

one stage to dodge the spectacular light show. I was well relieved at dawn as the thunderheads evaporated.

After a break in the Cape Verdes, David set out for Barbados The big adventure began with a leisurely departure from Mindelo harbour around 11.00hrs on 16th November and I had a great sail through the wind acceleration zone between Sao Vicente and Santo Antao, the neighbouring island. As land receded the wind petered out and by sunset we barely had steerage way. After supper there was a gentle breeze from the east, we picked up speed to around 4 kts and at about 0300 hrs had to make a course alteration to avoid a small coaster.

For the next few days I settled into a routine of dawn and dusk rigging checks, cooking and eating, sending and receiving Emails, taking sextant readings and doing the calculations: many different sail changes as the wind strength varied from 5 to 25 kts and although the wind was in the east, it did change direction quite a lot, just to keep me on my toes.

Three days out I thought the cruising chute would be a good idea, but succeeded in wrapping it very tightly around the forestay. Motoring in anti-clockwise circles a few times solved that problem. When I did get it aloft, there was so little wind it was ineffective. Most of the time I had twin foresails up with the main up sometimes. Blondie did most of the steering, the remainder by the auto pilot. I also put the clock back an hour; we were progressing. Dolphins were regular visitors at this stage, charging around Marelanja with gay abandon.

After six days sailing we were a quarter of the way there - it seemed pretty effortless. I was really enjoying both the sailing and the rhythms of living aboard. The sounds of Marelanja’s hull surging through the water; watching the waves and the ever ending streets of cumulus clouds were simply intoxicating. The only downside was getting up each hour at night for a quick look around. One glance at the night sky, with the stars so close, clear, and abundant, immediately turned the smile back on.

Just after dawn on the 30th there was a very heavy shower of rain; I stripped off and had a delightful shower. There was little wind, I had the big genoa and main up and a very strong squall hit Marelanja, bringing the mast almost parallel to the water and I had a struggle to stay on board.

Fortunately I had put back on the safety harness, clipped on and was able to disengage all the sheets. We came upright immediately. I managed to get the genoa down, storm jib up and 2 reefs in the main. We were still sailing and no damage done. Very lucky but a bad mistake not keeping an eye on the weather behind us. A couple of hours later the reefs were coming out.

That evening there were more thunderheads and lightning ahead of us; I was becoming fed up staying up all night attempting to steer around them, so I stayed on course. The wind speed went up to 30 kts, the sky became seriously black; I put two reefs in again and the storm jib up and we were on a charge into the unknown darkness, behind the surf of breaking waves. Exciting stuff.

I promptly went into a deep sleep and woke at dawn in a very lumpy sea with little wind. That morning I received an Email from Jackie saying she had managed to sell our house in Spain. Life goes on even in the middle of the Atlantic.

Later that morning another strong squall hit us with torrential wave-flattening rain, but I was better prepared and fortunately no dramas. The wind stayed very strong, the anemometer gave up the ghost; I took down the main completely with only the storm jib up we were making 5 kts.

Although the winds seemed pretty light, we averaged more than 100 miles each day probably with the assistance of the North Equatorial current. The other downside of the light winds was the rocking and rolling. The seemingly endless swaying of the hull through 25 degrees each way was somewhat tedious. I was seriously praying for more wind.

For the next four days the wind varied from over 30kts to less than 10kts; everything in Marelanja was becoming more and more sodden including my clothes. At dawn on the 2nd December I noticed a yacht less than a mile away on a collision course. After a couple of attempts I raised him on the VHF and we had a chat. A 40 ft French sloop bound for Martinique. He told me a tropical cyclone was in the area and there would be gales again tonight. There was no wind later so the engine went on in a very lumpy sea. The sun appeared and I was able to start drying stuff. The strong winds did not arrive.

Sunday 28th Nov, we were halfway there - a fantastic feeling. That night I saw lightning for the first time. The idea of a lightning strike filled me with horror. The enormous anvil clouds seemed to be approaching. The wind had at last increased to 20 kts but I ended up going eastwards at

Friday 3rd December, we had proper NE trades and hot sunshine at long last. While trying to raise the twin headsails I got the wrong halyards on each sail. To my horror while lowering the yankee, the halyard came off the head and remained close to the top of the mast. The only

way to retrieve it was to get out the webbing mast steps raise them on main halyard and climb up.

