Preparations are well under way for the ARC. We have a full crew complement, and have installed most of the equipment that we need for the crossing, which includes a second chart plotter at the helm, radar switched to the helm where we need it most in fog, AIS (automatic identification system), tricolour light at the masthead with LED bulbs, LED infra red night lights in the saloon (LED lamps use very little power), a state-of-the-art wind generator to keep the batteries topped up, 80 metres of galvanised anchor chain to keep us safe at anchor, a de-salinator water maker that produces 30 litres of fresh drinking water per hour from seawater, and a whole host of safety gear to rely upon in case of emergency. What this boat doesn't have is not worth having! We reckon we have one of the best equipped sailing craft in the UK, and we are very proud of her.
D-day for leg one (La Coruna, Northern Spain) is planned for 3rd September (weather permitting), so we should be across Biscay in the (hopefully) good weather, and from then onwards we will be into the warm(er) climates with the added benefit of the Portugal and Canary currents helping us down towards Madeira and the Canaries.
1 May 2012
[Captains Blog] Channel Island Cruise
We have had our first shake-down sail of Jay Jay recently when we took her down to the Channel Islands for a few days. Sailing down to Guernsey took us 17.5 hours, leaving in the evening, and doing most of the journey in the dark. Having recently had AIS (Automatic Identification System) fitted, I was really looking to test this tool. It proved to be invaluable crossing the TSS (Traffic Separation Scheem - something resembling a motorway system for commercial vessels which we have to cross at right angles to the oncoming traffic). This was Debra's first exposure to night time TSS traffic and she passed through it admirably. Given that there were three of us on deck, Me, Debra and Phil (Chuck) it's amazing how being under pressure to avoid leviathons wighing several thousand tonnes apiece that are continuing at full speed in their chosen direction brings out the team spirit: Debra was on the helm, Phil with the binoculars glued to his face, and I was interpreting the AIS overlay on the chartplotter.
Once through the TSS things settled down somewhat and I was left on watch for a time on my own as we neared Guernsey. Just before dawn (the darkest hour) the temperature dropped, and I was feeling a bit cold, but Debra came back up to relieve me and I hit the duvet to warm up. Pilotage into St Peter Port worked like a dream, and soon we were approaching the waiting area for the marina. We decided not to go into the marina after all, and opted for a tide-unencumbered place on one of the visitors pontoons in the harbour so we could leave at any time for Jersey.
We spent an enjoyable couple of days wandering around the island, taking the buses to remote areas and walking back over the coastal paths to civilisation. Then we were off to Jersey. The trip was short, and we outpaced some French sailors (much to their annoyance, no doubt) to arrive in St Helier. Having radioed ahead to make sure we had a place in the marina, we polled up and passed through the marina entrance gates. The original place we found was apparently too shallow for our draft, so we had to move into deeper water further along the same pontoon. All seemed very quiet, and we went into the town to explore. On our return, the marina seemed to be much busier, due to the fact that there were two separate French races/rallies and over 150 boats had joined the throng, some rafted up 4 and 5 deep in very tight confines. We only had one boat rafted against us, and Judi could not get her head around the fact that the neighbouring crew members had to cross our boat around the bow to get to the pontoon. I tried to explain that it was standard etiquette, and that they were being as quiet and as unintrusive as possible, but she still looked at them with daggers drawn as their lower legs passed the saloon windows.
We left Jersey half a day earlier than planned to make the most of the wind, and returned to Guernsey for another night. We had checked the GRIB files for the weather forecast, and determined that the best time to leave was going to be 3am to get the best of the tides around Guernsey and the winds across the channel. At 3:10, we slipped our moorings and departed in the dark. Three sightings of Dolphins added to the crossing, as did the arrival of a Spotted Flycatcher who decided to have a rest on the deck for a while. When it had recovered a bit, it flew around Jay Jay twice, landed on the dinghy about a foot from my shoulder, looked me in the eye as if to say "Thanks for the lift", and flew away towards England.
Shortly after that, the winds dropped and we had to motor the last 4 hours back into Plymouth. All in all, Jay Jay performed brilliantly, and we are very pleased with her. We are now looking forward to doing much more aboard before setting off in September.
Once through the TSS things settled down somewhat and I was left on watch for a time on my own as we neared Guernsey. Just before dawn (the darkest hour) the temperature dropped, and I was feeling a bit cold, but Debra came back up to relieve me and I hit the duvet to warm up. Pilotage into St Peter Port worked like a dream, and soon we were approaching the waiting area for the marina. We decided not to go into the marina after all, and opted for a tide-unencumbered place on one of the visitors pontoons in the harbour so we could leave at any time for Jersey.
