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Thursday, March 11
An article by WO Steve Clayton published in the RNSA Journal
ADVENTURE – EX TRANSGLOBE LEG 4
Steve Clayton
The crews for all 3 boats arrived at Fort Blockhouse for briefing and kit issue on 1 Oct 09. Leg 4 promised to be the trip of a lifetime between 2 of the world’s major destinations, Cape Town and Perth. Just the 5000 NM of Southern Ocean in between then.
A run shore in Gosport that evening gave the crew an opportunity to get to know each other. 45 Cdo had made a Unit bid for the RN boat on this leg and thus formed the majority of 8. The remainder being made up of 4 dark blue with John and Nick our JSASTC Skipper and Mate.
In the words of the pilot, a champagne day greeted our arrival in Cape Town and Table Mountain was displaying all its glory. After a short transfer to the Royal Cape Yacht Club we were united with the Skipper and Adventure. The RCYC is a splendid facility and the members and staff made us most welcome during the following days of preps and waiting for a suitable weather window to depart. Yacht familiarisation aside, the major evolution was victualling for 35 days at sea. With Viv, our Pusser, assisting the Skipper with the shopping, the remainder of the crew set about stowing the food mountain that had been established on the jetty. The Skipper had set out his green credentials early and some 5 gash bags of unnecessary packaging and labels were able to be ditched ashore and the evolution was successfully completed some hours later with the only comment being the worrying amount of pineapple rings and mayonnaise that had been embarked.
Cape Town has excellent shopping, restaurants and unfortunately bars, this provided opportunity for some R & R and greater familiarisation with the other crews. It had become general knowledge that Challenger (Army) and Discoverer (RAF) had far more experience onboard than Adventure, the idle chat in the club bar being how far the Navy would finish behind the others.
The 8 Oct had been announced as the start day and the belief onboard at the breakfast table was that racing pedigree alone was not going to dictate the outcome of this leg. Typically Andy chipped in with a timely ‘What’s the difference between Army and toast?’ – ‘You can make soldiers out of toast.’ Enough said. Spirits were certainly high, with steely talk of forfeits for the first one to be sick and 20 press ups for every dousing by a ‘Salty goffa.’ Needless to say it was not long before the Royal Marine formation vomiting team had closed up and the press ups had gone out of the window.
Tacking practice and MOB drills complete, we were off. Our planned track was going to take us hard South for a couple of hundred miles to clear the continental shelf and avoid the adverse Agulhas current, we would then sail a great circle track to 40oS, 095oE before heading NE for Freemantle. The rules allowed for motoring in order to maintain SOA and it was frustrating to spend long periods of the first 36 hours on the engine. It was then a little bazaar to spend most of the remainder of the first week sailing to windward in varying conditions. Plenty of water and impromptu lifejacket inflations, in what was going to be a recurring theme for all boats, but not quite the down hill sleigh ride expected.
The 3 watch system had settled down and in Adventure the more traditional Red, White and Blue had adopted titles more akin to the characters in each. The ‘Gentlemen’s Watch,’ for the more mature and discerning males who’s Southern Ocean experience was an ideal vehicle to debate the great issues of the day. ‘Mum & Dad’s Watch’, a neat family styled unit. Mum in charge, Dad giving most of the direction, lots of emotion and occasionally a little dysfunctional. Finally ‘The ASBO Watch,’ Mike the self styled social worker leading the younger generation where enthusiasm could peak at either end of the spectrum from watch to watch. Mother Watch came round every third day and meal preparation quickly became the most competitive element of our time onboard. Probably driven by the Skipper’s daily uttering of ‘Better than the ***** we had yesterday!’ 2 of the guys had been chefs before joining up and this certainly influenced the creativity. During one of the seemingly unending gales, it was a treat to watch Chris spinning sugar to go on the top of our instant desserts. Cat was keeping a brave face on things in these unfamiliar surroundings and had seemingly undertaken a vow of silence as a coping strategy. The unofficial line was that Viv was doing enough talking for everyone and that Cat was merely providing some compensating effort. So when pressed to make a speech on the production of his rice pudding of volcanic proportions, it was with great gravitas that he stated with absolutely no emotion that ‘He thought it had taken a lot of milk.’ The Skipper had cleared Morrison’s out of bread mix before we left UK and the burden of getting this into our very restricted baggage allowance was far out weighed by the positive effect on morale. Again, a competitive element was creeping in during the morning watch with the odd plat appearing and individuals being a little cagey on their methods.
Finally, after just over a week at sea, a favourable westerly breeze was pushing the boat along and Adventure was consistently recording daily runs in excess of 150NM. The first of the 2 storms we were to experience occurred on the 22 Oct. The sail plan had been steadily reduced over a period of 24 hours as the wind built and the barometer fell. With 3 reefs in the main and the storm jib already set, the watch were preparing to lower the main and hoist the trysail. At this point a Sat C message was received from Challenger who was approx 100 NM to the SW of Adventure’s position, reporting that they had been hit by a large squall and had suffered significant damage to their main as a result. With conditions continuing to deteriorate, this was the catalyst to get the main down in short order. The wind continued to blow harder and with the boom secured the conditions had become sufficiently poor to lower the headsail. For a couple of hours as the wind peaked, Adventure maintained some 6 Knots under bare poles alone. Ironically, it was at this point that the electronic barometer alarmed, warning that a gale was imminent. Cheers trigger! The wind abated enough to be able to hoist the storm jib and a little later the trysail. The seas remained huge and helming was not for the faint hearted. Keeping the large following sea on the quarter was challenging enough in the daylight with the remainder of the watch spotting the waves. Come nightfall it was cold and exhausting. The spray was so severe that it was difficult to see the compass, let alone track the following sea and the most effective way to steer was to use ‘The force.’ While the author would never deny enjoying a cup of tea, the ribbing received for continued consumption in these conditions was a little unjustified, although the percentage of sea water being ingested was definitely increasing! Also on the increase was morale. Challenger had slowed considerably to effect sail repairs and Adventure had overhauled them and was now in the lead.
Under a combination of minimal sail plan and storm sails, Adventure recorded her highest 24 hour runs during the following few days, peaking at 217 NM.
29 Oct 10. Wind F9/10, sea state high, weather bright. Adventure and crew coping well with the sporty conditions. So well in fact, that on deck Steve, Cat and Chris had all just enjoyed a nice wet of tea. At approximately 1100 Chris spurts out a couple of expletives and our lives transformed into a seemingly unending torrent of water. There was little warning and it is difficult to recount the exact chain of events. However, the initial rush of water was as a result of an exceptionally large wave breaking immediately astern and ‘Pooping’ the cockpit. The force of water was so great over the following 15 seconds or so, that the author had stopped hanging on and was being restrained solely by his harness. Lifejacket had inflated again and it seemed a little unusual to be joined by the HF whip aerial on the deck of the cockpit. The force of water was beginning to recede when a second rush occurred and seriously disorientated, the watch on deck were fully submerged for a second time. The boat had now been knocked down and only reassuring factors were having faith in the equipment and knowledge of the dynamics of laying flat in the water. After what seemed like a lifetime, Adventure came upright and the watch were all present amid a scene of absolute carnage. Chris, on the helm, had been knocked off the wheel and was pinned against the push pit. Cat and Steve found themselves in the bottom of the cockpit under underneath the sole board. Apart from the Aerial, which had sheered from its mounting, the most obvious damage had occurred to the trysail. The topping lift fitting at the end of the boom had failed and the combination of the full weight of the boom coming on to the clew and the sail being full of water had pulled all but the top few luff sliders out of the track. There was plenty of activity going on below and it was comforting to see a head pop out of the companion way to confirm that all on deck were safe. The immediate priority of the watch was to regain a safe, steady course and to secure the swinging boom. The Jon Buoy and EPRIB had deployed and it was alarming to see just how quickly they started to disappear astern. With no main, huge seas and an uncertain engine condition (power was initially lost), it would have taken all the skill of the Skipper to get back up wind to retrieve a MOB. Never a better lesson in the importance of remaining clipped on.
Power was restored in reasonably short order. It was found that the two 5 gallon emergency jerry cans of water had travelled from the bottom of the hanging locker and had knocked off the main breaker on the instrument panel before coming to rest in the Nav Station. Having restored the Sat C comms, it was reassuring to have received a SAR message within about ten minutes of the EPRIB activating. Comms to the Australian Coastguard, Challenger, Discoverer and JSASTC were quickly established and the SAR message cancelled once it was clear that the situation was under control.
The couple of trysail sliders that had remained attached had jammed in the track and the sail was not going to come down without getting someone up the mast. That is a fairly sobering evolution in those conditions.
In the following hours the crew recalled their personal experiences of the day’s events. The most amusing account coming from our wanabe club swinger, Lee. He was squealing like a girl as the substantial contents of the chest freezer were raining down upon him from the opposite side of the saloon.
After such dramatic events, normality was returning. The RM Corps birthday prompted a gathering around the Nav Station, it was still a little tasty on deck, and Andy provided a few words. We had travelled as far South as our Great Circle track had intended and with some northing in the course we were heading out of the Roaring Forties.
The passage plan then took us NE, directly to Freemantle, for the last 700NM and it was again frustrating to have the wind directly on the nose. Furthermore, the forecast was for light variable winds. It was going to be a slow run in. This presented the next challenge for the yachts, the twice daily radio schedules being dominated by logistics. Food was certainly not an issue in Adventure and if it were to become, we surly could survive on mayonnaise and pineapple rings for another month! Motoring for a considerable distance was going to be a real possibility and the fuel situation demanded careful attention. Having used the engine very conservatively, there was plenty of fuel remaining. After spending some time prodding the oversized calculator with his oversized fingers, Skipper John declared that if we could sail another 200NM between now and the finish then there was enough fuel if required. Discoverer’s situation was a little worse but of no immediate concern. Not the same in Challenger, their fuel situation was of sufficient concern that they opted to sail North in search of some better breeze. They had also started to look very closely at their remaining rations. While it is certainly not good form to comment on misfortune, the irony that Challenger was being crewed by the Royal Logistic Corps was not wasted.
After a couple of days some breeze did fill in and the fuel concerns onboard were quickly a thing of the past. It had warmed up considerably and Chris arrived on watch for his penultimate night watch commenting on how nice the mid layer of our 3 layer foul weather kit was. He was saving this for when he thought he would really need it and had only been driven to put in on through lack of any other clean kit! Less than 24 hours to go and Adventure was experiencing glorious reaching conditions. The opposition was some 60NM astern, life was pretty good. Even Cat had been moved to break his vow of silence and managed a few words. South of Rottennest Island at 0548 on 9 Nov 09 Adventure claimed line honours. 32 days at sea and we had seen 1 fishing boat and been over flown by a single aircraft.
Freemantle Yacht Club was very impressive. It was quite strange to be back in the hum drub of society again and that first amber nectar provided by Clive on the jetty was certainly worth waiting for. With 5 days remaining to take in Perth, Freemantle and the surrounding beaches of West Australia, it was not long before that never again feeling had subsided. For most, leg 4 of Ex Transglobe was a once in a lifetime opportunity, even if a large percentage of the crew on Adventure had little idea of what they were letting themselves in for. To cross the line first shows what can be achieved when dogged determination and motivation are joined in the most adverse circumstances. Thanks must go the Transglobe project team and JSASTC for making such a large scale exercise happen in a demanding financial climate.
Thursday, November 12
The Royal Air Force aboard Discoverer are alongside in Freemantle and reflect over the last 6 weeks
Wednesday 11 November 2009
Hi Folks,
It is me again but you can breathe a sigh of relief as this will be my last blog and I will soon leave you to get back to the tranquillity of your normal life. Thanks for not pressing the Escape Key during the past 5 weeks even though it might, from time to time, have been very tempting – knowing that you were able to follow our adventure, and were doing so, has meant an awful lot to us and we are very grateful for the time you have devoted to it. It brought you nearer in spirit and there were times when that was very important to each of us.
Whatever you have heard about Australia is true: the Aussies themselves are wonderfully laid back and welcoming and have shown great interest in our trip from Cape Town; the weather is fabulous with hot sunshine and blue skies and temperatures well into the 30s; and the flies are a bloody nuisance. Mind you, the locals disown the flies and are keen to point out that they neither originate nor belong here and merely drift in when the wind blows from the interior – the afternoon sea breeze tends to support their view because the flies all disappear in the early afternoon when the wind picks up. Finally, being an Englishman, I struggle with the incongruity of mid-30s temperatures and the Christmas decorations which now discretely festoon the Fremantle Sailing Club.
Going back to where I left you (leave the Escape Key alone for just a little longer...please). We enjoyed a simply terrific final morning as we ran down the closing 70 or so miles to our destination. Disco was flying, so much so that Red needed to reef the mainsail to keep us within the limits of the rig. The Skipper was commanding from the main hatch, Buzz was helming and Sally and Mike were on the foredeck and getting exceptionally wet. They had taken over the watch at 0400 when the wind was mild-mannered enough not to need a reef and because it was already feeling warmer in the cockpit neither were wearing their oilies. Thus they looked a sorry state when I peered out, but in truth they were anything but sorry and were simply awaiting the opportunity to get their own back on Buzz, which Sally did a little while later when the headsail needed changing. As the morning wore on the wind continued to build but held in a direction that enabled Disco to hurtle forward beneath a fabulously clear blue sky.
Rottnest Island eventually hove into view and we began to see the distant skyline of Perth and the reef that guards the entrance to Fremantle – the excitement aboard was electric. Buzz came up to the cockpit and, with Neil on the helm having as much fun as he could whilst keeping his clothes on, directed our path towards the marina and our final destination. We crossed the finish line to the south of Rottnest a few minutes after midday and the Skipper brought Disco to a perfect stop for the first time 32 days alongside the Customs berth in Success Marina at 1430. As expected, Adventure was there ahead of us and Challenger arrived about an hour later. We were met almost immediately by the local Customs, Immigration and Environment inspectors, as well as the people from the Fremantle Sailing Club, who were the first people (beyond our crew) we had spoken to for over a month. Once the inspection formalities were complete there was a spontaneous outbreak of group hugs and handshakes with the crews of the other boats simple because it was so good to see them safe and well. It was a truly magic moment and I suspect it will be a long time, if ever, before I experience it again. The rest of Monday disappeared in a haze of securing Disco, rigging her for a couple of weeks alongside, a quiet beer in the cockpit, a real shower where nobody cared a jot how much water was used, flushing toilets and that ‘soft, strong and absorbent’ moment, and of course those all-important phone calls home many of which caught you at a busy time of day, the others having arrived while you were still sleeping. In the evening we met with the crews of the other boats for another beer before setting off to Fremantle for a bite to eat. We were all swaying, and not just from the boats’ motion, and all were tired so it was not a particularly late night. Having said that, some of us struggled to get back into the sailing club because they lock the gates and turn off the lights at a very early hour here. A few of us found people with electronic keys who were able to let us in whereas others did not and were forced to resort to other, less conventional, methods of entry.
Tuesday was dhobi day in every sense of the word. We all packed off our exceptionally smelly clothing to the local laundrette for a service wash and set about cleaning Disco with a vengeance. When we first looked around a Challenge 67 in Gosport on 1 October it seemed to be an awfully big boat, but by week 2 or 3 of the trip Disco had shrunk to quite normal and manageable proportions, or so we thought. Now however, she assumed the size of a supertanker as we went through every nook and cranny to clean, disinfect, bleach and dry her. And the accumulation of human detritus from 14 people over nearly 5 weeks is simply staggering – if you bothered to collect all the hair alone you could knit yourself a new pair of very fluffy socks. All the sails needed to come out, be unpacked, inspected and re-packed in the time-honoured sailor’s fashion of flaking, and every pot and pan in the galley needed to gleam as never before.
By 1700 we were done, all bar a few minor matters that could be dealt with before we set off to the airport on Saturday. The Skipper assembled the crew on deck for tea and cakes and then disappeared below because a VIP was due to visit in the next few minutes. Vice-Air Marshal (I know, but it is how he likes to be known) Algernon Biggles-Smythe (with an E) appeared in the hatchway looking remarkably similar to our Skipper and awarded purple hearts (cut from our plastic eating bowls) to Paddy and Adam in recognition of their injuries sustained en route from Cape Town to Fremantle. He then awarded medals to all members of Disco’s crew stating that the RAF always conclude an event with tea and medals (the Skipper is ex-Army). Biggles-Smythe – or BS for short, but there has been rather a lot of it over recent weeks – was dressed with a stick-on ‘Future Pilot’ badge on his Tilley hat wearing an extraordinary handlebar moustache fashioned from mousing wire and spinnaker wool. We enjoyed the moment and if I am permitted to add just one serious comment, the Skipper had obviously been thinking of the stunt for a while and it meant a lot to us all.
