Manx Sail Racer

At last, after all the training and waiting to hear if we’d got an entry in the Fastnet we were finally leaving Douglas to take Cheetah down to Cowes for the start. It was a routine type delivery with some of the Race crew on board (the rest would join us in Cowes) and some additional yachtsmen on board who were there for the experience and extra mileage which counts towards higher sailing qualifications. As it turned out this was not going to be an ordinary delivery.

For a start the wind was on the “nose” (a head wind) all the way down the Irish Sea and then Celtic Sea to Land’s End. This meant that we were tacking from Ireland to Wales and back to enable us to sail to windward. The southerly winds blowing a constant Force 6 (known by some as a sailor’s gale) and occasionly gusting to Force 7 which made it a lumpy trip which resulted in a considerable amount of mal de mer and a painfully slow pace which was beginning put us behind schedule for the Race start.

During this period of heavy upwind work we were carrying out our boat checks and making log entries on an hourly basis which is good practice. I found some water had found its way into the berths in the aft section of the boat. Upon closer inspection I found there was  “considerable” amount of water in the water tight bulkhead containing the rudder stock. From the training days we had done during the summer we had practiced this scenario at length but never thought we would have to do this for real! If we didn’t deal with this satisfactorily we were quite literally sunk!!
Everyone on watch worked valiantly in a calm and quiet way to instal the flood pump inside this bulkhead so that the water could be pumped out and we could investigate the situation. Once the water was out we could see the problem, the rudder seal had failed and now the water was coming in like a constant running tap.

We were confident that as long as the leak didn’t get any worse the flood pump would deal with the flow and as long as the water level inside the boat is lower than the water level outside then we were going to carry on floating!

Our thoughts now turned to the future. We could not start the Fastnet Race with a leak this big. We were going to be at least 80 miles from land and if things turned for the worse we would be in real trouble.
The nearest port with lift out facilities was Plymouth, the wind had now decreased quite significantly as we rounded Land’s End and we were using the engine to maintain a good speed. We had enough fuel to get us to Plymouth but the lift out costs were horrendous as we would be lifting out at around midnight. We decided that the best solution would be to get the boat to Cowes to carry out the repairs there. There was one problem in our way though, we only had enough fuel to get us to Dartmouth if we were lucky. Again we had a problem that we could not get fuel on our arrival as it would be 1am. After rigourous phoning around I found that all of the fuel barges in Dartmouth would all be closed. What could we do? If the wind didn’t materialise we would not be able to sail to Cowes in time and would miss the race.
Our only lady crew member and joint partner in Yacht Action, Sally Caley was still at work that week as she was due to join us in Cowes at the end of the week. Sally was born and grew up in Devon so I almost jokingly asked her by phone if she knew anyone living in Devon that could get 120 litres of diesel in jerry cans to Dartmouth before midnight that night (it was already 16-30hrs!). Well, never under estimate the power of a lady who’s mind is set on doing the Fastnet. Sally and her colleague Mark Bentley who work for Bibby Ship Management thought that they might know a man who can! We carried on motoring as fast as we dare to get to Dartmouth not knowing whether we would have any fuel when we got there.
We arrived in Dartmouth around 1am and came in to moor on the Town Quay to find one Adan Santander who had earlier that evening, bought five jerry cans and filled them with 120 litres of diesel and bought them to us. We were delighted, we may just get to the start line yet! It must have looked very strange to any passers by that night to see a yacht sail into Dartmouth, tie up, see 5 total strangers step off the boat and be greeted by some one they had never met before who gave them five large cans of a clear liquid in exchange for bundle of cash and then both parties dissappear into the dead of night! Our sincere thanks go out to Adan, Sally and Mark for their unselfish acts that saved our day.

As we left the Town Quay we thought - we now have enough fuel to get to Cowes as long as we don’t sink!

When we came out of the Dartmouth estuary and into the open sea a fresh northerly breeze kicked in that took us all the way to the Solent and we didn’t need the engine at all. You just couldn’t plan that!!

