Baltimore 2019

Gitane

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Will now probably cross the Plymouth starting line on Sunday evening so that I start Challenge and then anchor near the starting line. Will then wait for the tide on Monday morning and head off to the Scilly Isles and then hopefully on to Baltimore, all this weather permitting of course, but the forecasts for next week are beginning to calm down, so fingers crossed.


Whilst I can’t make any of the social events in Plymouth, which is a great pity, I do hope to be able to join the Skipper’s briefing this Saturday. Is this still due at 18:00?

Ron (Kerrin II)
 
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lampshuk

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I believe the briefing is at 18:30, Ron (according to the last info from Ewen).

Anchoring near the start line and waiting for Monday may not be a bad plan all round.

Just had my favourite best wishes from an Italian Colleague:

"in culo alla balena"

Yes, it means what you think it means...

balena.JPG
 

PhillM

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Just wanted to wish everyone well for the challenge. My challenge was to get the boat ready, then myself. I succeeded in part one, but failed to make the delivery a success. I now have a year, with a properly equipped boat, to learn how it all works most effectively and to prepare myself. When you get these, have a pint for me!
Cheers,
Phill
 

Gitane

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Well, didn't manage to make the briefing, still in Dartmouth.

As I don't fancy beating out of Dartmouth with a 6 in the forecast, I now intend to leave Dartmouth for Plymouth on Monday, cross the starting line and head out to Baltimore straight away.

Hope to finally manage to meet everyone some time next week.
 

Gitane

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I have decided to retire from the Challenge and am back in Plymouth.

No winds meant little progress and headwinds are forecast for the rest of the week, meaning that it could be the weekend before I arrive in Baltimore. But with strong winds forecast for the weekend, I have decided to play it save and call it a day.

Good luck and fairwinds to all the remaining participants.
 

Spuddy

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I know of progress of two chums: Bernie Branfield and Tom Fisher. Both delayed their start until Monday. Even so two reef headwinds meant Tom, at least took an age to get past Lizard. My impression is that followed by a period of light to variable wind. Comments on Tom's yellowbrick tracker are that NE wind coming in and anticipates Baltimore sometime today. Bernie will be behind but I'm told that AIS shows him 100 miles west of Lands End
 

Spuddy

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Got that wrong....a day out. Tom reckons he'll be in today afternoon.
I have several excuses for my muddle but not worth wasting others time
 

Old Harry

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I have decided to retire from the Challenge and am back in Plymouth.

No winds meant little progress and headwinds are forecast for the rest of the week, meaning that it could be the weekend before I arrive in Baltimore. But with strong winds forecast for the weekend, I have decided to play it save and call it a day.

Good luck and fairwinds to all the remaining participants.
good call,there is always another time. + its an epic trip from the East Coast just to get to the start
 
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Gitane

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Thank you for the kind words.

The cruise, if that is what you call it, down to Plymouth was a great learning experience. Looking back, the boat was fine, nothing important broke, and I have gained more experience in single handed night sailing, sheet to tiller steering in more unsettled seas and coping with rougher weather, if not an actual gale. (Would love to learn from those caught in an F8/F9, how did you manage the situation)

I am already eyeing up the next Baltimore challenge.

Well done to all who made it across. Respect to you.
 

John Willis

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Completed the Challenge - first thoughts were never again; later, 2021 seemed a good idea.

Don't be in a hurry to find a gale - let it come to you but not until you're ready. Well done with your efforts
 

Gitane

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It would be great to hear about everyone's experiences during this challenge.

What worked, what didn't work. What would you change for the next Jester Challenge?

What lesson's were learnt?
 

John Willis

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It would be great to hear about everyone's experiences during this challenge.

What worked, what didn't work. What would you change for the next Jester Challenge?

What lesson's were learnt?
It is an individual challenge done in one's own way. Some boats like mine were bigger, bringing perhaps more comfort but of course heavier to handle too.

