New Year Wishes

While wishing everyone best wishes for the new year, I'd like to mention a few of my fellow bloggers who have encouraged me during the last 10 months of writing the Bursledon Blog.

Bursledon Bridge

First up is Chris Partridge and his excellent Rowing for Pleasure blog. It was reading Chris's blog which got me started (he did a post on my rowing skiff Gato Negro back in April 2008). Chris is a professional journalist and although I don't claim any professional competence, I've tried to keep things upbeat, concise and easy to read.

Thomas Armstrong at 70.8% is a fellow blogger who shares an appreciation of nautical tradition, small boats, yacht designers, voyaging and pretty much all the things which interest me.

Earlier in the year Adam at Messing About in Boats promoted "Robin Knox Johnston" day for the blogging community. By complete coincidence RKJ's famous ketch Suhaili is ashore at a local boat yard.

From the Mediterranean I've been following Ben at The Invisible Workshop in Spain, while Laia, Mercè and David - Llauts emailed from Mallorca to say "we and other owners are working to give a future at our traditional boats and we have a great respect for the way you use the wodeen boats in the present. Now we are find people as you how is doing things that we want do here"

I confess to having a soft spot for Spain, I'm very fortunate to have travelled widely there on business, especially Bilbao and Barcelona, when I got to know and love the coast and the fantastic food, but most of all the people who are truely"simpatico". Erica and I have also sailed to Galicia and the "Costa del Morte" - that's "coast of death" - maybe if they had told us it was called that before hand, we probably wouldn't have gone there. Check out Una mirada a la Ría de Vigo to see how spectacular the Rias are.

I wish I had Tillerman's competitive streak, but then again I don't sail a laser (well not anymore), mind you I'd like to have him aboard for next years Old Gaffer's Race.

It turns out that I had actually met Bill of Bill's Log back in 1997 in La Coruna (I've used the Spanish spelling). Although I haven't met Ed Hughes I pass his Silhouette called Misty on my way to our yawl Greta now she's laid up in the yard (or on my way to the Jolly Sailor).

Places I mean to visit and will try harder in 2010. The the Dorset coast, there are some great pictures of this spectacular coastline on Mark Rainsley's South West Sea Kayaking. A very good friend has sadly retired from sailing on the east coast, so I need to find another excuse to visit those creeks and rivers, in the meantime I'm following Creeksailor and his adventures in the Blackwater estuary (his blog also has one of my favorite header pictures).

Further a field in the Pacific Northwest Michael AKA Doryman keeps us appraised of the traditional boat movement and his enviable collection of boats, while Erica is a regular visitor to "Dorywoman's" associated knitting blog Mary's Fibre Adventures. Across the east side of the US continent Christina on Bowsprite publishes some great pictures of the New York waterfront scene.

I've been following Dylan Winter and his circumnavigation of the UK Keep Turning Left on YouTube, back in the summer I spotted a really interesting boat Black Diamond in Dylan's episode in West Mersea. A whole trail of email's finally put me in touch with the owner Greg, one of the people who kindly passed on my questions was Juliette who has just restarted her Musings from a muddy Island from West Mersea in the last week or so - welcome back.

Bursledon Pool

Apologies to the people I haven't mentioned specifically, I clearly spend far too much time on the Internet, but let me wish you all the best for 2010.

Max

January Sales!

Despite gift wrapping, the local motor boat dealer doesn't appear to have sold this 48 foot cruiser in the run up to Christmas.

Maybe it will sell in the "January Sails"!

Frosty Morning

What a fantastic morning, a light frost and the prospect of clear skyes to come, early on there was still that hint of pink in the morning horizon.

Down by Brookland Quay the water was flat calm, despite the wind going around to the North during the night.

A small stream flows out into the river just downstream of Brookland Quay, approaching high water, the tide had filled what is often a muddy inlet.

All was still down on the saltings, although I did hear something large stirring in the woods, most probably one of the local roe deer.

The high tide had just about covered the sea grass and the wind had started to ripple the water out on the more exposed river.

Mike Richey

One of the great English sailors Mike Richey sadly died on 22nd December aged 92.

Mike took up ocean racing in the 1950's, but is perhaps best known for his trans-Atlantic racing in Blondie Hasler's famous converted Folkboat - Jester. He purchased Jester in 1964 following the OSTAR race of that year and competed in every subsequent OSTAR until 1988, when Jester was lost some 500 miles off of Nova Scotia.

