Round Britain in a Merry Fisher 625

[SnaxMuppet]

Last year I posted that I was interested in being involved in a Round Britain event. I didn't find anything that inspired me and so I decided that I would have to do it myself.

So, in July I will be going Round Britain solo in my little Merry Fisher 625!

I also wanted to make it something much more than just a personal challenge, big though that will be, and so being an avid supporter of the RNLI I am doing it to raise money for the RNLI. My target is to raise £20,000. I am hoping to get press, radio and TV coverage to assist in publicity both before, during and afterwards.

I have now set up the web site that I will use to keep everyone informed of what I am doing and how. My passage plans for each of the 16 legs are on there along with a growing ""wanted" list. There is also a forum for you to discuss my routes, choices & decisions so please take a look, register and start to criticise/discuss/compliment on what I have done. Your comments and views, no matter what they are, can only result in a better plan and so a better outcome - safer trip... more money for the RNLI.

I know that SO many people give lots to charities in general and especially to the RNLI but if you can help the effort in any way, no matter how small, either by donating money or donating or lending needed items or your time, then I and the RNLI would really appreciate it.

Please see my plan at www.roundbritain.org.uk

Many thanks

 

[studgies]

Fantastic Arny, good luck on that one! Really very envious now /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Will look at the site and follow with interest!

 

[material_girl]

Excellent name for a boat. Good luck on your adventure, and for a worthy cause as well. Perhaps I could rename my boat the Daniel Jackson and come with you. No time yet I'm afraid. Will put something in the pot.

 

[Kawasaki]

What a great Idea.
If You want any assistance or help or advice on Leg 5, Pwllheli to Conwy please ask.
Contrary to some comments on this Forum, I have quite a bit of knowledge and experience of said kneck of the woods. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Especially in little ships like Yours!
The Menai Straits is My Patch.
Actually I don't remember You asking for permission to "Do the Swellies", never mind , as it is for a Good Cause, I will let You off! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
Seriously (and I don't do that often) any assistance I can give for said leg, will be a pleasure.
Good luck, I say again what a dam good Idea.
Oh! a thought, I seem to remember a couple doing the Round Britain bit in a Hardy Bosun 20 ft not that long ago.
I,m sure I have reports of the trip in My archives of MBM or MBY somewhere .
I will have a shufty tommorow.
I will take a proper look at your Forum/ Bloggy thing now.
Cheers
K

 

[B175Chris]

Best of luck!

Had a thought, might be worth asking Dan if he'd perhaps add a special for sale forum where things that people dont want can be sold as happens now, but instead of RNLI donation suggestion, the money goes into your charity account online?

Just a thought, could be done in normal for sale forum though I suppose...

That way, people can get rid of their unwanted junk and donors can get a little motivation to donate /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[BrendanS]

Don't we have enough forums as it is, without microsites being added for every fund raising event or personal mission?

PS Arny, if you want any help around the southern waters, more than happy to help

 

[B175Chris]

Well i did say it could be integrated as part of the usual For Sale forum, but I personally wouldn;t be bothered by an extra one underneath the for sale and wanted forums.

 

[MrCramp]

Good luck with your trip.

Unless you have a real good reason for going into Gt Yarmouth I sugest you go to Lowestoft. Gt Yarmouth really is just a commercial port whereas Lowestoft is very easy to enter and the Royal Suffolk Yatch Club is very wlecoming and the Lifeboat is based in/next to their berths.

 

[Kawasaki]

No Brendan, I reckon Chris's idea is a good un too.
Blimey have I got some junk to get rid of.
I reckon for a trip like this, here are some items I need shut of, that Arny deffo needs.
Decca system , RDF, Seafarer depth sounder without transducer, 1983 Reeds, Walker trailing log, alas no string, 6, 1994 Fray Bentos (Better quality in those days)
Oh and a really expensive wind up torch I bought in a car boot sale.
If I can find the blokes No. who sold it me, I will see if He has found the handle yet.
Free carriage on all the above too.
Yep, great I really need to have a sort out.
Thanks Chris and Arny will be dead chuffed! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Arny, your are attempting something I,ve always fancied, a Big Trip in a little boat,
smart, I,m dead jealous /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[hlb]

Well, it looks a hell of a trip to me. Though I've done most of it , from Plymouth to Tobermory. Though not in one hit.