I handed the main and raised the mast climber.

I kept up the No 3 jib so that we were sailing at 3.5 kts and pretty stable, then climbed the mast.

I had done this before in a marina but never while sailing. I used a climbing harness attached to the in use halyard with a Prussic knot as a safety line. After a moment’s pause I started climbing, got hold of the wayward halyard then slowly climbed down. Job done, I was able to raise the twin headsails again. Not so fast young man. I had reattached the halyard to the yankee and realized the halyard was on the wrong side of the spreader.

I would have to climb up to the spreader to get the halyard on the correct side. With gritted teeth I did the return climb and was very relieved when finally back on deck again. An hour later we had all three sails pulling again.

The night time sailing was particularly exciting, the sky full to overflowing with stars, every thirty minutes or so there was a shooting star, once so close I could smell burning. The wind varied in intensity driving Marelanja through the water. It was magnificent.

At sunset on Monday 6th December I saw the famed green flash as the sun went down, it was more white than green but I was sure it was the real thing. More importantly I should see Barbados tomorrow.

The NE trades were giving us around 20kts of wind and we were fairly cracking on. At around 11.00 hrs we were buzzed by a small helicopter, which got far too close for safety. They circled for five minutes and went away. Immigration? I called them on Ch 16 but got no reply. Then the final run to Bridgetown. Sailing round the SE coast of Barbados was very squally indeed, I handed the main and was happily cruising at four to five kts on the yankee alone. We passed the shallows of South Point and headed NW up the west coast still under yankee.

Around midnight I motored into the deep water harbour for cruise ships at Bridgetown and with considerable difficulty, moored up. The big ships barnacle encrusted fenders were going to wreck havoc on my topsides. But I clambered ashore and was told that the required entry permits would cost US$300 as it was overtime after 1700 hrs I was not paying that even if my topsides were being seriously knackered. I had to stay there all night. Not quite the welcome for which I was hoping. In my best gear I scrambled up the 3 metre dock wall and was ashore at 0600; I did the rounds of officialdom in the correct order and was out before two cruise ships had disgorged their hordes. I motored down to Carlisle Bay - a glorious beach of the purest white sand - anchored, pumped up the Avon and rowed ashore. I walked a mile to the edge of Bridgetown and called Jackie. It was very, very good to talk on shore amongst the palm trees.

David Edgar

wavelength | Autumn 2012

29

Falling for it A tale of high idiocy, far from the sea by Steve Vyse I seem to fall for it every year. In 2011 Rob, my teenage son, suggested that I was well past doing the London to Brighton cycle ride.

Bristling with middle-aged indignation I promptly signed us both up and a few months later nearly expired trying to follow him pedalling up Ditchling Beacon.

The following year I have forgotten all about lying on the verge gasping like a beached fish, and he gets me again. When he was a toddler Rob would have a party for his nursery friends, and over the years cake, pop and balloons for tiny hordes gave way to trips to Alton Towers and eventually clay shooting. Now, Rob can be fiendishly cunning, so when his 16th birthday request to go parachuting was delivered, it came with the suggestion that Dad wouldn’t be up to doing it… This of course was a red rag to my inner bull, and before I had thought anything through, Rob, his chum Max and myself

as the irresponsible adult were booked to do something quite stupid.

All too soon the fateful weekend arrived and I was driving two teenagers shocked into silence by a 6am start to Headcorn Aerodrome in Kent.

After checking in we were introduced to Chris and Chris, our two army trained instructors and training quickly began with two vital drills; “1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000 - check canopy”.

This is the mantra you shout as you jump. Then there’s a further drill to get you flying and find your way back to the aerodrome. If the canopy looks bad you have to decide if you are looking at a ‘nuisance’ you can fix, or a malfunction requiring you cut-away the main canopy.

We were jumping static line and told that no matter how well we arched our backs as we exited the aircraft, our parachute would probably become twisted by the prop wash - this is classed as a nuisance rather than a malfunction and you are trained to scissor kick like mad until you spin under the canopy, untwisting things as you go. The canopy is inflated by airflow and one or both of the wing tip ‘cells’ can also fail to inflate - you are taught how to recognise this as another nuisance and get them flying.

