low fun on the high seas

sailbadthesinner

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So tcm pms me
Would I like to help in mojomo’s move to Lanzarote
Below is an ccount that may contain inaccuracies by date time and interpretation due to fatigue beffuddlement by alocohol or me just plain not paying attention


Here goes
Sunday
tcm and I meet up at Stansted for flight to la rochelle v early am and taxi to Sable D’Ollones where Mojomo is moored having been fettled by the boats builders. Once I have got over the shock of the size of the boat we repauir for lunch and agree that the French have got it pretty right and lunch is indeed very nice and very cheap. Next few hours are spent trying to find a place to vittle the boat with food and gas. Our lunchtime host offers to drive us to a supermarche and believes he can organise un camion for the return journey. But this rather ties us on times and we need something a bit quicker.

After lunch and a general sort out tcm produces two powered skateboard scooters. We zoom off at reasonable speed and great noise to front at Sables where there is a café with internet to check. We then roar a bit more around sables attracting admiring glances even from les gendarmes. My sunglasses that are on my head get swept of by a low palm branch and nearly end up under car behind but other than that we waft along sables front to the envy of every small boy and kidult.
The internet forecast is looking pretty grim lots of SW force 6 -7. A few demis later it still had not changed.

At 9pm pteron turns up at station and we walk tom meet him. we have to rush back to the port in a taxi before le monsieur where we had lunch shuts up shop. We all settle down and it is immediately obvious that pteron is thoroughly nice chap and most valuable crew being useful resourceful and clever in quite sickening doses.

It is we realise not going to be the archetypal chentlemens cruise. The weather is probably going to involve a fair bit of wind and we are, at three, short handed with possibiluity of being stretched if someone hurts themselves. That night wind gets up as predicted so we go to bad happy that forecast though not good is at least accurate.

Monday
Le shop.
Tcm embarks on boat fettling projects and sends crew off to the super U we identified on our scooters the day before. We also find gas which is handy as it was looking dodgy finding that
Mojomo has lots of basic consumbales on board after the transat including a healthy stock of FB pies.
Meals are planned and shopping slowly builds up in the trolley. Tcm turnms up and chivvies a few more treats into0 the cart which was good thinking. On the way back we pass a demonstration by jeep which involves going a up a wooden ramp and through a puddle that is up to the second wheel nut. Suitable chastised at our weediness when surrounded by such spirit of adventure we resolve to try and get out as soon as weather allows. Basically it seems lows are coming in with pretty high regularity bringin in W – SW. If we can get just a bit further south these ease which means although they are not ideal for the ground covering at least we will be out of the seas. But some are coming in F7 some F8 so we need to pick our exit window

We have lunch further up towards the break water at port sable. This involves a ferry across the harbour so is sort of boaty. Lunch is very good oysters were excellent and I think another steak. I have got the taste for rose by this point. Another check on internet reveals weather to be maybe settling down although for today it is a no go.

As an aside the kids are all out sailing in the relative lee of the breakwater. There are small cats a plenty and from a distance it seems the ribs shepherdfing them around are not just keeping an eye out but seem to be training them as each time a rib approaches a boat it then speeds up.

A bit of mooch and back to the boat to do a bit more stowing of shopping.
We resolve to move the boat to the fuel pontoon and get her ready for the off. We fuel up then move jup a few spaces. Our plan is to draw a total blasnk if the captuinerie wants us to move. There is no [problem as after 20 mins the fuwel is shut anyway. That night fish for supper in another café near the breakwater.

Tuesday
A few more checks of the weather and we are off. The forecast is for it to ease and the next low appears to be going north so we should miss that completely. Beyond that the weather saws vary but our thoughts are even if a big SW comes in by that point we will be in the lee of Spain if need be can carry on or duck in. Either way there is no real reason not to go. So we get the boat ready tog up and are off out into Biscay.

We head out with 2 reefs in about 25 knots pretty square to the beam. The boats is spanking along at 9+ knots. The sea is ‘’moderate’’ , the motion is a bit noddy but that’s cats for you. the boat feels and is very capable and we are off heading south. We all agree that on this point of sialing with this sea its much more fun in a cat and a lot less rolly. After an hour or so we decide to start on the watch system as one oclock is lcoming. Noone feels like cooking so I just do some pot noodle.

