Hobie Challenge

20th November 2008 - ITS ALL OVER

2008-11-20T16:39:28+01:00

I sit writing this on a dreary dark, November afternoon - so removed from the antics of this summers Hobie Challenge that it is hard to believe that only a few weeks ago we were fending off sunburn on the final leg to Salcombe.

I felt i was long overdue a final catch up on the blog and to be honest i have really missed the daily routine of sitting down and bashing the keys - something that i never thought i would ever say!

So what has happened since the last blog?

Well we managed to raise over £20,000 for the charities which although not as much as the £35,000 we had set our sights on is a respectable sum given the current economic malaise. I have endeavoured to thank all those that donated but would also like to take this final oportunity to again thank for all the generous donations and sponsorship that we received.

I returned home to Rutland and was surprised at how easy it was to slip back into ordinary daily life, with my family happy to have me back under the same roof again. Work has been quiet, meaning a gentle slide back into the office chair rather than a manic 100m dash - a mixed blessing i suppose.

Stuart is well and has been travelling a great deal with work since - including Asia and Europe and agreed that getting back into routine proved considerably easier than he imagined.

Pete has just finished decorating the outside of his house whilst entertaining his grandchildren and i get the feeling is look for his next challenge.

Tony has clearly not been put of camping altogether and has bought a Mercedes campervan and has headed off to Southern Spain for the winter

Giz is glad to be back under a roof and living it up in Winchester - i understand from Stuart that she is enjoing drying out - i suspect that relates to her clothing not drinking

Charlie managed to sucessfully secure a place at Exeter University and is enjoying reading engineering.

Having allowed time to pass how do i feel when i reflect on the challenge?

Well if i were to do it again i would allow twice the time and use a camper van as oposed to a caravan. I would definatly use a Hobie Cat - great piece of kit.

HIGH? - too many to mention but ....The generousity and support that we received from people on the way around, Port Patrick sticks out in my mind after that bad day at sea, Supper at Rick Steins was great, some awsome sailing and wildlife AND the fact that we didnt capsize once!! nBut most of all meeting and getting to know a great crew.

One other fact Stuart and i lived in each others pockets day and night, slept once foot away from each other and only twice did we slightly raise out voices - and by that i dont mean shout, merely dissagree!! So Stu thanks for being great and being you!

LOWS? - Very few. The cold in June, Towing the Hobie more that we wanted, going through the canal and hassle with the caravan.

So i think that is about it...

I will try and put some photos on the web site, hope its still current.

One final thought, if you are considering any challenge however big or small, please just try and do it, life is too short not to. This fact has been reinforced to me by the fact that my father was taken seriously ill at the end of September. Luckily he is anticipated to make a full recovery, still life is for the taking!!!

So its time for me to log off once and for all

Till the next challenge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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FRIDAY 8TH AUGUST AND SUNDAY 9TH AUGUST - WEYMOUTH TO SALCOMBE!!!!!!!

2008-08-09T14:09:37+02:00

As always the weather forcast first thing this morning had changed - and it wasnt ideal! Gust of up to Force 7 wind direction varying from North Westerly (ideal) To South Westerly - headwind - awful!

We left camp ahead of Tony and Giz moving for the final time to Salcombe. We all agreed that it didnt feel different to the other moves - it has become so routine, almost automatic - we are now a well oiled machine!

So we left camp at 7am, arrived at Castle cove 7.30 - amazing how quickly you can get through Weymouth when there is no traffic - not sure the Olympics will work here unless the roads are upgraded - it cannot manage with the local traffic let alone the extra traffic generated by the Olympics.

Having pumped up the tender rowed out to the RIB we finally set off at 8am.

Portland Bill is notoriuos for having massive tides and usually large seas, today was no exception! On rounding the bill the wind blew - and quite hard - perhaps a good Force 5. And it came from the West meaning a MUCH harder sail.

Because it was so lumpy out at sea we were unable to take the straight line across the bay - quite simply doing 42 miles offshore in those conditions in a dinghy - whilst exciting - would have been nutty. This meant that we had to sail into lee of Lyme bay for protection. Of course having done so the Wind was now a headwind so we had to go under tow.

We tried sailing again later - having stopped for a quick lunch off the wreck of the Napoli (container ship that the locals stole the contents from the beach) - but by now the wind had dropped away - it was hard to believe it was the same day.

Whilst having lunch the coastguard issued a weather update on the VHF (A useful source of info throught the trip except they have been on strike on and off throughout the summer) and it gave - NW Force 2-4, veering Southwest 4-7 later.

We were pleased to be able to sail the last secor! and the sunshine came out in force for our return - seeing Salcombe in all her glory. Of all the places that we have visited on this trip - i still say (Yes i am bias)that Salcombe is one of the most beautiful, if not the most beautiful!

Our welcome in Salcombe was great - if a little unusual in part!

Jamie Fisher - thanks for the personal welcome - a naked salute - i will blog a photo if i can get my hands on it, also Caroline and Milly as well as the Merrimans came out to greet us as did a hole host of other small boats.

Pete (RIB Skipper) nipped into salcombe and brought a load of supporters including Dad and others to welcome us in.

Having spent 10 hours on the water and managed to get ahead of the unsailable weather that is to follow - Stuart and i felt relief rather than elation, but also a great sense of pride at our achievement, and that of the rest of the crew also.

One strange comment from Caroline was - "Have you whitened your teeth"? It appears that due to the sun tan my teeth appear whiter!! An unexpected bonus i guess?

Once boats were safely stored away for the night we all ajourned to the Kings Arms top bar for a celebratory drink. It was lovely to see so many old faces - Tubes(From BVI) Trippy, Frenchie, Katherine and many more.

We The team and Mum and Dad then adjourned back to camp - Alston Farm Nr Kingsbridge for a curry fest - a takeaway from Kingsbridge - and excellent it was too.

Must admit that by this stage we were a little tired and all headed for bed by 10.30pm

All in all a great day!

SATURDAY 9TH AUGUST

We awoke to heavy grey skies and teeming rain - quite a contrast to the glorious day yesterday.

I looked out of the window over the estuary and noticed a large RIB gently slipping its mooring and trundling down the estuary! Into action - ran down the hill, jumped into my little tender RIB and retreived it!! Not quite the start to the day that i had in mind!!

Sturt, Pete, Charlie and i then set about emptying the RIB of its kit, de-rigging the Hobie and putting it on its road trailer - ready for the journey home - in the pooring rain. Remided me of getting ready for the trip, the only difference being that this rain was walm - thankfully. All of this had to be completed by 1pm. The Red Arrows are supposed to be displaying this afternoon in Salcombe and all roads were being closed at 1pm - seems a little excessive to me!

This afternoon is a quite on ahead of Red Arrows (If the weather improves), a drink in town then a final Giz supper back at camp for the team and prize giving - i will tell all tomorrow.

My aplogies for not having photos to put onto the blog - i am borrowing my parents computer to write this but will endeavour to have some within the next 48 hours.

So its done. We did it. and we didnt even capsize - sadly that is the part that amazes me most.
It has yet to sink in, we all still feel like it is ongoing. I think it will take a week or so to filter through.

Tomorrow Tony and Stuart are leaving with the caravan and heading back to Rutland, Giz is going to collect her car and drop Charlie off at a station so he can train back to Haslemere and Pete is going to ride his motorbike back to Exmouth. I am planning to stay for a couple of days and spend time with the family - having said that if the weather doesnt improve we will head for home sooner rather than later. Back to routine, back to reality.......

Till next time......

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THURSDAY 7TH AUGUST - WEYMOUTH

2008-08-07T21:42:57+02:00

As predicted today was a no sail day - wind from the South West - meaning a head wind, so we took the oportunity to enjoy a relaxing day here in what turned out to be sunny Dorset.

Having looked at the weather forcast first thing - ish - we realised that the optimum time to sail tomorrow is 8am. The issue we had was that the Hobie is securely locked in the Castle cove sailing club and we dont have a key.

Pete called the Sarah the vice - commodore who kindly agreed to meet us so we could take the Hobie out to the mooring with the RIB.

Because the forcast rain had failed to materialise and it was a clear sunny day, we siezed the oportunity for all of us bar Stuart (who had to write a baord report for work) to hop in th RIb and explore this amazing coastine. I wanted to see Lulworth cove from the sea!

I promise to upload some photos when in Salcombe, the speed here is such that it would take 20 minutes for each photo, suffice to say the scenery was stunning.

On arrival at Lulworth cove we grabbed a sanwich and sat at anchor in the bay lapping up the hot sunshine and enjoying the view - and to be honest not being on the pebble beach with the day trippers.

Having refulled the RIB from jerry cans for the very last time - we headed back to camp via the local supermarket to vital up.

This evening was a jolly affair, remeniscising about the trip, peoples highs and lows and enjoying another delicious Giz feast - one thing is for sure the waistline will not miss her cooking!

Tomorrow the forcast is still for a 4 from the North west, there is talk of it being a westerly which will cause us to head south way off shore and tack all the way back - adding significantly to mileage - just have to wait and see! Its a 60 mile day - in a straight line.

So we plan to leave camp at 7am and be sailing by 8-8.15. All being well we aim to arrive in Salcombe for mid afternoon. There is a chance that marco, the Salcombe lifeboat Coxwain may come out to greet us which would be lovely, also i have to do a couple of interviews for local radio and papers - i hate it but it goes with the terratory. I am also rally looking forward to seeing Caoline and Milly again.

Tomorrow is an early evening drink at the Kings Arms then head back to campsite for a takeaway curry with the crew plus my parents and hopefully Milly and Caroline.