We are now into furious wind-down. Sally has gone to Brisbane to spend a couple of days with rellies (as they say in these parts), and Tim, Buzz and Hayley have gone ashore for a couple of days to enjoy the relative comfort of the Australian barracks a few miles from here. The rest of us are either helping the Skipper with the outstanding jobs (I was up the mast this afternoon replacing the radar reflector – it was too sporty to try it at sea) or are sight-seeing and shopping. Many of the beards have now either been trimmed or have gone completely, and many of the shaggy heads are now shaven again (no, not mine silly).
Nearly there then you can put the kettle on. I have thanked you once but will do so again to emphasise just how important your support has been. It is a great pity that we have not been able to read the comments you have added to the website but we all look forward to doing so in the days ahead. Thanks for reading this and thanks for your comments (which I hope are not too critical).
I must add my personal thanks to the other 13 members of Disco’s fabulous crew for putting up with the grouchy old guy who simply drove the chart table, messed up the sail trim, typed nonsense or quoted Milligan poetry across the wastes of the mighty Southern Ocean. If I can ever be of service to you, you only need to let me know.
A huge debt of gratitude is owed to Neil Cottrell and the Transglobe staff for their diligent work setting up the exercise and ironing out the problems before they occur, as well as the Royal Cape Yacht Club and the Fremantle Sailing Club who have welcomed and hosted us with exceptional generosity.
Finally, Andy Fernie, the Skipper. I have taken the mickey without mercy, some contrived and some true, for several weeks but I do not apologise because I know (I hope) you have enjoyed it. I have learned a lot from you (that is, in addition to the endless list of jokes), for which I am extremely grateful, but most importantly thank you for your sage guidance and for giving the Mates their head and being ready to step in when things got a bit sporty, which they did from time to time. If you ever need anyone to pull ropes for you, please gimme a shout.
And Christine, thanks for letting Andy come out to play.
The final word: does anyone out there need a new pair of freshly-knitted very fluffy socks, potentially an ideal Christmas present for a loved one?
Stay safe and we will see you soon.
Dusty
Royal Air Force on Discoverer have Challenger on the Port Quarter and Australia on the head!!
Saturday 7 November 2009
Hi Folks,
It is half-past-midnight here, mid-Friday afternoon where you are, although by the time this is posted it will be Monday everywhere and we might well be alongside in Fremantle. We can only hope.
Right now Disco is rolling through the Indian Ocean (we left the Southern Ocean a little while ago) with a pleasingly brisk tailwind which might just blow us all the way to the finish line in a little over 2 days time. We have just over 400 miles still to run and are making around 7 knots under a full main and poled-out No 2 Yankee up front. I have just taken over the watch from the 1st Mate, Blue are in the cockpit, and with Fireworks Night safely in the rear view mirror, the Skipper is in bed with both eyes closed.
Shortly after first light this morning I was awoken by the clink of the metal fittings at the end of the spinnaker guys as they were being carried up to the deck. Unwilling to miss the action I arose, took a quick shower and shave, and joined the deck watch just in time for the spinnaker to blossom in all its splendour at the head of Disco’s mast. With the engine shut down for the first time in 24 hours, serenity was re-established, apart of course from the Skipper instructing the helm how to keep the spinnaker flying. It was a genuinely uplifting experience – it looked mightily pretty, we were going faster than we had in the previous 24 hours, it was quiet and, most importantly, we were moving for free and not consuming precious diesel. A few hours like this and we would have enough fuel to guarantee not needing a tow to our eventual berth in Fremantle. Alas, all good things come to an end and the Skipper decided to douse the spinnaker after a little over an hour in order to repair a small tear in the fabric. Having done so, the wind came up so we hoisted the No 2 Yankee and poled it out and have stayed that way since.
During the day a fleeting almost-contact with other humankind occurred when a vessel ghosted into view on the Automatic Identification System screen and a little while later disappeared again. It was some 22 miles to the south of us, well below the horizon and not actually visible, but it was the first almost-contact in several weeks – we are hopeful that we will actually see something/somebody soon.
Having proclaimed in a recent blog that we had grub-a-plenty aboard Disco, I now have cause to eat my words (and wish my words were chocolate flavoured, very slightly chewy, perhaps with a hint of vanilla ice cream, finished with a mature stilton and a glass of port). Incredibly, we appear to have eaten our way through the monster amount of shopping Neil masterminded in Cape Town and we are now living on some pretty suspicious-looking meatballs, corned meat (yuk) and frankfurters.
Which leads me nicely onto chocolate envy. Part of Neil’s shoppex was to buy a sack full of chocolate bars, or ‘nutty’ as nautical types term them, as a treat for the night watches. The bottom of the sack eventually hove into view so a few days ago Neil handed out the final nutty ration of 6 bars per person. Some ate theirs in seconds, others took a little longer, and a tiny minority still have some or all of theirs intact, and I will leave you to imagine the degree of envy between the haves and have-nots. Gemma, a self-confessed chocoholic, has nonetheless been saving her final Crunchie bar in the fridge in the galley. She was brought close to tears yesterday morning when on opening the fridge she found in the place of her highly-valued Crunchie bar a little handwritten note........... ‘Yum-yum, burp, thanks, Crevice’.
The beard-growing competition is approaching judgement day although the task of deciding the winner has been reduced by a number of us withdrawing. The final contenders are likely to be Paddy, Adam, Tim, Paul, Buzz and Al but the hot tip for placing your money must be either Paddy or Adam.
More later when the sun is up.
Sunday 8 November 2009
Hi, I am back and the sun has been up and down and up again (in other words, it is now Sunday),
Simply put, yesterday was brilliant. We broke out the heavy-duty spinnaker at 1000 in the morning and eventually doused it just after dark. Disco spent the day surging along, mostly pointing towards Fremantle, and once we managed to prise the Skipper off the helm we all enjoyed driving her in ‘racehorse mode’. The weather was suitably kind and we cruised under partial cloud cover mixed with blue sky and sunshine. The evening and night were just as impressive with a heaven full of stars initially then a very bright moon to finish the night. When the heavy duty spinnaker was taken down Blue Watch found a number of squid and one flying fish on the deck but again we were too busy to get them safely into the cooking pot – Hayley, our champion of flying wildlife, was protecting the flying fish in any case. A surprising lapse in hunter-gatherer spirit especially as we have officially run out of just about everything edible on board, apart from those ghastly ruddy meatballs.
Just after 1700 yesterday we received a call on the VHF radio from Challenger telling us she had just sighted us and was on our port quarter. We all scrambled into the cockpit and sure enough, there she was. All we could see was the top ¾ of her mast and the radar told us she was some 7 miles away but she was the first contact with other humans for several weeks. The excitement aboard was tremendous, as was the excitement in the voices between the respective Skippers on the radio. Later, all we could see of her was her masthead light dipping above and below the horizon.
At first light this morning, Sunday, we flew the light weight spinnaker in an attempt to squeeze some more speed out of a pretty light and fluky breeze. It worked for a couple of hours but then as the wind continued to drop the risk of wrapping the spinnaker around the forestay overrode the need for quiet speed so we doused it leaving Disco to run beneath a full main and No 1 Yankee up front, although most of the drive is now coming from the engine.
At the morning HF call the Skippers agreed that we each appear to have enough fuel to make a run for it and we are now some 200 miles off Fremantle pointing directly at our destination. We will not arrive today but there is a very good chance that we will be alongside before the pubs close and before it rains tomorrow. If that is the case, you might already have received a text message or phone call from your loved one telling you that he or she is safe and well, albeit on the less fragrant side of smelly and suffering from coffee, sugar, chocolate, most others foodstuffs, deprivation.
Unless anything dramatic happens in the meantime, I will catch you later.
Monday 9 November 2009
Hi Folks,
It is Monday morning, the sun is shining brightly, Disco is sailing at 9 knots under a full main, No 1 Yankee and Staysail, Challenger is off our port quarter (as she has been for the last day or so, and the cupboards are bare (no exaggeration) so it is by immense good fortune not to mention a miracle of modern navigation that Australia is in sight just some 20 miles ahead of us. I say Australia but it is really just a small part of it, a tower that stands 80 meters high, that is visible – the tower is the northern limit of the finish line. I anticipate that Adventure crossed the line an hour or so ago and we expect to do so by 1200 local with Challenger slightly behind us. Then...............well, there is still the small matter of about 10 miles of pilotage to the berth, customs and immigration, and maybe, just maybe, a small and very refreshing beer. It will have to be small or 5 weeks without alcohol and a sudden cessation of boat motion will have us all flat on our backs in no time. We will, in our own ways, acclimatise slowly...........and I know you know how that will be.
Buzz, the leader of Red Watch, has been afforded the honour by the Skipper of piloting Disco to her berth and is presently in his bunk, having been on watch since 0400, summoning the energy to do so. The warps and fenders are now ready awaiting his command.
With that in mind, I am now off to enjoy the morning. If we have not already done so, we will be in contact soon. Lots of love from us all.
Royal Air Force have less than 1000 miles to go
Tuesday 3 November 2009
Hi Folks,
To be honest, I am not sure which is worst, the hammering violence of a Force 10 storm or the stultifying tedium of flat seas and a mere zephyr of wind which teases you into thinking you might be able to sail, but cannot. Either way, they test the resilience and tenacity of the crew and I guess are the opposite extremes of adventurous training, each calling upon inner reserves of character than we maybe did not realise we possessed. A bit deep? Yep, but that is what you get from a demented blog-writer at 0200 in the morning when the engine has been clattering away for the past 17 hours and we are on the second sitting of the Skipper’s jokes with a grumpy 2nd Mate (it’s his age) as dessert.
Fremantle is now some 950 miles ahead of us and we are slowly clawing our way round the top left hand corner of a high pressure zone that has stubbornly blocked our path for the past 3 days. The wind should (I emphasise the word ‘should’ because the wind appears to be unaware of the brief and is not behaving very well) set as an easterly and increase up to 20 knots, but so far it has shown little or no inclination to do so. In parallel with the weather we download from a US website, we are now also receiving fax, satcom and voice forecasts from the Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology, National Meteorological and Oceanographic Centre – a long and illustrious title meaning the Met Office. Happily, or unhappily, they seem to agree with each other that the next couple of hundred miles are going to be hard work.
The high points of today include the Skipper fixing the freshwater pressure accumulator, and the item subsequently knowing its place and staying fixed, for the time being at least. Worryingly, during the process the 1st Mate dropped a knife into the bilges and we are now concerned that Crevice is armed as well as being cunningly devious so we had better not relax our guard over the last few days of the trip.
Blue have been Mother and have embarked upon a novel approach to culinary art which combines the strengths of various forms of national cuisine into something you can get out of the variety of tins found beneath Disco’s seats and flooring. Tonight we were treated to Indo-Italiano curried sausages with spaghetti, served with a fine and carefully matured fruit juice, followed by apple choco-crumble, the unique texture and flavour of which were derived by Adam bunging copious amounts of cocoa powder into Hayley’s crumble mix.
Unsurprisingly, the wildlife are now giving us a very wide berth and apart from one albatross, a distant whale and one sooty pigeon, nothing has been near us all day. The sooty pigeon even had the temerity to land alongside Disco, take off again at twice our speed, and give us one of those looks normally reserved for burning off a Skoda at traffic lights. It was quite hurtful to observe!
Later on Tuesday 3 November 2009
The day started as I indicated earlier with light airs defying our every attempt to sail but by early afternoon (after a number of very professional sail changes) we were able to kill the engine and have sailed serenely since. The wind has steadied as an easterly of around 15 knots and under a full main, No 1 Yankee and Staysail Disco is making around 7 knots over the ground roughly in the direction of Fremantle.
During the idle and somewhat listless hours of the morning it occurred to us that Fireworks Night is just 2 days away so we approached the Skipper for permission to build a small bonfire on the foredeck and fire off all the emergency flares as surrogate fireworks on Thursday evening. Surprisingly for such a laid-back chap he declined our, we think, most reasonable request citing the burden of paperwork should such an event occur. The ‘Penny for the Guy’ campaign has yet to get underway because the Skipper sleeps with one eye open.........I will leave you to fill in the blanks.
Apart from the normal squadron of sooty pigeons waiting for Owen to drop his guard we were visited by a seal today. I use the term visited loosely because it glided down our port side not 20 feet from Disco’s hull displaying nothing more than its bottom and hind flippers – Southern Ocean seal mooning, a first perhaps?
Food is now occupying a disproportionate amount of our thinking time. To my horror we found the bottom of the coffee tin 2 days ago but the Skipper, being endlessly generous, gave me a box of coffee bags for my Birthday. We appear to have cornered the market in tea bags though, so much so that we have enough to quilt our own life raft should the need arise – a double bonus would be that it would act as a sea dye marker should it ever get wet. Quizzing the 1st Mate over what provision had been made should we actually run out of food and he informed me that we have quantities of compo rations on board in addition to the emergency rations reserved for real emergencies like abandoning ship. When I expressed a modest degree of delight because I love the compo puddings he informed me that the puddings were considered surplus to requirement and left behind. Left behind in a bunch of sea cadets it turns out! I bitterly regret having to confess to a full-on Victor Meldrew moment........or 2.
Dinner this evening was fresh Scottish salmon fishcakes with minted new potatoes and petit pois – well, the substitute form, meatballs in dubious gravy with suspicious-looking noodles followed by an ‘amuse bouche’ sweet which just managed to take away the taste of the meatballs.
As I sign off for the night Disco is pounding away through the waves and Australia is just 850 miles ahead of the pointy end. White are on watch in the cockpit, Red are doing the washing up, and Blue are in repose awaiting their turn at the helm at midnight. The Skipper? In his bunk with one eye wide open.
G’night.
Wednesday 4 November 2009
Hi Folks,
My early morning slumber deep within the warmth of my Febreeze-freshened sleeping bag was penetrated by the mouth-watering and sense-teasing waft of bacon frying in the galley. Real bacon and really frying – no substitutes here – and we were treated to a breakfast of freshly baked bacon butties, fit for Kings. Buzz, Sally and Mike had done it again and we all happily agreed that their destiny beyond Transglobe was to open a roadside snack bar serving bacon butties and cups of tea. Clearly, their caravan would have to be bricked up to a 30-degree angle and would need to be visited by a wandering band of hooligans every few minutes to give it a good shake in order to replicate the conditions under which they work to their best. A tip-top breakfast plus a night of substantial progress towards Australia has placed Disco’s crew in fine spirits despite the rain and rather bumpy ride this morning.
During the night, an Owen bird (named due to its likeness to Owen – that is to say, pale and apparently undernourished [or scrawny]) landed in the cockpit at the feet of the helmsman and scuttled away beneath the helmsman’s seat. Gemma’s initial reaction was to wonder aloud how much meat there might be on the bird, which remains under the seat and is now known as Speckled Jim. Hayley has taken it upon herself to represent the RSPB and looks crossly at anyone licking their lips and wandering nonchalantly towards the back of the cockpit with a sharp knife and a cooking pot.
Thursday 5 November 2009
It is now 0300 on Thursday morning and Speckled Jim, seizing the opportunity of the hungriest-looking crew being abed, has departed Disco’s cockpit. He took the care to inspect the Watch before leaving then did so without so much as a by-your-leave or excuse me. The Skipper, deprived of a potential Melchett-moment, is nonetheless pleased not to be responsible for yet another recalcitrant flyer on board.
Looking back, Wednesday carried us closer to Australia – now 700 miles ahead – but we were reaching more towards North than East in order to keep with the wind, and the day was gloomy and dank with persistent low cloud and drizzle. A centre of low pressure hung to the North of us blocking our direct path to Fremantle. In the late evening, as the low moved South, the wind dropped and we have been motoring for a few hours and burning precious diesel. If the wind follows the brief, it will fill in behind us tomorrow and should give us a good run for a couple of days. The Skipper is itching to get the spinnaker out but it remains to be seen if that is ever going to be a practical proposition.