In the night the weather eases off a bit but we continue making progress.

Wednesday
After a while the autopilot start doing odd things and the display goes a bit funny. We also start noticing the compass heading and GPs are odd.

The wind eases and we get on with the watches. After a while we note that if the autohelm disengages it locks the helm to port. This is a bit of a head scratchy moment.

I have to say I leave this to tcm and pteron as I have not much experience of these things. I was contemplating adopting salty sea dog mode and muttering about the consequences of having machines that are effectively which craft aboard the boat. I decide to sit watching the course on the auto. Pteron and tcm consult the raymarine mauals and generally poke around in the engine compartment that houses the autohelm. We all embark on a fruitless search for the fluxgate compass that both tcm and I remember seeing as he briefed me, but neither of us can find.

My only other contribution is to rememeber Ellen had problems with her steering and I elect to reread her autobiography

Thursday
Next day dawns fair. Pterons wonderful wife is SMSing snippets of the relevant forecast to the sat phone. Wind is due to go 3-4. We are out of danger. Lunch is much more cooked affair although I cannot remember what. After lunch we raise Fairwinds on the radio, heading north across Biscay en route to Scillies or Ireland.

As we are pootling down under engine and main we spot what looks like a life raft at about 2pm. We head over and see a mini transat yacht similar to our Ellen’s poisson. He is dismasted and has jury rigged his storm sails. We raise him on the radio and appears from below with his handheld to report he is ‘’never better.’’ Although he then rethinks this and asks for some cigarettes. A quick debate ensues. We cannot thrown them unless in a bag with a spanner to make the reach , which could knock him out, and we cannot control the autohelm enough to get a line so we say sorry no can do and continue heading south.

The autohelm is perplexing and calls to raymarine and home start to be made. It has now started to occasionally cut out which means a little oil is required and we reengage auto. It sets off again. Winds are light by now and pretty much on the nose. He engine has been taking us along. Whilst the wind has gone the motion is fine and we are feeling relaxed. A stop in Vigo is planned.

What is more it is TCMs’s birthday. We have got a him a certificate ( of what we have no idea as it is in French) we also get him a vendee globe t shirt with the advice that it might be preferable to avoid the been there done that bit of the vendee globe. I

A quiet night powering along still. The AIS is a bonus as it allows us to miss the main traffic route. The fishing boats are picked up on radar and too slow to be of great concern.

Friday
Vigo entrance cardinal is reached about 7 am. TCM and I bring her in to a bay to the north where we drop anchor and unattach the autohelm bar so we have manual steering. We have breakfast off the beach. As a tractor ploughs the beach a rag tag group of locals do Pilates to a backdrop of euro hits from a distant tannoy. Its mad the beckhams have not bought a house here.

Club nautico are rung and we head over the mile or so to Vigo proper. At the dogleg entrance to the basin we are greeted by 4 oppys skulling out in the zero wind. Tcm is unfazed and we berth on the fuel pontoon which is only just the length of the boat. We are then redirect to a nearby berth which involves only minimal clearance to turn in. It’s all done well. Lazy lines are attached and we can relax. Jeez it’s hot. Shore power and aircon are top priorities. TCm sets off to book boat and us in. we open the beer. Then the wine.
Mr Raymarine arrives and the situation is explained as best it can. He tells us he can look at today but tomorrow is a holiday (we eventually deduce he means weekend rather than total shut down holiday) and the best he can do is get authority Monday to fix once he knows what is wrong and get the part Tuesday to fit it looks like we are in Vigo for a while.
We have some more wine and things go a bit blurry. Mr Raymarine heads off with part to examine and report back on.

Pteron sensibly goes to bed
That evening tcm and I head to club nautico to eat. We have to excellent steaks and I have a g and t that is the largest I have ever had. It comes in a fish bowl. The front at Vigo is lovely old buildings, mainly bars. Further back the town is still old. TCM and I wander the scene. It is now about 11 pm. People are still coming out and starting their nights out. We are listing slightly and at the café we choose we easily win most pissed customers. We sensibly decide to have some coffee but panic at the last minute and order a brandy in case abstinence from alcohol will mark us out as tourists.