For me the key asset was my windvane a Hydrovane. The radar with its guard zone alarm was essential for rest and sleep (none until beyond Bishop's Rock). Hoping to continue cruising afterwards, I had vast ration stocks so always had something good to hand. But these are just my personal thoughts - others might say different.
I would change nothing for next time - just the weather; it was a horrid start!!
 

ScallywagII

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and I have gained more experience in single handed night sailing, sheet to tiller steering in more unsettled seas and coping with rougher weather,/QUOTE]

I am always pleased to hear that others have tried sheet to tiller steering. What points of sail and how did it go? My own efforts were initially trial and error, until I found what setups worked, but I couldn't understand why a particular setting would work and continue to work as the wind strength changed, while another would not remain stable. It served me for an Atlantic circuit and the JC14 and usually was OK.

Had you read the John Letcher book which you can access on the Jester wordpress site. He explains how the initial setting of the bungee is critical to ensure a stable arrangement. Armed with this knowledge I was able to set up Emu for self steering and it was completely reliable on last year's challenge. My retirement to Azores was due to time constraints, not any equipment issues. I made YouTube videos for three points of sail, upwind, downwind and reaching and explain in more detail how each is set up. Probably best if viewed in this order:

Upwind https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKGTv4slZlg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aWFkMal6uE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZVg5WmWkhA&t=3s

Enjoy the vids and more importantly have fun trying out some of these methods or others you will find in John Letcher's book.

Len
Emu
 

Gitane

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and I have gained more experience in single handed night sailing, sheet to tiller steering in more unsettled seas and coping with rougher weather,/QUOTE]

I am always pleased to hear that others have tried sheet to tiller steering. What points of sail and how did it go? My own efforts were initially trial and error, until I found what setups worked, but I couldn't understand why a particular setting would work and continue to work as the wind strength changed, while another would not remain stable. It served me for an Atlantic circuit and the JC14 and usually was OK.

Had you read the John Letcher book which you can access on the Jester wordpress site. He explains how the initial setting of the bungee is critical to ensure a stable arrangement. Armed with this knowledge I was able to set up Emu for self steering and it was completely reliable on last year's challenge. My retirement to Azores was due to time constraints, not any equipment issues. I made YouTube videos for three points of sail, upwind, downwind and reaching and explain in more detail how each is set up. Probably best if viewed in this order:

Upwind https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKGTv4slZlg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aWFkMal6uE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZVg5WmWkhA&t=3s

Enjoy the vids and more importantly have fun trying out some of these methods or others you will find in John Letcher's book.

Len
Emu

Len,


First of all, thank you very much for posting your excellent videos on the sheet to tiller arrangements you used on Scallywag, these were the inspiration to me to try these technics on my trip to Plymouth for the start of the JBC 2019.

I used your technics whilst beating, which it turned out I had to do a lot of on the way to Plymouth, and this was very effective. On the way back, I had wind off the quarter, and I used your recommendations to steer the boat on this point of sail, which it did very happily throughout a day and night of sailing in F4/5 winds.

On both the beat, and with the wind off the quarter, the sheet to tiller method did a better job than my Simrad tillerpilot and of course, the techniques uses no electricity. On the beat, your recommendations worked on closed haul and closed reach. With wind off the quarter, Kerrin II was happiest with wind off to around 120 degrees.

In very light winds, I did have to use the tillerpilot, as the winds are not strong enough for sheet to tiller on Kerrin II, but then, I wasn’t making a lot of progress anyway, either in the right or wrong direction!


I has also looked at the “Foolishmuse” videos, https://youtu.be/PY1qx3PfUS0
and used the storm jib to sheet system for beating, which worked well. For my trip from Dover to Bradwell on Saturday, I hope to try to use the polled out Storm Jib method for beam, broad reach sailing as well as on a down wind run. I have used this method briefly in the past, and it seems to work well, but on Saturday, I hope to use this for a 12 hour passage.

Ron
Kerrin II
 
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