Earlier I mentioned arriving in Fremantle over the weekend – I now think we will be later but I am not certain by how much. Please take it from me that your loved ones are safe and happy but looking forward to dry land/cold beer/shower/hair wash/shave/clean clothes/huge helpings of food/many other unmentionable things, and they will contact you just as soon as they are able. I too will keep tapping out my version of our story until we are alongside at least, so keep your finger hovering over the Escape Key.
Stay safe, lots of love from us all.
Shout Outs
Sally – Hi to everyone and love to all. Not many days to go now, we hope to be in on the 8th the 9th at the latest. A couple of days RnR and then clean the boat and home. Si and Neil hope you enjoy the concert – hope you got all your jobs done and the wallpapering hasn’t been too arduous!! It won’t be long now until I’m home and in need of some serious sleep and rest my aching bones. Si love and miss you loads xxxxx
Neil – Becca hope you’re happy with your first placement, I’m looking forward to catching up with your news when we get to Fremantle. I’m missing you all very much, all my love Chris, Mike, Becca, Laura and all the Cottrell/May clan.
An in depth look at life onboard Discoverer with the RAF and some birthday wishes
Wednesday 28 October 2009
Hi Folks,
It occurs to me that I have been prattling on about Red, White and Blue Watches, and Mother Watch, without telling you what it all really means to us aboard Disco. You may feel that you are able to complete your serene passage through life without being disturbed by the knowledge of such things, but to really understand the nature of human endeavour aboard our 50 ton (and extremely elegant and well-appointed) life raft, you deserve the opportunity to inwardly digest or, should you so desire, press the Escape Key.
The crew of 14 are sub-divided into 3 watches, minus the Skipper and 2 Mates who operate their own watch system or duty roster. The 11 crew are Buzz, Sally and Mike (Red Watch), Paul, Hayley, Adam and Tim (Blue Watch), and Al, Owen, Paddy and Gemma (White Watch). Each of the 3 watches has a leader: Buzz, Paul and Al respectively. Each day, one of the 3 watches is nominated in rotation as Mother Watch and they do all the cooking and cleaning, including the heads, for the entire crew for a 24-hour period from 1030 (yacht time) in the morning. The other 2 watches rotate on a 4-hourly basis in the cockpit and drive the yacht. As the word implies, on ‘watch’ means that they helm and lookout for anything of interest or that might endanger the boat, and execute sail changes as decided by the Skipper or the Mates. Because of the scale of Disco and the effort required, many sail changes occur at watch changeover when 2 watches are available. The duty Watch also keeps the hourly log up to date (a legal record of what we are doing) and pumps the bilges. The daily routine of watch changes is 0800, 1200, 1600, 1800, 2000, 0000, 0400 so you will see that your loved ones are only ever likely to catch something less than 4 hours sleep at any one time, unless they are on Mother when they are able to take a full night in their bunk as well as have a shower if there is sufficient water to do so. You might have noticed that the watches are at 2-hourly intervals between 1600 and 2000 which enables a slight shift in synchronisation. Also, whenever we move the clocks forward, we complete a watch change at 2330 and simultaneously wind our clocks forward by one hour – in that way, everyone gets to benefit from a shorter watch (except Mother).
So just what does the Skipper and his Mates do? Good question, and I will quickly fill in the blanks before the crew do so in my place. The 1st Mate and I work a rolling 8-hour watch timed to coincide with the major meal times at 1200 and 2000 (and, of course, 0400). On watch, we generally drive the chart table and monitor the communications suite, decide changes to the sail plan in order to meet the Skipper’s intent for the period and, if so inclined, spend a little time in the cockpit with the duty watch either helping with sail changes or simply enjoying driving the yacht. In my case, I repeatedly make the mistake of going on deck wearing insufficient waterproofs and spend the rest of my duty time drying out wishing that I would sharpen up (the 1st Mate is a lot smarter than me and always wears his wetties). Off duty we tend to a host of little things including personal admin, dhobi, mending things, and trying to catch a few zeds. The 1st Mate is also the ship’s doctor and much of his down-time has already been used tending to the injuries I have previously mentioned as well as a host of minor ailments (but not quite Dr Ruth!).
That just leaves the Skipper. Without being flippant, the Skipper guides and directs everything, and carries the responsibility for everything, but does so in such a manner as to ensure that he is perpetually available and sufficiently rested to take active command over an extended period should an emergency or any other need arise. He knows Disco inside out and knows how to sail her in all circumstances, which makes him unique in our crew. By comparison, the rest of us are amateurs, albeit exceptionally keen and highly motivated amateurs.
In a nut shell, that is how it works. It is presently 2130, Red Watch are Mother and unsurprisingly served up another fabulous meal this evening; they have just finished the washing up and are relaxing before turning in for the night. White are in the cockpit helming downwind in the moonlight beneath a mainsail with one reef and a poled-out No 2 Yankee up front. Blue are abed and will take over from White at 2330......we change the clocks again tonight. I will hand over to Neil at 0400 (0430 to give him half the hour saved) and get tomorrow’s weather from a US website before I hit the sack. The Skipper, I know, is in his bunk monitoring every creak and groan of the rig and every footfall on the deck, and trying to get some rest.
I hope this has helped your understanding of the hamster-wheel life aboard Disco. Boring? No. Repetitive? Undoubtedly. But ‘exciting’ in the Southern Ocean is something we assiduously strive to avoid.
Today was a glorious waft downwind, but as the seas flattened the wind also faded away so we progressively increased sail to keep moving. Helming tonight in a rolling sea and light winds is not easy and White are making a good job of it. If the wind continues to fade we will shake out the final reef. Last night the light in the compass failed and Paddy ended up taping a torch to the binnacle to illuminate the compass. During today Tim earned himself a Skipper’s Mention in Dispatches by pulling the binnacle apart and rewiring the lighting system – for this type of sailing the crew’s skills other than pure sailing ability are highly valued.
Disco is now dark and quiet save the infamous gurgle of water so I will close and attend to driving the chart table towards Australia (well, someone has got to do it). I will add a line or 2 in the morning before I send this to Gosport and then go to bed.
Night-night.
Hmm. Slightly before intended, I am back. The night was punctuated by an enormous twang followed by the sound of something metallic landing on the deck. Al rapidly indentified that the canvas strop at the end of the pole had broken leaving the guy to spring back under its own tension and fall to the deck – the pole was no longer restrained and under the pressure of the headsail started to wag around. Like a coiled spring uncoiling mighty quickly the Skipper was on deck and in command and a few sharp instructions later the pole was put to bed and tranquillity reigned again aboard Disco. I, as you might have guessed, was in my Sunday trousers which again are soaking wet – will I ever learn?
I shall bid you good-night once again.
Shout outs:
Neil – Happy birthday Laura for Sunday, love to all at home. Not long now until we get to Fremantle and phone calls, then back home. I’m missing you all each day. To Andy, Clive living the dream, but need update on finances soonest (email or SATC). To all at JSASTC thank you for the making TRANSGLOBE possible, your work to get us here and continued support has been, and remains, outstanding.
Dusty – Hope the holiday was fun. Love and e-hugs to Lesley, Katie, AJ, Ali & Danny. xxx
Friday, November 6
The Army onboard Challenger are closing in on Australia and thoughts turn to home
Wed 04 November - As we near the end of the trip much of the discussion on board is centred round ensuring our rations will see us through to Perth. The scarce rations have resulted in members of the crew displaying their culinary skills creating masterpieces from nothing. White Watch started by producing Cinnamon Swirls, only to be outdone the following day by the Chelsea Buns of Red Watch.
Over the past few weeks the crews sailing knowledge has increased dramatically, people are now confidently calling out the process as we tack through the wind, or taking moments to put in a reef as the wind increases.
There is now an expectant air amongst the crew to determine who will be the first to see land or get the first mobile phone signal as we close down the last 800 miles to Australia.
Thursday 05 November - Greetings from White Watch!!! At the time of writing this blog we are approximately 763 miles from throwing a few shrimps on the bar-b in Perth.
With the brilliant White Watch providing the culinary delights for the past 20 hours, morale on the boat is through the roof. The entertainment on board as been brilliant as usual, last night it was ‘Naughts and Crosses’ followed by ‘Hangman’ on the white board. It really does amaze us how the simple things amuse the most.
Since yesterday afternoon the good ship Challenger has been motoring along as the wind has taken a prolonged break. This is the worst kind of setback we could have imagined as the longer it takes for the wind to return the less time we will have in Australia. At this rate we will have two days off when we get there. The majority of this time being spent cleaning the boat and conducting repairs.
There was a welcome change in scenery when Hayley, Davy and Austin were sprayed by a Whale as it surfaced. Hayley still maintains it was the best facial she has ever had!!!
Thoughts on the boat are now turning to ‘What have we missed’ mode. In this modern tele-communications driven world it is very unusual to be cut-off from the outside world for such a prolonged period. The sorts of questions being asked are quite funny: How is the mighty Aberdeen Football Club getting on in the SPL? Who won the F1 championship? Is Tony Blair the head of Europe? Who shot JR? And most importantly, when does the new series of Top Gear start?
As we have been at sea for four weeks and not seen land for over three, we are now starting to feel like extras in the Kevin Costner movie ‘Waterworld’, and we all know how bad that movie was.
The issuing of nicknames has also provided a good morale boost. The Skipper has now been renamed ‘Dr Evil’, Austin is his ‘No 2’. White Watch are now known as the following : Dave Mason is now ‘Sir Davey’, Davy K has been allocated the title ‘Princess’, Hayley is ‘Bambi’ even though this was hotly contested between her and Dave M, (they’ve both had equal trouble finding their feet, resulting in a few bruises and lots of laughter). Tony has announced he will only answer to the title ‘King Ginger Love Thing’...
SHOUTS
Hayley (Bambi): Been very quiet and relaxing not sure I have enjoyed it as much but I had one fantastic watch where me and princess had some good surf, with the mighty Taylor Swift playing on the boom box. Been thinking about home a lot and missing my family and friends in Scotland, if they seen what I have just took part in they would think I’ve lost the plot. Mother I shall ring you as soon I get half a bar on my signal ok? Love you so much, say hi and I love you to my kid brothers for me xxxxxx
Davy K (Princess): Don’t quite know how I acquired the nickname but hey ho. Mum and Dad hope you are all fine, I’ll phone when I get back, say Hi to everyone. Simone, hopefully you are finding the Blogs entertaining, I have written a few of them, hope are you coping with Ollie and the dogs. Have they annoyed your parents yet??? I don’t think we will have a lot of time in Oz so I will make it my main effort to get you some Keith Urban albums. Speak to you in about 5 days when I get a signal on my phone. If I can’t get any Jelly Babies or Chunky Monkey Ice Cream in Oz you will have to go shopping before I come home. Love and miss you loads. Give Ollie a big hug from me. xxxxx.
Dave M – Sorry to everyone at home for the lack of my shouting from the boat, the blog has been pretty good at telling you all what’s been happening though! Only a few days till I get some telephone reception (hopefully?) to be able to catch up with how things have been. Been thinking of you all loads over the past four and a half thousand miles!!!
King Ginger Love Thing: Not long now we hope, we are all counting the days down so that we can all call home, eat, drink and get merry. I hope Daisy had a great party I am sorry I missed it but we will go out when I get home. Start buying some wine now so there is enough for when I get home!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can’t wait to speak to you at OZ. Hello to everyone back at home and I will see you all soon for a drink or ten. A big shout to Edd and all at 234sqn. Take care everyone xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Matthew Arnold: I can see OZ on the GPS and it’s still about 4 day away if only they knew what is about to hit them. I’m still wanting my burger and a BIG fat steak and a long hot shower then get totally trolleyed for my birthday.
Antoni Gabanski: Hay mum and to all who are reading this. It seems we will be landing in Freemantle on the 9th or 10th. All is going well, taking every day as it comes. Cannot wait to be on land again, have a proper shower, bed, and meals, not slagging off the chefs on the boat or anything, and the food is very good. Soon will be sipping on a few pints. L8rz xxx
Steve Galvin: Greetings to all, since the last update there has been a distinct lack of wind and as a consequence our originally planned arrival in Freemantle has been somewhat delayed. The silver lining is not having the boat heeled over and being able to sleep without your face stuck in a “Lee cloth or a Bulk head”. The most difficult task aboard is building a meal on “Mother Watch” with our now meagre rations’ although no one has gone hungry yet. We still have a number of days of emergency rations (in the form of ORP) to fall back on should the wind continue to be unfavourable. Morale continues to stay high as the dream is still being lived. Regards and Love to all! “Live Slow & Sail Fast”.
Steve P: As you can see Oz is getting closer, though it still seems a long way off. Looking forward to stepping onto land again but sure how my legs will hold up. I’m so looking forward to getting that first phone signal so I can ring home and to speak to you Mac, it has been such a long time. Like everyone else it will be lovely to get ashore and have a shower etc and to get rid of the smell on the boat after 5 weeks in the same clothes, less the base layers. Love to everyone. Speak soon.
Shaun Broom: Hi ya babe, days getting few, feel like I have been on a diet for weeks, look weird I think. Hope you are well, as soon as I get a signal I will ring you, can’t wait to hear your voice. Gutted not going to get to Sydney can you face book Claire for me and explain things have taken a bit longer, will ring them to when get to Perth. Speak to you in a few days babe miss ya loads xxx.
Colin Harrower: Not long now....Yipeee!! Hey Gayle, really missing our daily wee chats, can’t wait to talk to you! I will ring you as soon as I can regardless of what time it is. Hope you won’t mind? Mum, Hope Craig is now home on his well earned and deserved leave. Likewise I will call as soon as I can. Take care xox
Matt Wright: Hi all, been singing on deck and playing silly games to pass the time. I am the chess champion on the boat not found a challenger who can beat me hands down yet. Missing everyone at home love you all loads XXX
Nathan Evans : Nearly there, Tess I can’t wait to get into Australia and catch up on all thats gone on. Hope all is well with everyone back home. To all at 13 Sqn I hope some others will have the opportunity to take part in an exped like this in the future.
Monday, November 2
Latest new from "Adventure" closing in on Australia
Over the last few days, subsequent to "Adventure going flat" the Skipper, mates and crew have been putting her back together again. The Roaring 40's roared and we are glad now to have passed our penultimate waypoint prior to Perth/Freemantle and are beginning our gradual climb North West, towards the Western Coast of Australia. The storms and strong winds have eased (for the time being) and having had 48 hours of fantastic sailing in flat waters with full main, No.1 Yankee and staysail averaging 9kts, today we find ourselves now motor sailing through a very stable high pressure system, with no wind. Currently our approx position is 39Deg39'S and 098Deg10'E COG 070 Deg true Speed 6kts. All are well onboard and the calmer waters have led to a "cooking competition" with each watch taking pride and skill in preparing some fantastic meals. Having seen little or no sea life other than "Birds" South of 40 Degrees, the last 24 hrs have seen pods of Dolphins alongside and the sighting of several whales. All onboard are watching the miles slip away as we begin to count down towards our final destination, mileage to go 950NM.
It's flat calm and all is well with the Royal Air Force aboard Discoverer
Hi – Sally here,
I thought I’d update you on some of the less technical aspects of the sail and more of the gossip! Obviously boredom does set in as each day rolls into the next and conversations with your fellow watch members are the only thing that keep the minutes and hours on watch ticking by. The next thing that happens is someone will mention a Sweep stake.
Our first Sweep stake had to be our arrival date and time in Perth. The date and time had to be guessed within a deadline of the 13th October so no unnecessary cheating could take place. The earliest (optimistic) date chosen was the 6th November by Owen and the latest the 10th November by Dusty with various crew members picking dates and times in between. Unfortunately no member of the crew (except the skipper) can really influence our earliest arrival date but I’m sure the pesky 2nd mate could definitely slow us down if he felt it necessary to win the huge money at stake.
The second Sweep stake was based on part of a Peter Kay sketch – ‘Guess who’s dead’? – You know what it’s like – you pack your bags go on holiday for a couple of weeks and a celebrity always dies whilst you are away......so having the normal ‘Forces’ sense of humour our second sweep stake involves us all having to guess which celebrity will die whilst we have no contact with the outside world.......names range from Amy Winehouse to Gordon Brown – some are wishful thinking, some are educated guesses and others more in a sick sense of fun! - Let’s hope everyone is really OK when we finally hear some news!!
Living on Board:
We have on our notice board crew nicknames earned whilst on the boat – or admitted to in a drunken state before boarding so far we have.....