Not sure I agree, with staying close to shore, the seas are much easier, the further out you are.

It's wear on the transmission line, thats the problem. Leisure boats, were not really made, to go to sea. Well. not much anyway.

I've always limited legs, to four or five hours. It gets very tiring after that. But thats in a 33ft and 35ft boat.

No idea, what your fuel capacity is, or your range. But you look to be pushing the limits.

I'd reconsider Newlyn as a first stop. Yes, theres no petrol, or nearby Penzance?. which has a lock. But Newlyn is a good bolt hole and a good position in which to round Lands end from. Then make choices. Padstow or Milford Haven. Padstow to M Haven is around 40 miles, so just a couple of hours. The seas will get closer together further in.

Never done the bit MH to Pwetheli? Though been most places round Pwetheli. Never could spell it.

From Pwetheli, we always went. Ireland. Or past Holly Head, (stop if need be) Then on to IOM. Port St Marys or Douglas. Easy little trip to Portpatrick, or beond. Though watch the tides. After that, it's all easy stuff again. For miles up Scotland. Not done further, so I'll shut up.

Stick to deap water ports, as bolt holes. Swap to others when close.

Go direct, to next port, makes less chance of things going wrong. Hugging coast means more rocks, not necessarily safety.

Be aware, that being rescued, may well cost far more than the money you raised.

 

[Kawasaki]

Pwllheli (hlb!) there is Petrol at the Marina, so too Conwy. Nowt on tap in between.
Top of me head, that's about 75/ 80 miles.
"Yeh, very interesting" I hear you say, I know but I just wanted an excuse to spell PWLLHELI /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[SnaxMuppet]

hlb,

Thanks for your comments and to those of everyone else and words of encouragement...

A couple of points about the basis of my decisions about leg length... my absolute range is about 210 miles at 15-20kts. I have limited the leg length to 130 at the very longest but most are about 90-110. Fuel-wise that leaves me a huge margin as a reserve and if I have to slow down for seas and weather then my range will be even greater!

You are right though about how tiring it will be. I have done many leg lengths like those before and I will have at least 2 full days (3 nights) between every leg to recover. I have also done many trips non-stop (except for fuel) in larger boats (Princess P57, P67 & 23M) from the UK to Kotka, Finland and so I know how tired you get when at sea. I am certainly not ignoring that aspect but I believe that my schedule will allow for it.

As far as not costing the RNLI money by needing a rescue!!! AAAGH! The very thought of it makes me sweat... hence I am doing a proper risk assessment with the help and guidance of the RNLI Safety Officer. If I can satisfy him that I and my boat are properly prepared then I have done all I can to prevent me becoming a costly statistic. Good point though and very much in the front of my mind... I am not doing this gunho.

As far as staying in closer to the land goes... I agree about the sea but with a limited auxilliary capability I feel that it is more important that I am less far from potential safe haven in the event of problems. I will certainly be reassessing, many times prior to leaving, those decisions and no doubt changing some of them as my opinions about priorities and risk gel. Thanks

 

[hlb]

Yep, always suspected that., but no bloody reason to go to Conway. Or Puffely maybe, come to that.

Bit concerned about this range thing. You have to do it a few times, to get a sort of understanding. Once set off for a 40 mile trip, Padsow actually. The weather changed, totaly un forcast. Had to make Swansea. Umm, 80 miles away.