After going out the door the aim is to look up and see a very big rectangle without any splits or broken lines. If you see anything else, or nothing

30

wavelength | Autumn 2012

at all, then you are into a malfunction and you need to cut-away and go to your reserve. How often do you get a problem with the reserve I asked? Never is the answer; main canopies are designed to be used hundreds if not thousands of times and to be packed in 15 minutes, whilst the reserve takes two certified riggers two hours to pack. The reserve is built differently to virtually guarantee a clean opening - there’s even a large spring in there that hurls the reserve canopy into the slipstream. As long as you pull the reserve in time it will work... and to help make sure it is always pulled in time there’s a small device that monitors how fast you are falling along with your altitude. If it registers a very fast descent, it will automatically fire the reserve at a set height for us it was 1,500 feet.

After a day spent in the classroom, looking at the planes, jumping out of mock-ups, jumping a tower practising falls, you get a written test. Pass mark is 94%. Two of us aced, all passed. Then you go home and worry about how much you’ve forgotten.

WHERE YOU WENT & WHAT YOU DID As we approach 3,500 feet we are shuffled around and face our skydiver audience. Simon, our jump-master, is in charge alongside the gaping space where a firmly closed door ought to be; the pilot banks us around to upwind of the landing area and Simon grins. Rob is white as a sheet but manages a wink just before he is wiggled to the edge. His static line is checked again, right bum cheek on the lip, legs out in the slipstream, look up... and go when you like.

In a blink he has jumped, there’s a thump as his canopy bag on the end of the static line smacks into the fuselage and the plane steeply banks into a circuit. Simon see’s my worried Dad face, grins even more and points down at a canopy already far below. Rob is fine and flying.

Cut-away drill can twist your jewels.

On Sunday morning we are taken through a quick refresher course and get to shout all the drills again and again. We were then signed off as being ready (gulp) and we sought comfort in a massive fried breakfast waiting to be scrambled (involuntary pun).

With low cloud all morning it wasn’t until after lunch that we were finally summoned to the flight line. Jump suit, helmet, altimeter and the all-important parachute; after we’ve put it all on, an instructor checks us over and we clamber into a tired transit minibus that bounces us out to the waiting Cessna Caravan. I am by now really nervous, which gets worse as we three fools are the last to be herded up the steps. You sit on the floor, crammed in like sardines, with experienced skydivers chattering behind us; they will be jumping from 12,000 feet and are all in fancy suits, carbon helmets and have cameras and big grins. The three of us novices are their in-flight entertainment.

Rob is to be first out so he sits pushed up against the door, which is just a roll up contraption in perspex. The noise is simply huge as the turboprop is gunned down the grass and we thump and bang our way into the sky. By now I am so scared that I am swallowing hard trying not to throw up.

Max goes next, same as Rob. Sixteen years old. No hesitation, totally confident, a perfect exit and a cheer in the plane as he flies. Now me. I get a high five from some guy and a surfer dude sign from another. Inside I am freaking out. Surely someone will see that my heart is pounding its way out of my chest and stop this happening. Perhaps staying on the plane is the right thing to do? There’s a loud voice in my head saying sit down. SIT DOWN RIGHT NOW. STAY AWAY FROM THE DOOR. But the drills are working. I’ve jumped out of this exit door maybe 50 times already on the mock-up and my body knows where to go, where to sit, where to hold on. I’m there, perched on the edge of three and half Eiffel Towers in the teeth of a gale trying to ignore the view. Even though the noise is staggering I still hear Simon behind me say “Good to go, whenever you want”.

A few choice phrases come to mind. This is it. No way back. So I go. Arching hard, arms out wide, shouting out the drill and staring up at the disappearing plane. Tossed around I am violently jerked upright, croaking out ‘Four thousand’ I crane back to look up. Thank you God. My gorgeous canopy is big, rectangular and in one piece. My lines are twisted though, so I kick away until, like a kid messing around on a park swing, I spin around and find myself hanging above Kent.