Paul – Mufty, Diesel, Ninja (Yoshi) – Blue watch are the Ninja watch
Neil – Moley, Tubbs
Tim – Big Gay Bear
Owen – Billy Goat, Pterodactyl Toothpick,
Haley – Hughey
Adam – Mong, Ninja (Hirohito)
Paddy – Perverted Uncle
Gemma – Sameface
Sally – Xana warrior princess
Mike – The green mile
The Mates – Statler & Waldorf
It also contains the ‘Bread Roll of Honour’. Since the end of week-one bought bread has ceased to exist and so the ‘Mother’ watch each day have to prepare and make their own bread. Although we bought standard bread mix and have this for lunch on a daily basis a competition has arisen between the watches to produce extra bread each day to fill us all up at dinner time. All the breads have been fantastic and different in their own way – I have listed below the Bread Roll of Honour so far.......
Paul – ‘One egg’ bread, Chocolate Bread,
Buzz – Cheese bread, Chilli bread, Garlic Bread
Tim – Chilli Bread
Adam – Olive Bread
Paddy – Pizza, Pitta bread, Bagels, Fruit and Nut loaf,
Sally – Turkish Flatbread
Everyone else has made the ‘daily bread’ and has put in maximum effort to make it a success.
I thought I may lose some weight in time for Xmas but with the bread and the desserts I’m afraid I’ve put weight on!!
Anyway Ill sign off now as it’s nearly time for my ‘dog watch’ although we seen no sign of life or land for 12 days now – and definitely no dogs!
Sal x
Friday 30 October 2009
Hi Folks,
God bless ‘Sally of the Galley’ for writing a few lines yesterday. It is now early Friday morning and the cold light of dawn is beginning to steal across the outside world. Blue Watch have just taken over from Red and Disco continues her eastward progress towards Australia, now just 1600 nautical miles ahead. The wind remains fickle, set in the south west and cycling between 8 and 18 knots giving a boat speed of some 8-9 knots over the ground. The helm is light and the motion easy both of which are very conducive to sleep, especially at this time of the morning.
Sally closed by mentioning not having seen any dogs for a few weeks – equally, we have been blessed by the total absence of any form of insect life since leaving Cape Town. That is, until a tiny moth was seen yesterday evening fluttering around in the galley leading to the suspicion that the Skipper had inadvertently opened his wallet. A serious point for all would-be ocean travellers, we went to great pains in Cape Town to strip all cardboard packaging from the rations we brought aboard in order to avoid introducing unwelcome wildlife (especially cockroaches) into the boat’s stores. So far, our efforts appear to have been successful and I would not like to imagine having to deal with an infestation at this stage.
The Skipper gleefully rearmed and repacked 7 lifejackets today leading him to levy a charge of one bottle of wine for each and every subsequent jacket that inflates without the wearer being off the boat and in the water. Paddy, consequently, has taken to devising a protection racket threatening to douse with sufficient water to trigger their life jacket anyone who does not pay.
The general mood aboard is now one of jaded anticipation – we are all tired and most of us are carrying niggling aches and pains from the perpetual need to brace against the motion of the boat. For me, the cold and damp keep reminding me that my teenage enthusiasm is not matched by creak-free joints and I look forward to being genuinely warm and dry once more. Looking ahead and counting the days/miles/meals still to come we appear to be reasonably well-placed for rations and I salute Neil’s excruciatingly detailed planning which preceded the Cape Town shopping trip. ‘Substitute’ food (in the Black Adder sense) has been in vogue for a while – fresh vegetables are fresh from the tin, but we are not yet into substitute sugar – but we are still a long way from breaking into the emergency rations which hopefully will remain intact for the next leg. Our frugal use of the engine and generator mean that we still have a fair amount of diesel aboard, although not yet enough to light up the iron donkey and power our way to Fremantle regardless of the wind – that point is still several days ahead of us. The water maker continues to play silly buggers from time to time so we remain conservative in our use of fresh water.
I will keep this short as there are 3 full days ahead before I send this to Gosport for the web.
Saturday 31 October 2009
Hi Folks, its even-older bloke again,
Friday passed peacefully with little to disturb the stately passage of Disco towards Aus. Soon after it was properly light we hoisted the No 1 Yankee and Staysail (well, Red Watch did while I added ‘helpful’ comment from the helm) and continued in light airs for the rest of the day. Progress was not magnificent but we were making up to 9 knots in the right general direction and we soon passed the 1500 miles to go point. As daylight eventually failed the wind dropped and the Skipper started the engine, and in little or no time we had dropped the 2 headsails on the deck because they were beginning to flog and would eventually impede progress. Thus, we spent the night under a full main, sheeted in hard and held in place by the handy billy, with the engine clacking out its infernal racket.
During the 1800 HF call between yachts Adventure’s skipper gave us a little more detail of their knock-down a few days ago. He painted a very amusing picture of the freezer emptying itself into the bookshelf although I suspect at the time it was anything but amusing. The fact that they have all come through the experience with nothing more than bumps and bruises is terrific and they will have some harrowing (and possibly tall) stories to tell their grandchildren in the years to come. By the sound of it, Challenger’s crew are similarly placed after their weather bomb, now seemingly very many weeks ago.
This morning the wind teased us into hoisting the 2 headsails, then died away again leaving us to continue motor-sailing. The sea is pretty flat with nothing more than occasional long rollers and the usual host of seabirds continuing to ride our wake.
At 0001 this morning Red and White Watches sang Happy Birthday to me, and later we all enjoyed a very special breakfast of freshly baked bread rolls, crispy bacon and scrambled eggs, thanks to Blue who were just finishing their stint as Mother. I have been a very lucky lad because I will celebrate my birthday again alongside my daughter Katie’s in mid-November.
Eventually Blue Watch managed to scare up some wind and by late-afternoon Disco was running under a full main, No 1 Yankee and Staysail again and it was blissful not to have the engine hammering in the background. The crew treated me to a deep ocean Birthday/Halloween Party, complete with costumes and scary make up. The Skipper eventually relented from his starting position of ‘I’m coming as the Skipper’ and donned a very believable pirate rig. A splendid meal served in inimitable Red Watch style was finished with a cheese platter with port and a terrific Birthday cake. I have said it before but it deserves repeating, it does not get better than this.
Sunday 1 November 2009
Sunday dawned grey and cold but Disco was still making good progress across an increasingly flat sea. A slightly gusty wind caused us to reef the main but we were still making a good 9 knots over the ground. At the morning HF call we exchanged positions with Adventure and we seemed to have gained in the region of 30 miles over night, thanks to the precise helming of White and Blue Watches. It is all becoming a lot easier now that the land mass of Australia is appearing on the right side of the chart and the wind is allowing us to point Disco’s sharp end towards our destination. The Skipper has tasked each of the Watches to devise a pilotage plan for our entry into Fremantle and there has been some casual chart staring over the past few hours. I anticipate a growing frenzy of activity around the chart table in the coming days as there are very few left before we sight land (I just hope it is Australia when we see it).
During the day the Skipper and 1st Mate spent time in the bilges taking apart the freshwater pressure accumulator which took it into its mind to start leaking yesterday. Having extracted the offending item they discovered a hole in its base-plate which, short of any other option, the Skipper has fixed with the inscrutable application of araldite that only Skippers can do. He then spent many hours with what can only be described as resembling the starship Enterprise clutched in his hand while the araldite set. Tomorrow we will see how well the fix has worked.
It is now late Sunday evening and Disco is going quiet for the night for the crew to get some rest. Glancing at the gizmos above the chart table, we have just 1168 miles to go which, all things being equal, should have us safely alongside next weekend. If that is the case, this will be the second to last blog from Disco’s Leg 4 crew and I will endeavour to summarise our great adventure next time. Incredibly, we have not seen hide nor hair of other human existence since we saw a fishing boat off the coast of South Africa many weeks ago. We are looking forward to sighting something other than waves and sky and should do so in the next couple of days. Our attendant squadron of seabirds appear to have largely abandoned us today leaving just 2 of the dark no-name birds in our wake – at night they are bats and in daylight they are sooty pigeons. I hope we have not seen the last of the magnificent wandering albatross – they make aviation look so effortless and I am deeply envious.
Time to wrap up for tonight – take it from me, we are all looking forward to getting within mobile phone range to have at least a few minutes on the phone to our families and friends who we have spent the past 4 weeks thinking about and missing like crazy. If we cannot call because of the time difference, we will text or find some other way to get in contact. Until then, stay safe and lots of love from us all.
Shout-Outs:
Sally – Hi and love to all. Si, Sal and Neil hope you had a great time in Spain and didn’t miss me too much. It’s not too bad although Groundhog Day is now very apparent. Things we are all looking forward to are...........Massage (aching shoulders and arms), Fresh fruit and Veg and obviously a large glass of wine (any colour!!) We had a small tot of Port for the 1st mate’s birthday so I still have my half way treat to look forward to! Hope everyone is OK at home love and miss you all – should be able to land line around the 8th November x x x x
Paul – Iestyn and Rhys, I hope you are well; I am missing you both very much. Best wishes to all my friends especially MY. I am looking forward so much to catching up with you as soon as I reach Australia – hopefully in just a few days now...
Skipper – Infamy, Infamy, they’ve all got it in for me...........
Happy Birthday Dusty for the 31st. All the best from crew of Disco Vera.
Owen – Hi all, I would just like to say how well I am doing and have learnt tonnes on the trip so far, from most aspects of sailing and also quite a lot of cooking, everyone is really keen to teach me new skills which I am always happy to take in. Hope you are all ok, especially Stacey who I am missing like crazy but not long left now so I’ve still got to make the most of it, caio for now................
Gemma – Mum, I would just like to wish you a massive happy birthday. I hope that dad, Claire and Ross are spoiling you rotten and that I’m not missing out on too much going on at home. Everything is great here, plain sailing in fact. All my love xxx
Thursday, October 29
Sgt Andy Leaver 45 CDO RM writes from HMSTV Adventure
29Th Oct - Andy Leaver writes, Nick the 1St Mate is still proving that you can smoke in any weather conditions along with Steve who had proved that you can drink hot wets even when the boat is on it's side. The Skipper is a bit phased that he is falling behind with the beard growing competition. Cat Deeley has only just let on that he took a vow of silence before he started the leg, which explains a lot. We are all now hoping that Viv follows suit. Chris "Feet" Humphries is the hero of the boat by protecting the craft from a massive wave. This would have seen all of us dead, but the quick thinking young man used his own deckshoes to shield us. Mr. Lapping is still asking the question, how did small prawns get into the water filter system, and where did they come from? I'm still loving sailing especially when alarms are sounding behind my head and I'm getting Jerry cans thrown at me. All my love to Team Leaver, Sarah, missing you and look forward to being together more than you will ever know......................
A short message from Vaughan Marsh, Fleet Operations Manager
A short message from Vaughan Marsh Fleet Operations Manager JSASTC
I have had a few phone calls in the last 24hrs so I thought a very short message to put to bed any worries may have had would be worthwhile.
I am sure you have all read that the yachts are getting a bit of a hard time down there in the Southern Ocean. Challenger has been in 85 knot winds causing an interesting time with sewing sails back together. Adventure had a bit of an incident with a following wave that put them sideways and because of this they lost some of their safety equipment, (we have a huge amount of safety equipment on board and although I would rather there were no losses, it does not effect the overall safety of the yacht or its crew).
This does mean the Army cannot send its usual length blog’s, however we hope to get reduced blog’s from them just bear with us. The RAF have also been in some rough seas and very strong winds. The yachts and the crews are made of stronger stuff than the Southern Ocean can throw at them. The crews have all pulled together well as a team and all the messages I receive from the yachts (we are in contact daily) are very positive. At times the elements have pushed both the yachts and the crews to dig deep into their reserves of energy and determination.
All the Skippers are very proud of the teams they have around them and have nothing but praise for them. All is well on the yachts and discussions of big waves and scary moments will, I am sure by now, have returned to talk about porridge for breakfast and what is the first thing they are going to eat on arrival in OZ. 9 days to go seems to be the best guess at the moment but please don’t hold me to that. To quote one of the crew “they are living the dream”
Royal Navy on "Adventure" check in
29Th October from HMSTV Adventure
24Th Oct - For over 2 days the crew of Adventure have been battling against the "Roaring 40's" with high seas and wind speeds gusting into the mod 50Kts. Flying just a Storm Staysail at times and then with Trysail we have managed to cope with the freezing, wet, tough conditions a pleasant experience it was not, however, we have proved that as a team we can cope with these extremes at sea and are stronger for it. It's a good job too, within 48 hrs we are expecting a new deepening low close to out position and with winds in excess of 40 knots F9 no doubt gusting storm force 10 we have more tests of resolve before us. Currently we are running East at approx 41 degrees South with a following wind 20-30 Kts, 3 Reefs and No. 3 Yankee, Speed 8 Kts.
We are enjoying the sunshine in between the squalls and trying to mend and fix and dry out before the next battle.
28Th Oct - Well we have got through another storm, we still have the seas with us but the wind has dropped and we have had some good spells of sunshine today, and again the boat is drying out. Lots of personal bests going on with helming speeds, as we had the wind and waves from the West. Driving a 45 tonne surfboard down 60 foot waves is an exciting experience for some!! We hope that will be the worst of the weather, but the cynic in me thinks it won't be!
Viv is disappointed that she didn't set off her life jacket yesterday when feet decided the boat wasn't dry enough for his liking, I;ll let him spin the dit! Although Feet, Kat and Steve C all added one to their tally. There are some onboard saying that the new exclusive life jacket club is for those who DON'T set them off ;) We appear to be keeping station ahead of the other two yachts at the moment, but we still have around 1750 miles to go. Today, we passed into another time zone we we are now 6 hours ahead of you guys, we also are 80 degrees East, and are almost into single figures for days to go and we are finally heading North, slightly! So the excitement levels are just starting to increase as we can see Perth on the chart plotter. The big event for today is the birthday of our fighting arm the Royal Marines. So Happy Birthday fellas, It's been a pleasure.
Shout outs
Hey up Grandad It's Lee. I know you'll be the only one who will be checking the website, it's horrendous but I'll be glad to complete it. It's a journey! I'll drop in when I get back. Tell Grandma I'm getting some culinary experience on the boat, including some tips on flapjacks.
Happy Anniversary Mara love Mike.
Big Seas allow a 40+ tonne yacht to surf
Skipper Mike Symes at the helm of Challenger enroute to Perth, Australia with the RLC.
Great fun!!
The Royal Air Force start to head North towards Australia
Tuesday 27 October 2009
Hi Folks,
I thought you might appreciate a slightly more straight-laced blog to mark the occasion of our passing the mid-point of our great adventure – normal service (scatty typing) will be resumed as soon as possible, I promise. Please forgive me if I end up repeating snippets from recent blogs.
There is an almighty sense of achievement aboard as well as a slight sense of relief that we are at long last climbing slowly out of the Southern Ocean and into the warmer climes of the 2000 or so miles still to run towards Australia. The first week out of Cape Town seemed to deliver little progress while we battled to round the Agulhas Bank, and many of us were pleased to see Africa disappear in the metaphorical rear-view mirror. There then followed a period of chasing the wind, wishing for more wind then almost immediately wishing we had not done so, and again the milestones crept past very slowly. Now, having passed the nadir of the great circle route in the previous 24 hours, the wind has filled-in behind us and Disco is racing towards our destination potentially as little as 15 days ahead.
Adventure and Challenger have occupied a similar patch of this vast ocean to Disco throughout the trip so far albeit they had a little more luck with their weather decisions in the early weeks. The downside of being ahead was that they were the first to experience the dramatically horrible weather I described as a ‘bomb’ just over a week ago and we, hanging tactically in third place, were able to configure ourselves for the onslaught and just felt a little ruffled round the edges in the winds that touched Force 10, and literally huge seas. In the past couple of days, Disco has started to close the gap with our sister yachts by again taking a slightly different tactical approach to the wind and weather. Does any of this really this matter? I think we would all like to be aboard the first yacht to cross the finish line at Fremantle but, and quoting one of the skippers during a week-one radio conversation, this is a marathon, not a sprint, and this applies to the year-long exercise just as much as it does to our own Leg 4. What matters most is that we all get to Fremantle (and ultimately Gosport) safely and do so in the spirit and manner of single-Service and tri-Service teamwork envisaged by the architects of Exercise Transglobe. So far, we are scoring exceptionally well in that area.