Saturday is a day of preparing everything for home - Take the Hobie out, de rig etc, clean out the RIb and caravan etc.... We hace acquired sooo much kit i am afraid it will take an age.

Saturday evening has been titled - "The last Supper". Giz is going to wow us with her final ensemble and i have a couple of awards to present to the crew.

Sunday then is the day that everybody heads off - not one that i relish. We have formed a really special bond and often it is not until you reflect on these events that you realise how special it was - i think this will be no exceptioh.

So tomorrow is Lyme Bay a biggy - one of the biggest offshore legs - hitting circa 25 miles offshore - i hope that the winds are favourable and we have a great sailing day - no towing PLEASE.

I may well struggle to blog tomorrow due to other demands - but i will blog on Saturday and hopefully have time to upload some photos.

Till next time...................

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WEDNESDAY 6TH AUGUST - LYMINGTON TO WEYMOUTH

2008-08-06T18:44:12+02:00

The day started well with a drive to Lymington taking us for 30 minutes throught the beautiful New Forest. It appears that a number of ponies have recently foaled as evidenced by the numbers seen - Milly i know you would have loved it. Went through a lovely village called Burley - well worth a visit.

On arriving in Lymington we quickly prepared and set off. Due to the wind direction and hugh tidal race we always knew we would have to tow until the needles - which we did.

There was a hell of a tide race at off Hurst Castle and a number of very rough looking overfalls also.

Havign passed the needles we soon set sail. The forcast was a 3-4 from the South. Direction was accurate but sadly not wind stregth. We sailed at about 3 knots for a couple of hours until it died off then reluctalntly towed- Agghhh!

Having passed St Albans head as we rounded the corner, the scenery changed to beautifully dramatic sea cliffs - stunning

We are currently moored at Castle Cove sailing club in Portland Harbour - Sarah the vice commodore and Barry the boatman were lovely and have sorted both boats with moorings until we leave.

On that subject - have just checked the weather and it still remains unsailable tomorrow and OK for Friday - so fingers crossed.

it is going to chuck it down tomorrow - the plan is to visit Lulworth cove - and the surrounding area - it looked stunning as we passed at sea.

I feel sad that all being well we only have one more days sailing - i cannot believe that this fantastic adventure is comming to an end. We will have sailed 1,700 miles (Becasue of the Caledonian canal - i now wish we had continued round it - my only regret of the trip), the car has clocked up over 10,000 miles - and generally some of the kit is starting to show wear and tear.

I must dash for a shower as we are having an early supper then plannning on watching the Bucket list.

Till next time.......

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MONDAY 4TH AUGUST - COWES TO LYMINGTON

2008-08-05T18:27:42+02:00

This is take 2 - all due to the internet line crashing as i was uploading it so please forgive me if this falls below standard!!!

On Sunday night i rechecked the weather and the focast for Monday was force 4 in the morning increasing to 6 perhaps 7 in the late afternoon. Also to consider was the fact that the RIb was in Itchenor, The Hobie somewhat abandondened on the slip in Cowes. Further,being Cowes week the racing usually starts at 10-10.30am and we would need to be clear of the area by that time to ensure we didnt get in the way of the 1,000 yachts that are racing this year.

Although Lymington is only 8 miles from Cowes we also faced a 4-5 knto tide against us and the wind was a South Westerly - a full on headwind.

This all meant that there exited a window of oportunity to leave Cowes early, avoid the racing yachts and the strong wind and get to Lymington. This would enable camp to be moved ahead and reunite the RIB and Hobie once again in the same location.

So it was decided to move on Monday - Giz and Tony moving on to near Puddletown in Dorset, roughly equidistant between Lymington and Weymouth - our next planned port of call.

We packed up and left camp at 6.30am, collected Charlie from Itechenor and finally arrived in Cowes at 8.45am.

We were releived to see the Hobie still in place - nobody seemed to be bothered at all - much to our surpricse - we quickly rigged her and launched her. Having done so we were very please to see Ellen McArther on the Island Sailign club jetty, adjacent to the one the Hobie was on, with her dog, setting off for a days racing, sadly we didnt get to chat as she supports the Rainbows charity also.

It took from 9am to 12.45 to sail the 8 miles to Lymington. Our GPS recorded a distance of 25 miles covered - all due to tacking between the mainland and The Isle of White many times to reach our destination.

Having found a place to leave the Hobie at the Lymington Town Sailing club and the RIB on the Harbour masters jetty, we set off to Bucklers Hard for a qucik sandwich.

This was a very exciting journey - the wind had - as predicted - increased and was now blowing a good force 6, perhaps 7. the VHF in the RIb was constantly ringing out Maydays as yachts collided and had engine failure - to such an extent that the Coastguard ordered a total radio silence!

We passed through the fleet at 25 knts - ti was stunning, all the boats heeling over with numerous crews sitting on the rail to counterbalance the boat - i have raced here several times and love the buzz and atmosphere of it all - and it seems infectous, all the others including Tony, Stuart, Pete etc.. all felt the same.

On the way back from Butlers Hard, i put the RIB through her paces, 20 knts plus into the wind and seas, luckily the later were small due to the shelter offered by the Isle of white - nonetheless, it was a ride that excited us all!

Giz collected us at 6.30 and we returned to our new campsite - about and hour and quarter by road from Lymington.

On first impresssions the site was good (we have evolved a scoring system for each element of each site from view, showers etc, and the immediate environment was promising - located in a wooded disused quarry - THATS WHERE I ENDED!

Where do i start?

Trains - yes the tent is 50 meters from a railway line that each time a train heads North - it Hoots is horn - right by our tent - as it approaches the level crossing near the site entrance - we all still jump every time. I can confirm that the trains start at 6.30am!!

What next?

The Loos - oa reasonable looking loo block - i selected trap No2 for my morning constitutional and in i went. On closing the door i was surprised by a sign that read "please shut toilet lid after use" Seemed somewhat bossy?

I duly prepared myself for the tak at hand and having removed the appropriate clothing, lifted the loo seat - to find myself staring down at 10ft cesspuit. Undeterred i adopetd the pose, but found myself imagining numerous small children who fell down the loo never to be found again. I must confess that i normally loiter when undertaking this task, but today was out in 35 seconds flat - i dont look forward to repeating it tomorrow.

So the Loo was done and it was off the the shower block, which for some reason is a fruther 100 meters away. I was drowned in yet another downpour en-route which annoys.

The showers are a key element to us all - when camping. I can confirm that on this occasion that i was wetter and walmer before the shower than i was after it - Really not good.

Finally there is a quarry 100meters away and the lorries are fitted with reversing beepers - which they used with regularity this morning.

TUESDAY 5th AUGUST

A no sail day due to high winds again

Clothes washing etc this am - trying to ensure all as clean as possible to keep Caroline sweet on my retrun home.

I popped to Carolines Aunt and Uncle - Mike and Jill Olivers this afternoon for tea - as they are only 20 mins up the raod - lovely to catch up - and they have 2 new puppies - Jack Russell and boarder terrier - great.

Tonight is a quiet night in - planning for tomorrow.

This morning i checked the weather and tomorrow looked potentially sailable, Thursday a right off and Friday ideal with a 3-4 North westerly.

So the latest plan is to try and reach Weymouth tomorrow - 40 miles, and on Friday to try and get all the way from Weymouth to Salcombe, because Saturday is a no go as the high pressure moves in. I havent re-checked it this evening but i am concerned as it is a very small window of opertunity - fingers crossed

Oh nearly forgot Giz went to the loo just before bed and got lost - nearly had to send a search party out.

Comments

FRIDAY 1ST AUGUST, SATURDAY 2ND AND SUNDAY 3RD - ITCHENOR AND COWES

2008-08-03T11:20:06+02:00

Today was a no sail day force 7 winds!

As is normal on a no sail day we tend to wash clothes, prepare routes and look at met info in the hope of understanding what the next few days will bring.

Pete Tony and i went into Chichester to look at the Cathederal and also i met up with some old friends - Emma and Christian Heyman - great to catch up after many years of us both being too busy with children and everyday life.

On Friday night Stuart and i were invited to a party in Itchenor with the Woolfenden / Birkett clan - in a lage tent - theme - footballers wives. A really enjoyable evening great to catch up with my best friend AND we raised £500 for the charities - Thanks to all who kindly donated.

Stuart and i spent that night at the Birkett summer cottage - Pink cottage. I think this is a beacon of how families should spend time. It is a large cottage and by cramming in bunks there is the capacity to sleep up to 20 people at a time thereby ensuring that the parents all 3
children 8 grandchildren and friends are all welcome at any time. Sensibly there is NO TV and becasue of that everybody talks - Great.

So Stu and i were on futons on the sitting room floor and slept well thanks to a good night out.

SATURDAY 2ND AUGUST - ITCHENOR TO COWES

Having had a lovely breakfast at Pink Cottage we waited until midday to be collected by the others with a view to sailing to Cowes.

Whilst sitting and chatting with the crew in the sitting room, the door to the stairs opens and a rather sleepy looking 16 year old with bed head hair appears says goodbye and walks out of the front door hops onto his bike and proceeds to pedal off. It appears that nobody really knew he was there, but that he was a friend of one of the childrens - hillarious and a really great environment for the kids.

Back to the sailing - Forcast for the day was force 4-5 from the South west - meaning a long tack up the Solent from Itechenor to Cowes. We promised Charlie a proper sail on the Hobie and this seemed the best time.

On collecting the Hobie from the beach at Hayling Island Sailing club we headed out to the Solent and had a reasonable sail. After about an hour the wind dropped away and we towed the last few miles until off Cowes the wind really picked up again and we resumed sailing - i really wanted to sail into Cowes if at all possible - having raced yachts there on previous Cowes weeks.

