Half way there - 28 August 2010
It’s clear that the crews on board Hull & Humber and Edinburgh Inspiring Capital are invigorated at being at sea and their pens have been busy over the last 24 hours. As they race in to day 6 of the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race, the teams have reached the half way point with 950 miles sailed and 950 still to go.
On board Hull & Humber, Patrick Bird writes lyrically about the experience saying; “What a day (and night). Fabulous scenery at Muckle Flugga, where we were all alone except for thousands of gannets nesting on the cliffs. We tacked at the lighthouse onto a fine reach and made off at 10 knots pointing south west. But where is everyone?
“Never mind. It’s a superb sail with great views, sun, flat sea and the Clipper 68 going like a train. Who said sailing in Scotland is hard work? Actually, it was very hard work for today’s "engineers" Zoe and Rachel who cleared the messy bilges, filled in our ride north, and Peter who battled courageously with our fuel pump.
“Willem and Janet are superb in the galley, producing a continuous supply of refreshments, culminating in a fabulous and huge beefy curry so big that we could not finish it and so good that we've kept the rest for a rainy day.
“Port watch took us into the night, with the sun setting through rainbow clouds. The wind dropped and the black beast of the foc'sle (No 1 Yankee) emerges on deck again and at last up the forestay. Starboard watch wake at 1.30 to a strange quietness.
“Up ahead, we spot ‘John B’, a Grand Soliel 54 a couple of miles in front, oddly pointing north and barely moving. Up goes our windseeker and an epic struggle to keep moving commences. Al, one of the Mates on board takes us north west, calls the tack perfectly and we cross a couple of boat lengths ahead. YES!!!! No reply to our polite cries of greeting though....
“Daylight arrives and we are slipping away from them nicely, bound for Sula Sgeir and St Kilda beyond.” Also on board the big orange boat is Clipper’s communications manager Zoe Williamson. She too has been clearly moved by the beauty of Northern Scotland. “I am on Starboard Watch and as the watch system rotates, it means that we have been allocated to do the graveyard watch from 0200 to 0800 everyday. Not the best shift to be honest but one major bonus is we get to see the sun rise each morning. We knew yesterday evening that this morning's watch would see us round Muckle Flugga but not for one minute did I think it would be as spectacular as it was. The sea state had calmed considerably and Hull & Humber was nicely powered up, making good progress to the most northerly point of our race track as the sun appeared over the horizon.
“I think my turn at the helm at this point will be something that will stay with me a long time as the glow of the rising sun lit up the Shetland Islands and the two sea stacks ahead.
“As a round the worlder on the Clipper 05-06 Race, whenever I'm on a Clipper 68 it always feels a bit like coming home. This race for me is the first time I've done some decent offshore racing since completing my circumnavigation in July 2006 and I'm surprised how quickly everything has
come back and how easy it has been to get back into the watch system and being part of a racing team once more. I wish I could slow up time right now and be on board for longer than ten days as I know it will be hard to leave the boat once more when we return to Gosport at
the end of this 1,802 mile adventure.”
Over on Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, they had a moment of net surfing yesterday. Sadly, it had nothing to do with the internet, as skipper Jim Dobie explained. “After struggling to get good boat speed from the girl, we had been questioning whether we had picked something up. News broke this morning from Dirk, one of my Mates, that we were trailing something behind us. It was under the water and wasn't easy to make out so I dispatched Dirk to put on an immersion suit as he might need to go for a swim. We dropped the Yankee head sail, stopped racing and hove too. After a lot of rudder movement and pulling, a large tangle of fishing net was pulled free. To add insult to injury there was no fish for us to enjoy, just a load of sorry looking dead squid. The offending net has been bagged up and placed in storage to be set ashore on return and not to foul up someone else's rudder. Interestingly enough we seemed to have picked up a extra knot of speed and the purple girl is sailing along nicely. Now it’s a question of trying to gain the lost miles, which is easier said than done.”
Their ride down the west coast has been varied with decent winds coming when the heavy clouds increase but in between, there have been patches of frustrating lulls. However, as both boats prepare to bear away towards Ireland, they should be able to fly their spinnakers for the first time and enjoy some exhilarating surfing down the large swells.
One of the crew on board the Scottish boat is 54 year old Calum Macaskill from Colchester in Essex. He knows Clipper well, having completed a Part A training course in 2008 and has also competed in the famous Fastnet race. He should get to see the Fastnet rock in around three days time, when the race turns the corner at the south western tip of Cork and head east towards the finish line.
He too is clearly enjoying writing about his experience in the Round Britain and Ireland Race, reporting “Scotland does not yield her treasures easily. It seems as long as we have been in Scottish waters and particularly the last 24 hours we have been tested by variable winds, in both strength and direction. The varying strength required numerous sail changes and directional changes created challenges for tactics and navigation.
“However almost exactly four days after the stormy start, we found ourselves glorious sunshine rounding Muckle Flugga lighthouse on the northern tip of Shetland. We are now starting to head south west and can then bear away south, hopefully to warmer nights which have been a bit chilly recently."
Over the top
27 August 2010
A tale of two differing stories for Hull & Humber and Edinburgh Inspiring Capital as they enter the fifth day of racing in the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Yacht Race.
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Muckle Flugga Ahoy!
26 August 2010
Its day four of the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Yacht Race and both Clipper entries, Hull & Humber and Edinburgh Inspiring Capital are maintaining good progress as they now set their sights on Muckle Flugga, the most northerly tip of the British Isles.
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