Voyage to the Canaries

So here begins the next chapter..! Almost one year to the day on from our arrival in Brighton, the DB is off again, this time heading south to the Canary Islands. The Queens country certainly served her purpose as a great place to revamp and fix the boat, while also providing some fun sailing and plenty of mishaps as well ;-)

Sailing means different things for different people

Although i don't plan to set off cruising again until the end of the year, I was keen to get the boat out of the UK before the winter set in. Also, as the idea for next year is to explore Brazil and South America, i wanted to break up the 7000 odd mile passage a bit hence the run to the Canaries.
Now we're in Plymouth and hopefully will set off Wednesday night. I had a great sail here with Pete and William, although as the wind was on the nose the whole time we had to tack our way up the English channel.

It was cool though as we were able to try a few of the new systems on the boat and also iron out a few of the crinkles. I've replaced my auto-pilot 'Meggie' (sorry Mike and Kylie!) with a stronger more reliable version now named 'Capt Dan'. There's two reasons why the AP got called Dan - Firstly, I love sailing with Dan and he's a good man to have on the helm at any time, but more importantly if she ever goes off course i'll cherish mocking him for not paying attention ;-) Also big thanks to Steve for very kindly building me a new set of kitchen drawers (these have plagued us on the DB since Florida).

For crew to the Canaries i'm very lucky to have Eskimo Jess on board (With far more sailing tales than myself its a bit like the kids in Scooby Doo where she's really just making me look good all the time) Its a 1500mile passage and i'd like to think we'll do it in less than 14 days. If we're making good time it would be cool to stop in at Mederia along the way, even if only for a few pints and a good meal.

We even had time to try our hand in the Fastnet Race before we left

Following in the footsteps of great sailors Mick and Debbie Baker, and my mate Robin Knox Johnston, our first obstacle will be the Bay of Biscay. Hopefully we don't see to many sea monsters. Once clear of the coast of Northern Spain it should be plain sailing heading south, hopefully with the wind behind us.

Right on. I've got the sat phone working again so hopefully can get some weather updates from the oldman. Nae and Smarty have very kindly offered to update this blog with my progress on the map, a top effort as the poor girl is about to have her baby and i can imagine little Jonny will be occupying most of her time!

If anyones keen to send us a txt (unfortunately i can't reply) you can click on the below link to do so. My sat phone no. is +8816 31641780. http://messaging.iridium.com/

Take care, big thanks to all those who helped get me and DB outa here.

Long awaited update….

It’s been a long time is I’ve written anything with any substance and now I actually have a few stories its probably a good time.

The Engine Part 1

As I wrote a bit earlier I bought a new engine in February. After a few days of Smarty and Rich putting it in things were looking good for finally getting the DB sailing again. All we needed was to get it aligned (I wanted the suppliers to align it as this can be a bit fiddly and is worth getting right). Unfortunately my engine bay left it about 5mm out with no adjustment left… This meant taking it all out again and re-cutting the engine bed. All I can say is it was a horrible horrible job, it took me all weekend and me and the boat were covered in fibreglass. I burnt out a jigsaw and skill saw, as well as broke about a dozen blades. As well as this I had my lovely new engine in my galley for a week!

Nevermind, all’s well that ends well and before long the engine was back where it belongs, lined up and tested by the suppliers and now finally (apparently) ready to go sailing!

We did find time between fixing engine to decorate Mick and Deb's boat during their retirement party

The Engine Part II

For easter Smarty and I had planned a sailing trip to Guernsey in the Channel Islands (about 140 miles from Brighton). We talked about 10 other’s into coming along and with the wind and weather in our favour things were looking up. Mick and Deb planned to take their boat across too, so with the number’s fairly even on both boats we figured we’d have a good race on our hands.

Leaving the dock at our prescribed time (necessary to get the tidal streams right) we were off. About 50m from the marina while we were putting up the sails Linda yell’s out that the engine’s struggling. I role my eye’s thinking to myself silly girl it’s brand new! She’s dead right, 5 seconds later it cuts out and we’re getting blown straight towards the sea wall. We quickly dropped the anchor and managed to avoid any similarities with the Titanic on our re-launch maiden voyage.