We spent an enjoyable couple of days wandering around the island, taking the buses to remote areas and walking back over the coastal paths to civilisation. Then we were off to Jersey. The trip was short, and we outpaced some French sailors (much to their annoyance, no doubt) to arrive in St Helier. Having radioed ahead to make sure we had a place in the marina, we polled up and passed through the marina entrance gates. The original place we found was apparently too shallow for our draft, so we had to move into deeper water further along the same pontoon. All seemed very quiet, and we went into the town to explore. On our return, the marina seemed to be much busier, due to the fact that there were two separate French races/rallies and over 150 boats had joined the throng, some rafted up 4 and 5 deep in very tight confines. We only had one boat rafted against us, and Judi could not get her head around the fact that the neighbouring crew members had to cross our boat around the bow to get to the pontoon. I tried to explain that it was standard etiquette, and that they were being as quiet and as unintrusive as possible, but she still looked at them with daggers drawn as their lower legs passed the saloon windows.
We left Jersey half a day earlier than planned to make the most of the wind, and returned to Guernsey for another night. We had checked the GRIB files for the weather forecast, and determined that the best time to leave was going to be 3am to get the best of the tides around Guernsey and the winds across the channel. At 3:10, we slipped our moorings and departed in the dark. Three sightings of Dolphins added to the crossing, as did the arrival of a Spotted Flycatcher who decided to have a rest on the deck for a while. When it had recovered a bit, it flew around Jay Jay twice, landed on the dinghy about a foot from my shoulder, looked me in the eye as if to say "Thanks for the lift", and flew away towards England.
Shortly after that, the winds dropped and we had to motor the last 4 hours back into Plymouth. All in all, Jay Jay performed brilliantly, and we are very pleased with her. We are now looking forward to doing much more aboard before setting off in September.
1 Feb 2012
[Captains Blog] Captain Peewit is back at the helm.
We have just signed up for the ARC - an Atlantic crossing of some 2600 miles of open ocean which departs from Gran Canaria on 25th November. Our boat Jay Jay will be one of over 200 craft setting off on the same day to cross the pond, destination Rodney Bay, St Lucia.
During the coming months, we will be preparing the boat for the journey, trying out all the kit to make sure it works, and then we will be heading off in stages to cover the 1800 miles or so to the Canaries via Madeira arriving there in good time to enjoy the pre-event festivities.
I will be posting my blog at every opportunity.
During the coming months, we will be preparing the boat for the journey, trying out all the kit to make sure it works, and then we will be heading off in stages to cover the 1800 miles or so to the Canaries via Madeira arriving there in good time to enjoy the pre-event festivities.
I will be posting my blog at every opportunity.
15 Oct 2011
[Captains Blog] Back in the UK
During the passage to Gibraltar, I failed to report the fact that I had damaged my thumb when a rope wrapped itself around it and pulled it out of its socket. I strapped it up as best I could and persevered on to the Mediterranean using my had as best as I could. It now turns out that I have done more damage to my hand than I thought - I have ruptured the tendon in my thumb which has meant that I now have a cast on my hand to immobilise the thumb for at least 2 months. If at the end of this time there is no significant improvement in my ability to grip with the thumb (as in a pinching action) I may end up having to have some surgery. Hopefully I will repair!
1 Oct 2011
[Captains Blog] Gibraltar
Had a tiring day today crawling all over the Rock. Started off by taking the cable car up to the top to visit the rellies; there were several Barbary Apes around playing about in and out of pipes, posing for the cameras, trying to steal any food they caught sight of or smelled. Then it was off to St Michael's Cave. Three quarters of a mile away at the farthest south end of the rock. Impressive columns of stalagmites and stalactites (know the difference? Tights come down!) and even an auditorium to capitalise on the accoustics. Undaunted by the distance, I then plodded the next 2 miles or more to the other end of the rock to the siege tunnels, hacked out of the rock by hand by the british soldiers enabling the artillery to be brought to bear unchallenged on the Spanish beseiging army. Enterprising or what? After that, it was a quick sortie to the WWII excavations (big enough to house a garrison of over 16000 men including hospitals, canteens, sleeping and recreation areas as well as mission control) and down the hill to the Moorish castle. Continuing down to sea level took another hour or so and then back to the hotel for a long soak and a siesta.
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