Cap'n log 18th to 23rd August 2011 (Sines to Isla Canela)

Am posting from a cafe near the marina in Isla Canela (Cinnamon Island) on the border of Portugal and Spain.
The picture below is actually Troija, a saints day parade with hundreds of boats taking part.

Portugal has been a country of motor sailing and whilst I'm probably being pessimistic (or feeble of memory) I can only recall one day where I sailed the whole day and that was a few days ago.

Sines (pronounced Sinch) was pretty good, €10 a night for the Catweasel and the local internet cafe did a mean skewered kebabby meat thing very similar to the ones I had in Jo'Berg.

Lagos was the party town I was expecting and, providing you like noisy bars, I can recommened the Three Monkeys. The marina price was on a par with Cascais and Troija (some €30 a night).

Albufiera offered me nothing, it seemed very quiet and I was quite content to push on to Isla Canela the next day. Price wise it was up there with Cascais. Oh!! we did find a most excellent restaurant used predominantly (sp?) by locals and it was there that I bade farewell to Treoggin and David*..

Albufiera did offer me another lesson though - a bikini clad babe can severely impact ones ability to moor up professionally. I badly overshot my mooring when this goddess (thanks Vicky :)) appeared wearing not a lot. I suspect she realised as the sound of me throwing the Catweasel into frantic reverse almost certainly attracted her (and everyone else's) attention. Lesson learned..from now on I wear blinkers when mooring.

*David was a most excellent single hander that Stewart and I met a few weeks previously. He has/d a 34 (I think) brown hulled Elizabethan and was bloody helpful. He set up my rigging, gave me advice galore and generally made me a better sailor. I don't want to play on his age but...he was 70 and, if I'm that capable of activity when I get to his age then I'll be bloody happy.

Anyway, Robert (Halcyon 27) and I motorsailed our way to Isla Canala and that's where I started to sink and the engine blew up. I got to call my first pan-pan (although maybe it should have been a "securite") so that's another first for me :).

A guy in Budapest (Benjamin) asked me to comment from time to time on my mental health so here it is - right now, to date, no issues. I attribute this to the fact that I'm only day sailing single handed right now and then even then I'm sailing with other people (Robertt, David, Dick, Jack, Dani, Martyn to name but a few). There's a real sense of  community and support with everyone helping each other. I don't think I'll get lonely or regretful until I cross the Atlantic...but I'll keep a notion of this aspect in my head and comment every now and then.

Providing I can get the boat fixed my current passage plan has me headed around the Rock in a few days, then north up the coast of Spain to about 20 miles north of Benidorm and then east to Ibiza and the Ballerics. That's about 500nm from here and, at an ideal pace of 20 to 30 miles a day will take me somewhere between 14 days and 25 days.

Enough for now, back to my book and waiting for the engineer to call me.

adios amigos


Just occured to me that I'm selling my experiences short - imagine long sunny days, with dolphins on a regular basis, a book, a boat, good people, good, for the most part, sailing, new places, new lessons, emotional and physical lessons learned. This is not a Japanese game show, it's, very much so, a very long holiday. It's 7 knots under sail, it's America's Cup,  it's sunsets and sunrises, blue skies and wind, friendships and music. Exploration - within and without.

Cap'n's Log stardate the 12th August two thousand and eleven old bean

so, here I am, tapping away on the keyboard once more. I'm currently in Pineche, in a small bar near the marina.

and "yes yes", I've been lax in posting blog updates but hey! in the grand scheme of things I'm ahead of the game....

We crossed the English channel from Salcombe Bay in the end, having been locked into harbour by yet another gale. Oh! we did try to leave but were beaten back and, on the way back in to safety the GPS showed maximum speed as 20 knots!!! woohooo! Don't listen to the nay-sayers who will claim speed measurements by GPS can be......inaccurate...p'shaw say I! toosh and piffle...it's digital and can't be contradicted...

Back on track...from Salcombe we crossed the Channel to Camaret (near Brest) where we found a few good bars, a bloke with a longer beard than myself and a Commitments cover band. From there we headed across the  Biscay to La Coruna. I'd braced myself for the bay but we were very fortunate, good consistant wind blowing from the North ish made for a very pleasent crossing, dolphins and all. Sadly our windvane, named after the manufacturer, died a death about one day off the Spanish coast. I can only think that it was damaged when it was hit by another yacht in Yarmouth. More of this later.

