Gormet cruising and other trips

Casi Mimi Giles

Hi there, folks,

It has been some time since I last posted a blog, briefly I spent the summer in the UK enjoying some good sailing and teaching with friends. I did less work this some other than I would normally do simply because I felt I needed a rest and decided pace myself more sensibly.. Even so I had some great sails  with Cassie, Mimi, and friends chasing around the Solent from one gourmet restaurant the next, and so the established format, for them of the gourmet cruising continues  unabated.

The  week we spent together was characterised not just by gourmet meals but continuous laughter and story telling. . There was as in all things and underlying serious side to the week this was to ensure that Casie and Giles  were to achieve their yacht master tickets, so that Casie could skipper could charter a vessel in the Whitsundays for a romantic cruise with Mimi, and in Giles case, just because he wanted to. To achieve this qualification they had to first get is VHF ticket and RYA first aid all of which was achieved and they are now a fully fledged  Yacht masters. I have now received  reports regarding the trip to the Whitsundays I can only assume that it was a wonderful holiday for them both. Even if Casi was misguided enough to book a catamaran
                                          
Isle of Wight Festival
There were other moments of note, during my time in the UK not least of which was helping Kenny take butterfly in a gale over to the  Isle of Wight for the Isle, for the Wight Festival. during the festival the rain did not let up so the fields were a mud bath and the guests he had on board the boat came back covered in mud and Gore, so he! Kenny had to spend each day hosing down the guests before they can come on board.   I had left the boat with Kenny  at East Cowes marina and and left for home having my first ride in many years on a double-decker bus, the bus took me to Ryde  where I had my next pleasure, a ride on the miniature train out to the end of the pier, where I  caught the fast Catamaran the Portsmouth and then the Gosport ferry home.

 Another moment to savour, was a day trip with Kenny's wife Jackie as the hostess for some guys from the bank of Nova Scotia have a day trip from Gosport, up to the Beaulieu River, lunch at anchor then a leisurely return to Gosport. The guys were really interesting and as in all trips I learned a lot from people who spend most of their lives in the rarefied atmosphere of high finance.  Not life I would find interesting but nevertheless I learned a few things with regards to the complexities of banking. Jackie Seemed to think that we made a good team and I must admit the day went well the food was excellent and we were back in time for fish and chip supper all all in all not a bad day.
 
During this time in the UK I was able to touch base with many other friends and in particular my family my daughter Melanie  my two grandchildren down to see me and had one of the will loveliest days in a long time taking them out with Kenny for sale and then back home to my house for elaborate Chinese nosh.
 I also had the pleasure of going to Bath to see my grandson Rhys graduate from Bath University  with a degree in commercial music I thoroughly enjoyed the day, and I can truly say that I am very very proud grandfather, my daughter Suzanne and her husband  Burne were fantastic hosts and made for a wonderful day.
My house Gosport is now occupied by the lovely  Kath who is looking after my interests and speeding tickets whilst I'm away in Antigua . The nice thing about having Kath in the house, unlike when it was rented, is that I can return at pretty well any time and  have. a bed to lay my head. I also know that the garden and my precious bits and pieces will be well looked after.


Well that's all for this one, folks the next episode will be on Antigua

SO EAT DRINK AND RE-MARRY.....Taff   

                                                        

The fruit man on  the trip to St Lucia

View from new home in Jolly Harbour

Butterfly Antigua to St Thomas As I look back over the years or sailing, I reflect on those tentative sailing moments when the trip from Chichester harbour to Cowes seemed to take forever. I remember the first time I sailed past the needles,  thinking, can I do this? am I good enough? am I safe enough? The minds questions. what if,  suppose so-and-so, the never  ending question and answer debate in my head.  Have I got too much sail up? Will the crew be up to it? Then that feeling of acute embarrassment when someone points out that I still have the fenders over the side, oops.. Now the whole Solent will know that I'm a novice.  Further embarrassment when I decide  to put up the cruising chute  only to find that I have it rigged upside down. That of course is the marker for all the vessels in our vicinity  to change course and banter comments like "so much better the other way up!"! My face as red as a slapped arse and my novice crew, all suddenly finding something to do below. In those days I was always convinced that I would get knocked down and sunk if I went out in force three or four, it took many of those tiny voyages to convince me that one of the most stable things on the sea was a small sailing boat that is well rigged and well maintained.