We set off at a cracking pace - 20 knots+( Althought there was too much traffic to verifiy this) but after a couple of minutes only - DISASTER STRUCK!!! - WE WERE DISMASTED.

I always expected a mast falling to go with a huge bang - no such luck it simply fell away from the boat landed in the water and we stopped - all rather dull really.

Picture the scene its cowes week, there are literally hundreds of yachts in the area around us the mast is now lying on the deck and we cannot take the sail down. A huge container ship is bearing down on us and its now blowing a full on hoolie!

I am pleased to say there was no panic, we quietly decided to tow Hobie alongside Destiny back into Cowes - which Pete did really well calnt have been easy with a 30ft sail in the water and a 4 knt cross tide.

We found a slipway next to the Island Sailing club and put Challenger on the hard. We first de-rigged her, worked out what had broken - The Pigstail which is a short section of metal shroud wire that had simply snapped in the middle under the strain! Little other damage was sustained except the junction of the boom to the mast which is bent and (Still) needs to be straightened in a vice.

Luckily we had a spare - and with the benefit of hindsight we should have changed this sooner - but it meant taking the mast down - a big job.

So we set to and after a couple of hours we had the rigging repaired and the mast back up, ready to sail.

During this time Pete popped back to Itchenor to collect Jeremy, his wife Carrie, her sister and husband - Roger and Helen and bring them back to Cowes. It was expected that the journey would take 45 mins each way so i became worried after 2 and a bit hours that they were not back. It transpired that the wind had continued to rise and it was bumpy on the way back meaning that they had to go slower for part of the trip.

Anyhow we left the Hobie on the Slip and went to explore the infamous beer tent - bumping into a great friend of mine - Chris Merriman - Chris thanks for the beers - and also John Wood from Rib Eye.

We then headed to the Cowes Tandoori and had a great curry (Although they tried to charge me £1200 instead of £200!

We then tried unsucessfully to find a home for Challenger and had no choice but to leave her on the slip. We pulled her as far up it and too one side as we could but wires supporting a lampost meant we couldnt take her right up and off the slipway.

Pete was a star and drove the 10 of us back in the pitch black the 18 miles to Itchenor dodging the many ferries and commercial shipping. Destiny was moored in Itchenor again and we drove back to the campsite in Bognor (we near it) arrriving a little weary around midnight.

Rather perversly i really enjoyed the day regardless of the de masting. I am SO glad that this didnt happen when we were 20 miles offshore in a big sea.

SUNDAY 3RD AUGUST

I am writing this at 11am. We planned to be up at 7.30 but overslept by 1 1/2hrs! waking at 9am.

As always i immediatly checked the weather forcast. Today was meant to be the day the shore based crew moved on to Salcombe - us sailing ideally to Weymouth staying in a B&B then on Monday sailing across Lyme bay to Brixham (and then staying in the caravan in Salcombe) finally arriving in Salcombe the following day.

It is not to be - the forcast is not good at all. The forcast for Cowes between now and Thursday is strong wind from the South West. Not only is the wind too strong but the direction is awful. So we cannot sail today, we have abandoned the Hobie up a slip in Cowes which is far from ideal, we have to extend our stay at Bognor, re-arrange Salcombe camp site and then sit and wait for the weather to become sailable.

In addition there is an Azores High pressure system sitting off the SOuth West which implied that once this wind has gone through, it is likely to be replaced with clear skies - with little or no wind!!!!

So feeling a little gloomy here, it is grey and tipping it down as i write this, still there is one positive - its warm.

Till next time..................

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THURSDAY 31ST JULY - EASTBOURNE TO ITCHENOR

2008-07-31T20:11:48+02:00

I am going to keep this one short- because it was not enjoyable.

The forcast this morning was force 3-4 South Easterly veering 6-7 later (this means in about 12 hours - the weather forcast was issued at 7am today) so we set out with the reasonable expectation that we would have a great sail - not unreasonable!

We left the lock - to get out of the marina - at 10.15 am after a short drive to the boat. We set sail in a moderate wind and within 10 minutes were becalmed!!!!!!!! Aghhh!!!

So we set off under tow - AGAIN - and again expected that we would be sailing shortly.

We tried on 4 occasions to sail throughout the day without sucess. I sailed in total for about an hour!

The weather was grey the visibility poor, no sea life just dull and cold!

On arrival at Hayling Island we were met by Charlies mother and partner with a bottle of Fizz (thanks for that - really enjoyed by all!) and we abandoned the Hobie above the shore line next to the sailing club.

We then headed off to Itchenor and met Robert (Charlies Grandfather) and his sister and cousins on the family boat - the bucket- who then escourted us into the harbour. On quayside Carrie ( Jeremys wife) and their children - a huge welcome!

A hot shower in Itchenor sailing club followed by lashings of hot tea and the BEST chocolate brownie ever - and the company of Carries parents sister and many children all really welcoming.

Giz kindly picked us up and took us back to camp - in Bognor! about 40 mins from Itchenor.

You will be pleased to hear that the move went smoothly and Tony had a sucessful erection - of the awning- much to Giz's delight!!!!!

So tomorrow - we are expecting a windy day - but i have yet to check the forcast. Incidentally you can check it by using this link -
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/marine/inshore_forecast.html?area=7&type=All - and so we are taking a day out

Our aim is to be at Cowes for Saturday night to catch up with various friends for the Cowes regatta

Sorry that was a bit of a boring one - really just reflects the day!

Finally i hope that Stuarts Dad appreciates this one! i know that he was keen for an update tonight!!

Till next time.......

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WEDNESDAY 30TH JULY - RAMSGATE - EASTBOURNE

2008-07-30T19:23:31+02:00

We left camp early with a really promising forcast - Force 3-4 from the South east - perfect for the day ahead.

On leaving Ramsgate there was a noticable lack of wind, however we expected it to pick up when the sea breeze kicked in about midday - IT NEVER DID!

So we towed - and hated it!

Why tow i ask myself? Well we drove for nearly 2 hours from Battle to Ramsgate, the forcast was great and due to it being a high mileage day - almost 60 miles, we had little choice to start under tow........!

Weather although hot ashore was cool at sea - drysuits for us (i tried a shortie but had to change later in the day), even Charlie and Pete ended up wearing tops and jackets - i suspect a cold front came through (Sounds good anyhow!)

We actually saw some wildlife - What we think was a couple of porpoise (Or small dolphins) and Charlie spotted a Jelly Fish the size of a Dustbin lid - but nobody else saw it!!!!!

The Route today was quite near the shore and took in Dover - The white cliffs were very stunning! We also passed Dungeness power station, Deal, and Hastings - none of which were that great. On arriving at Eastborne i suspect we have hit the Western end of the South Downs (to be verified) and suspect that the costline will improve as we head further west.

We are hoping to reach Itchenor tomorrow - but there is a change in the weather forcast - so will have to take a look at the weather forcast tomorrow first thing.

Our arrival date in Saclombe has moved forwards. We are now planning on getting in (all being equal) on Thursday 7th August. As well as avoiding the busiest day in Salcombes annual calandar (red arrows on 9th pm!!) it means that Caroline and Milly can be there - she has big Pony club competition on the Sunday - stil no guarantee that we will make it - so fingers crossed.

Got to dash - Giz about to serve up another waisline buster - Lamb casserole with Pesto and Summer Pudding!!

Yours chubbily

Till next time.........

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TUESDAY 29TH AND WEDNESAY 30TH JULY RAMSGATE TO EASTBOURNE

2008-07-30T18:41:35+02:00

TUESDAY 29TH JULY - RAMSGATE

This was a bad start to the day - i woke to discover that some rain had managed to get into my laptop from an open window - and half of the keys dont work - and still dont rendering it useless - what a numpty i am!!

Tuesday was a non sail day - forcast 5-6 on the nose (South)
Tony collected us from Ramsgate and took us back to the new site - Red Coat Orchard near battle. I need to describe this one!

Tony was unable to get us into one of the standard Caravan Club sites silly season now being in full swing - so we open for what they call a Certified Location!

Let me get you to picture my first impressions - We turn off the main road into what appears at first to be a small roadside nursery, you cross the small hardsurface carpark and open the farmgate that leads into a grassed field (Ensuring that the 2 goats dont escape first), you then turn right past the greenhouses, chicken runs, geese enclosure and drive into the orchard. There are a ma of 5 caravans allowed on site at once - currently us plus 2

The Loo block is something to behold. Perhaps originally built in the 1970's - and it wouldnt have been a premium model then - it boast 2 loos for the men and one shower for all. In the shower there is a polite sign that reads - "Between 8 and 9.30am the pressure may drop as this is when the animals and plants are watered"

Having said that this is one of the most enchanting sites we have been to - stunning views across rolling countryside towards Battle. It has no site lighting and our pitch is huge and totally private. We all agree that although it is primative it is certainly one of our favourites. I guess the great weather helps shape that view.

Supper in town - Battle - for all except me - i really enjoyed a potter round back in the tent!

I am going to stop there - must go and wash and THIS IS SECOND TIME AROUND ON THIS BLOG AS I HAVE LOST BOTH TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY 30 MINS AGO

So till a bit later..........

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MONDAY 28TH JULY - FELIXSTOWE T0 RAMSGATE

2008-07-28T18:16:49+02:00

An early start saw us having collapsed our beds with millitary effeciency, showered, eaten breafast and in the car on our way to Shotley (Felixstowe) by 8.15am. Tony and Gis are on the move, heading down to Battle near Rye - no doubt a long day for them - a 5 hr journey + dropping us off which was 2 hours each way for Giz!

Once again the marina at Shotley didnt charge for berthing and were delightful in getting us quickly on our way having "Locked out" of the marina.