Bugger...got distacted by stuff and now it's the 17th August and I am in Sines....

OK...so, La Coruna and on...we left the French side of the Biscay 11am on the 22nd July and hit La Coruna 3 days and 3 hours later.

We (Stewart and I) bimbled our way south and soon learned a few things....

1 - onshore winds can be a biatch (gussetting force 8 and up) but are fairly regular and can be predicted
2 - there is no rush to moor up..even when the harbour master is sitting in his rib and madly gesticulating...take your time, get everything ready
3 - condensation dripping from the cabin ceiling can, and did, trash my netbook
4 - My initial estimates of 50+ miles a day were utter bollocks....a realistic daily milage is 30 miles as this allows time in the afternoon to restock/repair/recuperate and other things beginning with "r" at the marina.
5 - Dolphins are perty
6 - My budget for mooring (€25 a night) was about right for Catweasel (prices to date have been €10 at Sines to €30 at Troija) but my budget for beer (2 a day) was...a tad wrong :). My food budget of about €6 a day is OK but only if cooking on board. One meal on shore costs between €10 and €20 with the variance being influenced by the amount of peoople (more people means more cost as left to my own devices I'm happy with a small meal but with company a full meal becomes more pleasureable).
7 - No one has asked for to see my ICC to date but every place has required to see my SSR and most places wanted to see my insurance papers.
8 - The cruising shute is way easier to fly than the spinnaker.

I hope there's a lot more to learn :)

Stewart has left the Catweasel now so, for the first time I am truly solo but not for long. I have a new crewman joining me in or near Cadiz and several friends, I hope, joining me at random spots in or near Gibralter. At this point I'll extend an offer - if anyone wants to join me, use the contact page or email me. Bear in mind it's a small yacht but most days are easy sails from marina to marina.

Anyhooo...enough for now, I'll try and be more disciplined and post more frequently but honestly, I'm having a whale of a time in the evenings, relaxing and enjoying new places with new friends.

2nd July 2011 Captain’s Log

Nautical Miles Logged - 50 (plus a bit from Portchester to Cowes and return)
Current Position of the Catweasel - Portchester (Wicor Marine)
Total Crew Count to date (inc. myself) - 4

Be warned - this is a long one, put the kettle on.

It’s been pointed out to me that I’ve been remiss in keeping this blog so, here I am, on the train to Portsmouth Harbour, writing.

I need to wind the clock back about eight days (to the 24^th June) to a sunny morning in Basingstoke.


The plan
Meet at the railway station at 09:00, purchase provisions in Sainsbury’s, catch the 10:00 to Portchester, spend an hour getting ready and then sail to Cowes. Stewart and I would spend the day providing some basic training to Carlos and Neil as well as playing with the spinnaker. We’d moor up by 16:00 ish and then head into town for a few beers. The next day, so said the plan, we’d race the RTI, each one taking a 2 hour watch at the helm, in the crew position, at the navigation table and finally a off watch. It was a solid plan. We’d complete the race, triumphant, and celebrate in style in Cowes. Along the way we’d been cheered on by friends (some of whom had flown in from Vienna) and parents (who’d flown down from Scotland).

The reality....
Ahh, of mice and men. We got on the train at Basingstoke and everything went well until someone said “What’s the worst that could happen?“. The train stopped. There was a trackside fire and we couldn’t proceed. An hour we sat there. Arriving at the marina an hour behind schedule (but not really bothered as I’d built in some contingency), I went off to meet the sail maker who was putting race numbers on the spare sail whilst the other three loaded the Catweasel. For reasons best blamed on myself the sail wasn’t ready but not to worry, they said, - it’d be done by about 16:00. So we set off a tad later than hoped for and had lost the training time but no worries - we arrived in Cowes, at our swinging mooring, at roughly 18:00. The Catweasel was ready.

