Jonathan Crinion Ocean Racing
Jonathan Crinion and one of the world's leading Naval Architecture firms; that of Owen Clark Design LLP have together designed and developed a superb racing machine to the new Class 40 Rule of 2004.
| Vessel Name: | Friends of the Earth |
| Vessel Make/Model: | Owen Clark Design Open 40 |
| Crew: | Jonathan Crinion |
20 October 2006 | Pendennis Marina, Falmouth, UK
Falmouth
Well that's it, Cape Town to Falmouth. This last bit of the voyage from Madeira has seen some of the worst weather ever - non stop. My wind strategy worked well to go up the centre of the English channel and ships criss crossed all night. The weather grib files have been hopelessly wrong for the past [...]
18 October 2006 | 48,5.57N , 9,13.81W
Knock down
The ocean can be brutal. More to the point the weather can be. Yesterday was sunny but with large swells and I had been hitting 17 knots reaching on and off for most of the afternoon. Speeding off faster and faster, the feeling is exhilarating. With a reef in the main and the Genoa up I was under canvassed [...]
17 October 2006 | 45,29.51N , 11,19.44W
Approaching the channel
All along I've used one nautical chart for the Southern Hemisphere and St Helena and another for the Northern Hemisphere plus one for Madeira. I'm making fast progress at the moment and should be on the 10 degree West Longitude line shortly where I will switch to a detailed chart to take me into La [...]
17 October 2006 | 42,44.86N , 13,40.48W
Contemplation
I'm starting to understand why Bernard Moitessier made the turn and headed towards the Pacific. He was wondering what he would arrive back to if he kept going on to the UK. It's so vast out here and so far away from everything. I have a 360 degree view of the universe. I'm completely self sufficient [...]
16 October 2006 | 42,33.68N , 14,3.52W
Storm Warning
Wisdom says go wide of the Bay of Biscay but my weather files are showing a huge area of no wind to the West of me which forms the centre of a large and very vicious looking low heading this way.
Feeling impatient
Speed: 7 knots, Course: 333 deg.
UTC Time: 10. August 2006 09:16
It's been a frustrating couple of days as the winds are blowing directly from our destination. This means we are doing long upwind tacks back and forth up a line which leads to Madeira. A bit like: instead of cutting diagonally across an open park you walk to the corner and then over to the next corner to get to the same place - it takes much longer!
I think we are also getting wash from the Azores Islands above us now, as the winds are starting to act strangely and we are getting a constant series of gusts where the wind goes from 9 knots to 19. Needless to say, the 'traveller' has been up and down constantly and my hands are tired.
I shouldn't complain because this inside route has done us well otherwise, but I can almost taste the coffee in Madeira now and I'm feeling a little impatient and it's started to rain.
I've been noticing different smells now. As we came up the lower coast of Africa there were sweet spicy smells and the odd smell of vegetation in the evening breeze sometimes. Now the smells are more industrial and I can smell ship's exhaust before I see the ship if it's up wind (three ships in the last two days).
All the best, Jonathan
