Manic Myth

The CSORC Fastnet Crew have now completed their third RORC race of the season on Blue Juice - the Myth of Malham race held over the late May Bank Holiday weekend. We now have sufficient miles under our belt to meet the Fastnet qualifying criteria and what a way to get there. It was easily the most challenging two days of sailing that most of us have experienced.

We prepared for the race in our customary manner; meeting up in Ocean Village on Thursday evening and pre-positioning ourselves in Cowes for the early morning start. On the way across, we made the discovery that the main sail had a small tear on the luff just above the first reefing point. We repaired with tape after arriving in Cowes and, fortunately, it held up to everything the elements threw at us. This left just enough time for a pint and a bite to eat in the Anchor before retiring for the night.

Friday morning arrived with unpromising conditions that proved to be a portent for what was eventually to come - dark grey skies and a fresh NW breeze. After ablutions and breakfast we motored out to register, raised sails and then joined the other yachts jockeying for position at the upwind end of the start line. After a conservative start with one reef in our main, we started the long tack sailing best course to windward all the way to Start Point. This was punctuated by lowering the jib to insert forgotten battens and a makeshift repair to the upper wire of the port guard rail. Equipment failures were to become a recurring theme for the weekend, although the problems we had on Blue Juice were minor compared to some of our competitors. There was one dismasting, one retirement due to a cracked mast, one man overboard - thankfully recovered safely - and several head injuries from swinging booms reported over the VHF as conditions deteriorated on day 2 of the race.

As Friday wore on and we passed Portland Bill the weather improved greatly. The threatened showers did not materialise - except for an impromptu salt water shower for those of us hiking on the windward rail - and by late afternoon we had clear blue skies, albeit with the wind dipping to force 3 Westerly. Our spirits were heartened by Nick's excellent lamb casserole and the magnificent sight of over 60 yachts in our field of view. Start Point was reached around midnight in a freshening breeze, followed by a frustratingly slow beat down to Eddystone in a now choppy sea.

We rounded Eddystone at 06:30 and began the long run home under white sails whilst we got accustomed to the change in conditions and with every intention of raising the spinnaker after gybing round Start Point. The following waves proved to be tricky and wearying for the helm and, by the time we arrived at Start Point the wind had risen to force 6 before eventually peak at force 7 gusting force 8. Discretion prevailed at this point and the kite was returned to the forepeak - a decision that many others arrived at very soon after us.

Arrival at Start Point also demanded a tactical decision; stand on into Lyme Bay to avoid the worst of the opposing tide or gybe out and ride the bigger waves. We went for the Lyme Bay option, gybing when east of Torquay.

Notwithstanding this, we were still proceeding with gritted teeth in very tough conditions and helms were changed regularly as exhaustion took its toll. Special note must go to Trevor for achieving a top speed of 16 knots when surfing a particularly large wave and Brian (pictured top) for dipping the end of the boom into the drink without broaching the boat.

Swanage was passed in early evening and, after gybing into shelter, we fortified our constitutions with some beef stew that had very nearly ended up all over the saloon during preparation. We were all delighted and relieved to reach the finish line at 21:17 in a creditable 85th place out of 113 finishers and sparing a thought for the 11 Did Not Finish entrants.

Andy (bottom picture - awake)

De Guingand Bowl - Greenwich LV and Back

Crew: Trevor Drew, Nick Bowles, Alan Voysey, Andy Lapsley, Dan Groves, David Balding, Emily Shrosbree, Jonathan Law.

Friday evening saw us gathering excitedly at Ocean Village for our second race with Blue Juice. We headed across to East Cowes to berth for the night, around which we chased some wild geese for a good half hour before finally locating some chop suey and chips. Perhaps not the most nourishing of pre-race suppers, but very welcome nonetheless.

Saturday morning brought sunshine and a modest force 4 for our 08:40 start. We headed west out of the Solent and rounded Bridge, witnessing some very slick spinnaker hoists from our competition [Bob and Tonnere de Breskens!].

We experimented with our own novel spinnaker-hoisting technique (sideways), but soon resorted to more conventional methods and successfully managed our first gybe as a crew. Things then got a bit fruity and having witnessed several boats getting into difficulties we decided it was best to get the jib up and the kite down before we got into any trouble. Not quite soon enough though, as we broached and had to rescue the kite from the water.

