Home At Last

Sitting writing this while looking out of the window at a vista of greenery the last few days seem a little surreal. This being Britain it should be no surprise that in a few days we'd experience everything from a perfect force 4 to a sleigh ride through waves big enough to catch one very surprised garfish unawares, when it was flung bodily into the cockpit in the early hours of Tuesday morning. And then back again to end up drifting in a flat calm with the rays of the setting sun over the headland at Plymouth.

It was very frustrating having the relatively small but significant technical problems that put us out of the race after weathering the storm rather literally, but such is sailing. Shortly after we arrived at Plymouth on Thursday evening something like a third of the fleet arrived in a very short space of time. They'd been becalmed for hours not far offshore and then the wind arrived and swept them up all together, giving the race officers a very busy night. You can read all about it on the RORC site http://fastnet.rorc.org/.

We spent some time recovering and "rehydrating" courtesy of the 24 hour beer tent (it'd be mean to close it to those arriving after last orders), then spent Friday sorting out various things, eating and wandering around Plymouth, which was looking fantastic in the summer sun, particularly the view from the Hoe.

The prize giving was held in the Citadel up on the Hoe in the evening. Blue Juice is going back to Southampton today, with a stop en route as no water pump equals no engine equals no battery charge and hence no lights! The crew, meanwhile have scattered onto trains, into cars and some even onto other boats.

So, a mixed and eventful experience, some of which I'd prefer not to repeat (but probably will), and much of which was great fun at the time and can only get better with hindsight. Once thing is certain - it was a lot better than watching Big Brother.

We will try and put together a more organised report in the fullness of time, so watch the CSORC web site www.csorc.org for that and news of the club in general.

A final big thanks to Trev and all the crew.

Nick

The saga continues...

We made reasonable progress until about 4pm, when the water pump on the engine started chattering. Thirty minutes later it finally gave up. Leaving us adrift about 5 miles off Plymouth. With little wind and drinking time dwindling, we have admitted defeat and called Sea Start for a tow to Plymouth. Ho hum...

a night at the admiral's

Thurs 0920
We had a very convivial evening in the Admiral Benbow last night and, although in good mood, had an early night - most turning in by 10ish. We were up bright and early and are now rounding the Lizard on our way to Plymouth, under jib and engine.

Trev

A plan is forming...

Hmmmmm....

Stacking IS allowed

Wed 11:48
We're all enjoying a hearty breakfast at Ye Olde Barbican Tea & Coffee Room - Alan is insisting that we maintain our 3500 kCal per day, even when not racing...

Stocking up

Never wanting for supplies, our trusty crew have received their latest delivery from Ocado, ready to stow aboard in preparation for the trip to Plymouth...

Ow!

Tuesday 0926
Our first injury! We were all tied up and going for a shower - or should I say showers - we've not been to sea THAT long - and Mike grabbed a halyard instead of a shroud as he was stepping ashore and fell over - and nearly into the harbour. The plasters are satin and very becoming...

Pirates of Penzance

Hi all,
We're safely tucked up in Penzance harbour, all well and hearty, just in time for a shower and a good pint or three of St Austell ale. Many thanks to all for the messages - yes, it was very disappointing but we're in good mood and looking forward to joining the party in plymouth on friday. We plan to stay here overnight - the jetty seems well stocked with barrels of beer and Andrex, so we should be fine...

Disaster!!!!

The first inkling of something wrong was when I noticed blue sky from my bunk - a piece of panneling around the mast had fallen away....
A quick - very quick check revealed that three bolts holding a collet supporting the mast at deck level had sheared, leaving the mast waving merrily at the passing waves. We rapidly brought down all sail to prevent a rig collapse and surveyed the damage. Clearly, competitive sailing was out, so sadly, our race was over. We discussed the possibility of a repair at Kinsale, but it looks like a mast-out job and, since the boat is on charter, with the owners on another boat, we were not in a position to get agreement for repair.
So, we are now retired from the race, slowly motoring our way back to plymouth - probably via Penzance to pick up more fuel.
The crew have been brilliant - although everyone is clearly disappointed, spirits are good as we work our way through Emily's cake.
Trev

What a night!

Tuesday 0730

Well, the forecast 20 to 30 knot winds came in with a vengeance last night, along with a crazy, steep sea that challenged the helms - and it kept it up for most of the night. The wind had increased a little earlier in the evening, necessitating a reef. The first foreboding of something bigger came at around 10, so we put a second reef as a precaution - good call!

We stormed along at up to 10 knots, putting us in a geat position to achieve an extremely good result for the race - maybe even finishing as early as thursday morning. Fingers crossed!

Trev

The search for the deckbrush is a success!

Monday 10 am
A bout of illness among some of the crew necessitated a clean-up. This was almost thwarted by our inability to locate the deck brush. Luckily, David volunteered to descend into the bowels of the boat, so saving us the ignominy of arriving with a dirty boat.
Trev

On a Charge

Mon 1430
We're just approaching the Lizard, after a great day's sail. The wind forced us a little south but we're now approaching our turning point for the Scillies in a couple of hours. The crew is well but the boat seems to be objecting to being so far from home - mainly by means of a battery that keeps going flat with alarming regularity - quite literally - with a 12v alarm going off every two or three hours, indicating a re-charge. And now the engine overheat alarm has joined in, even though the engine seems to be running fine, with cooling water running freely. A quick check of the sensor shows it goes off even when disconnected - maybe a short circuit somewhere??? Hope we have enough fuel to keep the electrics running!
Trev

Off Start Point

0530 Monday
We're going well - put a reef in for a while, when the wind got up above 20 knots but shook it out again after about 6 hours. The wind has shifted about a little, but not as much as forecast and has now lightened considerably - maybe time to change headsails??
Trev

Its rush hour!

Sun - 40 mins to go...
Its getting quite busy out here! There arer yachts everywhere, wekre hanging around at the back, waiting for our turn. The AIS is teaming with targets and we're threading our way through them.
Not long now!
Trev

Ready for the off

Sun - 2 hours to the start
Well, we've now registered for the race - time to get these silly sails down and look serious!
T

The last supper

Had a great meal last night - we're a lot happiet than this - honestly!
Trev

A grim find...

Sat eve
How kind of the nice peole who chartered the yacht before us, to leave 3 packs of bread rolls tucked in under the seats, above the water tanks. Unfortunately, that was three weeks ago and they are now a little past their best. Sadly, I fear we will have to chuck them...
Trev

Getting ready...

Sat eve
All getting shipshape - just making sure we can hoist the storm jib and trysail, which RORC require us to use whilst registering tomorrow...then off for a hearty meal at the Royal Southern YC.
Trev

Almost there now!!

Well, only two days to go!!
The preparations are going well, with most of the food bought – Emily has done a superb job of calculating our needs and organising everybody – she should be an army logistician!!
We’re planning to gather at Ocean Village throughout Saturday – some of the crew have very important, pressing commitments, so will not be there until late (enjoy the rugby, Dan!). There is quite a big job-list, prepping the boat and checking all the gear from top to bottom, stem to stern.
Those nice people at MECSail have got Blue Juice in good order for the race – she was one of the boats selected for inspection by RORC and passed with flying colours.
As well as all the expedition meals, we have eight x 2L bottles of water, currently on Cardice, which will keep them at -40C until we sail – they should provide effective freezer-packs in the fridge!
Nick and I go to Cowes on Saturday afternoon, to pick up the “Skipper’s pack”, decals, flags and tracker and hear the briefing from the RORC Race Officer. Then back to the boat to fit the bits, followed by a hearty meal at the Royal Southampton.
Trev