Recent content by ScallywagII

And also in 2016 Olivier Delebecque in 20' Godot completed the Azores challenge and return to Plymouth and made good passages each way. I used to think that T23+ ScallywagII was too small for offshore work until I saw Acroc Australis in the Queensland museum. She measures just under 12'...

Hi, any odd remarks will have been about the boat not corresponding with the details on the entry list. You earned the right to be there again, particularly because your late change of plans was due to the absence of any other takers for what was effectively the Jester World Challenge. None...

I have good results with Northwood weatherfax out to 40W in 2014. It stopped then as the transmaissions ceased for a time. Northwood is not part of GMDSS and can be discontinued at any time. It resumed after a few months, so was probably due to a technical issue. After that I used the US...

This is an excellent illustration of the benefit of up to date weather charts. Following the GC route from Terceira to the tip of NW Spain would be a broad reach. A degree further north would be the other side of the trough and there be headwinds. Of course this is just one chart and you would...

Correct. I was thinking of our return from the Azores last year, when the reception was particularly good and the forecasts completely accurate, but they predicted 10 days of closehauled. With no other information I would have been tempted to tack every day or so and zigzag across the rhumb...

Fortunately for weatherfax a full SSB setup is not required. I have used a portable SW reciever. It does need to be able to recieve upper side band USB. On normal reception it is also useful for radio from BBC world service and a host of other stations. Then there is a laptop/notebook/tablet...

I would just add to work with the weather you get. It is not uncommon to find a ridge of high pressure from near the Azores heading roughly NE towards the channel. If that is the case it could be very simple. Stay to the east of the ridge for the trip down to the Azores or stay to the NW of...

Ron, Thanks for posting the video. There are lots of different methods and it is a case for finding out what suits you and your boat best. I take your point about some setups sacrificing sailing performance for sake of steering. I know that the backed storm jib works, but the only time I...

Ron, Thanks for the feedback. It is very pleasing to know that the knowledge in the vidoes has been useful. Upwind is pretty easy and I have seen a bungee or lashed helm work in a sailing dinghy and a 60m square rigger and lots in between. In fact on a trip to the Azores in a 40' Island...

The OP was rightly concerned about the cost of vane gear and Brent pointed out that a reliable trim tab system can be built at low cost. This is potentially very helpful for those whose boats have an outboard rudder. Len Hiley ScallywagII T23+ JC14 Emu Hurley 27...

I didn't use vanes or autopilot on the JC 14 and Olivier on Godot did the JAC last year also without either. Study the first three chapters of the John Letcher book available on the jesterinfo website and try it out. I have no objection to anyone using wind vane gear, but perpetuating the...

The "less well equipped" have less stuff to break so just turn up on the other side without a fuss. The reports we read about are when there is something newsworthy to write about. No drama, no story. It has long been so. After crossing the Pacific, pre GPS, the Hiscocks were greeted by...

There have been a number of accounts of steering failure in recent times. IMHO this could be largely due to the use of autopilots. With hand steering you soon know if the boat is unbalanced or overcanvassed. Similarly a windvane will only work well with a fairly well balanced rig. A...

I started an Atlantic circuit on my T23+ with a budget windvane and 2 elderly autopilots. The windvane lasted about 100 miles and the autopilots both required frequent repairs, and were soon relegated. £5 worth of bungee supplied the solution for the rest of the circuit. Bungee alone for...