 

[Kawasaki]

Yeh, it's a weather thing I reckon with little planing hull boatys.
Merry Fisher, nice flat sea 16/ 20 kts dead comfy and economical.
Cuts up a bit rough, down to displacement speeds and lots of throttle juggling etc and the fuel dissapears rapid like.
Puffelly, Padsow? Arrgh! I give up /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[BrendanS]

If he had less ambitious plans, and had people to take him through the various legs of the trips, more likely to make it, and less likely to need emergency services. Sounds like a lot of help needed from what I've read of his plans so far.
Doable tho, a mag had a report of a 20'ish boat with a couple on board do the whole trip a few years ago, with no real problems.

 

[Kawasaki]

Well they are the "plans so far" as I read it in his blog.
No doubt peeps on here can give good advice for each leg.
Like yer say Doable.
Like I said, the 20 ft ish boat was a Hardy, got the Article somewhere, must dig it out.
Like Arny says it's about raising dosh for the RNLI too, so He's gonna do a proper risk assesement.
"Risk assesement" Gord I hate that phrase.
Wonder if Sir Edmund Hillary and Co did one?

 

[hlb]

Ah, sorry, forgot. You have the experience. Not just a wipper snapper. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

I thort my boat was ok to go to Britany, it had been checked both inside and out, by profesionals. Nothing seemed wrong.

Anyway. Not sure to me that there are many, if any safe havens round the bristol channel, though maybe ok with your particular boat.

But, surely far better, to go. Padstow, Milford haven. Only 40 or so miles. Most of the time your in one tennable spot or the other.

Yep, Ive altered course a few time, to get protection from weather, for as long as I can. But no sure it should be in the original plan.

If I have a plan, and it's, a bit iffy. I plan to go, Poole or Solent, from Plymouth. But it's very rare that I get there. So the plan changes daily. We just go some where else, or stay where we are.. Or go the other way..

I still think, that going round in circles, to your destination, is not sencible. Unless you are going towards. Safe havens.

Mostly this Volvo splutter stuff, falls to pieces, mostly sooner rather than later. It's never going to get round the UK in one piece.

Wish you good luck, A while since I did the Irish seas, regularly, or Bristol chanel come to that . Yep, you can get round, but fear it might take a year or two.

By the way. Still awaiting my boats return from Salcolmbe to Plymouth, less than 20 miles. Just for sea trials. It's not got there yet.

 

[longjohnsilver]

Well good luck Arny. It all seems a bit ambitious. Not saying that it's impossible but i think you're going to need a lot of luck with timings and the weather.

And why solo? Surely better to have someone along with you and preferably another boat for safety if anything goes wrong at sea. And being a bit of a cynic I'd bet that many marinas won't give you free berthing.

This is a trip I want to do sometime, it's always been an ambition but I suspect when I do get the time it's going to take the whole season or maybe more. If you get any weather like we had last season then your plans almost certainly would have been scuppered. Let's hope last year was a one off!!

Good luck.

 

[1971Lou]

blimey that is a long way arny but good luck. i must say i would have liked to have seen the charity money raised go to a smaller worthy charity because what you raise for the rnli could be swallowed up by them using it for just one or two pages of national advertising or some champagne for their annual gala dinner. i would be pretty sick if i had done what you propose to do and saw everything i had worked for spent like that. they are very rich i know they need funds but they are not exactly short for anything. maybe consider doing it for small local rescue people like we have down here i would give to that but would not give to a the rnli for something like this. just my opinion and should not in any way detract from the fine effort time and work you are putting in. as i said good luck but i would look for a more financially less well off charity. i know i will get knocked for this but i guess some others are thinking what i have written the proof will be in the people who put their money where their mouth is. good luck

 

[Major Catastrophe]

Ah! Now the axillary question make sense now and I see your reason for going for the 8HP, rather than a 6.

First of all, I am slightly jealous...okay, very jealous, so wish fair winds, so to speak.

Your biggest problem is going to be buying petrol to keep that 'ol Suzuki running, so I suspect you will be using this forum to ensure that sufficient supplies are waiting for you, or have you already made arrangements?

If you want help getting through the Swellies, without hitting rocks, I can help there.