The forcast for the day was Force 3-5 with winds veering (Going clockwise from North Easterly to South Easterly and poor visibility at the end of the day.

Today was a big offshore leg - 20 miles offshore, crossing the mouth to the Thames Estuary and the busy shipping lanes. It has been some time since we last did one of these and we were looking forward to it - alot.

On setting sail from Felixstowe the wind was very light but we managed to get all the sails up and trundle along at about 6 knots. At this juncture i must point out that this feels like we are going backwards it is soooo slow! Luckily the forcast was for the wind to freshen.

The sea was really calm and we enjoyed an unchallenging day in the whole, bathed in warm sunshine, just taking it in.

About an hour out of Ramsgate the visibility deteriorated, just as we were crossing the southern shipping lane into the Thames. A number of large shadows of merchant shipping loomed in the distance, but luckily at this stage the wind whipped up to about a Force 4 and we whipped along at 12-14knots meaning that we could drive round the bigger shipping - when we could see it!

One surprising thing happened - about a mile out of Felixstowe, we passed a dead Muntjack(Small dear) Not quite sure where that came from!!

Having finally left Felixstowe at 10.45 we pulled into Ramsgate at about 4pm after a very enjoyable sail, and are berthed in the marina as i write this.

We walked briefly round town before spotting a rather smart Yacht club - although a bit long in the tooth - where we have rooms for the night. The club -The Royal Temple Yacht Club is bang in the middle of town with the most gerogous view over the harbour (Photo to follow).

Tonight we have promised ourselves a curry and a wander round town to take in whatever Ramsgate has to offer.

We are now nearing the end of the tip and thoughts are beginning to turn to the last few days. In case anybody wants to meet up with us here is our current (Likely to change) itinnery:

Rmasgate to Rye
Rye to Brighton
Brighton to Cowes (Or Itchenor)
Cowes to Lymington
Lymington to Weymouth
Weymouth to Brixham
Brixham to Salcombe

We are ANTICIPATING being back in Salcombe on SATURDAY 9TH AUGUST - of course subject to weather, and it does allow for some non-sail days

We all noticed again that there was a noticable abscence of wild life - our guess is that becuase it is sandy and shallow, that there are few fish due to the lack of suitable habitat for the fish and therefore wildlife that eats fish??

Anyhow i am now going to go and upload a haord of photos because i have to luxury of wireless broadband at the RTYC

Till next time....

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SUNDAY 27TH JULY - SOUTHWOLD TO SHOTLEY (FELIXSTOWE)

2008-07-27T20:38:51+02:00

Hello everyone Newton here! The Master Blogger has offered up the opportunity for somone else to blogg for a day, feeling as though I have a blogg in me, here goes! before I start I have to say that I sneakily suspect that the Master Blogger has in fact got writers blogg! so it is with some trepidation that I take on this onerous task, having read the volumes written recording our earlier exploits on this challenge I have to say this is a challenge in itself

The challeng today was to get from Southwold to Shotley, with and I say this frankly a rather poor weather forecast, the synoptic chart indicating no wind again! We leave camp casually at 0930hrs for the hour and half journey. 1130 hrs we arrive having taken ages to find a petrol station! check with the Harbour Master that the tide is good, we fill the rib, change, say goodbye to Southwold and the Harbour Inn (the Adnams was drinking very well last night)ands set off at 1145hrs.

Its hot and we want to sail, we hoist everything and are both pleased and surprised to find that we have in fact got a sea breeze (for those not in the know its where the sun heats the land, the rising heat then 'sucks' the cold air off the sea) this is good because its constant and even. We have to drop the ascemetric but still get 7 to 8 knots which gives us 5 hrs of easy sailing down the coast of Suffolk.

There is limited sea life which is dissapointing as we pass Blythburgh, Leiston and the Sizewell B nuclear power station (very warmn water!) Aldeburgh to Orford ness and then bear away across the mouth of the river Deben and on to Felixstowe. As we sail south the haze begins to clear and the journey becomes more intesting since we can see where we are going and it becomes easier to navigate.

Averaging 7.4 knots was not bad and with the tide with us we arrived at the mouth of the Orwell about 1630hrs. I had told my parents where I would be and having waited a couple of hours there patience was rewarded. At Fins suggestion I hoped off the Hobie and Pete ran me across to the north shore for a quick 5 minute family renuion, thanks mum & dad for making the effort it was very good to see you both and a surprise for me a my sister was there too-good to see you to Ang.

Returning to the hobie we made for Shotley mariner and tied up. Tony arrived spot on 1730hrs and after a quick pint, we had to aquaint ourselves with a Cornish ale called 'Tribute' we head back to Gt Yarmouth and hour and half later I sit here writing my first blogg.

To summarise it was a steady day, leisurely for a change and a really nice easy sail. For a change we had yachts sailing with us (because it was Sunday?) and the arrival to Felixstowe was a real eyeopener to see a full oncontainer port in action inter mingled with sail boats, real harmony. Tony narrowly misses and a mobile traffic camera!

Well readers I hope I have not disappointed the Master Bloggers fan base and delivered a worthy'log on'read. Its a long one tommorow, Shotley to Ramsgate navigating across a very busy area of the sea leading into The Thames!

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THURSDAY 24TH JULY- SATURDAY 26TH JULY

2008-07-27T09:29:25+02:00

Apologies for the lack of communication - i have been unable to log in to the Blog due to technical reasons.

THURSDAY 24TH JULY

Everybody regrouped at Great Yarmouth - Pete and i flew back from Exeter, Charlie, Pete and Stuart all returned by train.

It shows how laid back everybody has become - Tony came to collect us from the Airport at Norwich and we missed each other and spent an hour waiting until we finally called each other only to discover we were sitting 100meters from each other and had been for an hour!

Another fantastic Giz supper of Cromer crab soon got us back into the swing of things.

FRIDAY 25th JULY

A frustrating day! The weather forcast was strong - Force 5+ from the East which meant it would be blowing straight along the North Norfolk coast. Nonetheless we set of the Wells - an hour and a half drive, determined to set sail.

I think that the Gods of fate were on our side. On arriving at Wells in the beautiful sunshine (Hot), Pete realised that he had hung the RIB keys on a hook in the caravan in case it needed to be moved in Wells when he was away in Exeter! We spent an hour trying to get local engineers and Yamaha mechanics to find a spare key - to no avail. So Pete drove back to great Yarmouth collected the key and came back to wells some 3 hours later.

During this time Charlie, Stuart and i decided to deep clean the RIB (Photo) which took 3 hours.

On his return Pete pointed out that the wind had really increased and that the seas looked nasty- as seen on his return car journey - so WE CALLED IT OFF!!! and drove back to Great Yarmouth. - Lesson learned spare key is on its way!

On the way back we stopped inn Cley Nxt the Sea at the smoke house and brought smoked eel and Hot smoked Salmon for supper - with Samphire - lovely!

SATURDAY 26TH JULY

The forcast was all over the place - varying from Force 3 variable (Comming from all directions) to 3 mph.

This time we had the RIB keys! and we left Wells wearing shorties in blistering sunshine (26 degrees at 10.30am!) The wind was sailable and spirits were high.

We had to be towed the 2 miles up the meandering Wells estuary and on crossing the sand bar set sail.

We sailed for a while before the wind died. we then decided to go under tow for a while in the expectation that a sea breeze would kick in - It never did! This i am sure was due to the fact that there was a high pressure mist - almost thin fog that never really cleared.

So it was then a really DULL day. No views as the coast was almost always obscured in mist, no sailing and nothing to do - but get cold!!!

On arrival in Southwold - home of Adnams beers - a beautiful spot in Suffolk - the harbour master - Collin - was really helpful and yet again gave us free mooring - Pahh to Scarborough!

A quick taste of the local ale having moored and an hour journey back to camp for a good nights sleep - EXCEPT - there was a live concert- heavy rock - 100 meters from our caravan on the racecourse!!

I have to dash as i am writing this on Sunday am and need to leave for Southwold - Forcast is the most unusual ever - "Variable 2-15 mph" meaning it could come from any direction! UMMM - at least its sunny - prefer wind thought

Till later.......

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SATURDAY 19TH JULY - WELLS NEXT THE SEA

2008-07-21T09:02:41+02:00

Sorry about that - laptop now back up and running.

So the weather forcast for Saturday and Sunday was gales and rough seas - not sailable. I had stayed saturday night near Brancaster which was about a 3 hour round drive to the new campsite nr Great Yarmouth. We had all planned weeks ago that we would take a short break this comming week and Pete and i had booked flights from Norwich to Exeter from Monday 21st returning on Thursday 24th. Because of the poor weather it was agreed that we should pull the dates of the break forward.

Sadly Flybe dont fly on the other days - meaning that we couldnt re-arrange our flights. So in the end it was decided that Pete and co would take trains - Charlie back to Haslemere, Pete to Exeter and Tony to London. Caroline took Stuart and i back to rutland, and then we as a family went on to Salcombe on Sunday evening milly having competed on her pony (Dodger) before we left.

So i am writing this on Monday morning in sunny Salcombe and really looking forward to a couple of days rest. It sounds silly but last week was really tough and the thought of a rest is great.

So i will be off line until Friday which we hope will be our next day sailing - From Wells Next the Sea to Lowesoft - i think

So till then........

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FRIDAY 18TH JULY - SPURN HEAD (GRIMSBY) - WELLS NEXT THE SEA (NORTH NORFOLK)

2008-07-20T11:14:32+02:00

Apologies for the delay in getting this updated. Circumsances have meant that i have not had time to get round to it!

Friday was an early start,leaving camp at 7.30am having broken down (ie folded our beds away to make the move of camp as easy as possible for Tony and Giz). The journey back to the RIB in Grimsby took a little under 2 hours.