Once things had settled down, we dug into some exotic elk meat salami and some rather less exotic regulation ham and cheese rolls to soak up the adrenalin. We continued to keep good pace under white sails, surfing along in beautiful seas to the tune of a planing hull. We rounded the Greenwich Light Ship in lovely evening light, briefly dipping our toes into the eastern hemisphere before starting the long overnight upwind leg.

Two AM saw us bathing in dramatic yellow moonlight as we zig-zagged west towards the entrance to the Solent coming in between No Man's Land and Horse Sand forts. We crossed the line just in time for breakfast, with a further 170 qualifying miles under our lifebelts and a 43^rd placing overall in IRC – a great race!

Emily

Rock 'n roll to Le Havre

RORC Cervantes Trophy 2011

Crew: Trevor Drew, Nick Bowles, Alan Voysey, Andy Lapsley, Dan Groves, David Balding, Emily Shrosbree, Jane Harris, Jonathan Law, Mike Yogarajah.
It was with some trepidation that the crew assembled at Ocean Village on Friday afternoon, to prepare for the first race of the season, which, for some, was their first offshore race and for others, their first race ever!!
The forecast didn’t do much to allay any anxieties, with strong easterly winds on Saturday, building over the next few days. Accordingly, we made sure everything was ship-shape and set off for Cowes, where we were to spend the night, as we’ve all found it easier to get up at 6am than 4am. A modest libation and a meal at the Anchor was the scene for the major decision of the campaign – what names to give to the two watches. Given the day, it was a no-brainer – I led William Watch and Nick led Kate Watch!
The race course was straightforward, taking us out through the Needles, around the fairway buoy, then easterly beat to the Nab tower and straight to Le Havre. Saturday morning was much as forecast with strong easterlies. This presented two challenges to the relatively novice crew – a spinnaker start and a beat along the southern coast of the island. Given a large fleet of 110 boats, we decided to start on the outer end of the line, which was less populated. And, since the crew had hardly ever flown a spinnaker, we elected to start with the jib and put the spinnaker up later. This, and short confusion as to whether we were OCS, did not give us the best of starts!
But we settled down and led the back of the fleet to the Needles.
Again, with our precautionary approach in the F5-6 winds, we dropped the spinny off Yarmouth and rounded the Fairway buoy without problems and onto the long beat to the Nab against the building ebb. This was hard work, with only a couple of Challenger yachts for company, but we made reasonable time and were fortunate in completing the eastern half of the island on a single beat. We rounded the Nab with some relief, bringing the long beat to an end.
We made our way south, dodging a number of large ships in the process, on one occasion having to pass ahead of one and immediately duck behind another running in parallel. A spectacular thunderstorm announced our safe passage across the channel, but we nipped out under the clouds before the rain fell and the early morning found us off Le Havre. We had to tack a few times to make the finishing line, crossing at 06:34 on Sunday.
The forecast predicted even stronger winds on Monday, so we did a quick U-turn and headed home, filling ourselves with hot chilli and pasta – yum! The early part of the return journey was pretty benign (see pic), but it got windier and lumpier as we got closer to the British coast and, by all accounts, those who stayed in La Havre had a pretty hairy journey back.
Our placing, last in IRC2 and 90th IRC overall might seem a little disappointing, but given the crew’s lack of any spinnaker experience and the strong winds, also coming in only two hours after the leading First 40.7, I’m not disappointed. We came home safe and uninjured, and the race has given the crew a real sense of what they might experience in the Fastnet itself, also giving us something to build on in the future. Thanks to all the crew for their sterling efforts!
Trev

Cervantes Trophy is filled

We have a full crew list for the RORC Cervantes Trophy race to Le Havre:
Trevor Drew (Skipper); Nick Bowles (1st Mate); David Balding; Dan Groves; Jane Harris; Andy Lapsley; Jonathan Law; Alan Voysey; Michael Yogarajah; Emily Shrosbree.
The race starts on Saturday morning at 07:50 off Cowes - our boat, Blue Juice, is berthed in Ocean Village, Southampton, so we'll go to Cowes on Friday night (Note to self - buy nurofen).
I think Jonathan has volunteered to bring a cooked meal down, so we should be in fine fettle for the race the following morning.
The list of starters is not huge, with 109 boats currently registered - but a very good turnout for the first race of the season. And there are some big boys among them - including the fabulous Farr 52, "Bob" and all four Challenger yachts. Within our Class 2 fleet of 25 yachts, there are four other First 40.7s, along with three Reflex 38s and two Prima 38s - so there will be some pretty close racing. Can't wait!
Trev