After about an hour trying to fix the problem we just couldn’t get the engine going reliably, and after sailing clear of the sea wall decided it was best to get towed / sail back into the marina by Mick and Deb. Upon arriving back at my berth Smarty, Rich and I were able to have a good look at what the problem was. The engine was piping hot and had no water. A valve on the side of the engine was open when we bought it and basically all the water had evaporated. You can imagine by now I’m really well p*!sed off with this bloody engine and am thinking my recent short marina tour may have just turned it into an expensive paper weight! I was also really unimpressed that the supplier (who had prior spent 8 hours doing engine checks for the warrantee) hadn’t picked it up.

Anyways, as before all’s well that ends well and a week later after a pressure test and lots of engine hours in the marina we found she was good as gold. I finally got that monkey off my back ;-)

Guernsey

With the sailing part of our ‘Sailing trip’ now out of the question and a load of commitments we’d made for an Easter weekend in Guernsey, the crew drove to Weymouth to catch the 4am ferry. Once in St Peter’s Port we met up with those who’d opted to fly.

The highlight of the trip would have to be visiting Guernsey’s little island neighbour, Sark. The island has no cars and only a few 100 permanent residents. The ambulance is a caravan pulled by a tractor and there is no tax on the island! (After a day cycling around the island we were particularly impressed to find a pub selling pint’s for only £1.50)

Back in Guernsey we caught up with Cat Fish Keith, a good sailing friend I met in the Azores with Smarty and Jas. It was great to bounce idea’s off each other with future sailing plans while getting messy in the local sailors pub. All in all a great way to spend easter and definately worth checking out if you ever get the chance.

Captain Jon

After 2 years of calling myself Captain I figured I should follow in William and Paul’s footstep’s and get my RYA Yachtmasters. They both said I’d learn a lot and although the idea of one day working in boats is very appealing, I wanted to become a better seaman.

Being tight and not having much time I decided to teach myself the theory with borrowed notes from Mick (4 big folders of several hundred pages!). However I found it hard to teach myself as whenever I’d sit down to do some study I’d end up deviating to boat jobs… I also had to get my VHF radio licence (yes in the UK you need a licence for this) which was a one day course in Brighton. When I got back to the boat with a few new found friends from the course, Mick and Deb were waiting with champagne and had covered my boat in ‘Congratulations radio Jon’ posters! You would have thought I’d just finished a degree not a one day course a 5 year old would pass ;-)

The Yachtmaster course consisted of a 5 day’s prep and a 2 day exam in the Solent, and Mick and Deb very kindly offered to sail me down to Portsmouth. We had a great sail and good night out once we tied up in Gosport. The next day we sailed over to Cowes and I left the boat in the Isle of Wight for the course.

I got a bit of a wake up call for what I was in for when I arrived on the boat. The other guys were really onto it having spent the last 6 weeks together training on the boat. Also at the dock my lack of knowledge of weather, collision regs and lights / sounds was very obvious. Suddenly doing the theory course seemed a good idea…

The week was fun but really intensive. Everyday we’d set sail at 8am and usually tie up again between 1 – 3am. Basically we all took turns at being the skipper and would be given tasks along the way to complete (Man overboard, sailing onto buoy’s / marina’s, blind navigation, tidal calc etc). Reliably every task would have to be done without the engine or GPS!

I got off to a very bad start to the exam. I cocked up the tides and basically put the boat broadside onto 4 others! Convinced my exam was over before it began I more or less decided I may as well just enjoy myself and basically sailed just like I normally would (not necessarily the RYA way). Was funny as over the prep week my instructor said several times ‘I have no problem with the way you did that but its not really the RYA way to go about it’. Like many of us I’ve never had any formal sailing training and just tend to work out a way that works.