Having gone back through the lock from the Marina, it only took a short while to get back to spurn head - calmer than last time!

We collected our sails and kit from Martin the Vice Coxwain at the lifeboat station and thanked them for all their help. Challenger was still on the beaach and luckily as we left her.

We had to drag her about 1/4 of a mile to a water deep enough to launch and were finally on our way at about 11.30am

The first section was a little tense dodging large commercial shipping that moves a lot faster than we are able to - it all went without a hitch or even a near miss.

We were overwhelmed by the number of seal near the entrance of the Humber - seeing perhaps 30 in a many minutes

The Forcast for the day was Force 5-6 from the South East. The chance of sheltering in the lee shore was minimised, in addition the waters are very shallow (Patches of 2 meters deep 5 miles off shore) as well as overfalls. I was not lloking forward to it, suspecting that it would chop up as the wind came on.

Luckily the wind was only force 4 for the majority of the day, increasing to force 5-6 in nthe last hour as we approached Wells.

Having spoken to the harbour master at Wells he confirmed that due to us running early, we would have to wait for an hour to be able to get across the sand bar at the entrance to the 2 mile long estuary.

Stuart and i sailed to a beach to the right of the mouth of the estuary, beautiful golden sandy beach with pine woods behind - and georgous sandbanks all around.

Finally we deemed we had sufficeint water to give it a go and spent the next hour trying to tack up the sandy estruary, with a 3 knot tide and a headwind most of the way. To say it meanders is an understatement. Anyhow just as we were about to arrive, Pete and Charlie appear and tow us to the nearby pontoon - where Caroline and Milly were waiting for us - a real treat.

Having secured the boats and changed to shore kit we all adjourned to a barge that doubles up as a bar.

We said our farewells to Stuart, pete and Charlie, Giz was driving over from the new base in Great Yarmouth (About 1 1/2 hours) and Caroline, Millly and i went for a special night in a hotel near Brancaster.

SATURDAY 19th July - NORFOLK

The weather forcast was awful for both Saturday and Sunday - Force 6-7 and Rough seas, Far too rought for us to even comtemplate sailing
Battery about to crash on laptop must save and come back to it tomorrow - sorry

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WEDSNESDAY 16TH JULY - SCARBOROUGH TO GRIMSBY

2008-07-17T12:12:30+02:00

This is going to make for interesting reading - i hope!

The day started well with a 20 minute journey to Scarborgh in sunshine.

On arrival we were pleased to be running promptly and left the quayside at about 9.30 - in anticipation of a long day ahead - almost 60 miles to run.

The forcast was for Force 4-5 and 6 later, pretty much identical to the last couple of days. The one difference was that the beautiful Yorkshire cliffs that had provided wind shadow for the past day would dissapear about 10 miles south of Scarborough (after rounding Flamborough head)

We were really dissapointed with the harbourmaster, about the ONLY person in the country that has not offered a sizeable discount or made no charge for berting the RIB and Challenger, we all agree that this sums up the prevailing attitude of the people who work in and around the harbour. A real shame because the surrounding area and scenery is outstanding.

The RIB crew took us under tow to take us the 100meters out of the harbour. But within moments Pete had hit the bottom (No warning from the harbour office - and the Depth guage has not worked since new) The water was so cloudy that Pete had no chance to predict this.

Luckily we carried a spare prop and within 15 minutes resumed the journey with the only damage apart from the prop - to Petes self-esteem! I have done this countless times as my father will attest to!

Because of the weather forcast we reefed the main from the outset, but nontheless set of at a great pace, savouring the wonder of the cliffs, gannets, Sea Ducks(name that we have given to a swimming bird that we have no ideas what it is)and a multitude of Puffins(Photo to follow)

After about 2 hours we rounded Flamborough Head and had about 40 miles to cross a huge bay ( bigger than Lyme Bay for those that know it). As expected having rounded the headland we came out of the shelter of the cliffs and into the full force of the Westerly wind - which was blowing 5-6.

The seas chopped up and Stuart and i got a total drenching. The thought of 4hours of these conditions was at best challenging.

We soon settled in and sailed hard across the bay, keeping land in site, only about 5-7 miles off shore.

Challenger was great, stable and controlable and we ran across the bay at around 14 knots(Mainsail only) hitting 17.8 knots at one point - a new mainsail only record for the trip.

Another record was set - one tack - 50 miles by me. Like to beat that one if possible.

The challenge for the day was always that there are no harbours/ports in this part of the world to act as boltholes, indeed the only place that we could get into was Grimsby, 8 miles up the Humber estauary on the south shore. Due to the westerly winds we knew that on rounding Spurn head to the north of the Humber mouth that we would once again come out of the lee of the land and have to tow up the Humber.

About an hour before this my VHF had run out of batteries and we had taken the spare on board. The only small problem with it is that the RIB crew cannot understand a word we are saying - thereby making communcation in a wind - all but impossible.

As we approached Spurn Head, we took the inshore route across the sandbank which was covered with only a small amout of water, but the RIB had to go about 3 miles round.

We agreed to rendez vous at a green marker buoy. The RIb crew were being battered by the sea and warned us that it was very choppy. As we came out of the lee we could see the sea state worsten.

At this point i need to point out that we are about to cross one of the buisiest shipping lanes. There are massive ships queuing in both directions> Like all busy shipping lanes there is a one way system with incomming traffic to the North and departing traffic to the South. We were starting at the North and aiming for the south - thereby meaning that we have to cross both lanes. Technically you cross at 90 degrees. Not a chance today - we would have to head into the sea thereby meaning that we cross at 45 degrees! Far from ideal

Anyhow we managed to get under tow, the wind is so strong that stuart and i can only just hear heach other across the Hobie by shouting at full bore - and not always then.
The seas are only about 6-8ft but are very steep and close together - again not ideal.

We set off at about 8 knots (Bearing in mind that the commercial shipping is running at 12-20knots.

Immediately the waves engulf us, i am unable to see properly and am struggling to breath due to waves and spray on my face.

At this point a Pilot boat returning from dropping off on one of the ships slows down as it passes us to make sure we are OK and we gesticulate that we are

I take the decision to tell the RIB crew to let us go, there was NO WAY we could sustain this, or indeed cross such a busy shipping channel.

Stuart and i gather in the long tow rope, re-attach the outhal to the sail. I try and tack but due to the strength of the wind and the sea state cannot get the boat to tack(this can happen with Catamarans), so have no option but to gybe the boat- again far from ideal in the seastate.

We do it without too much problem and head to Spurnhead beach which is only 300 meters to our right hand side and offers calm waters(in the lee of the wind and waves) and is sandy - ideal!

We hoon across to the beach and not wanting to mess about we go up the beach at 12 knots - great fun!

We then spend a couple of minutes taking the securing the boat and rolling the mainsail before walking on the beach round the headland to catch up with Pete and Charlie, they had headed to the Pilot pontoon to the Northen side of Spurn head but round the corner actually in the Humber estuary.

After we had walked about 100 meters a small orange boat comes around the corner, just off shore, with 4 men wearing crash helmets. I said to Stuart - "crikey that looks a bit like an inshore lifeboat- wonder where they are going?" Then " Oh - i hope they havent come out to us?"

We continued walking and waves to them rather nonchantly, at which point all 4 wave back and the boat spins on the spot and heads back in the direction it had come. "OH dear i guess it was for us - how embarrasing.

It transpires that the pilot boat, who shares a dock with the Spurn head lifebaot, had radioed to say that we were stuggling and perhaps they should came and assist! In addition there is a control tower (Like and airport) on Spurn head and they also had alerted them!

We found Pete and Charlie just around the corner and they floated the Cat Trax ashore(launch trolley for the Hobie). They decided to anchor round the corner in the slightly less choppy water while we sorted the Hobie out.

With no real access to the beach we had no choice but to wheel Challenger down the beach further into the lee of the wind and waves and leave here tucked in behind the sanddunes.

Spurn head is the only RNLI station in the country with a full time, permanant crew. They each have a house on the headland, so we went to track them down and thank them for comming out.

Martin the assistant coxwain couldnt have been more friendly, not a problem, we get bored and love a "Shout", they also agreed to keep an eye on challenger and keep the sails till we returned.

Pete then collected Stuart and i from the dock and we hooned across the Humber to Grimsby because we had to berth the RIB in a marina due to the winds and sea state. I must confess to really enjoying the trip across. I took the helm and we battered our way into a force 5, averaging 15-20knots for the 6 mile journey. Destiny(the RIhas now earned her spurs - i cannot recommed her highly enough for that type of work.

A 1 1/2 hour journey back to Scarborough, dinner, ample wine and card game finished off a full and exciting day. personally i really enjoyed it.

WEDNESDAY 17TH JULY

Having covered almost 300 miles in the last week, i decided that we all needed a day off - so i am writing this on wednesday after a sleep in!

Tomorrow we have to try and get to Wells Next the Sea in North Norfolk. Caroline and Milly are meeting us and the 3 of us staying in a local hotel.

The forcast for tomorrow is pretty similar to recent days so we hope we can complete the 60 mile leg. For a change we think we do have the option of puttin in to Skegness if necessary - still to be confirmed by Pete.

I will post a couple of photos shortly.

Till then...........

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TUESDAY 15TH JULY - HARTLEPOOL TO SCARBOROUGH

2008-07-15T21:29:14+02:00

First of all - i must apologise for a rushed and poor performance on the blog last night - i was tired and past it - to such an extent that i got our final destination wrong - we did in fact sail to Hartlepool which is near Redcar but is not actually Redcar

Today was BETTER than yesterday

The forcast was stronger than yesterday - Force 5-7 with 35mph winds and was clearly a little hit and miss on whether we should go. On balance we decided that as the wind was off the land (westerly) we could sail in the lee of the land, meaning that the winds and sea would be less than out at sea.