We have all had our share of technical problems even though the 3 yachts were very well prepared both from the outset in the UK and at each staging point along the way. Such is the nature of sailing the open oceans – even the most rugged installations are exposed to continual vibration, enormous physical stresses, salt water ingress including immersion, and downright pounding, so we should not be surprised when odds and ends decide to give up the ghost and stop playing. Read any contemporary tale of ocean sailing or racing, the Vendee Globe being a good example, and you will read of exceptionally well prepared yachts suffering all manner of breakdown just days out from their home port let alone in the depths of the Southern Ocean. Disco’s troubles have included the water maker which, to put it crudely, takes in sea water and squeezes it at very high pressure through a filter to provide potable drinking water. Ours stopped working and in an instant both Adventure and Challenger independently volunteered to sacrifice their lead in order to provide us with water. Adventure has had trouble with her Satcom so Disco has been providing the daily weather update to all 3 yachts. Finally, when Challenger was roughed up by the weather bomb, tremendous moral support was given between the 3 skippers in their daily HF calls while Challenger made good the damage to her sails. If you could distil, bottle and sell the sense of teams working within teams, you would be rich beyond the wildest dreams of man.
While writing this we have received a distress message from the Australian Rescue Co-ordination Centre (RCC) telling us that a satellite has observed Adventure’s emergency beacon indicating that she is in distress. We immediately altered course towards the position of her beacon and informed the RCC that we were doing so. Meanwhile we used all means available in an attempt to contact Adventure but to no avail. Just over an hour later we were called by Gosport to tell us that Adventure had been knocked down by a big wave but was still in business and all aboard were fit and well. The wave had carried away her emergency beacon, or EPIRB, which started to transmit automatically, as well as her HF mast and other assorted communications aerials. I should imagine her crew were well shaken, as indeed we were wondering if our colleagues really were in distress. This sort of event serves to emphasise the gravity of this undertaking.
So what do the individual crew members think of things so far? For me, my ambition was to enjoy the next 30 years as much as I enjoyed the 40+ years of my career in the Royal Air Force, and so far it has made a very good start (although it seems to be taking rather a long time to get to the Isle of Wight).
Andy Fernie, our Skipper who is a seasoned Southern Ocean sailor, is enjoying the challenge of leading and managing Disco’s other 13 crewmembers and is finding it highly rewarding and at times quite entertaining. He is massively impressed by the manner in which the Watches have attacked – and he uses the word ‘attacked’ quite deliberately – the catering regardless of the conditions beyond the confines of the galley and have produced consistently outstanding food.
Neil Cottrell (1st Mate for Leg 4) is the man who conceived the idea of Exercise Transglobe in the first place and, as the Project Officer, remains responsible for carrying it to its conclusion in arriving back at Gosport next Summer. For a man with such an awesome responsibility on his shoulders, he is overjoyed with progress so far, in miles travelled as well as objectives achieved, and here I refer to the underpinning nature of teamwork and personal development enshrined in adventurous training. Neil’s 53rd birthday was celebrated yesterday, the high point being as the sun went down over his right shoulder while he helmed Disco at over 11 knots in a fresh north-westerly breeze, the crew meanwhile preparing to sing Happy Birthday to him over a cake made aboard today. It does not get better than this.
Owen, who has been in the Royal Air Force for a little over one year, is finding the whole experience quite breathtaking. Life aboard, mixing with a range of widely different ages ranks and background, and a substantially different diet, has proved to be challenging, but Owen has tackled it on his own terms and will emerge ‘leaner and meaner’ for it. After 3 weeks at sea, and in gruelling conditions at times for a novice, Owen says that opportunities are there for the taking, even as a relatively junior airman, and he sincerely recommends that you ‘just go for it’.
Sally-Ann, the Southern Ocean has learned a thing or 2 from Sally-Ann, and she has demonstrated significant generosity of spirit by sharing pudding recipes over the HF link with our sister yachts.
Buzz is pleased that, following the meagre progress of the first week or so, we now seem to be eating up the miles to go to the Fremantle Yacht Club. “There is light at the end of the tunnel”.
Al was hoping to lose weight and get ‘stacked’ for Australia! However the food has just been too good and too plentiful at times and he may be in danger of gaining weight! As for the sailing, bloody brilliant. There are few times in life that an opportunity of this magnitude presents itself and when it does you must grab it. He knows that he will take away a lot and be a better person for it in everyday life and future challenges.
Paddy says he only went out for a packet of fags!
Gemma, my half way point was a little emotional, letters from friends and family reminded me of the love ones left at home. Reflecting on the last 18 days, it’s been bloody hard going but I wouldn’t change anything, not even one point for a second. Thoughts for the future: work hard, enjoy this experience and take away as much as possible from this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Tuesday, October 27
Army on Challenger get hit by Force 12 storm with 80+ knot winds
FRIDAY 23 OCTOBER - Early in the evening with bad weather imminent and winds forecasted to be between 30-40knts, the skipper ordered a conservative sail plan of 3 reefs and the storm staysail, as we were waiting for the weather to hit.
0001hrs, with 15 knots of wind we were happily heading eastward to Oz when Steve G disturbingly teased the ocean by saying, “Ok baby, give us all you’ve got”. BANG!!! 0002hrs, with 69 knots the mainsail preventer completely shredded causing the boat spin around and make rapid progress back towards Cape Town. Things deteriorated rapidly thereafter with wind speeds further increasing; Steve G measured a monster hurricane force 86 knot gust at one point. The heavily reefed mainsail quickly gave up the ghost and blew-out from the mast track and completely severed its halyard, then being dragged along behind us in a savage mix of spray, wind and waves.
A few of the crew below heard the skipper’s shout, above the screaming and whistling of the wind, “The main’s going -- oh f*** -- I need that main in now”. This was rapidly followed by four eager men on deck arriving to do battle with the sea and attempt to control the main sail which was now dangerously flogging.
Eventually, inch-by-inch, the mainsail was wrapped around the boom and tied up as best as possible, and we continued onward using only the storm staysail. Unfortunately, this too didn’t last long as it tore along several of its seams and ended up looking like something from the Black Pearl. With the storm staysail stowed, we were now running with only bare poles as Dave Mason took the helm and gallantly headed Challenger north with a following sea and wind.
An intense low pressure meteorological ‘bomb’ had hit us, as the Southern Ocean demonstrated what she is really all about. The crew pulled together immediately to control the situation and thereafter to repair the considerable amount of damage which had occurred.
As the sun rose with Shaun on the helm in excess of a ten meter swell, the full extent of the damage became apparent, although Challenger had done us proud and stood up to the conditions well. However, now more hard work began as Hayley and Austin used the sewing kit to make numerous repair patches on the sails long into the night, damaged ropes were replaced with spares, almost everything was hung out to dry, and the crew took some much needed rest.
It was not all doom and gloom though as several funny things happened during all the excitement. Anthony G (Ski) was tipped out of bed when the wind hit the boat. Colin slept solidly through the whole event and was briefed about it in the morning. In his excitement to get on deck, Shaun B wore only his favourite maroon ‘airborne’ tee-shirt under his waterproofs, and whilst virtually swimming in the southern ocean, helping to fish-out the mainsail, he had the gall to complain that he was cold. Hayley flew off the chart table seat, landing stuck in a bucket inside the wet locker on the other side of the boat.
With further repairs soon to be completed morale is still very high on Challenger as we head further towards Oz.
SATURDAY 24 OCTOBER - Having some of the crew nursing their aches and pains from the storm, Shaun has had to move to Red Watch as watch leader for a few days whilst Steve G is nursing an injured elbow, Shaun sympathetically suggests that he should ‘Man-Up’.
We completed our last on-deck shift before mother watch with some rather large seas and it was great to get a bit of surfing in. We were still limited to using only bare poles, as the sails were still being repaired by Hayley and Austin.
Jay has become Red Watch camera man, as the storm claimed Shaun’s camera and took it to the bottom of the Southern Ocean for Nemo and friends to play with. Ski is providing the watch with movie entertainment and is eating his way through all the biscuits at the fastest rate, but Austin is giving him a run for his money, coming a close second place.
Once all the sails were repaired Red and White Watches had the job of putting the main sail back on the mast. Shaun had to go up the mast to replace the runners with Jay yelling “Keep smiling for the camera” as he swung like a pendulum from one side of the boat to the next. Steve (Gripper) Parsons was glued back onto the helm, happy as Larry.
SUNDAY 25 OCTOBER – The day started with glorious sunshine which gave people a chance to dry their laundry on deck. Although the choice of palatable rations is dwindling by the day, Red Watch treated us to an interesting Southern Ocean delicacy of fried spam sandwiches. The fact that they were all eaten was either because they were tasty, or that we were all very hungry, either way, the distinctive taste of spam repeated throughout the day.
Following the high winds of the last two days Blue Watch were put through their paces and changed a complete sail plan before starting mother watch. The three man team of Nathan, Colin and Matt shook out reefs, replaced headsails and staysails to give a bit more speed to the boat. Their bangers and mash creation is one of the culinary highlights to date, with head chef Colin’s Special Sauce tantalising the taste buds in a nice but slightly peculiar way. After a quiet night at sea the crew is now rested and ready for the next batch of high winds expected on Monday evening.
MONDAY 26 OCTOBER – After their running repairs to the storm staysail, Hayley and Austin decided they could also fix the Yankee 3 that blew-out a few days ago. A 14 ft ‘luff to leach’ tear kept the pair busy for 18 hours with constant patching and stitching, stopping only to eat. Amazingly they both had some skin left on their fingers and thumbs by the end of the job. We’re waiting in anticipation for the wind to abate enough so that we can change from storm to Yankee 3 to see whether the repair holds out.
TUESDAY 27 OCTOBER – White Watch woke the crew to a delightful bowl of porridge – voted as the best consistency of the voyage so far; not having to slice or chew porridge before swallowing made a very rare treat – hopefully their secret recipe will be shared around until we get to Oz. Not satisfied with the best porridge, watch-leader Dave also baked up the best plump, crusty bread that we’ve had so far. The skipper’s reaction to fried spam sandwiches earlier in the week was to break into the emergency rations, which has released some eagerly awaited variety: tuna in mayo with sweet corn, which complemented Dave’s bread superbly. Good scoff means good morale and Challenger’s crew are happy today.
SHOUTS:
Nathan Evans: Happy Birthday to James Steiger. Tess – I hope you are having a nice half term, I love you and miss you lotsxxx
Matthew Arnold: I’m wet all my stuffs wet the boats all wet and I’m loving it
Hayley: Nursing all my bumps and bruises, but they are slowly going away. Had the longest day ever yesterday trying to fix the Yankee. Fingers crossed she stays up. Still having a ball and can’t wait to speak to my kid brothers. Also can’t wait to get tree trunked in OZ woop woop xxxx
Davy Kelly: Livin the Challenger dream at the moment, can’t wait to get to Oz for Chunky Monkey ice cream and a bag of jelly babies. Sorry Simone but apparently my waterproof and shock proof camera is not crush proof ooops. Miss you loads and hope you don’t get too tired going to Brighton, give Ollie a big hug for me xxxx
Steve Galvin: Since my last update King Neptune has finally given us some wind worth mention. The afore mentioned came in the form of a Force 12 storm at 2 am, going from 25 Knots of wind to 65 Knots in seconds and rising eventually to 84 Knots. A massive adrenalin rush for everyone with I’m sure a certain amount of fear as well, especially when both the Storm sail and Mainsail were both torn. We all however survived some with more bruises than others, but alive and well enough to tell the tale many times I’m sure. Regards and Love to all! XXX “Live Slow, Sail Fast”
Shaun Broom: Hope you are well, I’m hungry, the ocean has claimed my camera, bruised from going up the mast twice to fix main sail but over all living the dream. Hi ya babe, missing you loads. Missed the last shout, been very busy. Southern Ocean giving us a good beating, been having a good laugh, but had a few low days where was very tired. Looking forward to OZ and a good drink, Should be there in 10 days or less. Speak to ya soon love and miss ya loads xxx
Antony Finnigan: Hi Shell hope you are ok and still missing me as much as I am missing you, I hope the Kids are being good for you give them a kiss for me. It’s been fun on here with force 12 winds hitting us so it’s been different. Over half way now counting the days until we arrive at ozzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz so I can eat some nice food. I will write when I can so take care love to you and everyone else ant. Hello to 234 .
Colin Harrower: Hello MB, How the devil are you? I hope you had a good week off and feel refreshed. Won’t be long till I’m back and my adventure will be over, boohooo really enjoyed the whole experience so looking forward to getting to Oz. Mum, I hope Craig has now got back from Afghanistan safely and that you are all well. Call you when I get to Oz. Love & Miss you loads xox
Antoni Gabanski: Hay mum and whoever else is reading this. We had a hell a few days since Friday night. We were hit by hurricane force winds which are 63+ knots winds, and it maxed out at 84 knots. Sails were blown and a lot of work to retrieve the main sail. It’s looking like we are going to be arriving in Perth Freemantle within 10 days. Still loving it and it’s slowly coming to an end this expedition. Until next time xxx
Mike Symes: Hi darling as you can see from the blog the southern ocean has been keeping me busy. My usual practice of skippering from my bunk has not been so possible on this trip. Not talking to you is driving me mad, expect a long call from Perth. Hope all is well at home and am counting the days for our arrival in Perth. Send my love on to Toby. Love as always XXXX Roll on Sydney.
Monday, October 26
A surprising weather front attacks the Royal Air Force on Discoverer
Friday 23 October 2009
Hi Folks, its the wet, bedraggled and slightly bruised old guy,
Well, they are not called the Roaring Forties because they purr like a pussy cat, and they are living up to their exceedingly apt name. Since I left you early yesterday morning we made good headway with a pleasantly vigorous quartering tailwind. Then, in the late afternoon, because Disco was proving to be quite a handful in her present sail configuration we decided to shorten sail in preparation for nightfall. And not a moment too soon either! We tacked and hove to in order to change down both the No 2 Yankee and the Staysail – simultaneously we received a message from Adventure saying that they had run smack into what proved to be the edge of an un-forecast weather ‘bomb’. The wind rose rapidly to 40 knots and it took a full 2 hours to change down to the storm staysail alone with the mainsail fully down and lashed to the boom, and the boom secured down with the handy billy. We rode out the night in that configuration and saw winds up to Storm Force 10 (50 knots +) with literally huge seas breaking across the deck. It is what we came here for, and it was awesome.
In the effort to re-configure Disco, Paddy and Adam took a violent tumble amid the carnage of the foredeck and Paddy had to be helped below for treatment to a seriously over-flexed arm. He is now hors de combat with his arm in a sling – no permanent damage but very painful for him and the injury is making life very difficult for him below decks, but his spirit is undiminished. White watch are now short of their powerhouse.
The night was truly ugly but Disco carried us safely to the grey light of dawn whereupon we could appreciate the size of the seas we were bobbing around in. The first word that came to my mind was, understandably, Bugger! An overnight message from Challenger telling us of the sail damage she had sustained was confirmed in a first-light assessment from her. Being 200 or so miles ahead she had taken the brunt of the weather bomb leaving Adventure and Disco to get off lightly with a darned good hammering. Being un-forecast it came as a complete surprise and they did well to come through it still smiling.
We managed to get through 7 life jackets yesterday and overnight – they self-inflated having been subjected to repeated immersion either on the foredeck or in the cockpit. Happily, we are carrying very many spares and the Skipper is a qualified life jacket technician; once we have a calmer day he will strip and refit the gas bottles and automatic inflation devices reinstating the jackets to their former glory in the spares cupboard under the 1st Mate’s bunk.
Today has been a roller-coaster ride in 40 knots of wind and massive seas under the brightly coloured storm staysail and storm trysail. Having spent most of Monday clawing our way south to find the wind, we have spent today clawing our way north in order to avoid the centre of the next blow which is just 24 hours or so away – if we can find the northern rim of the blow it might even provide something of a slingshot towards Australia, who knows. What was I saying about weather decisions? The ride has been predictably horrible, again with slick decks, everything uphill and anything not firmly secured flying sideways at huge speeds. In one notable monster lurch Adam trapped his finger in the sea door separating the Skipper’s stateroom from the galley and ended up having the 1st Mate stitch up the ugly gash that resulted. Blue watch are now short of one of their Ninjas.