Many years and many voyages later I still adhere to the rules I set down in those days, which is basically an old Army saying and I quote "prior planning and preparation, prevents piss poor performance!" whether it's an Atlantic crossing or a day teaching in the Solent, I still try and remember those tenants.

For this trip from Antigua to St Thomas in the USVI's I first decided I would do it on my own to enjoy the solitude of the 200 mile trip, eating when I wanted, without mindless banter of additional crew. Then I remembered it was probably a condition of the insurance that I have another member of the crew. So at the last minute I take Brother on board, a local Antiguan guy with strict instructions  to provide me with a steady supply of tea and custard creams.

We leave, its raining, no wind but I do get a steady supply of tea. We slowly motor sail in the direction of Nevis and St Kitts leaving both to port, then its on to Statia ( St Eustatious) then through the night we ghost past the rock that is Saba. Leaving St Croix in the distance to port we sail into St Thomas and Crown Bay.

We are welcomed in Crown Bay by the customs guys who are pre warned of our arrival. The object to clear customs and find a cheap and cheerful berth to keep butterfly until the ship arrived for loading. This proved to be a movable feast, it started with instructions to be in St. Thomas for the 5th of March for loading on the 10th that month. Delays to the arrival of the vessel meant it ended up not loading until the 18th. Then with the sails removed and the fridges are emptied I can leave to fly back to Antigua knowing that the vessel is in the capable hands of the load master and a few friends of mine who were also loading boats.

I have never really quite understood why all sailing vessels aren't sailed back across the Atlantic. The myth generated that there is no stress or less stress by shipping is crazy. There is not a sailing vessel I know that doesn't have some sort of damage or stress loading and unloading on these vessels where as to sail a vessel back across is much less stressful and with all the waiting and delays certainly quicker, not to mention cheaper.

Butterfly with benefits

BUTTERFLY ANTIGUA ANTICS

Hi! I am back again with a few more musings from Antigua. The past few weeks have seen new friends experience the fun and frolics of Antigua at this time of year, sunshine is both the danger and the pleasure when sailing. The on deck Beneteau 40.7 s and enjoy the hard work of the RYA syllabuses from yacht master to competent crew.

The latest crew have fallen lucky they are doing their comp crew course on a relatively new Jeanneau 49 “Butterfly” which has been left by Kenny Wingrave and his wife with on deck to charter and then for me to take up to St Thomas in the USVI s for shipping back to the UK. So they enjoy a rare luxury of a really nice cruising boat.
The family of four Mum Dad and the two boys are having the time of their life. Dad Tim is a BA pilot so his navigation is crap,(according to the boys)so we had to start from scratch, the boys however could steer a course, talk argue and play on a Game Boy at the same time as steering a good course. However mum was the star she showed all by being the best on the helm in all conditions.

BANDITS ON BUTTERFLY
Next to enjoy butterfly were our fugitives from the Irish financial famine and the English winter. Maeve and Malcolm would been sailing with me before and used to own their own boat, a great couple. Malcolm is a retired sausage maker and budding barman, I say this because his repertoire of cocktails is vast, as long as you only want gin and tonic, all drinks served without ice, because as Malc says and I quote "the ice was frozen solid” unquote.

Malcolm and Maeve were joined by two friends who were solicitors (lawyers) I say lawyers because soliciting has a different connotation in some parts of the world, but the mechanics of the job are roughly the same!! Soliciting that is.
We have left the lunacy of Antigua for Guadeloupe and the Saints and as with the owl and the pussycat (Malc and Maeve) we left for a week and a day to the land with the frogs do play, they've got some money, gallons of booze and meagre sprinkling of food. I've looked in the fridge for slices of quince and mince, but as with the runcible spoon it could not be found.
The only stipulation this motley crew had is that we had to be back in Antigua on the Saturday to enjoy Wales beating England and Ireland beating Scotland. We were not let down by our respective teams, so this wonderful crew flew away with blurred memories of the beautiful beaches of these islands. As I previously mentioned it is not the first time I have suffered the slings and torment of outrageous fun with these characters and I'm sure it will not be the last. Bon Voyage.