A few seconds ago part of me was convinced I had just jumped to my death, however I am now very much alive, whooping out loud, but looking down at patchwork fields and a distant sparkling sea, I realise I have no idea where I am.

Back to the drills. Take control, then look around. Still no idea where I am, but by pulling the toggles I gingerly start to steer. The harder you pull on the right or left, the harder you turn. Let both toggles up and you go fast, pull both toggles down and you go slow. Brilliant. By now I’ve spotted the aerodrome and can see a tiny (from up here) arrow in the landing zone showing me which way to land, but with the altimeter on my wrist indicating just over 2,000 feet I can have some fun on the way.

Jane Buckle, one of Headcorns’ most experienced instructors, checks Rob hasn’t forgotten anything.

Best friends…Rob and Max lark about, full of nervous energy before boarding the aircraft.

turning into the wind on finals at around 200 feet. There’s a radio on my breast with instructor Jane squawking as I come in, ground rushing up, hauling in on both toggles to flare at 10ft.

Touching down I roll and haul on one toggle to collapse the wind blown canopy. Now I’m laughing. Rob and Max are too. All three of us in ridiculous bright blue jump suits, hanging onto billowing rip stop nylon in a field laughing out loud just to be standing on the ground. For once I invoke the ‘a’ word. Awesome, just Awesome.

By the time we have changed and returned our parachute for re-packing, the rest of the plane has jumped, free-falled and landed. I’m just signing off, still grinning like an idiot, when one of the skydivers comes over. “Man that was a brilliant exit” he says. “Really” I say, puffing up a bit, proud to get a compliment. “You had us all roaring. Never heard anyone scream Sssshhhiiiiiiiiitttt so loud all the way out man... brilliant”. And there I was thinking that scream had just been in my head.

Would I do it again? No doubt Steve Vyse Steve, Rob and Max jumped with Headcorn Parachute Club who were quite simply fantastic.

Call them on 01622 890862 or go online to www.headcornparachuteclub.co.uk. Photos of exit and landing are with the kind permission of Simon Hughes - www.airaffair.co.uk.

Below I can make out Max and I can see Rob turning in on finals. I mess around for a while before making it over the LZ perimeter at 1,000 feet, doing a scraggy box circuit, gently

wavelength | Autumn 2012

31

West Lancs

24 Steve Vyse recounts the SYC expedition ‘Ooop North’ to take part in one of the UK’s greatest dinghy events.

It is 04:00 and I am sitting bleary eyed in the damp dark, slowly awakening to the crackling of our rain soaked tent in the bouncing breeze.

Having shucked off my blissfully snug sleeping bag after just two hours dreamless sleep, I’m now shivering at the prospect of stretching on a cold and clammy wet suit, still dripping from our last unwelcome Southport Marine Lake paddle.

What the hell am I doing here?

The West Lancashire Yacht Club 24 Hour dinghy endurance race is billed as one of the top five events any racing sailor should do before they die. What the billing does not include is any suggestion that the event itself may bring one’s ultimate mooring closer through the sheer misery of it. But even as my clattering keyboard reflects recent memories of aching muscles and bone bruising cold, I recognise that I’m perhaps not being fair, for as the guns went marking the end of 24 hours racing I have to admit a sense of achievement.

As the grumpiest git in the entire SYC team (though at times others challenged me for that title), I might be considered the worst possible person to write a report, but I am going to argue that there’s a very good reason why I’m actually the perfect one to portray the grinding reality of keeping dinghies moving around the clock.

In answer to my earlier question as to “What the hell am I doing here?” The answer is simple; Kevin Headon. Last season Andy Phillips, Dave Ramus and I all bought battered Lasers for some fun in the Southwick canal, and I think it was after a few aprés dinghy beers at the SYC bar that we somehow got onto the subject of

32

wavelength | Autumn 2012

George and Livi with the SYC Lark

the West Lancs 24hour race. Andy Phillips had done it years before and was reminiscing about good times as a teenager, when Kevin sauntered over offering beers. Before any of us really registered what was happening we’d drunk the Headon ‘shilling’ and Kevin had got all three of us to sign up to sail for SYC. Months passed by and Kevin with the help of Ian O’Dell picked off more unwitting victims.