As for Crevice, nothing has been seen of the bilge gremlin apart from the litter of clothing covering every surface and moving rapidly whenever the boat lurches. The bilge water has returned to its more normal composition so the risk of an outbreak of crimson rage has, for the time being, diminished. The 1st Mate is however still very wary that he might be surprised in the middle of the night, although for a man of his age that would not necessarily be a bad thing. Oh yes, I nearly failed to tell you, it is the 1st Mate’s Birthday on Monday 26th (the day this will get posted on the web) – he tells me (secretly and in a hushed voice) he will be forty-thirteen.
That will do for now. Mother are preparing beef stew with fresh vegetables and potato wedges, followed by chocolate rice crispies with melted mars bar topping, for dinner and we are all looking forward to it immensely. Spirits remain high and the banter is without mercy.
Saturday 24 October 2009
A middling sort of day where we were able to relax, enjoy a little sunshine and attend to a few domestics. Paddy and Adam are on the mend and I suspect Paddy will be back in full fighting fettle within the next couple of days. Adam may take a little longer but the 1st Mate (aka Hawkeye) is dressing his finger and inspecting his embroidery regularly.
Dawn was a most spectacular affair this morning with bright well-washed colours in the sea and sky. We were immediately followed by a whole squadron of seabirds diving and wheeling in the wake we were leaving in the air. Boy, I wish I could fly like that. Paul and the remaining able members of Blue Watch took the opportunity to take hosts of photographs with which they will bore the pants off friends and family when they get home (sorry, I could not stop them).
We spent much of the day under the storm rig of the previous 24 hours primarily because the still moderate wind was pushing us along at a respectable 8-9 knots and there was no mood for pushing things. The downloaded weather forecast predicted a day of gradually slacking wind, much the same on Sunday, and then another big blow on Monday. The sea continued to moderate throughout the day and is now relatively smooth with occasional medium-sized rollers.
By mid-afternoon the wind and sea had eased enough for the Skipper to decide to change up to the No 2 Yankee headsail and get the main flying with 2 reefs. Later in the evening we gybed round onto a north easterly track in an effort to put some distance between Disco and the next weather nasty that is forming to the south west. An attempt to shake out the 2nd reef was short lived when the cringle came away in Owen’s hand (beware Lossiemouth, we seem to have unleashed something of a monster in Owen).
Dinner was yet another feast – another Blue Watch triumph – and we are now sailing under a heaven brim full with stars. I have at long last identified the Southern Cross. The moon is leaving a brilliant silver sheen across our wake and the only sounds are the gurgle of the Skipper in the heads of the Southern Ocean under Disco’s stern, the occasional creak of the sheets, and the muted exchange of banter between the Watch in the cockpit. It is almost enough to make me turn to poetry......but I realise you are not ready for that yet!
Right, enough, next stop Sunday. I realise that you will turn your clocks back tonight at about the same time that we turn ours forward another hour. When you read this we will be a full 5 hours ahead of you and hopefully 100 miles ahead of the nasty weather. Australia is just 2500 miles away.
Monday 26 October 2009
It is pre-dawn, dark and a little chilly aboard Disco but spirits are high and we are reeling in Australia with great satisfaction. It is also the 1st Mate’s Birthday so cause for celebration later no doubt.
Sunday was a simply terrific day. Dawn was spectacular and heralded in a day of flat seas, helpful winds and substantial achievement. Sally, a little miffed that she was deprived of a full fry-up on Saturday, took events into her own hands and initiated a splendid cooked breakfast even though she was not on Mother Watch and earned herself massive appreciation from the crew. Neil took his surgical embroidery skills to a new level and repaired the torn cringle on the mainsail and later went on to replace the tack shackle on the main which had developed the unpleasant habit of coming undone even when it had been moused with a tie-wrap.
On emerging from his restorative slumber – Skippers never actually sleep – the Skipper decided the conditions were right to fly the genoa, a sail of truly massive proportions that enabled Disco to pick up her skirts and really scoot along even in relatively light airs. He managed to persuade the water maker to provide a reliable flow of fresh water, quite possibly as a result of being in marginally warmer water than a few days previously. A recalcitrant generator also submitted eventually to the Skipper’s more tender persuasive attention. The stage was thus set for a day of dhobi, showers and general all-round morale boosting activity.
In the late-afternoon the wind began to show signs of exceeding the frugal limits of the genoa and it was decided to change down to the No 2 Yankee, an undertaking I imagined would take more than a little while. Nevertheless, co-opting hands from the others Watches, Blue were able to douse and bag the monster canvas in 20 minutes without needing Disco to break her magnificent stride. With the Yankee 2 flying we discovered that one of the mainsail sliders had come away from the mast so the Skipper went aloft and repaired it while we tramped along at nearly 10 knots. Teamwork at it finest – impressive to observe and greatly uplifting to take part in. Oh yes, we did let the Skipper down later.
Dinner was another triumph (you might be expecting your loved ones to emerge from this as a bunch of fatties but believe me we are all burning off the calories as fast as we consume them) and we settled to an evening of smooth and rapid eastward progress. The wind picked up a little in the night causing Neil to ask for the mainsail to be shortened, but Disco continued to surge towards our destination at over 8 knots. We passed the nadir of the great circle route to Australia in the night and will pass the mid-point of the great adventure in just under one hour from now. Thereafter, it will be uphill through steadily warming waters to our destination.
I just spent a fun 20 minutes on deck helping White Watch reduce the main to 2 reefs and helmswoman Gemma (the Southern Ocean welcomes careful drivers!) managed to organise a very large, wet and salty wave to land on my head, and me still in my Sunday best trousers. I should have known that reefing with White would be a full-oily experience!
Till next time, stay safe, love and best wishes from all aboard Disco.
Shout-Outs:
Sally – Hello and love to everyone who knows me – its a bit wind swept and interesting but the wind tan is building nicely – oh to be dry again – and to have a shower!!! Luv me xxxxx
Gemma – Mummy – I know you’ll be reading this, love and miss you xxxxx
Crew – Happy Birthday Neil, very many happy returns but in drier and more stable surroundings next time.
Thursday, October 22
Skipper's Coffee pot is a goner. Army sacrifice to the Ocean.
Wed 21 Oct 2009
Day 13 on the good ship Challenger has been somewhat interesting and varied, the highlight was when Blue watch (Shaun & Colin) sighted two patches of seaweed on their 0400-0800 watch, leading to an uncontrollable outbreak of morale for the following couple of minutes until they remembered they could not feel their hands due to the cold.
White watch, consisting of Dave Mason, Davy Kelly, Hayley Kemp & Tony Finnigan (whilst providing a rather good mother watch) is somewhat concerned that there is a lack of food aboard the boat, the food that is on board consists of boiled sweets, plain biscuits, tinned tuna, spam and porridge, porridge, and more porridge. The crew is wondering if Dominos really does deliver to a grid ref within 30 minutes – if someone could call up for us it would be very much appreciated!
All members of the boat have now been victims of the skippers coffee pot... darn thing may be used for man overboard drills soon (preferably where the ocean is over 4000m deep).
Austin is now becoming addicted to the sextant and his jokes are getting worse and worse, quite soon he will be joining the skippers coffee pot.
Thu 22 Oct 09
Day 14 has seen a change in both the weather and sea conditions, the wind has died, the sun has come out and the sea is relatively calm. Lunch was sausages in fresh bread rolls followed by Austin the mate breaking out some morale in the form of some “Thornton’s Mint Humbugs”.
Hayley has recovered from her trapeze act on the fore deck, Ski has got over his headache (lack of chocolate), Matt’s nether regions have had a rub after an argument with the Gimble and the Skipper is managing to control his emotions after throwing the last of his cigarettes away. Thankfully the Yacht’s Doctor (Austin) has not been let loose with his medical instruments yet.
We have had contact with the rest of the flotilla (Navy & RAF) who also seem to be in high spirits and some 120 nautical miles behind us, but it’s not a race honest! Morale continues to be high, although wind and speed are foremost in our minds as we near the half way point and Australia beckons.
SHOUTS:
Hi Sereana – I hope you had a great time in NZ, looking forward to catching up in a few weeks ;-)
Davy Kelly: Hi Simone, Hope You and Ollie are good nearly half way to Oz miss you xxxx
Tess: I hope you are not having too much fun without me. I miss you and love you lotsxxx
Gayle: The seaweed was amazing, you would of loved it. Looking forward to a visit to the Viking. Xox
Steve Parsons: hi Mac hope you and everyone else are well. Sat waiting for the winds to appear again then we should be well on way to oz. Love and cuddles XXX.
Steve Galvin: Hi Amy, Chloe & Sophie hope your all well, I’m bouncing around at latitude 43 degrees waiting for some wind which apparently kicks off as I go on watch at 2000 hours tonight. I’m now going for a cold shower (first in 3 days!), still living the dream though, it’s good to be alive!. To Roger & Mary you may be well correct in your overall assumption of this adventure. To all “Live Slow & Sail Fast”.
Antoni Gabanski: Hay mum and whoever else is reading this, things are going well, we are reaching the half way point very soon. Can’t wait to hit Perth Australia, get into a hotel, get a beer, a proper meal, and an ace time there before we head back to U.K.
Hayley “Flying Artist” Kemp (No relation to Ross): Well I have had fun past few days!!! NOT. I Need to join the RAF to work on my landings. Really looking forward to OZ now, can’t believe I have actually done this, proud of myself and all the lads. Hope everyone at home and 17 Regt are keeping safe as I certainly am not. Bambi is well and truly back with a vengeance. Speak soon xxxxxxxx
Matthew Arnold: I’m good can’t wait to get my teeth in to a big fat steak or a double cheeseburger sack it I’ll have them both. I’m going to get so fat when I get to OZ.
Colin Harrower: I’m really looking forward to OZ now, I really fancy a pint of Fosters, Hope all is well at home and that you’re not missing me too much....lol. Having an amazing experience still can’t quite believe were heading to OZ. xox
Tony Finnigan: Hi Shelle, Millie, Daisy and everyone else, I’m having a whale of a time. Weather has been cold, wet and miserable. So close to the half way point, so looking forward to seeing land and so that I can call you. Love you and miss you lots, Ant xxx Shout out to everyone at 234.
Shaun Broom: Hi ya babe, hope you are well, I think the southern ocean is showing us who is daddy, been reliving my child hood with Colin on the helm at 0300 in the morning, Poddington peas, button moon etc etc. On mother watch again lamb curry tonight by Allah chef broom. Can’t wait for oz still 2500 miles away, looking forward to a beer and speaking to ya babe love ya loads and miss ya xxx
Matthew Wright: Hey baby hope everybody at home is doing well and you’re ok missing you loads, really looking forward to having a full size bed to stretch out in. Love you loads and can’t wait to hear your voice once at oz big kisses XXX
Porridge, Porridge and more Porridge, Royal Air Force are on good form
Wednesday 21 October 2009
Hi Folks, it’s the beardless one again,
I left you early-Monday looking forward to porridge for breakfast and with Australia growing ever closer, albeit at a speed similar to the movement of tectonic plates. The porridge lived up to its promising smell but regrettably the wind carrying us towards our goal died away leaving us little choice but to turn due south and motor sail for much of the day towards an area where we knew there to be a stronger breeze in a more favourable direction. I will explain later how we knew there was more wind elsewhere.
One could reasonably assume that motor sailing for upwards of 10 hours not in the direction of one’s destination would be noisy, tedious and wearing in the extreme and one would be perfectly correct in such an assumption. However, and it is a big however, Red Watch were Mother for the day and laid on feast after feast of such variety and flavour that we clean overlooked the noise and lack of genuine progress. Well, that and the sight of Paddy washing his underwear in a net bag dangling from Disco’s stern adding to the distraction.
Shortly after nightfall the wind steadily rose and we were able to bear away onto a south easterly heading and again started to make an impression of the still-large number of miles between Disco and Australia. By this time we had lost touch (but not lost radio contact) with both sister vessels, Adventure and Challenger, who were respectively 95 and 250 miles ahead of us. They had stayed further to the south throughout and so had benefitted from the belt of stronger winds which we had spent all day getting to, such are the results of weather decisions; it could so easily have been the other way round.
During the day the Skipper continued his running confrontation with the water maker which defied his best efforts to make it work and produced nothing more than slightly salty water. Unhappily, by Tuesday morning and having tried every official and unofficial fix known, all to no avail, the Skipper assembled the crew and instructed us to minimise the use of fresh water. We had a lot of fresh water in the tanks plus an emergency bottled supply, and we would still be able to supplement our stocks with the slightly salty water coming from the water maker. Henceforth, everything that could reasonably be done with either seawater or slightly salty water would be, leaving fresh water for drinking only. Both Adventure and Challenger independently volunteered to rendezvous with us, sacrificing their lead in the run to Perth, to supply us with fresh water should the need arise, such is the overriding spirit of tri-Service teamwork in this endeavour. Be assured, your loved ones will be delivered well hydrated albeit we may be a little smelly on arrival!
Apart from the news about the water maker, Tuesday was a thoroughly excellent day. Much of the day was spent running ahead of a north westerly wind under a full mainsail and with the headsail poled out to the port side. Wildlife spotters will be pleased to know that we (that is to say, Sally) saw a solitary penguin during the afternoon followed a little later by a school of what we identified as Hourglass Dolphins which stayed with us for 15 minutes before losing interest and heading off elsewhere. Shortly before nightfall the pole was lowered and the staysail flown just as the wind came around to the south west. The speed and precision of these changes earned Blue Watch (Paul, Hayley, Adam & Tim) the coveted title of Foredeck Ninjas, an honour bestowed by the Skipper in typical Southern Ocean fashion with a snarl out of the corner of his mouth. Disco picked up her skirts and really started to sail and we covered in the region of 200 miles in the 24 hour period. Below decks Mother treated us to home-made pizza and pancakes for supper and as night fell the temperature plummeted once again. The bunk rooms with doors open remained cold and damp, but those where the occupants decided to close the doors to retain some warmth were cold and very damp from the lack of ventilation. In the cockpit most watches limited the helmsman to 20 minutes at the wheel before changing over to re-warm fingers, toes and noses.
Dawn was extremely grey and cold when it arrived on Wednesday and the strong south westerly wind ripped through any inadequate clothing as though it were not there. Uncovered fingers chilled to the point of being useless within minutes and most covered their heads and faces to the point that only a narrow slit remained for looking through. Which brings me back to breakfast porridge, and I cannot tell you how welcome it was this morning – many of the crew were cold inside their sleeping bags and only got colder moving to the galley for grub, but the grub itself soon re-established the glow.
The weather? Well, we seem to have plenty of it but we do not have an attractive TV weather girl to point to the map and tell us what will or will not happen in the next few days. Instead we take it in turns (between the yachts) to take a daily download from a marine weather website covering the next 3 days, translate it into sailor-weather-speak, then transmit it to the other yachts. Constant updates would be nice, but are not essential and, as you know, we need to limit the time we are hooked up to the Iridium sat-phone in order to keep costs under control. Additionally, because the 3 yachts are now sailing in slightly different waters, we are able to compare forecasts with what is actually happening and where, which is a tremendously useful way of validating our interpretation. Last point on weather, we presently expect something of a hammering at the end of the week. The wind strength is likely to be similar to that experienced during the first week out of Cape Town but the direction is expected to be from the west thus blowing us straight towards Perth. Hope springs eternal!
More later before I send this to Gosport tomorrow.
Ciao.
Hi, I’m back as promised.
The gastronomic delight of porridge is yet to grace the galley as it is not yet daylight but I thought I would take the opportunity to type a few closing lines before getting this away to Gosport and onto the web.
Disco has been tramping along the 43rd parallel at around 9 knots in an easterly direction since I last tapped dementedly on the keyboard. The wind has been flicking between south-south-east and south-south-west at a fairly steady 15 to 20 knots and we have made considerable progress, passing the 3000 miles to go point shortly before midnight. The sea has become a little more ‘edgy’ over the past hour or so giving rise to rather more water crossing the decks than was the case yesterday evening. I turned on the cabin heater just over an hour ago enabling the 0400 watch change to take place in marginally less frigid conditions.
The day ahead, I suspect, holds more of the same and after I have enjoyed a little shut-eye I need to turn my mind and hand to fettling a repair to our radar reflector which became the victim of a vortex of super-gravity (unique to these parts I understand) and fell from its lofty perch on the mast yesterday. I guess it will test my Halton training of some 42 years ago and I will see positive proof of how perishable those skills really are. If it cannot be fixed with a hammer and screwdriver, it cannot be fixed!