Race day - the 25^th June 2011 . With the previous nights beers and kebabs sloshing around in our stomachs we headed off to Eegons for a pre race fry-up. In hindsight, this may have been a mistake. Anyway - back on board we waited on our swinging mooring for our starting gun having decided that being a wuss was better part of sailing (plus we didn’t want to sink anyone or be sunk). With the main pack off we loosed our warp and off we went, some fifteen minutes or so behind the main pack (our start time was 07:40). There were several boats near us so a careful watch was required but we’d made the right move I reckon. Avoiding the main pack reduced our newbie stress levels and we could focus on the sailing. Our only hails were of the jolly type rather than the screams of “starboard!!!”’ which could be heard drifting across the water.

The passage to the Needles was pretty rough and it “did for” Carlos who discovered a whole new way of feeling ill. After he’d fed the fish he went down below for a kip and the Catweasel was, for the moment, one crew man down. As we neared the Needles we noticed more and more boats heading back to Cowes but ignorance is bliss so on we went. If memory serves me correctly we arrived at the big pointy rocks of doom at about 12:30 and went around the point with ease (I’m redefining “ease” to mean “try to tack around the Needles several times but fail, having to bear away before trying, and succeeding, one more time, all the while watching the cliffs of crushiness getting very, very, very, close”).
From the Needles we ran before the wind in a very gentle ten to fifteen foot swell which., along with swallowing whole yachts, looked pretty impressive as they rolled up behind the Catweasel. It was rather peculiar to look up at waves. Sadly the swell took its toll and Neil was struck down by Mal de Fry-up. I popped my head down below every now and then and I was impressed by how quickly nausea set in and how long it took to recover. I’d estimate a five to one ratio - that’s five minutes below decks took me an hour above decks to recover.

At this point I need to point out that our VHF had been hearing mayday after mayday, the Solant coastguard & RNLI did an amazing job that day and if you know anyone that was on, or will be on a boat, then spare a thought for them and doff cap in a fashion of your choosing.

Anyway - we’d not seen any other yachts for literally hours but the Catweasel ploughed on, our half a reef (don’t ask) performing admirably. The weather, heavily overcast since the get go, was threatening to lighten up and the sky was now (this was about 15:00) a light grey instead of a dark grey. The seas were getting calmer now, the wind was dying down and the two guys below decks were starting to perk up so things were looking up. I’d had a change of clothes so was dry for the first time in hours and cups of tea and coffee were passed around. The exciting stage was over and all the remained was a gentle sail to the finish line.
The sun was shining, the clouds had cleared and a few other racing yachts were in sight and we were closing on the line. Another yacht hailed us and I hailed…OK OK, another yacht shouted at us and I shouted back - we’d missed a race maker and would be protested. A quick check in our hitherto ignored race folder infirmed us that we had to declare protests so a swift call was made and we were told a 2% time penalty would be applied so we relaxed a tad as we were here to complete not to compete.

On we sailed, and finally we had a chance to swap the helm around. Spirits were high all around now as I took the Catweasel across the finish line (in probably one of the worst finishes this year) and we grabbed our swinging mooring and cracked open a beer. We’d completed the RTI. - ahh, of mice and men.
The final number of boats to cross the finish line in Cowes was 1,302 and there were 438 retirements and 16 DSQ (disqualified) and/or OCS (on course side).”

Sure we were disqualified but for all of us on board just taking part was what mattered. I want to say thanks to my brother, to Carlos and to Neil for taking part, thanks to the Island Sailing Club for running the race and thanks to all the other competitors. It was only fifty miles and I’m aiming to do something in excess of thirty thousand over the next year and a bit but I reckon it’s going to remain one of the most memorable fifty.

Cap'n's Log - Preparation

My woman and I watch the rugby in Champs last night and then went to Godor and proceeded to get fairly hammered with some very good friends. That's two leaving do's down, one more to go. Fingers crossed my liver survives and I make it to the boat (ps: as I'm writing this I'm watching Long Way Down and dribbling at the thought).

Today is my last day in Hungary, I leave for Vienna first thing tomorrow (and then onwards on Wednesday). My bags are packed....cue John Denver. I've totally loved being here in BP for the last six months. It's such a different city from Vienna, far more my type of town, it's rougher, dirtier, smellier, younger, more vibrant, the music's awesome and easily found. I'd definately come back.