Anyways, long story short late on Sunday afternoon the examiner completely surprised me with a PASS. Although maybe not completely deserved you wouldn’t have thought so by the amount I drank and size of my smile ;-)

To be honest I think I completely winged the theory with a little knowledge about most aspects. Practically I’m probably ok at sailing but they’re really more interested in how you deal with situations etc. Like the examiner said when we’d finished referring to my unfortunate crash ….. ‘Yep you f*!ked up - Sure it wasn’t the first time and won’t be the last, just like the rest of us’

DB's Offshore Race Debut.... The Royal Escape

Since sailing to the UK Smarty and I have been interested in a yacht race across the English Channel called ‘The Royal Escape’. Basically it’s a 70mile race from Brighton to Fe’ Camp (France) held on the May bank holiday weekend, and is as much about drinking as it is about sailing.

Following an evening race briefing at the Sussex Yacht Club with the crew (Rich, Smarty and Linda) we got to work lightening the boat and stowing all the essentials. It was a fantastic site the next morning to see the 70 odd boats flooding out of the marina for the 8am start. Everyone was in good spirits, hooting and excited as the weather was gorgeous and we didn’t have to spend it working.

We actually had ourselves very well placed for the start, only instead of sticking to our guns we cocked it up by being a bit conservative and ended up near the back. Over the next 8hrs we slowly reeled back up the fleet, eventually overtaking about 10 boats. Then we hit the doldrums, 15miles from the finish (All that needs to be said about those last remaining miles is that we didn’t break any rules!). Finishing in good time we tied up at the dock about 9pm and were soon enjoying cold Stella’s to a beautiful sunset.

That night we went out and explored Fe’ Camp to find it was a very quaint and friendly little French town. Enjoying more drinks and watching the remaining boats come in we retired back to the DB in the early hours.

Saturday was always going to be a big day with free beers, wine and cheese for breakfast at 10 in the yacht club. The day moved on to prize giving, and one can imagine loads of laughs partying and telling stories of the race.

We had a fantastic and spontaneous sail home with all of us wearing the biggest smiles. It was a nice reminder of just how the simple things truly make us happiest - The sea, sun, a boat, beer and good friends ;-)

Wa Wa….

Just to set the scene… Smarty, a very key element to a lot of the fun I’ve had over the past 5 odd years, is leaving the UK at the end of June to return to NZ with his beautiful and pregnant wife Renae. Renae very kindly gives me and Richie a weekend pass to shout Smarty on a trip somewhere for his birthday…

So bring on a weekend in Ibiza with nothing more than the clothes we’re wearing, passports and credit card ;-) Basically the place is all its cracked up to be and I don’t think much needs to be said. The highlights for me were a massive party in an abandoned zoo with everyone dressed up as animals, and Smarty’s ‘altitude’ sickness on the way home (ask him about it). We call it wa wa.

Winter in sunny Blighty

Some pictures don't need captions and i'm sure these fall into that category. The tale that would go untold here is that these two strapping lad's fitted this engine while I went to work to bring home the bread. Good friends aye?

The extent that people have helped out really amazes me. For example, Linda spent a whole weekend sewing me new cushion covers - they look fantastic and I never would have had the time or money to do it. My poor neighbours had to slave away polishing, sanding and antifouling her while she was out of the water. I hardly paid for anything in the yard - I was given antifoul, a new battery, crane time etc all for at the most a few beers. Through it all Smarty's been there and involved in just about every job on the list.

Although far from finished (is a boat ever?) the Double Bruyn is day by day becoming dryer and tidier, but more importantly stronger and more reliable. The big jobs we sorted this winter were replacing the engine and mainsail, strengthening the rudder and fixing the standing rigging. I also spontaneously bought a fridge at the London boatshow. How ironic, after 2 years of warm beer on board i buy a fridge when beer would freeze if i left it outside?!

It certainly was a harsh UK winter. It has been bloody cold on board, one day is was -6deg. I don't have great heating but always seemed to get by with lots of layers and blankies. I'm going to wait till July to buy a heater ;-)

Anyways, lots to look forward to now. At easter we're planning a trip to Guernsey, have a race to France called the 'Royal Escape' lined up for June and am also hoping to bring the boat to London and tie up to Tower Bridge. Life is gooood!

Back in the US

We called it the 'Sailing Reunion Tour' - Two years after I set sail on the DB with partners in crime Dan and Laura on Barely Twisted we managed to organise a rendevous weekend in the Rocky Mountains.