Leaden dawn beckons, as does the porridge. From all of us to all of you, you are in our thoughts and we send our love.
Shout-Outs:
Dusty – Lesley, have a great holiday and enjoy the warmth – I can almost remember what warmth is like. GXXX. Love & e-hugs to Mouse, AJ, Ali & Danny.
Neil – For our patron Babs Powell, we’re trimming all the way! Great advice. For all at home, missing you all, lots of love.
Gemma- Mum, Dad missing you lots and lots – love to Claire, Ross, Ralph and Casper. HAPPPPPPPPPPY BIRRRRTHDAAAAAYY FRANLON!!!!!!! Looking forward to seeing you all. xxxxxxx
Sources in the Royal Air Force question, Is it NEMO?
Exclusive newsflash, Dateline 20 October 2009, from our special correspondent aboard HMSTV Discoverer, somewhere in the Southern Ocean:
Nemo Found!
Following an exhaustive search over a prolonged period across the oceans of the globe, there was every reason to believe the tiny highly coloured fish known as Nemo had been found aboard HMSTV Discoverer during her epic voyage from Cape Town, South Africa, to Perth in Western Australia, it was revealed earlier today. Our special correspondent, who wishes to keep their identity under wraps for fear of retribution, sent an exclusive if somewhat garbled message indicating that a small fish, matching many of the unique features of the famous Nemo, had been spotted aboard Discoverer during a routine investigation into potential serious damage caused by Crevice, the bilge gremlin.
Armed Support Taking massive personal risk, the Skipper of Discoverer had been forced to prize open the bilge covers in the galley to examine the seawater inlet into the bowels of the magnificent vessel. Backed up by the burly First Mate wielding little more than a torch and an angry look, the Skipper peered into the inlet strainer and there glimpsed in the gloom of failing torchlight the briefest flash of coloured scales of a small fish writhing amid the maelstrom of seawater and plankton. But was this Nemo? The Cleethorpes Maritime Science Convention quickly assembled to consider the evidence and immediately issued a flash communiqué to Discoverer banning fish from the menu for an indefinite period. Their final opinion is expected at any moment and our marine correspondent is remaining in plaice for the time being.
Oestrogen-Fuelled Rage The drama aboard Discoverer started several days ago when it was discovered by the ever-vigilant crew, operating under the laser-like inquisitiveness of the Skipper, that strange occurrences were taking place during the hours of darkness. The presence of a bilge gremlin was confirmed when Al, doing his nightly rounds, identified the tell-tale signs in and around the engine compartment. Later, distressed items of clothing were found littered around the sleeping areas. It has subsequently been revealed that one of the female crewmembers had lost a packet of contraceptive pills which are now believed to have dissolved in the bilge water. It is almost certain that Crevice will have consumed some this highly addictive and toxic mixture and will by now be operating in the crimson haze of an oestrogen-fuelled rage. The First Mate is reportedly keeping a firm hold of his torch but has modified his angry look to one of passive submission in expectation of the confrontation ahead.
Frying Tonight In an extraordinary turn of events the Cleethorpes Maritime Science Convention has returned its verdict on the evidence so far and is convinced that the marine life identified in Discoverer’s seawater inlet is not Nemo. Sources close to the Prime Minister revealed that Nemo was found many months ago and fish had been on the menu at No 10 for many weeks following the earlier discovery. It can now be reported that a momentary outbreak of celebration aboard Discoverer caused the First Mate to relax his clenched teeth whereupon the little fish, whose identity will forever remain unknown, was swallowed down in a single gulp.
Tuesday, October 20
Royal Air Force finally get the wind they have been craving.
Hi Folks,
Thursday night and most of Friday can only be described as bloody horrible. The motion of the boat, while not uncomfortable, made everything hard work as it seemed to be uphill to go everywhere, and the water washing across the deck found its way into every minor opening as well as the occasional hatchway. Water running down the mast found its way into the girls bunk room and drenched Gemma’s sleeping bag as well as her university notes, both of which were hard losses. The slick flooring and Disco’s movement led to a few tumbles and quite a few bruises, and after one such event Gemma’s toothbrush found itself sticking out of the loo. Needless to say, it is now owned by Davy Jones!
First light on Friday brought with it a universally grey world, devoid of any redeeming features. The sky was a solid overcast at around 300 feet and the sea an unrelenting iron-grey mass consisting of deep rollers topped with saw-toothed choppy waves. And it was raining, the sort of fine persistent wet rain that finds its way through even the most waterproof material. Wetter than a wet thing? Yep, you got it, and it was bloody miserable, but our adventurous training had extended from mere ocean sailing to include the marine equivalent of mountaineering and ice skating.
Meanwhile, life in Disco’s community continued apace. Mother treated us to more culinary delights including a morale-boosting jam sponge pudding at dinner on Friday. Adam’s exceptionally dry sense of humour managed to absorb much of the excessive moisture and Paddy’s ‘dangerous man’ stare kept the bilge gremlin, Crevice, at bay.
The small colony of sea birds in our wake included a very large wandering albatross that Owen identified as a pterodactyl – so convinced was he that that beast was eyeing him up as a tasty morsel that he took the precaution to double-clip himself onto the deck until it went away. Talking of Owen, I should have mentioned earlier that in his determination to make a good start in the beard growing competition he took to his bunk for the first 2 days of the trip so that he could concentrate single-mindedly on the task in hand.
Shortly before sundown on Friday the sky cleared, the rain eased and then stopped, and the wind shifted round to the north-west. It was a while before the sea settled to a more gentle rolling motion but it did so eventually and we enjoyed a much quieter evening. We eased the mainsail out and held it there with a preventer and at long last started to enjoy some gentle downwind sailing. The sunset was spectacular and I will carry an abiding memory of peering through the hatch to see the last shafts of sunlight apparently emanating from the leg of the Skippers shorts.
Saturday arrived to deliver the promise of late-Friday and we arose to a magnificent dawn followed by a terrific day for make & mend and personal admin. Red Watch – Buzz, Sally and Mike – treated us to a much appreciated full English breakfast which set us up in the right frame of mind for the day ahead. We all showered and undertook copious dhobi and managed to get much of it dry by hanging it on the rail in the sunshine. Disco, most hatches at least partially open, dried herself, and the Skipper spent much of the day repacking and rearming the life jackets that had self-inflated in the wet over the past couple of days. Disco had been gull-winged with a full mainsail and poled-out No 2 Yankee since first light in order to catch the 18 knots of wind blowing in over the stern port quarter. We are making about 9 knots over the ground although only an element of that speed is taking us in the right direction as we are holding a ground track of due east.
Amongst the crew we have started to discuss the items of normal life we are beginning to miss and are looking forward to enjoying again once we arrive in Perth. The most common feature, and I apologise to those of a sensitive disposition who may find this indelicate, is the missing ‘soft, strong and absorbent’ moment depicted in those adverts with the small Labrador puppy. The paper in the heads is about one micron thick (that is, nearly invisible) and has the strength and resilience of a will-o-the-wisp in the presence of minute amounts of moisture. I just thought you might like to know that.
That pretty much covers Friday and Saturday but I will come back with an update of the rest of today and Sunday before I send this to Gosport on Monday.
Ciao.
Hi, its me again in one of those late night wakeful moments on watch with little or nothing to watch over apart from a heaven full of stars. We had a terrific day on Saturday but regretfully did not get very much closer to our destination because the wind simply refused to follow the brief and back to a westerly direction. Soon after dark we dispensed with the pole holding out the headsail and have taken to an easterly broad reach with the wind coming over our stern port quarter in the hope that it will back during the night allowing us to gybe onto a more southerly course. But, jobs done, we are a lot drier and more relaxed than was previously the case and, not unusually, have fed pretty well yet again.
I caught sight of myself in the heads mirror (shiny tin really so as to remove any temptation with sharp glass) this morning and took the decision to surrender my ambition towards a career selling fish fingers and have dispensed with my very white beard. My family will be pleased, although I suspect the stair-lift folks were looking forward to fitting one in Disco and will now be disappointed (in any case, my zimmer frame was becoming a trip hazard for the rest of the crew in the cockpit).
Sunday opened with a gloriously peaceful sunrise followed by several hours of pleasant weather and more jobs around Disco. The wind settled to a north westerly but still refused to swing all the way round, until shortly into the afternoon that is. An angry-looking squall stole up to Disco, showered her crew with a brief but very wet rainstorm, and at long last the wind backed all the way round to south westerly. Rigged to run very nearly close hauled under one reef in the main and the No 2 Yankee, Disco set off in pursuit of Australia with an enthusiasm we had all been looking forward to. However, with the transition to a southerly wind also came a plunge in temperature as the air is now being drawn almost directly from the polar icecap, an advantage being a significant increase in seabirds most especially huge wandering albatross who swoop very close to Disco to catch and ride the wave she creates in the air.
It is now Monday morning, it is bitterly cold on deck but only cold in the saloon, the sun is shining, and a host of seabirds continue to swoop and swirl in our wake, perhaps more out of curiosity than expectation that we will leave them anything to eat other than assorted dhobi that failed to adhere to the guard rail. The Skipper is busily addressing his morning routine of trying to coax the watermaker into making some water, today with mixed fortunes. I now need to get this to Gosport so will wish you all well – Australia is getting closer by the minute and the breakfast porridge is smelling good.
Ciao.
Shout outs.....
Crew – Christine, hope you are enjoying a few weeks without Andy’s Jokes.
Andrew – Happy Birthday to Mum & Dad on the 18th and 25th.
Hayley – Hello to Mum, Dad, Kieran, Lindsey and the rest of the family. Mum I hope your arm Op has been sorted and you are on the mend. Happy Birthday to Grandad on the 22nd x
Dusty – Having enormous fun but missing you loads, love and e-hugs to Lesley, Katie (Orion is inverted), Andrew, Ali & Danny.
Neil – Hi to all at home and the entire Cottrell/May clan. Hope Matty is enjoying his basic training.
Buzz – Mal, we’ll be berthing at the Royal Freemantle YC. Nige, we’ll be expecting a fly past from the RAAF on our arrival mate! Hope to have a few beers with you both soon. Mum and Dad, have a happy anniversary.
Challenger crew are riding the crest of the waves
Approaching the halfway point things are progressing well on board. Over the last few days we have had the full range of weather from gale force winds to sunny days on deck with the spinnaker flying. The food has continued to be of a high standard with the freshly made breads raising morale each day.
A day on board Challenger. The day starts the same way everyday, the mother watch gets up early to prepare breakfast which has been a steady diet of porridge. Each watch consists of four people. As one watch eats breakfast another watch is finishing their four hour shift on deck. The mother watch then gets on with cleaning the boat ready to prepare lunch at 1200 as the off watch catch up on sleep. After lunch the next watch take over mother watch to prepare evening meal as the other two watches rotate through their 4 on 4 off pattern through to 1200 the following day.
Being on Mother watch gives the crew the opportunity to get their shower every 3 days and catch up on a full nights sleep. The winds at the moment are working well in our favour speeding along our progress. There is much discussion on board as to what people are looking forward to when we arrive on dry land. May the adventure continue...
Nathan Evans: All is going well on board, settled into a good routine now. To Tess, I am missing you lots. I hope all is ok at home, I am missing cooking nice food and sitting in front of the fire. I love you lots xxx Happy Birthday to Sammy. Gobeithio mae popeth yn iawn adre gyda Gwilym a Mam, Cariad Cynness
Steve Parsons: Things are great on board especially as the winds have arrived from the West. Having a fantastic on our way to Aus time surfing the waves. I assume David and Lyndsy are now proud parents and all is well with the twins. I certainly know what Log Sp can do next year for Adv Trg and where!! Happy birthday Laura for the 25th. Hope all well at home. Love and missing you lots Mac, take care lots of love and cuddles XXX.
Matthew Wright: Today for breakfast we had porridge it was great just like yesterday the daybefore the day before that, the day before that and the day before that. Looking forward to getting there know so i may have a different type of porridge for breakfast. The sea here is the same every day blue and wet. Missing you all hope your all ok looking forward to seeing you all very soon Love you all xxxxx.
Shaun Broom: Not had a cigarette now for 10 days fell great, had a good nosh off Colin on day 10, will explain when back lol. Having a great time, was up the mast yesterday, just seeing who was around, but as always just us, weather freezing cold now but kit working well. On mother watch today, just made porridge again like every day and now baking fresh bread. Missing you loads babe, hope training is going well can’t wait to see you, counting the days love ya loads xxxx
Colin Harrower: Hey Gayle, Reference the Nosh comment above, it’s a South African chocolate bar....Shaun & I had a pact to share each others at certain points along the way to break up the routine eating menu of porridge! Got a fabdabadosi idea for an MC & MB adventure for the Saturday I get back. so don’t plan anything for that day.XOX To my family hope all is well, can’t wait to get to Oz for the Sun and to see LAND. Phone you soon.xxx
Steve Galvin: Still living the dream! Wind is awesome, getting really cold at times but morale is exceptionally high especially when eating porridge for breakfast yet again!. Regards and love to all. “Live Slow Sail Fast.
Hayley Kemp: Well..........it’s been fun!!! Been freezing cold but my fabulous skipper fixed the heating system so now I am toasty. It’s only taken me 12 days to stop falling around the boat like bambi on ice. All the guys are still in high spirits so we’re having a ball. The southern ocean has been good to us to be fair. Missing all my family like crazy and of course my Andy, can’t wait to get to OZ to ring everyone. Hope everyone at 17Regt are well. Speak soon love you all xxxxxx PS. RIP picco the suicidal bird!!!!
Davy Kelly: Hello everyone who knows me. Life is pretty good in this 14 Berth caravan in the middle of the Southern ocean. The last few days have been cold but bearable unlike the porridge. Simone and Ollie I miss you loads and will try to get you your Keith Urban album when we hit Oz in just over 2 weeks xxxxxx. All at HQ UKSC thanks for letting me experience this, its amazing and I might even have to bore you all with endless stories and pics when I get back.
Mike Symes: hi darling, great news about the ski train, really excited, always has been the most fun way to go. All going well on the boat, great crew, work hard as a team supporting the boat well. Winds have finally come round giving us a sleigh ride, long may it last. Missing spending time with you, can’t wait to call you from Perth. Buckets of love xxx. Send on my love to Toby.
Antony Finnigan: Hi to all hope everyone is ok ,its got cold the last few days but we are nearly half way through the trip.The only things we see are birds no boats no other life but its different. Hello to Edd and everyone at 234 last thing is a big love to my lovely shell and lovely kids miss you but will see you soon.xxxxxxxxxxx
Crew on Adventure are positive with the wind abaft the beam.
16th October
Andy Leaver writes,
Only now after eight days at sea have I feel well enough to write anything, so you can gage by that the time we and the other novices to sailing are having… The team is working well with massive efforts for the Skipper and the First Mates, they have really put us to shame. My first week at sailing has consisted of learning how to put sails up and down in heavy seas while holding down my food, also trying to have a shower at a 45 degree angle and sleeping while rocking and rolling. A mistake you only make once, while using the pump toilets in heavy seas I managed to cover my own face in urine, a nice wake up call at 4am. However life on board is good and spirits are still high, due to the fact that most of us now can see our own abdominals. Off now to be mother and cook some Lamb hot pot for the crew, which is easier said than done with the boat heaving over to the side and having just watched the first mate, “Nick” as I write this cover the galley in Lamb Stock. 45 Cdo beard growing competition is coming on nicely with Mne “Shagger” Shaw now looking like he should be in Scooby Doo, Just don’t tell the RSM…
To my darling wife “Sarah”, I love and miss you loads, and to the rest of my family and Team Leaver miss you all and look forward to seeing you all sooner rather than later.
Viv Masson (fair weather Betty) writes
After having under gone a serious detox on-board the ‘vomit comet’ (not a diet plan I would recommend) I am over the moon to have finally returned to the land of the living and to have actually met the rest of the crew. As ‘watch leader’ of the white watch I have been lucky to have had such a supportive team (they even brought me breakfast in bed). Andy has done a great job looking after things and keeping us entertained along with the other watch members Lee (Cat) and Chris (Feet). We are now settled into our watch routines and getting some real blue water sailing experience – goffa central here and now that we have our sea legs spirits are defiantly on the up.
