Geoff West and crew put up their spinnaker at the start but lived to regret it as they swiftly broached and poor Gary injured his hand quite badly with a rope burn.
Tuesday, 22 June 2010
Starting Action aboad Sea Fever - Andys Photos
Geoff West and crew put up their spinnaker at the start but lived to regret it as they swiftly broached and poor Gary injured his hand quite badly with a rope burn.
Monday, 21 June 2010
Update from legs one and two by Kate
Leg One
After the start we flew off the line towards Bardsey and enjoyed seeing Team EADS get their spinn aker wrapped. Photos to follow. We sped west and rounded Bardsey an hour after slack water as the race began to rip. Compared to last years effort in the dark it was a pleasure to battle through past Braich y Pwll and by nightfall we were enjoying a splendid fish pie off Pen Mawr. The team got into watches and Andrew and Virginia slept while K P and D sailed the boat to Caernarvon. At the bar we had to tack in up a short narrow channel and were horrified when in 3.8 m at the shallowest point the marker buoy was missing. The light on CB6 had failed. It was with some relief we dropped A and V on the dock and greeted a cheery Bill. Four boats had anchored ahead of us.
While we slept the runners and Bill saw dawn on the mountain with beautiful views. They were so quickly back we were caught napping and had to rush to pick them up. Boats were heading up the Straits into the stream but also diving back out over the Bar to go round Bardsey. We chose the Straits and headed off in 12th.
Leg two
With our spinnaker flying we negotiated Britannia Bridge and were horrified to see White Cloud, an early leader, aground on Cribbin Rock. While rubber necking we foolishly stopped concentrating and parked up on a rather solid piece of shoreline next to the Swelly Rock. With some coolness Patrick surveyed his new boat on its side and decided that kedging off once the tide had risen again would be the best way to escape. We read the papers, ate lunch and took abuse from Kithros 2 as they sneaked past at low water. Helicopters whirred overhead and photographers clambered along the bank to snap us.
Eventually we rowed the boat back into the channel and set off again with a sigh of relief. We had wasted 3 hours but were still in eighth position as we left the Straits due to some having gone South or gone aground.
The wind kept steady all the way across the Irish sea and we were able to close reach with a little spinnaker work at the beginning and end of the leg. We saw nobody although we knew Kithros 2 was around somewhere!
At dawn we approached St Bees head and were delighted to find out that the fleet ahead was only able to enter Whitehaven at 4am so we were only 2 hours behind. As I write D and P are still on their way down from Ennerdale but on their return we hope to lock out with the four other boats waiting. The Dockers are aground outside and Tactix (EADS)has set off but the rest are waiting impatiently for water.
Meanwhile V is preparing the next gourmet meat for us. Freshly cooked meals, no Rat Packs for the Commodore's Summer Cruise. Japanese Noodle Hot Pot and pear and peach ginger trifle tonight. sadly no wine allowed till the finish!
Bill has been a fantastic help despite struggling to keep up on his own. He has provided food and drink for the runners, supplies of milk and papers and weather forecasts for the sailors, and been upbeat and cheerful throughout. Thanks Bill, this is a real team effort and you are a vital member of the team.
So off we go with high hopes for leg Three. Sea Fever is entering home waters and spirits are excellent. All are rested and the boat is in good order.
More from Bill and an account of the running from those involved later.
Kate
PS No major injuries to report. V had a sore knee so Bill bought her frozen peas which she used on her knee then added to the chilli con carne!!
I have a slighly sunburnt upper arm and a torn fingernail, but us sailors are tough and don't complain about these things...
A says he hasnt got any injuries, not even any blisters.
After the start we flew off the line towards Bardsey and enjoyed seeing Team EADS get their spinn aker wrapped. Photos to follow. We sped west and rounded Bardsey an hour after slack water as the race began to rip. Compared to last years effort in the dark it was a pleasure to battle through past Braich y Pwll and by nightfall we were enjoying a splendid fish pie off Pen Mawr. The team got into watches and Andrew and Virginia slept while K P and D sailed the boat to Caernarvon. At the bar we had to tack in up a short narrow channel and were horrified when in 3.8 m at the shallowest point the marker buoy was missing. The light on CB6 had failed. It was with some relief we dropped A and V on the dock and greeted a cheery Bill. Four boats had anchored ahead of us.
While we slept the runners and Bill saw dawn on the mountain with beautiful views. They were so quickly back we were caught napping and had to rush to pick them up. Boats were heading up the Straits into the stream but also diving back out over the Bar to go round Bardsey. We chose the Straits and headed off in 12th.
Leg two
With our spinnaker flying we negotiated Britannia Bridge and were horrified to see White Cloud, an early leader, aground on Cribbin Rock. While rubber necking we foolishly stopped concentrating and parked up on a rather solid piece of shoreline next to the Swelly Rock. With some coolness Patrick surveyed his new boat on its side and decided that kedging off once the tide had risen again would be the best way to escape. We read the papers, ate lunch and took abuse from Kithros 2 as they sneaked past at low water. Helicopters whirred overhead and photographers clambered along the bank to snap us.