We had an interesting time going up the Needles channel heading for the Solent, an Air Sea Rescue helicopter appeared and hovered close behind us showing a large board with the numbers 67 on. We knew that was a signal to us to turn our radio onto channel 67 as they wanted to contact us. The pilot spoke to me and asked if we would mind him using our boat as a practice casualty for a high line lift. I readily agreed knowing it would be a great learning experience for us all. We followed his instructions and the bag of sand on the end of a line (the high line) was lowered down to us. I pulled it in and we were mindful not to tangle it or fasten it to anything as instructed and then the wire man left the chopper and was gradually lowered down to us as we pulled in the high line to guide the man into the cockpit of Cheetah. We shook hands as if Stanley had just met Livingstone and had a general chat about the weather, what we were both up to and then he thanked us all and off he went back up into his helicopter and flew away.
With the build up to the Fastnet apparently the rescue crews train as much as possible in landing on yachts just in case they are needed for real. We thought about our training for flooding and wandered if we tempted providence once again!

We sailed into Cowes and arranged a boat lift. It was Friday afternoon and the Race started for us at 12-40pm Sunday. What would we find wrong with rudder? Could we fix it in time?

At the famous Medina yard we pulled Cheetah into the boat lift by hand and the slings were positioned in the right place and the boat lifted out. Two of us (Nigel Revill and myself) set about disconnecting the steering gear so that the rudder could be lowered from the boat whilst the rest of the crew set about emptying all of the additional water we had collected on the way down and then cleaned the boat from top to bottom.
After around an hour’s work for two people in an area the size of a small holdall we lowered the rudder out to find that the components that make up the seal had come apart. We checked and greased the bearings and reassembled everything. This took a further hour’s work and then we were all done. As the tide had, by now gone out we would not be lifted back in till the morning so it meant that the now crew of 10 would be spending the night on a boat swinging from a crane!

That evening we all had a well earned libation or two in a very busy Cowes as it was the final night of Cowes week.
Some of us went to watch the famous firework display whilst the rest of us just soaked up the atmosphere and build up to the Fastnet start.

The following morning we were craned back in and found to our delight that all was well on the rudder seal front so we motored up the river and into Cowes Yachthaven for our final night of relative luxury - a steady boat, a shower in the morning and a pub close by!

In the afternoon, James Walker and myself went to the Skipper’s briefing to learn about any changes to the regulations, the route and marks we would round and of course the all important weather briefing. When we walked in it was like a who’s who of sailing, we were sitting behind Marc Guillemot and Sam Davies of Vendee Globe fame, we also saw Olympian Shirley Robertson and on the way out we nearly walked into Torben Grael (winner of the last Volvo Ocean Race) as he was giving a press interview.

We awoke on race day to see the marina bustling with activity. Some boats were being rigged with new sails. We sent Chris Hill up the rig to check that all the stays and anchor points were all in good condition. After Chris came down he said he was going for a last shower only to return minutes later saying that there was a massive queue. Unperturbed by this I asked him to strip down to his shorts and we blasted him with a cold hose pipe and gave him some shampoo. Hard nuts these Fastnet crew!!

We left the berth early with all of our storm sails rigged and our identification dodger installed on the port quarter. These were requirements of the regulations and then  we sailed through the “identification gate” in the Solent with everyone on deck in lifejackets so that the boat checking us knew how many crew we were. He gave us the OK. This was the final requirement of qualification, after 8 months of planning and training we were finally there.