Saturday Sunday
We spend the rest of the time generally bumbling around. We go shopping for a wetsuit for tcm. It appears you cannot buy anything of any value with a credit card without your passport. TCm cleans underside of boat sporting said wetsuit.as it has got quite weedy in Sables. This we reckon should be good for a knot.

It is too hot for anything vigorous and we spend a lot of time in the shade reading or sat in bar waiting for a shop to open or an internet café to open. I have by now finished Ellen’s book and although being no closer to understanding how to solve the helm problem I have decided she is at best a bit weird and worst a bit of a cow. Lots of silent tears are shed in boats, boat sheds, start lines, finish lines you, name it. Also lots of boyfriends dumped that a) if you scanned quickly you would not have noticed the start of the relationship. B) There seems a remarkable pattern of their usefulness diminishing and their termination being awfully close together. …So just as the hull was laid up/the cheque was handed over/ the sponsorship sorted she would end the gig.

Monday
Mr Raymarine returns
The unit is knackered as he reported but he needs more stuff and needs the paperwork that shows it is in warranty . Despite them having the info that the manufacturer bought it just under a year ago.
I am off to the office to try and sort out our extended stay as much of this is going on. The plan that he would look it at it find the problem order the part and fit it and put back on boat is looking remote.
We come to decision to head south with the part retched as is. I need to be back Sunday and two handed is not really an option.

Tuesday - Saturday
We pay up fuel up and leave Vigo. It's been lovely but I am feeling a bit stir crazy. We also noted that groups of locals have ‘’picnics’’ late at night. These involve a bag of spirits and mixers. This is not the get pissed in the open air favoured by the homeless this could be a couple some old dears or a large group of youngsters. There is no noise or mess or fighting. It is, despite what it sounds, all carried out quite civilised. Back in the watch routine we head down the coast. AIS shows lots of traffic so we choose in shore route.

We have the sails up and the engine on. The autohelm is responding to TCm’s delivery of lots of oil although the grinding noises alarm us somewhat.

There are few times when it stops for pteron.each time tcm disconnects it realigns it and it holds good. The wind has been forecast 3-4 North. For the first 2 days it has more west in the north and we are getting best speed in a course slightly higher than the true heading. This is causing more pressure for the auto as the genny can overpress it in the gusts
Fuel is being eaten as we are keen to minimise the time we rely on the autohelm. If it does give up we need to cover a lot of distance so the hand steering is reduced. A trip in to Cascais on wednesday to refuel is cancelled when we fill up from the jerrys we filled in Sables. We have enough fuel and can now cross out west before the next tss. Down the coast of Portugal traffic is busy and we pick out spot and head out. Over night we hear the tankers taunting each other on the vhf. We decide Philippino Monkey would not be a good name for a boat in these waters. It could cause all manner of confusion.

We make Pteron read the ellen book as ‘’what would ellen do?’’ is our new ethos to problem solving. On finishing the book Pteron promptly confesses to me he will probably dump tcm when this is all over, unless he can get the time off for the transat

The atlantic is truly blue out here. We have spotted a few dolphins since Sables and when they appear in daytime it is a lovely site. I am fascinated to know what they would taste like. There also appear to be lots of what I can only conclude are small black albatross. pteron is sceptical and admittedly I should maybe have not christened them abertrossus canariensis but I did feel they bore all the features of an albatross. Ellen would have shed a silent tear at my knowledge and their beauty. Pteron just told me I was talking b%ll%cks

We have 12 knots of wind up our chuff from Thursday am blowing straight at lanz. We hold the genny out prevent the main and are off down wind . The autohelm prefers this and stops giving trouble. TCM has moved on to silicone based feed for him. The directional stress is less downwind if the boat is balanced. The autohelm is less like a pirouetting Rdolp Nureyev according to Pteron and more like john Travolta i.e in grease.

Meanwhile batten in the main worked loose and had to be removed before it damaged itself or the car.

I had a few close calls with freighters that refused to give way even when they say they have seen us and will. We just have to slow down and let them pass. But the AIS vector pointing at you for a few miles is a bit disconcerting at 1 am

We relax a bit more after more trouble free down wind action. The rigid watch system has a background of pretty loose but very workable cooking cleaning. Standard of cooking has been pretty excellent as we did not go over the top with ingredients at Super U in Sables. TCM did attempt a loaf before Vigo but it sank without trace. On Friday he has another go and produces a triumph. Pteron pronounces he must have Warburton blood.
Friday evening we can see Lanzarote. The wind picks up and we get 12 knots down the waves with engine and apparent 8 knots wind.

