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.

Thursday 26 August 2010

Killler Whale and Irish Stew - August 25th

A spur of the moment decision, simply because weather, wind and tide made it possible, put Ireland on the agenda. Slipping lines at 11:00 and setting sail for Glenarm, a small marina some 20 miles North of Belfast, was a joy. The sun blazed down and combined with 7 knots of wind and a 2.5 knot tide made the crossing delicious, the tide helping all the way. Suddenly a noise like a truck tyre being deflated by having its valve removed made me leap up, and there not 50 yards away was a Killer Whale - black with white belly and huge dorsal fin; and, somewhat scarily, it was heading straight for me, along with two smaller ones – one minus a dorsal fin! Another huge exhale a few moments later made me gasp, as did the subsequent ones! How can anything breathe out with such force? The vapour exploding 6 feet in the air! It passed less than 25 yards away. Awe struck Utterly and completely!
    Arriving in Glenarm Bay having sailed up the coast from Belfast Loch and passing The Maidens – two rocks that look exactly like a young girls chesty bits, followed the harbourmaster's instructions and chose any free berth available inside the marina. Again following orders and after mooring, I found the key hanging in a green plastic bag behind the fuse box! I could now leave the marina via the electronic gate and equally important, get back in! Glenarm has seen better days, but the pub - The Bridge End Tavern is a real find. The landlord and owner Stevey McAuley a true professional. A roaring fire, a perfect pint of Guinness and on mentioning food which, they've never done, unasked produced from nowhere a huge bowl of delicious Irish stew, he'd made earlier. Where else but Ireland? God it was good. Then in came a three man crew, having parked a big Moody in the same marina - the owner having had the same operation as me, for Prostate Cancer. Then a motorcycle racing photographer came in and suddenly it's midnight and I found myself on the fat end 6 pints!
   Ballycastle tomorrow if I can make any sense of life!
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1 comment:

  1. Anonymous27 August 2010 at 00:05

    little destiny from england most upset as you never mentioned the fresh hen egg from the beer garden being taken away and returned as a warm chocolate muffin that stevey shared with you!!!glad you enjoyed your stay in glenarm and stevey says thanks for the mention and it was him who was waving like mad this morning as you set sail, mad staffie by his ankles!!!

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