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.

Saturday, 3 July 2010

Appledore - restocked and fished out!

Last night’s fishing was incredible. I drew Log Pool; a dark 30-50ft wide stretch of river with the opposite bank overgrown with trees that makes the pool rather forbidding and sultry. The overhanging trees provide excellent shade, as do the bank’s numerous bays- scars left by ancient oaks and willows, flourishing one year, gone the next, that bear testament to the river’s awesome power which bodily tore them out. One or two lie stranded and bleached in the shallows, their sunken braches a haven for sea trout. It was among these that I silently slid into the water at 10:30. Over the next two hours I lost two Peels – young sea trout - and then, just as the moon showed and mist started settling on the river a huge fish took my fly with shocking force. My rod was yanked down and the fly line shot out of the water to form a straight line to the fish, the line in hand torn from my fingers. Then nothing...gone! That was it. I will never know how big it was, or indeed what it was, but never in 45 years of fishing have I experienced anything like it. It was very hard to get to sleep, when I eventually hit the hay at around 2:30; with one further sea trout landed and taken for the freezer. It’s what dreams are made of!

Goodbyes over a quick trip to the supermarket and here I am back on Equinox. The wind, although dying now at 8pm, was gusting F5-6 with huge breakers crashing on Bideford Bar a mile away, when I got here this morning. After last night’s excitement, together with a just-heard forecast warning of gale force winds means a further day here to recover and a chance to give the engine a ‘once over’might be prudent.

Of some surprise is the extent of the greenery that has grown in a week on the hull. How on earth it retains a grip in 4 knot current is a mystery. Maybe it was there already and mooring in this tidal stream provides it with perfect growing conditions. Another job......
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