February 14th 2012
Why No Booze for Taff

 For the past two weeks I have again been working as an instructor for sailing in school in Antigua. One way or another I have been doing this for quite a few years now. However each course brings a new set of characters to enjoy the Caribbean sunshine and the learning experience. With the Antigua experience there is the culture of drinking, you want to see binge drinking WOW!  the crews out here have turned it into an art form, sometimes Falmouth and English Harbour's, resemble an open air lunatic asylum...People often ask why I don't drink alcohol? My instinct is always to tell them the way it is. That being, the fact, that I am and always will be an alcoholic. It is many years, in fact in excess of 25years since I had a drink of alcohol and it plays no real part of my life.

It used to be that I would never tell people of my alcoholism. I remember once being at a dinner party with some other people some who knew that I was in recovery from alcoholism, while others were oblivious to the fact, after all they didn't care what I had in my glass only what they had in theirs. In those days I was a bit more careful who I broke my anonymity with, but one rather tipsy lady at a dinner party, looked me straight in the eye and said "why don't you drink?" I paused for effect, then holding her fractured gaze,I said in my loud welsh baritone, "because I'm a Muslim "  there was a stunned silence around the table, to which she said in her slurred voice  "Oh! how unfortunate!!!"

Peoples reaction on boats
I am sometimes confused when people get upset with one another on a small boat, when after all the object of the exercise is to achieve a reasonable skill set to allow them to move on either as a leisure activity, or with their professional qualifications to work on luxury boats as their chosen profession. It just seems that being thrown together ad hoc in a small boat can sometimes bring out the worst traits in some people. In others they become the life and can be the soul of the vessel, thank God, the latter is most often the case.

My Reaction sometimes irrational
I so often write of people, or a person who seemingly affects the way I am or what I do. I can be drawn by soft words or an ill thought comment, into despair. As is oft said these sticks and stones will break my bones but names and comments will never hurt me. What often hurts is the perception of what people think, their ill thought out ideas or half-truths which my fellowship seems rife with. My weak perception is such that I want no more of it. Having said that, I am quickly reminded by my subconscious mind that the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous is what got me any measure of relief from alcoholism. You may wish to fire the doctor, but the medicine still works so long as I remember to take the correct dose.

 For several days now I have been favoured by gentle thoughts, even so, my truth and oft careless comment can shatter the illusion of another, as with one time, my comment regarding my ex wife. I seldom think of her these days but then a simple film with an actress of similar hauteur to her triggers my memory. These brief memories are discarded in a flash, but my ill-conceived comment upset the person I was with. These painful memory traps, or comments crop up from time to time, often regarding past relationships, very often causing damage, simply because they did not know the true facts. I suppose the truth is to let these comments go, because I cannot be responsible for the germination of seeds of untruths which grow in fertile minds of even of the people we love, too often we, me included, are ready to accept gossip and licentious thoughts. And these often find fertile acceptance in our heads, I know they do in mine.

 Why then do I continue to go to AA? someone asks, AA that forum of confused messages. Why then listen to the oft repeated dogma which excludes all original thought, if there is such a thing as original thought? For me today there is brief understanding that to let go often pays rich dividends, like the rotating of crops. The mind, like the land requires time left fallow. Friendships and relationships also require this fallow time to develop and grow, or set aside, that which is not needed. Absence they say makes the heart grow fonder…A doubtful truth! Maybe or maybe not. Growth is not passionate for me, more a measured gathering of information. Because of that, some of our growth is flawed! Thank god we are not perfect, what a burden that would be?

 I will continue with my ready inclusion of AA in my life, if for nothing else than it is the only thing available that works! and that is guaranteed. my life such as it is bears wittness to that. My simple faith is unshakable; I cannot at this time even pay lip service to a religious God, but faith! There's another thing, from one who is assailed by doubts and weaknesses, to a person now who has a complete faith that things are going to be all right, not always exactly what I want! but invariably or at least its just right enough, and that will do today

 Today I will try and do the next best thing and play the honest tune, no matter if it's not what people wish to hear, but I will try today not to cause gratuitous hurt by my actions or comments.

 Again I emphasise that I believe emphatically, “that there are no answers, only understanding.”
Finally
If ignorance is bliss? "Why are more people not happy"?