Preparation continues apace. I've ordered a new toy :-) a 70w solar panel, an Imray of the Isle of Wight (for the race). With luck the sail numbers will be ready on Tuesday and we can switch out the "old" sail for the "new" (they're both old though). I'm still umming and erring about a storm jib or a trisail and have yet to order a drogue.

My thoughts turned to visas today so I just had a butchas at the map, just for Africa, I need to check requirements for 22 countries* but it's also focussed the route down a tad more. Before it was "head south to SA and turn left" now it's "UK to Gib to Turkey to Gib to SA to Madagascar to Seychelles to Maldives and turn right".

Anyway, back to Long Way Down and checking visa requirements. Next blog from Vienna.

Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin (never even heard of that one), Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, the Dem Rep. of Congo, Angola, Nambia, SA, Mozambique, Madagascar.

Captain's log - preparation - continued

So far it's been a very disjointed blog (my posts that is). I'm starting to think that because of the very nature of preparation - non linear-ish - that it's going to remain this way. Maybe it's that very fact that's made it easier than usual to not post.

Anyhoo...very quick update on the plan. Am in Budapest (BP) but tomorrow (Friday) I ride the Goose to Vienna for a leaving party in Charlie P's with my friends. On Saturday Alicja and I drive to Brighton and then onto Fareham to drop boaty stuff off (kaks etc) before driving back to Vienna. Then we (my fabulous bird and I) head to BP for another leaving party at the Embassy and then Champs. A day or two of packing before heading back to Vienna for my final flight to the UK - 23rd Jan. A night in Brighton with a good mate before heading to sunny Basingstoke for my last leaving party. On the 24th the crew of the good ship Catweasel head to Cowes and on the 25th we're racing in the RTI. Although we're using the RTI to kick off the circumnavigation I actually have to get Catweasel back to Fareham to do some last minute work (self draining cockpit & windvane fitting). That means that the actual departure is currently set for the 5th July. Oh, and I also have my VHF license course on the 2nd.

So..what has preparation included so far? well, whilst I'm expecting to be primarily single handed that's only because I'm not waiting around to find crew. If they turn up, they turn up, if they don't..ces't la vie. So far I have a Lithuanian to roughly Plymouth and my brother until Spain. A "may join" in August that I met last night (a lawyer even - so when he shouts Starboard you'd best move).  Crew makes everything cheaper so I'm open to suggestions and may even post on YBW once I get going.

What else? Electronics. I've ordered a McMurdo PLB (£216) (fingers crossed I never that), a hand held GPS (£65) (a Garmin eTrex) which is primarily for the grab bag (which reminds me to get a large scale chart or 3 for the bag), I've yet to order, but will, a Horizon HX280e hand held VHF.  The Catweasel has a fixed VHF so this one will also go in the grab bag. I got it as it'll take a battery pack that uses "normal" batteries (easier to buy and carry AAs etc and thus no need to recharge when in a life raft). In addtion I decided to order a SPOT GPS tracker. That's going to get used to send re-assurances to friends, family and loved ones that the Catweasel and her crew are still on track and OK. It'll also backup the PLB. On top of these toys I'll add my two laptops, my iPhone and my iPod. I'll charge these from the 2 x 85ah batteries. That leaves an open question as to how to charge the batteries. I was pretty close to ordering a wind gen but the techie guy at Marlec reckons I'll be better off with solar. I'm waiting to hear his "whys" before I place my final order.

Navigtion - currently it's based on large scale charts, a pilot book, Open CPN plus the CM93 maps, 2 x GPS units and a compass. I can't afford a plotter or rather decided not to afford one. Long live working out CTS (course to steer).

The Catweasel herself is, I hope, pretty much ready but I'll use the sail to Plymouth as a stress test (for both boat and crew) and then repair on the fly. Am also waiting to get the RYA sail numbers on the sail, the SSR need to get their arse in gear a bit, a few dodgers need making, the chart table needs fixing (I *embarrassed cough* sat on it). I need to make her "batten down-able", fat arse proof and brother proof (if you recall he's already set her on fire, run her aground (twice now) and stress tested the forward hatch beyond its breaking point). I see a lot of duct tape in my near future.