After almost 2 hour journey back to lovely Hartlepool, having transvered the North Yorkshire Moors bathed in early morning sunshine, we arrived back in Hartlepool, and what a contrast that was.

The harbour master at Hartlepool gave us a wonderful send off with foghorns and a farewell over the very lound PA - Lovely guy - many thanks
We finally set at a little before midday with a reefed main and no jib because of the strenght of the wind

Having navigated our way past all the boat heading up the river to Redcar and left the stinking chimneys they were almost instantly replaced with, what we all later agreed, was the MOST beautiful scenery on our circumnavigation to date, closely followed by The Crinan to Caledonian Canal stretch

Huge cliffs, indispersed with tiny fishing villages, the Famous Robin Hood Bay and many others, all equally as amazing,kept us entertained for the trip.

Today was the second warm day of the trip, hitting 22degrees - Miracle, and on both days i have worn a shortie wetsuit, the first time since leaving Salcombe - and i loved it!!!

The wind was not only strong but it also came in fierce gusts, seemingly determined to try and uproot us whenever it could. I am pleased to say, for today at least, it failed.

We hit 17.8 Knots with just a reefed mainsail, no jib and 19.8 knots with jib also

At one stage a greay seal popped up next to Stuart and i, not noticing us for some time before finally diving and once again dissapearing from view - a lovely experience

I ripped the seal on my drysuit today - not my fauly - it happens, however it makes them wet and not really that safe to wear as they can fill with water if you end up in the drink.
Pete called Dad who has sorted a replacement with Crewsaver - Stuart has named my parents the 4th emergency service - Thanks both to Mum and Dad

We sailed into Scarborough at about 4 pm having covered 42 miles in 4 hours under a reefed main. I really enjoyed it, we were undercontrol (Mostly), warm and getting there - a really top day

The forcast for tomorrow is similar but a little less wind - we have to go to Grimsby, primarily due to the fact that there are so few ports or places to put into on this next section of the coast. I presume that is due to the fact that it flattens out and there are no natural harbours - or people who want to sail it!

We are all pushing hard to reach Wells Next the Sea on the North Norfolk coast by Friday. This will allow us to ease off a little and also enable us to take our second and final break next Monday for a couple of days - again to catch up with loved ones / Families and work.

So all going well for the time being, but being the sea it can all change in the blink of an eye

Finally i have posted LOADS of photos - sorry there are so many. We keep a little waterproof camera on Challenger and the RIB, on top of that both Charlie and i have a decent camera, so when i post photos of places that we passed some time ago, its because we only download the decent cameras every so often. I hope you enjoy them. I have so many to choose from, its really not easy! - And it takes an age - 2 hours tonight!! + the blog

lets hope tomorrow is as good as the last 2 days!

Till next time...............

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MONDAY 14TH JULY - SEAHOUSES TO REDCAR

2008-07-14T21:50:33+02:00

A TOP day!
Its 10pm just about to sit down to supper so a quickie tonight

Left Seahouses at 10.30, Wind from the West - off the land - with very stong gusts - up to 35mph Force 7.

We ranged in speed from 3 knots to about 18. Due to the strenght of wind we ended up later in the day doing 16 knot wiht the main fully reefed (as samll as it can go) No gib at all!!!

Highlight of the day was Stuart not quite managing to hook his trapeese harness on - and taking a swim about 5 miles from shore, just north of Newcastle - Boy did we laugh!!! Photo to follow.

I must dash so will fill in gaps tomorrow

Camping near Scarborough - N York Moors were amazing on way down - About and Hour and a half from Redcar.

Similar forcst for tomorrow - hoping to reach Scarborugh

Till then from a very happy, and nicely tired Fin.......

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SUNDAY 13TH JULY - ANSTRUTHER TO SEAHOUSES (NEAR BAMBURGH)

2008-07-13T17:49:07+02:00

A fun evening out in Anstruther, to be honest we were glad to leave Faulty Towers, and spent an evening in a nearby pub - Dreel Tavern.

We soon ended up chatting to Paul the navigator and mechanic from the Lifeboat - who knew the Port Patrick coxwain as well as others we have met en-route. After dinner we retired back to Faulty Towers for a nightcap

Having said a rather happy goodbye this morning, we finally left Anstruther at 9.30. The forcast was for 3 mph winds, so we started under tow until the wind was sufficient to allow us to sail - It never materialised!! So we towed in swell (yes it is still here) - for 53 miles - UUUGH!!!!! Cold, wet and bloody miserable - but what we have to do to get back to Salcombe by the end of August

On the way an extrodinary thing happened, we noticed the water had lines of jellyfish, perhaps a meter across. They were so tightly packed that they kicked up the rudder on the Hobie. I have taken a photo but suspect that it will not reproduce well due to colours etc - i will post the best one we have

The scenery today was again spectacular - cliffs as we rounded St Abbs head, gradually lowering to sandy beaches having passed Berwick On Tweed and Holy Island.

Holy Island(lindasfarne) viewed from the sea appears low lying and sandy but again very tranquil - i guess that is why the Monks chose it. Gis tells me it is the oldest seat of Learning in England!

Lindesfarne was quickly followed by Banburgh Castle - The Biggest Castle in the UK and also i think most spectacular. I am really dissapointed that we are unlikely to have time to visit it.

We are camped at Berwick, Tony and Gis have been here 2 nights already and we are moving on again tomorrow. Due to lack of sites we are having to move quite a way South to near Scarborough, sadly this will mean up to a 2 hour journey after sailing tomorrow - far from ideal.

I am really looking forward to Seeing Caroline and Milly tomorrow, but at the time of bloggin have yet to tell them where to come to!!

Tomrrow we are aiming approximatly for Newcastle-U-T, if we can make it South of that all the better as it will shorten the journey to and from the carvan.

the forcast as of tonight is favourable for a good sail so fingers crossed.

Must tell you, the site we are on - very crowded, small with the main east coast line running just behind the caravan!!!!! Oh joy.

Lots of Puffins just before we arrived - great

So best go and sort the photos out

Till next time........

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SATURDAY 12TH JULY - ANSTRUTHER

2008-07-12T17:22:09+02:00

We had a great curry in St Andrews last night - it appears that we need a fix every now and again! Only down side for me was i ate too many popadoms and spent all night glugging water -clearly salty!!!

On Queue Gus collected us at 9am after a very good breakfast at the expensive B&B.

The forcast was for stong gusts and rough seas but we were hopeful that it would again be inaccurate.

On arriving back at Anstruther - which incidentally is a very pretty seaside resort, popular with wealthy Scots, we decided it best to send Pete and Charlie out in the RIB to see what the sea state was like. Stuart and i were taken by Gus to fill 4 jerry cans for the RIB in a nearby village that allows you to fill cans (new law here means that you can only take 10 litres - cannot wait to get back to England for this reason alone!)

The RIB boys decreed it was too rough, and when combined with 10 degrees and torrential rain we were all happy to retire to a local coffee shop and formulate a plan!

After a while to had become rougher so we considered our options:

1. Ask Tony to come and collect us - No go because it is a 5-6 hour round trip and he would have to do it twice in short sucession
2. Rent a car and drive back to camp for the night - No go - No cars to hire for a number of miles and taxis are hard to come by
3. Take the RIB across the Forth and get Tony to collect us - No go - too rough
4. Our last and final option - to get accommodation in Anstruther.

We managed to get the last 2 rooms available in the Craws Nest - same price as the B&B last night only MUCH WORSE! Imagine a Scottish Faulty Towers and you are pretty much there!!!

So i am writing this from the comfort of my bed - trying to keep walm, - i must confess to having spent better Saturdays.

Plan for later is an early meal, bed and ,make an early start tomorrow.

If at all possible we will try and make up for the loss of today by striving for a big mileage day. The weather forcast for tomorrow is for light winds - so we will see what tomorrow brings.

I havent taken many photos - but will post one of Gus the saviour

For a bit of fun - have a guess what "Clachan a choin" - this is on a lable on a bottle of scotch that Stuart recently bought and really made us laugh when we discovered its true meaining!

Oh and a quick message to my Uncle David (Bell) sorry not to have returned your text - my mobile has broken and i cannot text on the one i have - suggest email.

Till next time.........

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title-4438887

2008-07-12T17:12:27+02:00

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FRIDAY 11TH JULY - STONEHAVEN TO ANSTRUTHER

2008-07-11T18:34:36+02:00

The shipping forcast and the Met office forcast for Arbroath were in conflict - AGAIN this morning. SHipping forcast Force 5-7 (too strong), Met office Arbroath 15 mph (Force 3). Having consulted the synoptic chart we sided with the Arboath forcast and decided to go for it - This meant Tony and Giz heading off to Berwick Upon Tweed and us packing overnight kit in the hope that we would reach Anstruther tonight and then catch up with Tony and Giz having reached Eyemouth ideally on Saturday.

On reaching Stonehaven the wind was strong but dooable.

We reefed down and set off at a brisk pace - 13-15 knots. The scenery was spectacular especially at the early stages where we hugged the coast - which we havent done for some time - again sea cliffs with millions of roosting birds.

Again there was a swell of about 2 meters - wish it would go away.

We left Stonehaven at 11am and arrived at Anstruther at 4.30 - by which time we were freezing - the temperature today was 12 degrees again!!!!

Pete called us on the VHF and pointed out a Nuclear Sub leaving the Firth of Forth - it was later confirmed as a small island - perhaps a new pair of glasses?!