We sailed away from the gate and onto the start area whilst the crew quickly stowed all of the storm sails and rigged the boat for racing. It was going to be a specacular start as the wind would be behind us and therefore spinnakers would be the order of the day. With the outgoing tide pushing us over the line and the wind behind us we had to be very careful to not be over the line before the gun as the penalty for being over was very severe. The IMOCA 60 fleet went of first with there huge rigs carrying a massive sail area, they gybed there way down the Solent with a gaggle of press boats chasing them trying to get the best shots.
IRC 3 went off next, all setting there spinnakers after the start gun, a very wise move in the conditions. We were up next in IRC 2 it must have looked like organised chaos as everyone was ducking and weaving through the fleet trying to get the best position on the line with clear air behind them. There were few choice words from some boats as the tensions rose before the big gun. Bang and we were off,  we saw the smoke before the noise as we were out in the middle of the Solent and the cannon was in the Royal Yacht Squadron at Cowes nearly a mile away. Thanks to some nifty crew work we were about third over the line after the gun and up went our kite. We were finally racing after all of the hard work. We made our way down the Solent in a slowly dropping breeze constantly watching both sides of the Solent for any making breeze as we stayed in the middle to gain from maximum tidal push. We came up to Hurst Castle (the narrowest section of the Solent) going well but fighting for any wind we could find. At one point we were leaving the Solent sideways at 2 knots!!
As a result of the dying breeze which was accurately forecast we decided to cross Shingles Bank and take the coastal route up the channel to gain from any land breeze that should kick in as evening approached. We crossed Poole Bay and onto St Alban’s Head when the wind died completely and the tide turned leaving us drifting back to Cowes! Out came the anchor and over the bow it went, it was going to be a long night. We took the opportunity to celebrate Chris Hill’s 18th birthday with a nice bottle of bubbly and dropped into our 4 hour watch system. After around 7 hours there was enough wind to get us going and we began to haul in the anchor as we started to sail in the right direction all be it with a head wind. We got the anchor out of the ground with ease but it would not come in. We hauled and hauled but to no avail. We turned to winching in the anchor warp until we could see the end of the chain. At this point I lifted the sole boards down below and listened with a steel tube (much like a stethoscope) to one of the keel bolts while the anchor was winched in. You could here the chain knocking each link over the keel. It was not good news, the anchor had wound itself around the keel in the turning tide. Not only we were hardly moving in very little wind but we were actually dragging the anchor through the water like a huge handbrake!

It seemed like an age before we were moving fast enough to dislodge the anchor and chain from the keel and haul it back on board. Dawn was breaking as we passed Portland Bill, the gentle wind unfortunately on the nose again. The breeze picked up a little later bringing with it rain. This was fast becoming a long race. As we crossed Lyme Bay and on towards Start Point (South Devon) we slowly began to see more yachts as they converged first on Start Point and then The Lizard (South Cornwall).
Each time we saw a yacht on the horizon in front of us it was the incentive we needed to catch and pass it and then on to the next one.

It was midday on day 3 when we left Land’s End behind us and headed off into deep water and the start of the Atlantic swell with its large rolling waves. We were still in light airs and as usual blowing in the wrong direction. Daytime rolled on into night and we had our first experiences of sailing at night with absolutely no ambient light from the shore to help us. There was no moon due to mist and therefore the jet black horizon met the jet black sea with no change whatsoever, we were sailing into complete blackness which was very disorientating. With nothing to look at it soon became clear that this type of sailing wasn’t going to be a walk in the park. It required massive concentration on the boat’s instruments to keep the boat going in the right direction and at maximum speed. On the other watch they changed the helmsman every 40 minutes during their 4hour watch. I relished the sight of the  faint light of another yacht ahead of us so that I could focus on it and slowly catch it up. On one occasion just before a watch change I must have passed out with exhaustion because I came around with all of the crew shouting at me and the boat going in the wrong direction. I slept well on my next off watch!

The following day saw us sailing again in a thick wet sea mist. We were still sailing upwind. It was starting to become a little dreary on board, everyone was slowly suffering from exhaustion and lack of sleep. It was with some relief that during that day we got visited by a pod of Common Dolphins, they always seem to appear when you are at a low and they leave you in high spirits. We estimated the pod to be around 20 strong with mothers and their young together diving and playing  in the bow wave. Apparently, from talking to local whale and dolphin watch expert John Galpin Common Dolphins are becoming a rarity in these waters with no confirmed sitings by John this year. So we considered ourselves honoured to be in their presence.

Day rolled into night as we neared the famous Fastnet Rock, the mist still making it difficult to helm and as we got nearer we were coming across more and more yachts as they all converged on the main turning point of the race. It was becoming a little interesting as big boats would appear out of the mist only 50 yards away doing around 8 knots coming straight for us. Luckily everyone is alert to this and we have eyes looking out in all directions.