Ian’s regular crew Tim Richardson was next, Laser helm Steve Southall was cornered, Dorian Woolger and Charlie Camp couldn’t help themselves and the youth team were obviously unable to escape with George Hinchliffe, Livi Cleary and Hayley Weir offering themselves up like lambs to the slaughter. As to how Ben Yates, John Burrns and Melanie Clark were inveigled into the team remains a mystery, but we brave sixteen drove just under 300 miles north, to within sight of Blackpool’s bright lights.

Friday Ian had arrived a day early with his Enterprise and staked a claim for the SYC encampment close to the waters edge. By the time Dave and I had dragged the Lark into the boat park on Friday evening he was ready for some company, but before hitting the bar let me explain about the SYC Lark. This dinghy was once the pride and joy of Brighton University, but after a lifetime of being battered by students it was then forgotten. For seven years it was lost to the shadows of the SYC boat store, spattered in pigeon poo and decidedly unloved. When eventually Brighton University was questioned about the unpaid storage bill they had no hesitation in handing over the boat to SYC. To my mind the deal was one sided - this is one of the worst looking dinghies I’ve ever seen and by the time George had patched up the bigger holes with glass fibre and applied his magic

marker graphics to the side I was honestly embarrassed to hitch it behind my car.

With our tent erected alongside the others, Dave and I joined in with the hubbub at the busy West Lancs YC bar. Boats were arriving in a steady stream and before long we were elbow to elbow and filling up with jolly good cheer. Inside the main marquee volunteers launched their 24 hour service with a curry and for a few hours we were a very happy cross-eyed band.

Saturday Hungover, I stumbled between black coffees, mumbling greetings to the rest of the SYC team who had arrived after I had collapsed into bed. Kevin was as happy as a dog with two dicks, broadcasting his infectious laughter all around the lake side. Breakfast was followed by the official briefing in which the complex start sequence was explained. If you infringe the rules there are no on-water penalties; rather than suffer turns, you sail your boat through a penalty gate and your team takes a 1/4 lap hit. I asked Kevin what the grand plan was. He and Ian looked surprised. The plan had been to get us all here... after that.. well let’s just get on with it.

Kevin and Mel came up with a crew rota for the two boats with each pair having two hours rest, followed by two hours in wet gear ready to go as standby crew, and then two hours sailing.

At noon WLYC’s magnificent battery of miniature cannons scared the ducks, and the 57 strong fleet of Enterprise’s GP14’s and a solitary Lark (ours) elbowed their way down the crowded lake on the first of many laps. Imagine if you will the Brooklands Park duck pond in Worthing, multiplied in size by a factor of ten, flanked by housing, a retail park and sandy dunes against the sea. I was told that you can touch the bottom in most places. We shall see.

Ian and Tim had started the Enterprise with George and Livi splashing the Lark for the first time in seven years. It floated. Just. Depending on breeze each lap takes 15-17 minutes and to begin with the team cheer from clubs on the shore as their boats went by was fun.

One pairing of Phil Hodgkins and Justin Smith planned to sail their GP14 for the entire race and their girlie shore crew shrieked “Go on Phil, Come on Justin... whhhooooeeeeee” every 15 minutes for the entire event. My inner Grinch was not keen on on the loudest high pitched cheerleader, and in the early hours whilst trying to sleep, I would come to fantasise about throwing her in the lake.

Ian and Tim had a great couple of hours and handed the Enterprise over to myself and Dave in around 30th place. The changeover is done at a hurry with boats coming into a ‘pit lane’ and alongside the lake edge. In seconds the old crew were out and I was helming an Enterprise for the first time in 40 years. Gybe. Arrgghh... the tiller extension on Ian’s boat is realy long and gets caught under the gunnel when you gybe. Oh and with a transom mounted mainsail track and

WHERE YOU WENT & WHAT YOU DID sweet tea, calorie heavy nosh and a rest. Back in the tent I curl up in my sleeping bag. “Go on Phil, Come on Justin... whhhooooeeeeee” That girl is really getting on my nerves.

All too soon the alarm drags me awake and back to Southport. “Go on Phil, Come on Justin... whhhooooeeeeee”. Escaping the shrill torture I trudge back to the changing room with Dave and pull on my wetsuit again, mooching around on standby with Ian and Tim out on the water.