Personal stuff - I'm burning as many of my movies as I can onto HDD, I've packed most of my stuff into storage boxes (am hoping a few of my friends will help out with storage). I'm selling everything I can't carry (tables, sofas, chairs, my *weep* 50 inch plasma, my blu-ray, and white stuff). The other type of personal stuff - the leaving parties, are arranged. My parents are coming down to see us off on the 25th so that's gonna be pretty cool. That leaves Alicja and I. It's going to be pretty hard to be apart I reckon, maybe even the hardest bit of the whole thing but I reckon it's going to strengthen our relationship and that's all I have to say on that subject :)

So...16 days of preparation time left.

Talk later peeps.

captain's log preparation

6th February 2011

Starting this diary, maybe I should say ships log? now..now being the 6th February 2011. Am sitting in Champs Bar in Budapest having moved here...wait....time to back up some,

The first working day back from my NA2010 trip i was made redundant. officially my last working day was the last day of 2010 but i was on garden leave for the last 3 months.

Picture time - here's me roughly 9 months ago when I started to "plan" this

What to do, what to do - never being much of a realist I figured it was time to fulfil another lifetime ambition and sail around the world :) I have sailed in the last, many many years ago, so the concept doesn't daunt me but where to start.

So up with a plan I came.

• First I'd move to Budapest, more for the new outlook than any cost of living argument but €2 vs nearly €4 a pint of beer didn't hurt.
• Next I'd take a number of sailing courses to get some formal qualifications - those courses being "competant crew", "day skipper - coastal" and "VHF radio license".
• Finally - sail around the world.

Easy :)

As of the time of writing I am booked on "competant crew" and will be heading to Brighton in a few weeks for a week of live-aboard training.

At the same time I am researching boats and building a very loose network of contacts and forums. I hope to meet a friend of a friend in Southampton in a few weeks and, with luck, this week, I'll have lunch with a Serbian who runs a sailing center in Croatia.

My current thinking for boats is a Westerly Centaur and a budget of £5,000 to £10,000. The more I read the more options I open up but it does seem as if I am "limited" to something between 21 foot and 30 foot.

As for route - I am building in check points - so around the UK (did I like it? yes/no), then around Europe (to the med and back rather than north), and then around the world.

Right now I am probably doing this solo, not through choice but through a lack of a partner - if I am lucky I'll find someone who shares the same goals but I am not delaying

Anyway, for now, back to surfing the web looking for gems of knowledge.

Current questions -

1. what is the difference between a sloop and a ketch? (twin vs single mast)
2. What is the rhumb line? (In navigation, a rhumb line (or loxodrome) is a line crossing all meridians of longitude at the same angle, i.e. a path derived from a defined initial bearing. That is, upon taking an initial bearing, one proceeds along the same bearing, without changing the direction as measured relative to true north.)
3. how much water (per person) do i need to take with me on a trans-atlantic? 2l per day per person
4. how long will it take to sail around the UK? N/A - plans have changed
5. How much is a water maker? far too much and I have no holding tanks anyway
6. What type of radio should I get? 2....a VHF for the boat and a handheld VHF powered by AA batteries for the grabbag

 18th May 2011

Well, a hell of a lot of water has flowed under the proverbial. I'm currently sitting in Charlie P's in Vienna having just flown back from the UK where I completed the RYA Day Skipper course. This was the second RYA course I've taken (the first being compentant crew) and, subjectively, I reckon anyone with sailing experience could skip the crewing course as it covered the essentil basics such as mooring, handling under engine and sail, safety and so on. The Day Skipper focussed more on navigation (passage making, creation and so on) which was/is definately my weak spot. I'm glad I did both though, they provided me with (over)confidence :).

So..what else is new, ahh yes, I've bought a boat, a Contessa 26. I'd narrowed my chouice of boats down to the Centaur, an Albin vega, a Cobra 750 and the Contessa and then searched around for a boat in my budget. I bought Wiskiwoo, a 1969 boat, based out of Gosport, and spent the last two days of this week (16th and 17th May) sailing her. She's a wet boat, certainly compared to the Benatau 36 I'd spent the previous week on, but sleek and she's mine, mine I say, all mine!!!!

Here's me & Catweasel (I'm the one in the red jacket, Catweasel is the boat shaped one wearing blue) and the previous owner doing the formal handover...about to inbibe a few at the Master Builders.

breaking this to scoff food, tbc







and here is me now...June 1st..working on my sailory goatee