We can actually hear the fog signal off the Rock now but we still can’t see it as night begins to fall. We are now fighting the tide and the wind to get to the Rock, it doesn’t want us to get there fast as we’re constantly tacking to both miss other boats and achieve our goal. At last, with yet another tack the mist lifts enough to give us a glimpse of what we had just sailed upwind for 460 nautical miles to see.
The lighthouse stands invincible shining its bi polar light out across the sea lighting up all the yachts that are around. It appears as though it is built into the Rock and has been there forever. As we are drawn closer the mist is now very patchy and is reflected in the powerful swirling light. In a surreal thought it appears as though everyone has come in yachts to pay homage to this superior being. It is 10-30pm on Day 3 as we pass the Rock to port, the light almost hypnotising us with its power and intensity. The swirling mist disorientating us into thinking that we cannot get away. In reality it is the tide swirling around the Rock that is carrying us sideways and back in towards it. We change helms and try again, this time with some difficulty we finally break free of her grip and set off towards the next mark before turning south and towards the finish at last. The mist has now cleared and there is a long procession of lights both to the Rock and running away from it. We set a spinnaker as we leave the turning mark, the sky is now clear and with the wind behind us at last we hoist a spinnaker. It became a lovely night with a clear sky and shooting stars keeping our spirits up in the middle of the night.

Our gentle downwind sailing was soon to come to an end as the wind went from northwest to east and then clocked round to south and all in just one hour. It was spinnaker down and back on the wind again! It now appeared as though everyone was going “downhill” towards the Scilly Isles, it is very strange how your perception changes with lack of sleep!

The procession continues towards Bishop Rock, off the south western tip of the Scillies. With the fall of darkenss the wind is slowly coming around behind us and we decide to hoist the spinnaker. It is a little close to the wind but Cheetah takes off leaving everyone in her wake as the other boats close by watch as we pull away. It is an interesting ride for the helmsman as the boat constantly wants to go her own way and unfortunately its not the way we want to go! We can’t trim the sails because we can’t see them, its very difficult to steer as we can’t see the horizon. The only way to helm as we’ve come to learn is to use all of the senses and helm by the feel of the boat. Soon Bishop Rock light comes into view and makes life a little easier. At least we can focus on something far away to help with the navigation. The other thing it did show us was that we were being carried towards it in the tide. We changed course to accommodate this with thoughts of how difficult it must have been to get to England from this direction in the days of square riggers, no wonder there are so many wrecks marked on the charts in this area.

Dawn on Day 6 sees us leave Bishop Rock on our port side. Spirits are high because we realise we may actually finish this race today. The spinnaker went up at 3am this morning and its still up! Maybe things are looking up for us, we gradually clock up the miles heading towards the Lizard, the wind strengthening behind us, carrying us along with the constant burble of water leaving the stern like a babbling brook.

We pass the Lizard and are now in the home straight, the sun is out and the wind warm. The crew slowly change from hardended seamen in their foul weather gear, to cleaner, sweeter smelling people in shorts and polo shirts with thoughts of good food, a steady table and a libation or two!

As the finish line approached we still had a very serious matter to discuss.
At the race day breakfast before we left the start line we all had to arrive there resplendent in our Cheetah crew shirts. Unfortunately one crew member - Chris Hill, having had a busy night the night before had forgotten to dress accordingly for the occasion. This was considered by the crew to be a very serious matter worthy of a “fine”. During the whole of the race it came up in discussion from time to time and finally we had come to a satisfactory conclusion.

The crew member in question was due to “trip” the kite at the finishing line. This involved donning a climbing harness and climbing out along the spinnaker pole to “trip” the kite. This would mean he would be around 20 feet up the air with nothing below him but Plymouth Sound. All of this would be in front of a photographer so we thought it reasonable for him to settle his fine at this point. The “fine” would be for him to do this task in nothing but a Cheetah print thong and a Pink helmet!!

Well, it was now quite cool so he didn’t “hang” around for long and we did get a few good photos aswell! We crossed the finish line to rapturous applauds, both on our boat and from elsewhere.

We had completed the race in 5 days, 5 hours and 31 minutes. It should have been a 608 mile race but we sailed 728 miles due to the weather. We finished 20th in class.

So you may well ask what did we eat or drink during the race?

50 Boil in the bag expedition meals, 74 litres of bottled water, 100 Snickers bars, 75 Mars bars, 50 Twix bars, 125 bags crisps, 12 packets of ginger nuts, 3 malt loaves, 30 pot noodles, 50 High energy cereal bars, 3 jars of coffee and 8 bags of sweets.

It was really good to eat out in Plymouth!