Ian and Tim with the Enterprise

a laser weight sheet I found my arms getting in a tangle with every tack. The wind was gusty, flicking from almost nothing to over 15knots in an unpredictable fashion. Big shifts added to my frustration conning an unfamiliar boat around an oversized duck pond. I think I cursed nonstop for the first couple of laps, and carried on cursing when I capsized us at the gybe mark. Up comes the boat, totally swamped. It must have taken twenty minutes to capsize again and again, eventually winning the bailing battle and getting underway. Dave is a saint.. He just let me rant away at the back whilst he got on with trying to keep the centre board down (it popped up with almost every tack).

There’s a horrible jetty close to the start of the beat and I call starboard on a port tacker coming out from its lee. This Ent had obviously not seen us and the crash tack resulted in them capsizing. I still feel a bit guilty for grinning at the obviously livid helm tasting duck pee.

Two hours passed quickly and at 16:00 we handed over to Kevin and Mel having lost about 10 places. Kevin immediately set about trying to capsize the Ent in the pit lane and escaped with some dainty footwork... I heard that he was not so lucky later on and had a wee swim.

The Lark was now almost level with the Enterprise, amusingly entered by Kevin as a ‘Masters’ boat, denoting that every helm was over 40, and Dave and I were both feeling every one of our ‘Masters’ years. If I had come last in a dead leg competition my pins could not have ached more. Time for a shower, dry clothing,

The top crews seemed to all have GP14’s and some were brave enough to sail down the pit lane under spinnaker, changing crews and helm without stopping. It looked great when it worked but more than a few came croppers, much to the delight of the spectators wrapped up against the chilly wind.

22:00 and again we jump into the Ent. This time I am staying at the front and Dave can fight with the helm. All I ask of him is to not capsize.

Thankfully the wind has eased off a little and we pick our way around in the dark. Nav lights are chemical glow sticks on the shrouds and the marks are lit with strobes. Handy builders lanterns have been placed to mark the pitch black northern shore which really helped us avoid hitting the bank. Dave seemed to be getting the hang of things at the bluint end and just for a moment I am perhaps enjoying the sail. Laps later we arrive at the gybe mark again with a GP14 chasing us down. Dave slams the door on him and the other helm goes crazy, screaming for water as we come together. No way pal, no overlap entering the zone so the collision is all down to you. The matter is debated for a moment and we win the argument, with him agreeing to a penalty. A small battle won, it’s midnight and time to head for the floodlit pits and hand over. We are both cold and very tired.

Back to the tent. “Go on Phil, Come on Justin... whhhooooeeeeee.” Joy. Sunday 04:00 “Go on Phil, Come on Justin... whhhooooeeeeee.” Doesn’t she ever sleep?

Many boats, even more ducks

This is where I started my tale. Dave and I lope around the almost deserted club house like a pair of damp zombies. I am not enjoying the cold and it is almost a relief when the Enterprise appears out of the pre-dawn gloom and we again take control. Dave having got the hang of the Ent is steering and I spend my time calling out tacks and keeping the board down; at one point I thought it was jammed up, stamping on it time and time again only to realise that we were actually in rather shallow water. Sorry Ian. Dawn reveals a filthy grey sky, but at least we begin to see where we are going and have a chance to pick out incoming gusts. It was around now that Dave decides to liven things up by ramming the gybe mark rather heavily. It’s a miracle we don’t go over and it’s with huge relief that at 08:00 we come into the pits and get off the boat. It’s the end of our last shift. We can change, breakfast, sing, dance, we are FREE. Steve and Andy come in at 10:00 handing over to Kevin and Mel who sail the last laps before the battery of guns mark the end. The SYC Masters get 37th and the Lark 54th (and a cup for being the first, and only Lark).

“Go on Phil, Come on Justin... whhhooooeeeeee” is still hollering right up to the end, when her boys get a very well deserved cheer from the rest of us. The Strathclyde University team decide they hate their Enterprise so much that rather than de-rig they toss it in a skip. Again, I cheered.