Anstruther for those of you who dont know is just south of St Andrews on the North bank of the Firth of Forth with Edinburgh on the South shore.We were yet again taken aback when a local walked over and offered us a hot cup of coffee (Lifesaver) - BUT then when we asked what St Andrews was like said lovely - i can take you. I thought it was 15 minutes away and we accepted.

It was more like 25 minutes and he not only insisted on driving us round until we found a B&B, but also has insisted on collecting us at 9am and taking us back in the morning. We never cease to be overwhelmed by peoples generosity!

So i type this in what is perhaps the worlds most expensive B&B, but we are glad to have found a room, and we expect the the roof will not leak like the awing - so worth every penny!

Tomorrow we are hoping to reach Eyemouth about 50 miles to the South East, if we manage that we will be south of Edinburgh and a day or so before we cross the boarder back to Blighty!

Another piece of exciting news, Caroline and Milly have announced that they are comming to visit on MOnday for a couple of days - Great news.

So the 4 of us are heading out for either a curry of a Thai - cannot wait.

Till later.........

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THURSDAY 10TH JULY - STONEHAVEN STILL

2008-07-10T18:52:56+02:00

It was clearly demonstrated to me this morning just how tired we were having been on the go without break since Girvan near Glasgow a week last monday - i finally came to to discover that my head was soaking having been dripped on for some time due to torrental rain overnight.

We all dragged ourselves out of our warm sleeping bags at 7ish, showered and breakfasted. At this juncture i decided to re-check the weather (I have learned something from earlier experiences!)

Overnight the forcast changed from 8-12mph to force 5-7! So it was a no sail, no move day in the rain with 11 degrees!

We have all rested - great but cold and inspired by the whale sighting yesterday watched Jaws on DVD - great movie.

Tomorrow looks hit and miss we will re-assess after breakfast

Till then.........

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WEDNESDAY 9TH JULY - PETERHEAD TO STONEHAVEN

2008-07-09T21:00:05+02:00

WE SAW A MINKE WHALE! - we were overjoyed. Thanks to Google we have all just agreed what it was. Indeed the RIB crew saw the same yesterday. We might have missed it but i happened to notice a large area of calm water, like a large boat had just been over it an smoothed all the ripples out, and there was a flock of seagulls diving and fighting over what we presumed to be a school of fish. We slowed down and then saw the whale twice in quick sucession - a REAL treat

To be honest the rest of the day was pretty ordinary, weather predominantly overcast first thing, but then clearing to sunshine later ( I have a good photo of the beautiful cosat that i will blog at some time)

On leaving Peterhead the seas where unexpectedly lumpy and confused, accompanied by very little wind, it took an age to get to Stonehaven, some 15 miles to the South of Aberdeen

On passing Aberdeen(looked unattractive from the sea) there were a number of large Oil Rig supply vessles standing off, not what sure for?

The coastline was yet again beautiful, even when viewed throught the grey haze - never cease to be amazed even when seeing it day in and day out.

Stonehaven was another unexpected little gem, a lovely classic walled harbour with a beautiful sandy bottom, children playing in topper dinghies, and parents watching from the beach. As always we were welcomed by the locals and given help as much as they could. Indeed the man who runs the local sailing school, stopped us in the harbour and asked "are you the nutters sailing that Hobie round the UK?"

We are moving camp sites tomorrow - they need to mow the grass under the awning at the current site! Umm!

I will now go and post the long overdue photos

Till next time......

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TUESDAY 8TH JULY - LOSSIEMOUTH TO PETERHEAD

2008-07-09T08:58:07+02:00

A very long day! Sailied 60 Miles equalling our Isle of Mann day

I write this at 8.30 having all had a bit of a lie in this morning(Wednesday 9th)

Yesterday we left the camp site in Inverness at 8am and after a long journey back to Lossiemouth in rushhour and having cleaned both boats we left the harbour finally at 10.30am.

The start to the day was a bit hairy, we had to tow out due the wind direction then hoist the sails using the Destiny to hold us into wind and what was a big swell (2m+). Anyhow that done we set off at a good pace - 10-13knots at the outset. Skies were grey and we had over an hour of torrential rain on the way to Lossi, all cars with headlights on and only 12 degrees again - felt like a November morning!

During the day the winds came and went with boat speeds dropping to 3.5 knots for quite some time, however the sun did re-appear at regular intervals.

The scenery on this trip never fails to surprise, today was no exception with it varying from looking like the South Devon coast - grass running down gently to the water and rolling fields behind, to really high sea cliffs with Colonies of Gannets. As we turned the corner to head south sortly after Fraserborough (and a recent ship wreck - photo to follow) we had an amazing lighthouse and pyramidial sand dunes. Also we were amazed how many villages there were perched at regular intervals on the cliffs seperated out by glorious sandy beaches. In a way a shame that we dont have time to stop and explore.

We finally reached Peterhead at 6.15 - glad to finally have finished sailing. Giz and Tony relocated the caravan to a caravan club called Silverbank at Banchory approx 20m to the SW of Aberdeen - this meant over an hours car journey at the end of the day.

A superb lasagne and a warm shower were more than welcome on arrival back at base.

THe RIB boys had a boring day - except sightintg the back of a large marine animal that they decided was either an Orca (Killer whale) or Porbeagle!

I will post some photos tonight assuming that we are not too late - struggling to keep up with it at present.

We hope to sail to Stonehaven - to the south of Aberdeen today - a short day at 35 miles.

Till later.........

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MONDAY 8TH JULY - INVERNESS TO LOSSIEMOUTH

2008-07-08T07:37:30+02:00

I am writing this at 7.15 am ahead of a caravan move!

We finally left the confines of the Caledonian canal - but only after a delay. On arriving to Lock down we are told that we have to wait for the tide, althought there was sufficient water to get out, the gates rely on water for buoyancy to open and because it was springs - we had to wait for the tide to come in some more.

Anyhow we finally got away but had to tow for the first section as it was no longer low (slack) water and the tide runs at 6 knots!

Lovely entrance to The Firth of Inverness with A huge fort( which is still an active garrison), many dolphins, a load of seals on White Ness Beach, and also puffins - Which we have seen before but forgot to blog.

We had a long but reasonable sized swelll that built as we reached lossiemouth to about 3 meters, waves could be seen crashing off the harbour wall from about 3 miles out!!!!! As we arrived we dropped the sails and took the tow for saftey and after a mildy hairy moment managed to squeeze through the very narrow harbour entrance - i will put photos on to show waves etc, but bear in mind that they always look tiny in a photo

We were met by the harbourmaster who asked if he could do a piece on us in the local paper and also thankfully confirmed that this seas state was what he expected in November not July - i was marginally releived.

We were surprised by the beautiful long beach at Lossimouth (again photos ot follow)and the size of the place - population 6,000.

Having been met by Giz and Tony we headed off to Stuarts friend Pete (ex NAAFI) for a wonderful evening, he, his wife Babera and mother Jeanette could not have been more welcoming. We enjoyed the most wonderful BBQ, Sausages were from the local butcher and the best have ever tasted. Many thanks to them all for showing us true Scots hospitality at its best (Photo to follow)

We are moving base today from Inverness to Bunchory which is in Aberdeenshire, South of Aberdeen itself - a 3 hour drive for Tony and Giz

We are aiming for Peterhead which is a long day - so fingers crossed and we hope that the swell has settled down.

Till then........

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FRIDAY 4TH, SATURDAY 5TH AND SUNDAY 6TH JULY - CALEDONIAN CANAL FORT WILLIAM TO INVERNESS

2008-07-06T15:56:07+02:00

Take 2!
I cannot tell you how dishartening it is to have to sit down and do this again - feels like i completed a poor piece of homework and have to re-do it!

FRIDAY 4TH JULY - CALEDONIAN CANAL FORT WILLIAM TO FORT AUGUSTUS

After a frustrating start - it took 2 and a half hours to get back to Fort William due to an overturned lorry with trees on the floor beside it.

We eventually left the top of Neptunes staircase at midday. First stop was about 5 miles in with 2 locks and a swinging road bridge.

The lock keeper said they were just on luch and we could come in as soon as they had finished but that there was a large Irish fishing boat comming up behind us. About and hour and a half later, the fishing boat had been ushered through and we were still at the start. We caught the irishman at the beginning of Loch Oich (middle of the 3) where there is no speed restriction and with great satisfaction overtook them. At the end of the loch we had to stop for a roadbridge to open - and again they were having technical issues. When these had been resolved shortly after we were then told we had to wait to let the fishing boat through!!!! So the remainder of the day entailed watching the back of the irishman all the way to Fort Augustus.(Photo of Irishmans behind!)

Just before arriving at Fort Augustus, Tony call Pete in the RIB to say that he had hit another curb and blown another tyre out. This was at 5pm. Tony was still in Fort William and clearly we werent going to be sleeping in the caravan at Inverness that night.

Having booked into a B&B (The Richmond House Hotel - actually rooms above a pub)in Fort William we then enjoyed Fish and Chips on the bank of the locks (Photo) and perhaps one glass of wine more than was prudent.

The evening was rounded off by listening to a Cailh (Pronounced Kaylee) where 9 locals of all ages from 12 sat around and played wonderful music. The bagpipes as always haunting in their delivery.

SATURDAY 5TH JULY - FORT AUGUSTUS TO INVERNESS

We were booked in to "Lock Down" at 9.30am, this allowed time for a full English to settle the slightly wooly heads from that extra glass of wine from the night before.

I was SO pleased that the Irish fisherman was not locking down with us on Saturday morning - We were free of him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The weather forcast was for an Easterly - Absoloutly perfect to sail Loch Ness - IF you happen to want to sail from Inverness to Fort Augustus. Sadly we were sailing the other way and that meant - Yup we had to tow AGAIN!!! Being only about i mile wide we had no chance whatsoever of sailing up the Loch.