We pick up the island and herad down the eastern side tanking along. The autohelm has noiw been retired as we may need to react quicker in the inshore waters

We find the harbour around 11.00pm. Since Vigo wind and fuel have kept us at 8knots. We get in tired and a bit frazzled after negotiating the fishing boats in. The reception at the pontoon is efficient but officious and they insist on a string of forms to be signed. Soon the boat is settled in its reception and the red wine comes out. Red wine should be banned from boats. I decided this the next morning. My eyes have it would appears had a gorillas thumbs stuc in them all night and are painful. My head also hurts. The harbour was lovely but very hot when the breeze goes. We fuelled up and moved to the allotted spot. A bit of a trek to shops but nothing bad.

unfortunately I removed my shirt to run along the quay to catch the lines as we relocated. The female crew on the cat behind us spotted this and spent the next 2 days pestering the boat in blatant attempt to get at me. We clean the boat and have an indifferent lunch watching the boats move in and out while bob Marley mix assaults our ears.

That night we had a stunning 7 course meal for 45 euros. The taster menu was brilliant the local wine good and cheap. Even better we were too late for the nightcap offered by our neighbour as she had got fed up waiting and gone to bed.

Sunday am I had to be off early as I had arranged to fly to brum instead of Gatwick. Guilt forced me to visit the lovely maria our neighbour. Her two companions managed to restrain her enough. I imagine tcm and pteron had to console her once I’d gone.

All in all great fun. Not a breeze but nothing worthwhile is.
Highlights

Pteron and I did enjoy taking piss out of tcm a bit as bits started going wrong. He also retained excellent humour when we pointed out this was much better than chartering as we had absolutely no deposit at stake.
He was very good skip all said and not least bit mad and excellent cook.
Pteron was a real find. Technically and saily brilliant and great fun. His wife was brilliant too organising flights and weather ereports and updates for the wives. Much reading on his part of instruction mauals and menus options kept us going although each time I’d take over on watch he’d have adjusted something I had only just got used to.

Lowlights
None really. I had told wife to expect it not to be full fortnight and it was her first time on her own with both kids and all parents away too. So that was a bit stressful. But on getting back I have been told all I have to do to make her happy is giver her the kitchen she wants and the bathroom and never go away wever again and she will be happy. To be honest I have laboured more about the scary wind and hard watches in the nether regions of the night than the fabulous amouse bouches and seafood. But that’s sailing.

A the end I defintielly shed a silent a tear. …..I forgot to get maria’s nuber.
 

KREW2

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Well I got through it, just one question. Why have you titled it low fun, also I think TCM may correct you on your spelling of definitely, he is very picky on things like that.
 
Q

quimby

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SuTch a gud right up I dydnt notis the speling erors.
 

FullCircle

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sailbad,
You could have written this at twice the speed if you had been on certain narcotics.

A fine advert for Raymarine and you will deffo be off DayMellons Xmas card list.
 

Parsonsheath

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Thanks for sharing that, left me green with envy.

Thrilled to find you and futon (?) share my view of Damn Ellen, brilliant, driven and gets thru folk quicker than a gas guzzler!
 

KREW2

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[ QUOTE ]
SuTch a gud right up I dydnt notis the speling erors

[/ QUOTE ]
I agree it was a good read, however with regards your reply.... it seems you are trying to lapse into a Scottish written vernacular ie. dydnt should be didna and you forgot 2 e's and 3 r's in erors, thus putting the emPHARsis on the wrong SYLLarble
 

longjohnsilver

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Great stuff Max. You have been busy, last time I saw you there were no little Sailbads!!

Wish I'd been there. Is TCM now officially a raggie as opposed to a mobo man?
 

sailbadthesinner

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i would say tcm is definite offical raggie status albeit with high carbon footprint.
He is actually very good sailor and can tinker with sails with the best.

the motoring was mainly due to me needing to get back as i had sort of implied i would be mostly a week to mrs s
who as you note had a 2 and half year old and a one year old to deal with.
i am not ,apparently, available for atlantic crossings /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
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