Eventually we rowed the boat back into the channel and set off again with a sigh of relief. We had wasted 3 hours but were still in eighth position as we left the Straits due to some having gone South or gone aground.
The wind kept steady all the way across the Irish sea and we were able to close reach with a little spinnaker work at the beginning and end of the leg. We saw nobody although we knew Kithros 2 was around somewhere!
At dawn we approached St Bees head and were delighted to find out that the fleet ahead was only able to enter Whitehaven at 4am so we were only 2 hours behind. As I write D and P are still on their way down from Ennerdale but on their return we hope to lock out with the four other boats waiting. The Dockers are aground outside and Tactix (EADS)has set off but the rest are waiting impatiently for water.
Meanwhile V is preparing the next gourmet meat for us. Freshly cooked meals, no Rat Packs for the Commodore's Summer Cruise. Japanese Noodle Hot Pot and pear and peach ginger trifle tonight. sadly no wine allowed till the finish!
Bill has been a fantastic help despite struggling to keep up on his own. He has provided food and drink for the runners, supplies of milk and papers and weather forecasts for the sailors, and been upbeat and cheerful throughout. Thanks Bill, this is a real team effort and you are a vital member of the team.
So off we go with high hopes for leg Three. Sea Fever is entering home waters and spirits are excellent. All are rested and the boat is in good order.
More from Bill and an account of the running from those involved later.
Kate
PS No major injuries to report. V had a sore knee so Bill bought her frozen peas which she used on her knee then added to the chilli con carne!!
I have a slighly sunburnt upper arm and a torn fingernail, but us sailors are tough and don't complain about these things...
A says he hasnt got any injuries, not even any blisters.
Saturday, 19 June 2010
Relaxed and Ready.. Update by Bill
Relaxed and ready, Topsham Sea Fever are all aboad and ready to go.
After the Last Supper in the Yacht Club, and extreme depression induced by England's Football performance, things cheered up immensley when the Team spotted the Power Bar Goodies Van. Andrew in particular was like a boy in a sweetshop!
Partick manfully undertook the regulatory celebrity interview as Skipper. To be honest, they where happy to interview absolutely anybody, but the rest of the team showed a fine turn of speed in all taking one step backwards leaving Patrick alone to step up to the plate.
The crew then caught the ferry out to Topsham Sea Fever, lying smartly at anchor at the front of the fleet. We wish them luck. They are all barmy!
How about Kithros 2? Kate's update
Some of the Topsham followers will be wondering about the other TSC team in the race. Kithros 2 left Topsham on June 8th and arrived in Barmouth after a leisurely cruise on Wednesday 16th. They are in their customary position alongside the harbour wall, fortunately without a sand dune covering them this year. Bill has scrubbed off the hull and mounted his smart harbour ensign. Photos are available of him topless but I am negotiating the bribe to cancel publication. A donation to Shelterbox might swing it.
(If you enjoy following our race blog we would appreciate any support for our charity. The website is
http://www.justgiving.com/3PYRSeaFeverShelterbox
and both teams are collecting for the same cause).
Neal and Colin arrived last night with Richard Stevens the third sailor and Mike Berry the ultramarathon runner who stepped in after Elliot broke his foot recently. They are in usual laid back and jocular mood and one of our objectives, apart from hoping to complete the course with little wind forecast, is to try to stay in front of them. Not as easy as you would think despite the disparity between the boats. Neal and Bill are always tremendously generous with advice and help and I am grateful for their support.
This morning is the briefing sesion. The runners have all checked in their kit and we have a skippers and runners briefing then a backup team briefing. There are bucket loads of Powerbar goodies to stock up on, much appreciated by the teams. After that we will probably go back to the boat for a post prandial snooze before the excitement starts at 4pm.
Thanks for all the messages of support. The official site doesnt seem to have that facility this year so the texts and blog comments are terrific.
Bill will take over during the race as we will be busy until Whitehaven at least! His duties with a demanding crew to service are heavy but he is cheerfully catering to our whims!Thanks Bill
Kate
(If you enjoy following our race blog we would appreciate any support for our charity. The website is
http://www.justgiving.com/3PYRSeaFeverShelterbox
and both teams are collecting for the same cause).
Neal and Colin arrived last night with Richard Stevens the third sailor and Mike Berry the ultramarathon runner who stepped in after Elliot broke his foot recently. They are in usual laid back and jocular mood and one of our objectives, apart from hoping to complete the course with little wind forecast, is to try to stay in front of them. Not as easy as you would think despite the disparity between the boats. Neal and Bill are always tremendously generous with advice and help and I am grateful for their support.
This morning is the briefing sesion. The runners have all checked in their kit and we have a skippers and runners briefing then a backup team briefing. There are bucket loads of Powerbar goodies to stock up on, much appreciated by the teams. After that we will probably go back to the boat for a post prandial snooze before the excitement starts at 4pm.
Thanks for all the messages of support. The official site doesnt seem to have that facility this year so the texts and blog comments are terrific.
Bill will take over during the race as we will be busy until Whitehaven at least! His duties with a demanding crew to service are heavy but he is cheerfully catering to our whims!Thanks Bill
Kate
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