Bonjour
I'm planning to sail the JC2010 (as I planned to sail the JAC2008!). Life will decide.
I plan to sale Sterenn and sail a smaller less demanding boat.
Eric /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
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So when you said, on 13th July:
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I am contemplating a longish trip in Flipper... in 2010 and maybe again a couple of years later
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you meant across the estuary? Or have your contemplations crystalised a little since then?
I too am contemplating. For the moment, I am following Sterenn's advice - plan to do it; decide later. For now, I don't feel I have sufficient understanding of the challenge. My boat is a Golden Hind 26 - shallow draft, long keel. I need more experience, the boat needs work. But that's what the two years are for!
2010 is a shorter trip than across the atlantic! It is 'longish' in terms of time as I hope to be away for 6 weeks but it is not a non stop sailing trip.
I never realised that my posts were watched so closely! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Ah that makes sense! I'm not really stalking you... it's just that I tend to notice any posts that look as though they may be contemplating Jester. Especially east coastish (I'm Gravesend).
Time runs short for 2010. I need a significant singlehanded voyage in 2009... the North Sea beckons, but might be a tad crowded with oil/gas rigs and support vessels. And as for the work needed to get Black Sheep ship shape...
Had been looking at potential 500 nm trips. Don't really want to sail across to Norway or Denmark as will have to get back again doubling the time away. Was thinking about sailing North East (ish) round Holy Island and back but as you suggest there are the oil / gas platforms to consider.
Centaur Pipedream has recently got back from the Azores and did the return trip solo all the way up channel so I am interested to have a chat with him and see how the last bit was - potentially at his most tired with the busier shipping lanes too.
Peter, the last bit was without doubt the busiest, and was in fact, nothing like the rest (majority) of the trip. The planning trip up to Newcastle I did last (?) year was useful, but again, little like the "real thing", albeit good preparatuion in other ways. Looking forward to that chat and beer !
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I will definately be in Bradwell Sat 6th Sept as the sailing assoc that I am Hon Sec for has a supper meet at the Green Man. Sat will be quite busy but if I got my act together and came over on Fri 5th might you be about?
BTW I have now 'come out' and confessed all to family (well not Mother yet as she would only worry) work etc so it is all systems go for 2012. The only thing that could stop me getting to that start line now is ME! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Yes, sorting out a good 500 mile prep trip is the thing. I appreciate that it won't be the same as the real thing, but for me an absolutely essential focus for preparation, and also test of whether I actually want to do the real challenge.
I like the idea of rounding an island, but not sure I'd want to commit myself to being so close to shore. I should have the time for a weeks outward journey then a more leisurely return (possibly leaving the boat somewhere for a bit in between). At the moment, East coast of Scotland looks favourite.
I'd love to pick your brains, Alan, particularly on sleep management. Also, can't remember what you used for sending back your position reports. And did you use the sextant much, and, and, and...
I have no need to "come out" as I haven't decided to do it. I am only planning to.
You are right about having something to focus on and for me, it was the preparation trip, and then getting the boat (and me) ready. The other thing is telling people. It seems to have been a common strategy to tell as many people as you can that you are doing it, and that makes it harder to pull out !. Feel free to fire as many questions as you like to me, and I am sure the others.
Sleep in the busier areas was 15 mins max on the egg timers, however this extended in less busy areas, where AIS (and I personally would not do a trip like this without it - i had the basic NASA AIS Radar, and it was fantastic) played a major part.
I took a satphone and sent daily positions (via text 0 the phone was not connected to a pc) to my brother who posted my positions on the forum.
My biggest disappointment was that I didnt get the sextant out at all. It seems that there was always something (usually sleep) which carried higher priority. I had a total of 5 independent GPS units on board, 3 powered by batteries other than the boats main units.
If I was to do it again (maybe 2012), the main thing I would change would be steering gear (I ended up on tiller pilots).
Being a Scarborough based boat, I had to sail solo along the south and back up the east coasts. I got a lot of sleep out in the atlantic but the coastal bit was very tiring. My solution was to sleep in 30 minute cat naps for one night and anchor or harbour it the next. Obviously ferries, fishing boats were more of a problem to me than oilrigs, they don't tend to move and are good navigational marks!
I'm still doing it. I may even have found a boat to do it in; I'll let you know what it is if I buy it. I hope to be back on the water before the end of the year and put some East Coast miles in. I expect to join in the 2009 EAORA sailing two-handed to break myself into the longer distances.