To compensate for this when we were nearing the top of Loch Ness we had a wonderful sail, perhaps one of the best to date in strong winds (Photos). Both Pete and Charlie took a turn at the helm and managed to remain upright - much to Stuarts relief as he was crewing them!

I never studied the map of this section in detail - no need really. I was more than a little dissapointed to discover that Inverness was in fact some way from the shores of Loch Ness. This entailed yet more locks and road bridges, and we were really "locked out" at this stage. We calculated that by the time we have completed both the Crinan and Caledonian canals we would have had the pleasure of 44 locks in 3 days!!!!

We finally moored up at the "Sea Port" in Inverness at 5pm. And were met by Pete MacFarlane, an ex-workmate and friend of Stuarts at NAAFI, who then came back to the new campsite (Bun Chrew 5 miles outside Inverness on the shores of the Inverness Firth)for Tea. Pete has kindly invited all 6 of us over to his house in Nairn tomorrow night for a BBQ- we are all really looking forward to it!! - Thanks Pete.

Woman walked her rabbit on a lead past our awning last night - bit unusual (Photo)

We were all Cream Crackered last night - i was out cold by 9am - how sad is that!!!!

SUNDAY 6TH JULY- INVERNESS

We needed a day to re-coup. So we have been washing clothes, Passage planning, sorting broken mobiles and BLOGGING TWICE!!!!

Tonight we are watching Jaws - which was meant to be the night BEFORE Loch Ness!!!!

For those of you wondering we didnt see the monster despite keeping eyes peeled. Charlie thinks that perhaps they were with the Haggis somewhere else!!

Tomorrow we plan to leave the Caledonian Canal - HORRAY - and are aiming for Lossimouth which is all but due East of us. The forcast is for Easterly winds - Will it ever be kind to us???? So a hard day of tacking ahead.

Till then..........

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SUNDAY 6TH JULY - AGHHHHH!

2008-07-06T11:51:58+02:00

I have just typed 4,000 words for the blog covering the last couple of days and have lost the lot!!!!

I will re-do it later, cannot face it now!!!

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THURSDAY 3RD JUNE - CRINAN TO FORT WILLIAM

2008-07-03T22:39:40+02:00

The day started with a 1 hour 15 minute drive back Crinan. We arrived back at about 9am after another drive through what i can only describe as "Gods own country" - outstandingly beautiful and sutnningly remote - i will post some photos at some stage - promise.

After a lovely bacon butty served by and eastern eurpopean wearing a kilt - which i thought was different, we finally completed the last 2 locks on the Crinan canal. I must emphasise if you ever get the chance to visit this area it is well worth it - beautiful countryside and extremely friendly and hospitable locals!

The weather forcast was 3-4 mph of wind - it really is full on or full off at present. And so we decided that because we were so behind on schedule that we had to tow until the wind came up (if it ever did) and we also commmited to taking the Caledonian canal. I feel really dissapointed that i have had to make this call. The reason that i made it was believe it is better to complete a circumnavigation of GB via the Caledonian rather than go for the North coast in the hope that we cculd make up time on the homeward half of the journey. Anyhow the decision has been taken.

So a day of towing was in order. Absoloutly not a breath of wind, mirror calm - again i will add photos - i am writing this at 9.30pm just aboout to have supper having just returned from the day. Stuart and i still HATE towing with absoloute conviction. Although calm it we still get soaked and very cold, the wind noise means that we cannot speak and the helmsman has to concentrate so hard that he cannot really take a great deal of the scenery - and boy was there some scenery - in fact i really believe you cannot better what we had the pleasure of experiencing today - it was simply breath taking - even when wet and bloody cold!!!

Aside from covering a good distance the highlight for me today was catching a glimpse of a beautiful sea otter just outside Oban - i am really fortunate!

As we arrived in Fort William at the entrance to the Caledonian canal there were to small dinghies sailing together, on passing the last of them one clearly shouts "really good luck on the round GB" - this buoyed all our spirits and really surprised us - how on earth did they know about us??

At the start to the canal we paid our discounted price (£115.00 - not cheap) and off we went!

We luckily were escourted into the first (sea lock) and then after quite a delay started our ascent of Neptunes Staircase - reputedly one of the largest, steepest incline on a canal- consisting of 8 consectuive locks. at the start it was sunny, as we hit lcok 3 the heavens openend in true Scottish style and a pretty miserable couple of hours ensued, acompanied bet more bloody midges.

So by the end of today we have reached the top the staircase.

So a quick lesson on the Caledonian canal - It is 60 miles long, 22 miles is man-made, the reminder is made up of 4 fresh water lochs, namely Lochy, Oich and Ness(the largest at about 20 miles) and Dochfour (tiny). There are a total of 29 locks, 10 swing bridges,4 aquaducts. The canal was opened in 1822. Loch Oich is 106 ft above sea level.

By the end of tomorrow we hope to be at Fort Augustus just before the start of Loch Ness.

Forgot to mention yesterday that we had our nearst miss with the RIB, Pete became so bored going down the Crinan canal at 4 Knots that he nearly crashed on a corner!!! Ummmm that would have been a tad embarasing - certainly eclipsing Charlie Haggis moment!!!

Charle says thanks to his Mum for the Haggis advice! He will send all captured Haggi via TNT refridgerated overnight - at your cost.

So tomorrow - a bit of a boring day on the canal - but we hope to hit Inverness by Saturday evening which will mean goodbye beautiful West coast and hello North Sea.

Just finished an amazing Giz evening of ginormous local Scallops.

Till next time..........

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WEDNESDAY 2ND JULY- ANDROSSAN TO CRINAN

2008-07-02T23:25:28+02:00

We all awoke excited at the prospect of a decent days sail. I was a little surprised at the shipping forcast - Force 5-7 with a gale warning force 8 for earlier on in the day - will it ever cease?

On examining other more local forcasts we decide that it looks a goer but we may have to wait in Androssan for the sea state to settle for a while.

When we arrived in Androssan it was a bit too choppy so we took our time getting ready. - Oh when i remember must tell you about the advice from a local we met at the Chandlers at Androssan when we complained about the weather - "its simple - if you can see Arran its just about to rain, if you calnt - it is raining" Says it all

I write this at 11.15pm trying to dodge the bloody midges - Aghh and we have only just arrived in the Highlands!!!!!

We had a bit of a bumpy, but fast sail hitting 16+ knots and made great progress to the start of the Crinan Canal some 31 miles from Androssan. We managed to get into the first lock which was a little unusual - a RIB towing a Hobie cat - we certainly drew some looks!

We were hoping to get to the start but actually fell on our feet. The yacht infront of us had paid a helper to get them as quickly as possible through the 15 locks on the canal as they were entered in the Crinan classic race that starts tomorrow (Saturday) as a result we managed to get all the way to Crinan at the far end of the canal having negotiated all but the last sea locks - I will post some photos. The canal was very natural and extrodinarily beautiful with stunning backdrops, we were all taken aback but the transformation in the landscape in such a short mileage.

Tony and Giz had a sucessful move of the Caravan and awning to Nort Ledaig some 8 Miles north of Oban which is where we are now based - all really happy to have left Maybole which was not a great part of the country.

Having picked up a curry in Oban i am now writing this and cursing the bloody midges.

Tomorrow we have to be back in Crinan (1 hour 15 mins to the South) for about 9am to ensure that we get into the sea lock before the rush. We aim to come to this camp site which has its own moorings tomorrow and possibly Fort William if we are lucky!

Winds looking very light for tomorrow - so lets hope that is another innaccurate forcast

Till then...........

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MONDAY 1ST JULY - GUESS WHAT!

2008-07-01T17:16:20+02:00

Yup you probably guessed it - No sail - Force 8 Gale!!!

Last night we all settled for an early bed after another Giz extravaganza (no wonder we are not loosing weight!)However the deep sleep was foreshortened for us all by the violent storm that decended upon us in the small hours.

Most were awake from 2am, i was luck enought to sleep in till 4am to awake and find Stuart and Pete videoing the scene to record it for prosperity!! Giz kindly brought cups of steaming tea at 5.15 - very welcome. I think we will all sleep well tonight.

We did have a laugh at Charlies expense this morning at breakfast. As is often the case, talk swung roung to dinner tonight - not much else to look forward to as there was certainly no sailing and we felt unable to leave the awning in case it blew down). Giz had decided that a traditional Scots dinner was in order and had duly purchased Haggis with all the trimmings - including a rather fine single malt.

Upon hearing this we all started discussing why haggis had two legs longer that the other and so we went on....... Charlie then said "i didnt realise that Haggis were real" We played him along for a short while before confessing - Being who he is, Charlie roared with laughter - good lad!

Today was another day of waiting, washing and not much else. Stuart and i popped briefly into Ayr and were surprised how pleasant it was.

I am hopeful that we will sail tomorrow, the forcast is for the wind to drop to force 5. My real concern is that we need the seastate to calm down before embarking on the next leg which is Ardrossan to the Crinan canal, some 34 miles to the North east. The canal is approximately 9 miles long with 14 locks that takes up to 6 hours to navigate - that is about all i know for now - but am looking forward to the change. Just the other side, luckily just to the West of where we go is an infamous whirlpool at Corry Breckan - meant to be the worst in the UK, so quite glad that we are not going that way. Having said that the tide at the far end of the canal when we rejoin the sea runs at up to 8 Knots - means we have to get the tide correct!! Finger crossed that we reach the start of the canal tomorrow.

So tonight is Scottish night - Hope Charlie enjoys the Haggis.......
Till next time...........

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