Solent Waffle

Now the Solent

Well here I am back in the Solent for a few weeks, hanging on the back stay, teaching and enjoying the back to basics approach of the RYA syllabus. I was completing a course over a weekend with an unlikely crew of an Italian lady and her Irish long term boyfriend coupled with a Welsh speaking Welshman who I was able to sing in harmony with, we were word perfect on the welsh lullaby “Counting the Goats”in welsh of course, good fun.

I found myself writing one morning the following entry in my journal;

“today the 20^th of August the date reminds me that I should be boarding the British Airways flight from Antigua to Gatwick but here I am already back in the UK working, I have another flight booked back from Antigua on the 5^th of November I doubt if I will use that one either. These flights are of course are the product of not having reasonably priced one way tickets available on major airlines, I fly out and sail a boat back….another piece of useless information!!

I am today on one of Sailing company's tired boats passing on my experience to a few novices, well sailing novices, for in life we share the equilibrium of our individual experience: scratch the surface of anyone and there is a mine and mind of carefully recorded and stored knowledge and skill, sometimes blemished by arrogance and ego but mostly kind and thoughtful.

Today the old boat Ice Dancer holds in her belly, an I.T. specialist turned maths teacher with a soft Irish brogue and ready smile, who can tie a bowline as good as any, which belies his claim to have only done a bit if sailing. His name escapes me again “why is it I can share intimate moments and conversation with someone then fail to remember their names” is senile dementia that close? Yesterday I forgot my writer friend Theo Dorgan’s name, how dare my fickle memory draw down the curtain on me at a young as I feel time of life, dam it!!

Then we have an Italian Angel the Irishman’s 10 year girlfriend who is so very wonderful, funny, gregarious, bright and wobbly warm. This wonderfully accented lady is something in health care, I forget what she said and care less, suffice it to say she drives a posh Mercedes and laughs a lot.

Next we have an ex naval reservist ex RAF guy who is Welsh speaking and can sing with me in tight harmony, such a pleasure to sing counting the goats in welsh word perfect and so very tuneful.

What is it in life that throws these diverse characters together for these cameos of pleasure, often undeserved and unexpected. The owner of the Sailing  company fear that theses folk may not enjoy their time aboard because of their earlier inexperienced mistakes by other instructors is unfounded. We together are always human and happy, we are both doctor and patient, teacher and student, truthful and exaggerator, but as in most things kind and cheerful.

Life for me is good, today I have the choice to be happy or miserable. For me that can be a painful choice because my natural habitat is to sadness. However a sober life gives me the opportunity to choose between these tired emotions. The normal state for me as an alcoholic was drunk or anxious, today I am sometimes careless and less concerned. If I wake today with the aura of sad dreams then so be it, the answer is exercise and positive thought, this brings transient relief sometimes, but mostly is the harbinger of a better day.
I wake today, shake off the cloak of sleep and short dreams, I put aside past pains and wrongs both imagined and real to embrace the start of another wonderful day for this is heaven and a little glimpse of hell wrapped up as life. So very, very good to wake and feel alive to the day.

I have been asked to write of past pain and the violent times why? Is it to titillate the pallet of those who only think they have faced danger, I am one of life’s cowards who will one day answer this call but not yet.

Not withstanding the above, recently I was asked what I thought of the men of violence, in particular in relation to the Bin Laden execution.

I find myself dwelling on the past, (or is it growth) because this is what I feel.

Reluctant hero's
My experience dictates

These moments of violence are often short, bloody and unlike the OK Corral they are seldom conducted with gentlemanly consideration for the opposition. Rules of engagement are encapsulated in the phrase “win the fire fight” the rest speaks for itself.

These moments are often short and bloody, the noise and controlled confusion pervades everything.

So much crap talked these days of Special Forces and stealth, but take it from me they always culminate in blood, noise and pain.

People of all creeds and nationalities who now sleep quietly in their beds but talk glibly of soldiers as criminals, should accept that their freedom and peaceful sleep was always bought by the raw guts of these men and women.

These men are not super heroes; they are soft at their core, loving with strangers and children alike. These men always need to return slowly to bliss and peace, but seldom without the suntan and the physical and mental scars that follow these actions.

Believe me these silent soldiers given a choice would rather dig the garden and plant the seeds of flowers.