So having had such a trying experience, why should I be the one to write up the event? Kevin and Ian clearly want to do this properly in 2013 with a full team and a GP14. It’s a tough race and we’ve proved that you just can’t turn up unprepared and do well. The 24 hour is a huge test for dinghy sailors and although the results don’t reflect it, the performance from the youth team was exemplary. Youngsters can shrug off discomfort far better than old gits and exposing them to a life affirming experience like this is an undeniably positive outcome. Kevin is an inspirational leader who gets the most out of his charges, and I for one would fully support him with another SYC entry.

He’d just better not ask me to go.

SYC LARK George Hinchliffe and Livi Cleary.

Dorian Woolger and Charlie Camp John Burrns and Ben Yates Millie Webb and Hayley Weir

SYC ENTERPRISE Ian O’Dell and Tim Richardson Kevin Headon and Melanie Clark Dave Ramus and Steve Vyse Steve Southall and Andy Phillips Photos: Dave Ramus and aerial shot by Ben Yates of www.threesixtygroup.co.uk

wavelength | Autumn 2012

33

Christmas Crackers

Truant - “It’s behind you!”

Steve Thomas sent in these images from the last Christmas Cracker series photographed from aboard Truant. The 2012 Christmas Cracker starts on on Sunday 11 November so dig out your thermals and ready yourself for some very jolly festive season yachting.

Troubador.

34

wavelength | Autumn 2012

Bombardier.

the Commercial Property Marketing Specialists Signs, Banners, Graphics & Large Format Print Brochures, Mailers & PDFs Online Media & Email Marketing Elevated Mast Photography & Marketing Videos Based in Brighton and working nationwide. We provide no obligation site surveys, marketing reports and site appraisals.

We also do...

Vehicle Branding & Event Graphics, Banners, Boards & lots, lots more...

Call us for more info or some free advice...

01273 33 99 33

www.threesixtygroup.co.uk Our MD is SYC Club Member, Ben Yates

ADR Financial Services INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL ADVICE

GET YOUR FINANCES SHIP SHAPE WITH A FREE FINANCIAL HEALTH CHECK

ADR Financial Services is a locally based company

established over 20 years; providing Independent and Whole of Market, general Financial Planning advice and assistance for Your Life Long Financial Needs.

Sussex Yacht Club members and associates are invited to request a free, private Financial Planning Consultation with Andrew Ryall.

Andrew will be pleased to discuss and help with any concerns and needs you may have - without obligation.

Appointments can be arranged, free of charge either at Andrew’s local office or in the convenience of your own home if preferred.

Please call Andrew on

01903 765873

to arrange a meeting Weybridge House, 14 Browning Road North Lancing, West Sussex BN15 0PY Proficient, friendly service confidentiality guaranteed.

info@adrfs.co.uk www.adrfs.co.uk

Pensions : Personal & Group Personal Pensions For advice concerning a new scheme. Or to review an existing provision, we will be pleased to appraise projected retirement benefits, fund performance, risk tolerance & charges etc.

Life Cover & Serious Illness Cover :

Be Quick, act now and save money!

From 21 December 2012, due to EU gender directive the cost of new Life Cover for women will cost you up to 15% more!

Let us discuss your protection needs and obtain a quote with no obligation to proceed.

Source : Money Marketing, LV 4th October 2012.

Mortgages / Re Mortgages : Interest rates are currently at an all time low and whilst it is difficult to predict the timing for a possible rise, rates are likely to go up in the future, so why not consider a fixed for payment stability and peace of mind?

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. You may have an early repayment charge to your existing lender if you remortgage.

Annuity & Retirement Planning : If you are approaching your retirement in view of purchasing a pension or life annuity for income we can help you to ensure you obtain extremely competitive terms.

Equity Release :

Release tax free cash from your home for any purpose. If you are a home owner aged 55 plus, depending on your circumstances you may be able to release equity from your property by way of a Lifetime Mortgage.

No Monthly payments – No negative equity guarantee To understand the features and risks of a Lifetime Mortgage, ask for a personalised illustration.

Investment & Savings :

ISA’s, Bonds, Unit Trusts, Investment Trusts & O.E.I.C.’s.

ex Yacht Club ss u S to s r o is v Financial ad ADR Financial Services is an appointed representative of Best Practice IFA Group Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.