Marica goes clockwise
| Vessel Name: | Marica |
16 December 2017 | Slipper Sailing Club
Epiblog
I met fellow Westerly Centaur owner Tom Bedford in Milford Haven. As it turns out we also share a fondness for real ale and the band Steely Dan. Tom is a freelance journalist and when I got back to Emsworth he suggested writing an article about my trip. I agreed without too much reticence and he sent [...]
08 November 2017 | South coast
From Shoreham
I checked the live wind at Chichester Bar this morning on the Chimet web site. Force 4 northerly. Hey! we could go somewhere, Little Hampton (LA) or even further. I might just make it for the 9 o'clock lock out. I called them and they said I would be going out of the smaller Prince George lock. I had [...]
07 November 2017 | Newhaven
From Newhaven
On Tuesday morning we wake to a southerly force 6. The sea state was expected to be 'moderate' and waves were crashing over the harbour breakwater. George and I had porridge and reviewed the situation. He decided caution was the better part of valour and I walked him to the train station.
06 November 2017 | Beachy Head
From Rye
My dad joined me on a frosty Monday morning for our leg from Rye. His name is George so he is the original George according to my sister, or he is George V for this trip. I thought Eastbourne would be a suitable port to make for, and could be completed in daylight hours. Dad had suggested Newhaven so [...]
05 November 2017 | Rye
More water problems
I started the engine this morning, whilst Marica was afloat, to check the repair on the throttle linkage. It was fine but there was no cooling water flowing through the engine. I assumed that mud was stuck in the inlet pipe. All the boats settle in this soft smelly stuff to the top of their keels. So [...]
04 November 2017 | Rye
Bailing Out
This morning (Saturday) I found the cutlery drawer full of water. It's just underneath the cooker. I was wondering where the water had come in last night. The boat had obviously been heeled over at a bigger angle at the top of the tide. There had been water in the washing up bowl, that I had not tested [...]
Easy sail to Yarmouth?
So here is a recreation of the blog:
Checked the fuel system on the Volvo today and found the tank valve had vibrated shut. The same happened last year on the Round The Island race with my sister Claire and David Keane. So I bled the system and we were back in action by noon. It was a bit early for the best tide but I was keen to get going.
The wind had enough South in it to run on the genoa at hull speed. We got to Cowes fairly quickly so I decided to press on towards Yarmouth.
All was running well so I had time to hoist the Slipper pennant and turn on the AIS system on my phone. However, the USB charging was not working so I had to go into flight mode to save power.
Just past Cowes a squall hit and I needed to furl the head sail. The reefing system was not playing ball so I put the engine on and went forward to wrap the jib by hand. The boat started circling and I heard George (the autohelm) beeping that he couldn't cope. I went back to increase engine revs and found the engine had stopped so hence why George couldn't cope.
A bit of a struggle to get the Honka sorted out and it didn't like the waves much. George died soon after. Eventually got to Yarmouth and lashed the tiller to get warps and fenders on.
Of course the tide was running strongly now and we just managed to ferry glide in. Had home made veggie chilli and rice on board. The rice was OK. In the shower the cubicle seemed to pitch rapidly when I closed my eyes.
Decided I should have a 'run ashore' in best Navy tradition as it is my brother Ewan's birthday.
More fun tomorrow!