Do not question these men just be thankful they are they are there!

Sleep easy

Over the past years I have encouraged or sailed with may novice sailors, some complete novices to Atlantic veterans. Always the magic is the same, it is as if a light comes on, many say "A life changing experience" a few say "never again" I remember one owner writing a piece titled "Beyond The Isle of Wight" and I look to post this next. He went from fear, to being quite an adventurous sailor.

Azores trip with a solid crew

Hi folks

It is my intention to publish on this Blog some of these retrospective trips then continue with the daily and weekly bits that come up from time to time and this is one from awhile ago, this trip was 2 years ago.

Antigua to Azores Gibraltar and the South of France

 Below: That's Brother surveying all.

Well another Atlantic crossing completed, it’s difficult when we are snug in a comfortable berth to remember what it was really like but this time I can say it was bloody awful!!

We left Antigua on the Rhum Line for Horta in the Azores, the crew, Myself, Jane, Dave Benton and Brother!! Yes that’s right Brother, we were a bit light weight but with two relatively experienced crew I figured that Brother would hold his own and there was little or no work for him in Antigua so why not eh?

The Crew for those of you who do not know them:-

"Brother" alias Edwin Walwyn Ralph is a black Antigun guy who has been helping me in Antigua for years, his capacity for hard work and laughter is legendary and having worked on the boat off and on through the season he at least knows where everything is because he helped stow it.
Dave Denton nicknamed by a previous crew the “Constant Gardener” because he is constantly doing something, he’s a good climber so is up the mast checking and adjusting before problems arise, he is also a good engineer and love’s reading Manuals   

Jane McMinn a veteran of another Atlantic crossing the other way, who was determined to complete this trip regardless of what it takes, Jane has a small power boat in Scotland which dose fishing charters and trips. Her idea is to eventually buy a  largish sailing boat to sail the Caribbean et al. She has produced some memorable meals which have helped ease the pressure in the galley for the trip.

Well we left the Caribbean in some pretty lousy weather, strong head winds and torrential rain for about 12 hours it was horrible, this was followed by more mixed conditions, then a double header low pressure system came through our track and we had every thing except snow. At the worst the winds were at 50 to 55 knots with some gusts higher the seas were like the Brecon Beacons and they say 8 to 10 meters but the saving graces were one!, it was a following sea and two!, it was on our track for the Azores. Our tactic was to reduce sail down to 50% of the staysail and our speed was topping out at 14 knots surfing off some of the waves but mostly a steady 10 Knots. The boat performed well just a few minor cracks in the facade, and we lost the spinnaker pole over the side, Oh! yea and a big sea dumped on us and crushed the spray hood.

Our weather routers were trying to persuade us to detour to Madeira as a safer option, but the thought of beating up to the straights of Gibraltar from there was a diabolical thought, so I told them on the Sat phone to go away and pray for something better.

The crew knew it was going to be OK when in the worst of the weather Dolphins were cavorting through the big waves; they stayed with us off and on for the whole trip to Horta. The 2000 plus nautical miles completed in just over 9 days.

As is often the fact the worst moments for me was the approach to Horta and the relatively narrow seaway between there and Pico, the seas were building, with some at 15/18 metres we managed to slowly crab across the seas and in behind the Caldera at about half a cable away. Then all was peaceful as we crept into Fial and the well trodden venues of this sailors, Atlantic staging post. Food at the hot brick and 24 hours sleep.

Our trip was marred by the news that a boat behind us on the crossing lost a man overboard in the heavy weather, poor folk could not get there engine started to get back to the guy. A chopper and a fixed wing went out to assist from Punta Del Garda but there was no sign of the guy. It only serves to remind us, that the sea can be a deadly place. I am always reminded when preparing a boat for a long passage of the seven P’s

“prior planning and preparation, prevents piss poor performance.”

Then fill up with fuel and away again heading for the straits of Gibraltar and then France.But not before had painted the boats missive on the dock!! It is considered bad luck not too!!!.

For those who don’t know the boat is a CNB 77’ very pretty and seaworthy.

Left the channel between Horta and Pico The mountain in calm weather.Full moon what could be better?...

