During the first day of June 2010 I set sail in 'Equinox' my 24ft 6' Cornish Crabber from Chichester Marina and headed West down the Solent on a once in a lifetime adventure. Three and a half months later I completed my challenge; having sailed solo around the entire UK; visiting the Scillies, Ireland, Wales, Scotland and the Hebrides; going with huge trepidation over the top via Cape Wrath - the 'big right turn', before the next 'big right turn' heading south, at John o'Groats. This blog is my diary, written most evenings as I took stock of the day's progress; often with a huge lump of Cheddar cheese in hand and a pint of Speckled Hen to keep it company. Sometimes I was almost in tears; tiredness and frustration having taken its toll. Other nights exhuberant after breathtakingly beautiful passages along our stunning coastline with favourable following winds. It describes the ups and downs; the tears and laughter; the extraordinary kindness shown by complete strangers who offered a tired sailor in their midst refuge, solace, warmth and company; their generosity often humbling. My hormones were, I'm sure, in a mess making me perhaps rather vulnerble; as just six months earlier I'd endured the surgical removal of a cancerous prostate gland; laprascopically - a six hour procedure that left me physically weaker than before. You can read the background to the illness and the reasons for the challenge - to raise awareness of this terribe disease; that could have so easily have killed me elsewhere on this blog.

I am indebted to many; and recorded their names elsewhere; but as I reflect on the voyage many months later, I have not fully sung the praise of Cornish Crabbers, the builders of my sturdy little yacht and Roger Dongray the yacht's brilliant designer who drew upon a hull shape that had developed over hundreds of years by men who worked and fished at sea and whose very life depended on their vessel's seaworthiness. It's long keel, sail configuration and weight distribution in seemingly monsterous seas; quite incredible for a yacht so small. A Crabber 24 is not the swiftest yacht to be had for her size, for sure. But what she lacks in that respect she makes up for by her abilty to take heavy weather and harsh conditions in her stride. Built solidly without compromise, Equinox delivered me safely home after a voyage of well over 2500 miles in some of the most hostile and dangerously tidal waters you can find anywhere in Europe. In Wales, for example, the RNLI were phoned by an experienced commercial fisherman watching Equinox from his harbourside office; reporting to them, that a yacht was struggling in heavy seas and a F7 a mile outside the harbour entrance. By the time the lifeboat had been launched, I was tucked up in Aberystwyth marina; a little bruised and battered it has to be said, but safe and sound; I never even saw the lifeboat!

I've recently set up the blog so that readers can cover numerous diary entries in one go. To access earlier diary entries just click on the link 'Older Posts' at the foot of each page. Only a few clicks are needed to get to the entries at the beginning of the voyage and my preparation beforehand.

I hope you enjoy reading it; and if you do, or have done, please be kind enough to leave me a message. For which, in anticipation, I thank you.
The voyage also raised over £10,000 for the Prostate Cancer Charity - not my main goal but those who donated on my 'Just Giving ' page made a huge contribution too; as I was notified by email of each donation as it was made; each raising my spirits immeasurably. My main goal was to encourage 2500 men to get PSA tested - one for each mile sailed; and I beleive that goal was achieved too. And finally, I would also like to thank the growing number of men who have, both during and after the voyage ended, taken a PSA test, as a result of the publicty the voyage attracted; been diagnosed with the disease and taken the time and trouble to email me.

Friday 30 July 2010

Rhoscolyn to Holyhead - July 30th

I found an excuse to stay moored in Rhoscolyn for another night! Max and Lucy Berry took pity on me and kindly invited me around for supper – and delicious it was too! I feel very spoilt.
The wind came round to the NE at some point during the night which eventually woke me as Equinox snatched and tugged increasingly violently at her anchor; the wind droning through the rigging. Sticking my head out of the hatch, I was dismayed to see yesterday’s sunshine had been replaced by drizzle which, turned to light rain as I cornflaked. Motoring out of the bay and straight into Rhoscolyn Head’s race, Equinox started burying her head into the confused swell forcing me to duck under the screen as great dollops of spay fizzed back in 19-22 knots of wind. With a favourable 4-6 knot tide; and making sure we didn’t come to grief on Maen Piscar, a nasty solitary rock in the middle of my passage, the coast shot by. A blue and yellow helicopter from RAF Valley practiced hovering on a nearby cliff edge, my only company in an otherwise empty sea. Next we rounded Penrhyn Mawr and Abraham’s bosom where the wind gusted to 28knots in the confused race. Then the forlorn sounding horn on South Stack, heard long before the light became visible through the mist, groaned out its short warning every 30 seconds. Across Gogarth Bay and around North Stack and another race, where suddenlly in the gloom the mile long breakwater, that shelters Holyhead harbour, came in to view, just as a massive twin hulled ferry sped past me, on route to Dublin.

Once inside the breakwater the sea remained quite rough until half way to the marina, at the far end, when finally Holyhead Mountain’s influence was felt and things calmed down appreciably. I moored on the huge visitor’s pontoon before heading to the marina office for berthing instructions. Just as I was about to move Equinox, Max, who I had supper with last night, came bounding down the pontoon and helped with lines and fending off, with the wind still gusting to 20 knots! He’d driven in from Rhoscolyn to the chandlers in the marina to buy a replcement set of rivets for his Laser’s goose neck, that broke yesterday. No sooner had he helped me secure Equinox on her new berth than he was off, and only just in time, before a fresh squall came through.

So here you find me tucked up in Holyhead! Shore power’s attached, the heater full on, drying out sailing clobber, yet again and I'm blowing over the top of a freshly made piping hot mug of Horlicks to warm the heart and soul. Outside, it's still raining......even harder!

My summer holiday has begun!

I think I’ll wait until it dies down a little, before venturing in for a shower and some food!
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