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.

Tuesday 31 August 2010

Jura to Loch Crinan - 31st August

The silence woke me at 6:15am. I’m not sure I have ever not heard nothing before! The bay so still that the only ripples in it were emanating from me moving around on the boat. A cup of tea in hand, I lay down on the damp deck and studied the sea floor 6 meters below which was alive with critters, crabs and tiny little fish. Chopping a small lump of ham off and dropping it where I could see it land, it was engulfed within seconds of hitting the bottom by crabs; being too big for the little fish who had a stab at eating it on its way down.
  Cornflaked and toasted up, by 7am a slight breeze could be seen out in the Sound, so hoisted the mainsail and motored out – destination Crinan Loch. Just as I reached the bay’s entrance and almost right in front of me was a shark's fin with another slimmer one some 6 feet behind – but moving to and fro - and the two were attached! Shutting down the engine, I raced for my camera, but I must have unsettled it as by the time I had retrieved it from below, it was gone; reappearing 50 yards away, back on the surface; with just the top of it’s tail and fin above the surface again. I don’t think it was a big one, but all the same ... a whale shark! Another first!
   The tide was against me for the first hour, so kept close into the shoreline; but still in 40 meters; keeping out of the worst of the flow. With the engine off, I was barely doing 2.5 knots but enjoying the bird life – they are much tamer here and allow boats to get very close before they either dive or fly off. I’ve never been a fan of binoculars on a boat. I can never get the subject to stay still enough to enjoy viewing it. But on a day like today with barely a ripple they’re a joy. An hour later on a very remote and deserted part of Jura’s coast, I saw tucked right into the shore, a sea otter lying on its back bashing something on its tummy and then chewing it as though it either tasted disgusting or it was fighting back! Another first! They’re quite a lot bigger than I had imagined.
   For the first time on the whole voyage – outside the Solent of course, there were quite a few yachts out; mostly motoring south, it has to be said with no sails! Do they know something I don’t! One beautiful racing Old Gaffer with a huge gaff and mainsail with stunning white sails shot out of Crinan when it was still about 7 miles away, beating south, towards me before turning North and running for home at remarkable speed.
  Crinan is busy, with plenty of moored yachts ; quite a few of which, have people on board. Obviously a sort of spaghetti junction of the Highlands, as it’s the busiest spot seen so far. Only a few miles away is the famous Gulf of Corryvreckin, with its whirlpools and dangerous tidal streams – not part of my agenda!
  Tomorrow I sail up the Sound of Luing, past Scarba Island then across the Firth of Lorn and find a quiet spot on Mull for the night. I do need some more wind than today though!
  It’s time to warm up some more of my homemade casserole and dig some hens out of the fridge!
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