Florida V

Oyster 66

Dominican Republic to Nassau then Newport RI. Two

When I was asked if I wanted to be involved and possibly skipper this Oyster 66, I was in Newport Rode Island shipyard rummaging around in a large container belonging to the Gunboat Pheado, a 65’ rocket about to compete in the North Atlantic race. The idea being to pack their gear away for shipment to Southampton UK., that way, the guy I was helping, my great friend Rolly Bennett and I could have some time together before he went to South Africa and I went back to UK to start teaching for Southern sailing.
Bearing in mind that it is the hurricane season, a time when few sane sailors will venture out of their comfortable marinas! I of course said yes please!

The trip was to be in two legs the Dom Republic to Nassau in the Bahamas, with the current skipper in charge, where the official transfer of ownership took place, then on up to Newport for some work to be done prior to the Owner and his family joining the boat for a cruise at the end of August.

Unusual airport transfer.

I am often sceptical of a vessel which has been up for sale for two years, especially when it is been kept in a hot humid climate like the DR. I was to be pleasantly surprised; both by the Island and the quality set-up.

I was transferred to this beautiful Marina in a smart land cruiser driven by a guy with 9mm automatic in his waste band! I was told he carries it always because he is in the Navy!? Having been around weapons for some of my life I was unsure as to if he was my protector or I was his prisoner. Maybe I thought the boat was so bad they expected me to turn and run.

The boat when we arrived was without doubt very well presented, clean, the deck recently sanded, fuelled crewed and ready to go. The sea trials completed before I arrived threw up some issues and except for a serious problem with the Hydraulic sail handling “there was none” we were off the dock and away.

The Crew were something else!

The skipper for the first part of the trip was Carlos the Cuban, an amiable and competent seaman, always smiling and willing to help, the drawback he could not speak English, the owner, Steve who was joining us up to Nassau had a novel way of communicating with him, he used to speak to him in Italian which seemed to work, me I just adopted the old method of speaking louder and some sign language. Carlos has a fascinating history he used to be the boat master for Raoul Castro, Fidel’s brother, the guy now in charge of Cuba. As they say, scratch the surface of any man and there is a story, it is a pity he had to leave in Nassau otherwise we could have explored his colourful history deeper.

Then there is Toni Torres the proverbial jack of all trades, and he thinks the master of all, an OK chef/cook, and maintenance man constantly looking for work, agile in the rigging, but with a biased opinion on all things, his energy was wearing, just to watch him was tiring and his basic seamanship was non existent, totally dependent on electronic navigation, His opinion was always the only way to do things. He would change the fuel filters and half an hour later produce a sushi dinner made from scratch, every boat should have a crew member with Toni’s energy but they should all come with a muzzle and re-education to make them understand that both Yes and No are complete sentences. He slowly became my confidant and when we came to the end of the delivery I had hoped we could have had a heart to heart, but that was not to be the case, his decision to drink himself into loud oblivion the moment we were along side precluded any further chat. There is no basis for future work together.

His other talent is that he is the on board fisherman, he did not endear himself to me however when he woke me up in the middle of a deep sleep to tell me he had at last caught a reasonable Wahoo and a small Dorado but he was soon forgiven when it appeared on the plate thirty minutes later.

The other member of the crew is Greg, aboard for his additional local knowledge I have sailed on one short trip to Maine with him before. He has skippered a few boats since getting his Yachtmaster ticket. I wanted him on this trip because his last boat was an Oyster and I guessed that he would be in touch with the systems and in some ways that has proved a blessing. He was paid off in Newport.

 The Trip

Several weeks earlier I did a similar trip” Ironically on another Oyster” albeit a 56’ that time from Antigua via Bermuda to Newport that was a incident free comfortable ride even though the weather was sometimes a bit lumpier. The degree of comfort and air conditioned splendour on this larger vessel together with its increased length and the benign weather conditions have been great. I must say however that I have missed Alex and my old mate the half man half mattress Pete Mac with the tall stories and solid back-up.

I was beginning to think that there was no wild life left but for the last few days ending the trip we have seen Whales and dolphins galore, not to mention a Wahoo and a Dorado. In Nassau we managed to fix the hydraulics for the furling except the main out haul which we will be addressed in Newport together with some other issues.

Well I have been told by the owner that he has now appointed a full time couple to run the boat, so I wish him and the new crew the very best of luck for the future.