A trust was formed and a new Jester replica was built in time to compete in the next OSTAR in 1992. A "Jester" therefore competed in every OSTAR until 2000, in the latter years although below the minimum 30 feet length requirement, she entered by special invitation.

I never met Mike, but we did get a friendly wave from him aboard Jester a few years ago, when we were both struggling with very light winds coming out of Cawsand Bay on our way to Falmouth Classics one summer.

Through his writing in the yachting press, Mike could come across as opinionated, but it was based on his own unique experience. I recall when GPS was relatively new, the traditionalists were arguing that yachts should always carry a sextant and charts. Mike took the view that a hand held GPS cost half as much as a good sextant (so you could afford a spare) and a set of AA batteries would get him across the Atlantic.

Dear Santa.....

I've always liked the Tofinou boats built by Latitude 42 in France, but this one is my favorite, a 9.5 meter Tofinou designed by Phillipe Joubert as a high performance day sailer.

Long, with narrow beam and lifting bulb keel, she sports 41 Sq Meters of sail in main and jib, plus a huge asymmetric. With a displacement of 2300Kg the Tofinou is a flyer with looks to match.

I wonder if Santa could get one down my chimney?

A Christmas Tale Part 2

December 22nd 1997 S/Y Blue Clipper

Erica had baked some flapjacks, thinking that they would be a treat during our last two nights at sea. The next morning our position showed that we had made even better progress than we had hoped for, so we ate the last of the flapjacks, a sign of confidence that we would be in Barbados before dark.

The island, although low lying, was sighted in the early afternoon. We sailed to our waypoint off the southern tip to avoid a shoal. Closing the south western coastline we could see trees and white shuttered colonial buildings.

Finally the cruise ship dock at Deep Water Harbour came into sight. Our pilot book said that we needed to radio ahead for permission to enter, so we called them up on the VHF.

“Deep water harbour, this is sailing yacht Blue Clipper requesting entry, over”
Nothing – no reply
“Deep water harbour, this is sailing yacht Blue Clipper requesting entry, over”
Nothing – no reply
Slightly concerned we tried for the third time
“Deep water harbour, this is sailing yacht Blue Clipper requesting entry, over”

“Okey-dokey, welcome, welcome - you jus’come righ’on in”
The strong Caribbean accent was friendly and welcoming, maybe he should have said “man” but he didn’t, still it was the best welcome we could have wished for..

We were quickly tied up alongside and presenting our ships papers and passports to customs and immigration, who were no less friendly. They had just cleared in a cruise ship with 3500 passengers and I think were keen to go home at the end of their shift. Christmas decorations including an artificial tree adorned the small office.
“Port of departure from the Canaries?” he asked assuming like most yachts we had departed from Las Palmas or Tenerife.
“No the Gambia” the blank look on his face at my response had me worried for a moment, clearly they were not used to small sailing boats coming from west Africa - then suddenly he smiled.
“oh sure” Thump!, the big rubber stamp came down.
Our clearance was complete with wishes for a great Christmas.

Back on the boat the tropical twilight was descending fast, we made the short trip south from the cruise dock and around to the anchorage in Carlisle Bay. It took us about thirty minutes to get there, by which time it was completely dark. We made our way in cautiously, guided by the lights ashore, moving slowly through the bay we could make out the dark shapes of the anchored yachts around us.

The anchor chain ran out in 12 meters, Blue Clipper finally coming to rest after three long weeks – 21 days at sea. On the shore we could make out the trees, and the buildings, one of which was a church, drifting across the water was the sound of gospel singing. We sat in the dark, in the warm sweet air, listening to the carol singing, we didn’t speak much, it was enough to just be there.

A Christmas Tale Part 1

December 21st 1997 S/Y Blue Clipper

Our daily plot, showed we had just over 200Nm to go to Barbados, as a check I put a waypoint into the GPS for a position about two miles off the southern tip of the island. Clicking the “go to” feature gave us the accurate distance and estimated time of arrival; if we maintained our course and speed we would be there in two days, the 23rd of December and in time for Erica to ring her parents before Christmas.

The following morning we were able to pick up the local FM radio stations from Barbados. We were alone, on a small yacht, on a wide blue ocean, under the tropical sun listening to Christmas carols being played across the airwaves.
Weird! But I just couldn’t stop singing “Frosty the Snowman”.

With our goal in sight, we drove the boat hard, sailing as fast as possible, as fast as we dared, still conscious that we were still a long way off shore, so couldn’t afford any mistakes or breakages.

During the night watches I couldn’t resist listening to the radio, the proximity was fascinating and delightful, carol singers and jingle bells.