Fastnet Campaign - Race training weekend

We all met up on the Friday night for an early start...well, almost! [Sorry ... Nick] This was the first opportunity for most of the crew to see the boat that we would be racing. We spent a couple of hours crawling over her, getting to know the nooks and crannies, as well as stowing gear and finding out what all the ropes do. And, of course, a nice meal. We spent the Saturday in the eastern Solent, learning the art of fast tacking and spinnaker launches and drops, along with practising knots and sail trimming. Mooring overnight in Cowes Yacht Haven, we enjoyed an excellent Thai meal, followed by a fair few beers in the Island Sailing Club. On Sunday, we went West, getting used to gybing and a lot more spinnaker work, also practicing man-overboard drill and even trying out the emergency tiller (it worked!). So, we're now all set for our first race to Le Havre!

Trev

And what lovely weather for a first sail of the year. Keep on hiking, guys!

Nick

Wet behind the ears?

Well, we completed our ISAF Offshore Safety course. The course was held over two days at Hamble School of Yachting and is a mixture of lectures and practicals on all aspects of yacht safety, emergency drills and survival techniques. We had lots of fun letting off flares and fire extinguishers, as well as “wet work” – involving towing each other up and down the swimming pool, inflating a liferaft, righting it and all piling in - a very efficient way for us all to get to know one another!
Although the ISAF requirements only require a third of the crew to do the course, it is CSORC policy for all to complete it. We are grateful to CSSA for providing a grant for half the cost, which is matched by CSORC, so the course was free to the crew.

Trev

Party!!

From the RORC Website:

In an effort to absorb the large waiting list for the Rolex Fastnet Race, the Royal Ocean Racing Club have decided to increase the number of places available to IRC yachts by removing the 'professionally' sailed classes from the 300 entry limit. The Volvo Ocean 70s, IMOCA 60s, Class 40s and Multihulls, who will race under their own class rules, will be counted over and above the previous 300 entry limit.
The Rolex Fastnet Race reached its entry limit 10 days after opening and over 130 boats are on the waiting list. "We were staggered at the speed with which people signed up," said RORC Commodore Andrew McIrvine. "We had to do something to satisfy the huge interest, and taking the non IRC yachts out of the total is a fair solution allowing more loyal RORC racers to get their boats into the race."Removing the non-IRC classes will add about 50 more places to the total. "We are delighted that the Volvo's and IMOCA's want to compete in the race and that the Class 40's are coming en-masse," said RORC Chief Executive, Eddie Warden Owen. "It shows the popularity of the Rolex Fastnet that these professionally sailed boats want to join the race. However without this initiative, they would be taking valuable places away from less experienced offshore racers who view this race as a great personal challenge - their 'Everest' of sailing."
Sutton Harbour increase berthing capacity
To cater for the number of boats arriving in Plymouth, Sutton Harbour Marina has increased the amount of space by making the whole of the berthing area adjacent to West Pier and the Barbican available to the Rolex Fastnet fleet. Sutton Harbour has also become the official berth provider for the race and Chief Executive Nigel Godfroy is pleased to be associated with the race. "Sutton Harbour Marina welcomes the return of this world famous race," said Nigel. "We are very proud of the quality of facilities we have here in Sutton Harbour and being selected as the official berthing provider for the Rolex Fastnet Race. We look forward to welcoming the extra large fleet in August this year."
To accommodate the increased number of entries, space has been booked in Queen Anne's Battery, adjacent to Sutton Harbour and in Plymouth Yacht Haven in the Cattewater, where a water taxi service will be set up to connect competitors with the race office based at Sutton Harbour. The 2011 Rolex Fastnet Race starts in Cowes, Isle of Wight on Sunday 14 August.

Looks like the party's just got bigger!

Trev