Shortly after arriving in Denver the 3 of us got settled in on the 5 hour drive out to Crusted Butte for a weekend riding. Actually, we were treated like royalty. Laura's good friend Kristen was a wonderful host - half price lift tickets, free food and drink on the mountain, and a beautiful condo on the hill. Crested Butte is a fantastic resort with a down to earth town, it is no wonder so many visitors find themselves still there 4 years later. So much fun loads of laughs, just shows nothing changes amongst old friends. On the Monday Dan and Laura gave me a cycle tour of Denver before sending me on my way to Florida to help Jas find a boat.

Here's a video Dan put together of the weekend

I flew to Fort Lauderdale and met up with Jas. He had been looking for a boat ultimately capable of sailing back to NZ, and my job was to secretly make sure that he bought one that was slower than mine ;-)

I managed to talk Jas out of this one

We left Lauderdale and headed up to Cape Canaveral with a few boats to look at along the way. There were certainly a few contenders but nothing really grabbed us. Once at the Cape we caught up and spent a few nights with a good friend Capt Ran. The old pirate, bless him, is falling to bits following some major heart surgury (Jas and I were worried he was going to keel over with all the Milwaukies Best we drank together). While he is still as thoughtful, funny and passionate about the sea as ever, he is struggling to do much physically. However, the man is stuborn and doesn't like to be beaten, so i have no doubt he'll be back to his usual self in due course.

Captain Ran

By chance, as we were leaving the Cape we stopped to look at an Ebay boat Herby tipped us onto. While not quite love at first sight (this was quite an ugly tub) it wasn't long before Jas and I realised her potential. When buying a boat you have 3 things to consider - Live ability, sailing performance and value for money. As poor young cruisers, one can imagine its difficult to tick all the boxes however, as we quickly discovered over a beer in a nearby pub this one did. Excited we called the owner over to join us and shortly afterwards Jas had a contract in place. What made it even more special was it was Jason's birthday and NZ day.

Jas's new vessel, 41ft Gulf-Star 1974

Sealing the deal with Alan

We quickly became friends with some fantastic people in the marina and settled in to party. From here the rest of the night is somewhat a blur. Too many shots and stiff drinks saw Jas and I in bed far too early with little recollection of the nights events. It was funny the following day when we returned to the bar's how many comments unknown people passed about our state the night before. In our defence it was his birthday ;-)

We went sailing the next day and enjoyed another night out with the marina lads. Big thanks to Alan, Alan and Pete for showing us such a fun time, it was really a struggle for me to leave.

Sunday saw me on a red-eye flight back to Heathrow from Miami. To be honest I really found it hard to leave, Jas has a fantastic boat and is about to embark on a great sailing trip. And although his boat will be just slightly slower than the DB, i'd sure love to stow away in the bilges for a while.

Tignes, France - New years in the Alps

For this Christmas / New year break we decided to the French Alps. Well organised by Nae (sound familiar?) we ended up with a crew of about 20 and headed to Tinges / Val Disere, by bus!! Was cool, I think it took about 20hours and we were all champing at the bit to get on the slopes when we arrived.

The resort was unbelievable, probably over a hundred lifts and miles of good terrain. Being re-united with Johnny Asher, Rachel, Becky and Alex (my old skiing crew from NZ) i was forced to work my ass off on the hill and pretend i wasn't dying on the chairlifts due to being out of shape ;-) We did a lot of back country and were stoked to have the resort to ourselves with a foot of powder on New year’s day Just sooooo good! Much like the skiing the après ski was far from relaxing. With such a big crew it would never be easy to stop those few quiets from snow balling, and given the time of year and fantastic days few tried. We stayed in a hostel type environment, with all meals provided and some kind of event on every night. For New years a famous French DJ was playing and attracted a huge crowd, with loads of pyrotechnics etc the night and vibe was awesome.

On the way back Linda and I went to Geneva. The Swiss capital is a beautiful city, although due to the bus delays we didn't get to spend as much time there as we'd hoped. From there it was a quick flight to Holland, and a day later flew back to the UK. Straight out of Gatwick and in a taxi i was off to the Freedom Health & Safety conference – funny how relaxing it felt to be back at work ;-)

Geneva