As I write this we seem to have had a comedy five minutes on board with the Skipper up the mast, lamb stew on the galley floor and the port heads flooded but as always the team have averted any major crisis.
Shout out to my ever supportive husband Neil, my family and the rest of the guys back in VL. Missing you all (not the work)
Lee says this trip is not quite the sun bathing exped he had planned and is currently being showered by salty ‘Goffers’ (Waves to the civvies) day and night, speedos are firmly packed away, waterproofs deployed and sun tan lotion thrown overboard. He also says hi to his beautiful girlfriend Elizabeth and hopes she is doing ok.
Adam (blue watch) says how’s it going big Ange and Bob? Beard’s coming on. Seen a big whale. Stay sweet!
Lee Adams (blue watch) is sulking because he has been bitten by a winch (still has all his fingers). Big shout out to the Adams Family.
16th October
Another day, another dollar, another day, another test of patience and determination needed from all on board. The weather NNE 30-35 knots True / 40+ knots Apparent, Relative Wind Angle 070-090 deg from the port bow, waves 3-4m.
As fore-casted the wind is beginning to back around and this allows us to build up boat speed and ease the sheets a little. The large swells and breaking crests are on occasion catching us a beam and shuddering Adventures’ strong hull. As I write Yankee No3 is coming down, leaving us sailing on 3 reefed Mainsail and Storm Stay sail. Skipper John has donned his all in one yellow dry suit to supervise the drop.
Having come off the 0000hrs-0400hrs watch I was afforded 6 hrs sleep last night and feel rested, mother watch have prepared lunch and hit the hay to stave off the ‘malade’. Looking forward to this afternoon, watching this particular band of gusty, rain driven, grey cloud, pass on by. Squalls on the horizon should give way to an easing of conditions later and with this the wind should back N-NW-W allowing us to run before. John has just rigged the ‘preventer’ in anticipation.
Had an interesting time cooking ‘Lamb Stew’ for dinner last night as a breaking wave on the beam caused the worlds largest cooking pot to ‘leap free’ from the stove and nearly straight into the wash basin some 3 feet towards the center line! Anyhow only lost some broth and covered the galley floor in tasty veg and meat. After a little rescuing and help from the team the meal went down well at serving time.
That’s it for today, apart from to add that they say “there is no law below 40 degrees and no God below 50”. I for one am glad we are planning to stay above 50. The roaring 40s were beginning to roar just a little last night, giving us a taste of what might come in the weeks ahead.
Love to Janet, Jonty, Claire, Amber and Sophie.
Nick Wood / Mate
17th Oct 09
Yesterday can best be described as WET! In the morning we were pushing along in fairly rough conditions shipping frequent goffas and by the afternoon it was also pouring with rain. Kit and boat soaking.
Today is a complete contrast. The sun is out, there is a following breeze and everything is starting to dry out. More good news, cracked the first 1000 miles yesterday.
So we have discovered that we have embarked epic proportions of mayonnaise. Finding imaginative ways to use that is going to take some thought, especially with no salad (sorry one remaining cucumber). If anyone has any suggestions (recipes only please) please dispatch via carrier pigeon to the Skipper, HMSTV ADVENTURE, Southern Ocean. My personal suggestion is that we should all be administered one spoonful a day each.
Shout out to Diane. Happy birthday, hope you like the flowers. I have marked the occasion by putting on some clean dry socks. xx
Hi Sorcha, kids and all, should be 1/3 the way across when you read this. Erin, hopefully I’ll be in Aus by your birthday to give you a call xx. Steve
17th Oct 09
YES! AT LAST, wind aft of the beam and the Sun is shining bright, the crew have been soaking up the sun (with lifejackets on), drying kit and clothes. It’s a good job no one can see HMSTV ‘Adventure’ as she currently looks like Madame Twankeys’ floating laundry boat. Fantastic Sailing! We are poled out with 2reefs and No2 Yankee on Stbd tack. Tunes are belting out on the stereo and all on board are unwinding after what was a very demanding 1st week at sea. Looks like the wind will be with us over the next 3 days pushing us ever eastward. The relief is visible on crew faces and for the 1st time smiles have appeared on once furrowed brows.
Nick Wood / Mate
18th October
Well today is not as sunny as yesterday, but the weather is calm and steady, and the boat is much calmer. Between Andy, Feet and the skipper they have managed to cobble together a fishing rig, so fingers crossed for a fresh fish supper J.
Yesterdays weather was a great boost for morale, with a chance to dry out damp kit, and to catch some sun after a week with only brief glimpses. And the good news is that we should keep this weather until tomorrow.
Another barrier in the miles has been broken, we have less than 3500 miles before we sight land. We have also crossed into the 40 degrees east longitude, so gradually hour by hour, day by day we are getting closer to our destination. There is talk of a sweep stake on our arrival date, so hopefully that will materialize in the next day or so. Another thing to keep our interest going out here!
Shouts
Hi Mara and Tribe, missing you Mike xx. Ps don’t delete the Grand Prix. Thanks J
Tuesday, October 13
RLC find their sea legs on Challenger
log update 10 Oct 09
Following the delay leaving Cape Town waiting for the skippers boots we headed out into the South Atlantic. For many this was the first opportunity to play with the sails on the Challenge 67 , which are considerably heavier than many have experienced in the past. With all three yachts under sail it was time to cross the start line and begin the long journey to Perth, Australia.
Much of the sailing conditions were much tamer than we had expected as we made our way south leaving the shores of South Africa behind, for the next month the only land we will see will be that of our arrival in South West Australia. During our third day at sea we were accompanied by a pod of dolphins bidding us farewell, shortly after a humpback whale broached giving us an impressive display.
Despite the calm sea state this did not stop a few struggle to find their sea legs, there certainly will not be a shortage of fish food along our route.
The crew has now settled into their watches despite some initial confusion over the lengths of shifts, the standard of food has been very high with highlights being Pasta Bolognese and a chicken curry. Porridge has been our staple starter each day.
The conditions we have experienced at sea have varied greatly from pleasant days to storm condition with 45mph winds. This resulted in the skipper demanding many sail changes. (If he carries on like this we will return ripped and broken). Loving every minute of it.
Hi to my lovely wife Angie missing you like mad, hope you are well, got some great crew, having a good time but some hard times with the lovely weather not, stay safe love ya loads xxx
Hey Gayle, hope your not missing me too much....lol and work aint too bad. I hope your nearly ready for your well earned and deserved week off..xox I’m one of only four people that haven’t been sick yet...yipeeeeee!!.Everyone at work (38 Bde) hope your enjoying the peace and quiet.... unfortunately for you I have to come back lol!
Hi darling, all going well, crew bonding well, weather what I expected just in the wrong direction. Missing spending time with you far more than anticipated, can’t wait to see you in Sydney love as always. XXXooo.
Hay mum and family, hope all is well back home. All is good here on the boat, the weather has been a pain a few times that is just the Southern Ocean for you. Can’t wait to be setting foot back on land in Perth Australia. Lots of Love from Antoni xxx
To everyone at home especially Tess, we are having a great time out here it is pretty hard and I am still a bit seasick from time to time but getting there. Tess I can’t wait to be back infront of the fire with you. I love you lotsxxx
A Big Hello to Simone & Ollie, having a great time!! Speak to you when i get to OZ. xxx
Wife Michelle and kids Millie & Daisy, Family & Friends. Day 5 at sea and im still sick. A big Thanks to 234 Suadron, will be in touch when i finally stop being sick. Xx Missing everyone back home, but got a great crew to keep me company. I’ve also managed to stay in the boat this time....lol, Hellooooo to everyone at 17 P&M.
Royal Navy and Royal Marines on "Adventure" of a lifetime
Blog 1: 09/10/2009
It has been a week since the Leg 4 crew of ADVENTURE gathered at Fort Blockhouse in Gosport and the end of our first night at sea. Time in the UK and Cape Town has mainly been spent training and preparing the boat for the 5000 NM passage to Perth.
One of the major evolutions was shopping for and storing the food for the trip. Having filled the jetty with provisions, the crew set about removing all unnecessary packaging, including tin labels, prior to embarking the stores onboard. This created 3 large refuse bags of rubbish that would otherwise have had to come to Australia with us. It has been noted that there are a worrying amount of pineapple slices in our provisions!
Time in Cape Town was not all work and the crew were able to get ashore and enjoy the shopping, bars and restaurants that the area had to offer. Some of the crew had planned to go on a day safari but the requirement to conduct emigration formalities meant that this had to be cancelled. The Royal Cape Yacht Club had spectacular views of Table Mountain on the occasions when the cloud base lifted, unfortunately this never quite coincided with our free time and the Royal Marines were certainly not going to stand on the top of another mist shrouded peak. If they wanted to do that, they could have stayed in Scotland!
Having waited for some unsettled weather to pass, all boats departed Cape Town in bright conditions on 9 Oct 09. Following a few hours of drills, ADVENTURE started to make passage to Perth. A reasonable swell ensured that some of our hard loaded rations were promptly recycled! The crew are now establishing their ‘sea legs’ as our course takes us initially South of the African continent, before making a more easterly heading around the Southern Ocean.
SC
Blog 2: 10/10/2009
As the end of the 2nd 24 hrs at sea comes to a close the crew of ADVENTURE are beginning to relax into the ships routine, now able to keep dinner down and able to re-hydrate, no longer kneeling over the leeward side shouting ‘soup!’ every 10 minutes, life is getting better.
Last night saw a variety of wind and sea conditions, ranging from very slight seas and variable winds and use of the motor to some great reaching with full mainsail No 2 Yankee and Staysail under moonlight skies. Several small pods of Dolphins and a number of Whales have been sighted. One such Whale insisting on his god given right to remain as the stand on vessel, forcing ‘Adventure’ to alter course boldly to starboard to pass astern.
All the crew are now helming, winching, hoisting, trimming, reefing, filling in the log and helping each other cope with life at various degrees of heel. The mother watch have been providing good food and a clean boat without exception.
As we sail into dusk this evening we are expecting winds to increase and back to the East as a new low develops to the North of our position. No doubt a change of sail will prevail before dark as it looks like over the next couple of days the team aboard will have their first real test of near gales and heavy seas, but only for 48hrs or so before experiencing some down-wind sailing.
For me it’s off watch and off to bed, till the next time. Nick Wood / Mate.
Monday, October 12
The youngsters take over onboard Discoverer and spirits are high
Howdy Folks,
Blog has changed hands and now you can enjoy an epic re-telling of the last twenty four hours in distinct contrast by the youngest member of the crew!
As we left the Royal Yacht Club yesterday all our adoring fans lined up to bid each crew farewell. As we motored out of Cape Town harbour in unison with our two sister vessels (however less superior they might be) it began to dawn on us what actually lay ahead along the 5000nm passage.
Sail training came and went; the crew covered everything from tacking to man overboard drills with “Bob” being the most suitable candidate to go over the side. “Gybe Ho” cried the helm as each watch made magnificent attempts to control the steel vessel as she crashed through the waves.
With a backdrop of the Cape Top cliffs all three vessels crossed the start line of this once in a lifetime ocean adventure. I think the crew felt a little emotional as the last sight of Africa disappeared away. No turning back......
Hours in, we had already stacked up quite a counting of marine wildlife; whales, dolphins, seals, sea penguins and albatross. These outstanding spotting even managed to turn the heads of our poor wee sickies onboard.
Well guys, that’s all from me for now.... love to all of Disco’s families – NEXT STOP PERTH! Oh happy days....
Hi Folks, it’s the old guy again,
Our departure from Cape Town was indeed emotional but most of us were just very pleased to be under way at last. Gemma mentioned we had a couple of crewmembers suffer from a few hours of sea sickness – in fact, a good half the crew were affected in one way or another but most have now bounced back and are looking a lot better going about their duties in a very determined manner.
Yesterday (Friday) was a fantastic day with a long slow swell in the ocean giving Disco an easy, almost lazy, motion. The wind was, if anything, too gentle and we ended up motor-sailing for much of the day. Nevertheless, it was a first class opportunity for the watches to settle to their routines and for those on deck to enjoy some warm and dry weather for a while. We enjoyed the spectacle of individual whales coming close alongside as well as seeing pods of them passing by in the distance. Albatross and a few other unidentified sea birds followed us throughout the hours of daylight with one particular dark coloured bird riding our wake no more than 20ft astern for over an hour.
For the geography buffs, our intent was to head south until reaching the 37th parallel before turning onto a south-easterly heading. This way we would avoid the Agulhas Bank extending from the southern-most tip of Africa where the shallow seas tend to promote a very rough passage even in benign weather.
I took my travelling companion, Cedric, on deck for an afternoon photo-shoot before stowing him safely below decks. Later in the afternoon we had the opportunity to sample the Typhoon Force new aftershave – Hint of Diesel – when over-enthusiastic replenishment of the day tank forced fuel up the overflow breather and onto the deck, covering Paul.
Following a terrific beef curry dinner we settled down for the hours of darkness and were treated to a stunning night sail. Occasional bursts of phosphorescence in the wake were eclipsed in magnificence only be the myriad of stars that were visible literally from horizon to horizon. Being over 100 miles away from land there is no cultural lighting to pollute the sky and you can see every star, and there are a lot of them. Many of the more familiar northern hemisphere constellations are clearly visible but are hard to pick out from the bright clusters above us – Orion with his signature sword belt stands out loud and clear – but so far none of us has yet identified the Southern Cross. Still, we have time on side for a while. The stars faded significantly when the moon rose just after midnight and bathed the scene in bright silvery light.
Saturday passed quietly with the wind remaining south-easterly and generally below 15 knots. Again the iron donkey helped to keep us moving in the right direction but we were aware that there was a storm brewing and we were about to take a hammering.
Day Four on the RAF yacht Disco.
“Good day mates,” Its Gemma here signing on for another update on our recent adventures. Today has been our first real exposure to the true power of the Southern Ocean and the elements it maintains. As the wind has increased around our floating home, Disco has been lifted up, shaken and rattled by the white horses racing beneath her. Two reefs, a number three Yankee and a huge amount of effort later, Disco’s crew has began to take control and battle the fierce fronts that will be bombarding them for the next 24 hours. Batten down the hatches, hold on tight as the force eight is closing in fast. The Southern Ocean is preparing to flex its powerful muscles and its looks like we will endure a ride of a lifetime.......
Hi Folks, its grey beard again (and the beard is definitely grey),
Sunday was a day to prepare ourselves for the beating that lay ahead and 24 hrs later we have survived the worst. As the day wore on the wind started to freshen from the south-east and some of the crew took the opportunity to get some of their smalls through a hand-wash and onto the rail in an effort to dry them – those who started early were successful, those who started later, less so. We were putting reefs into the mainsail by early afternoon and by the time it got dark (1830-ish) we had 3 slabs in the main, No 3 Yankee and the Staysail and were ready for a wild night.
In short, we were hammered. The Staysail was removed in the late evening and the wind rose to a peak of around 45 knots with a consistent mean just below 40 knots. Disco took on the appearance of being a submarine with huge amounts of water crashing across the deck and occasionally pouring down the hatch to the chart table. Gemma got caught twice under an open hatch (once in the forepeak during a sail change and once in the saloon beneath the happy hatch) and both times came away completely drenched. Disco is now ‘running wet’ as everything is somewhere between damp and soaked and most of us realise that it will be Perth before we embrace ‘dry’ again. Mr Gill did say that his clothes would keep us warm whether we are wet or dry, and so far he has been proved right. The crew have been utterly magnificent – last night on deck was scary but strength of character shone through and they now laugh in the face of a mere Force 8. Paul’s demented cackle every time a wave broke over his head could be heard throughout the boat, so maybe a little madness also helps. During the 0400 watch change the No 3 Yankee was replaced with the tiny orange Storm Staysail.
As daylight draws to a close on Monday, we have been buffeted throughout today but less violently than last night. Skipper says that it is a good job we are not trying to do this the wrong way round (east to west) and he is right – well, he must be, he is the Skipper.
Love to all our families and friends, you are never far from our thoughts especially in the dead of night when we realise that you are tucked up warm in your beds. I will try to gather some personal ‘shout outs’ from crew members over the next couple of days but even if you are missed I am certain your loved one is thinking of you.
From Neil – painting life in brilliant colours, love to Chris, Mike, Becca and Laura.
From Dusty – hell of a way to escape the pears, love and e-hugs to Lesley, Katie, Andrew, Danny & Ali.
Thursday, October 8
News Flash from Challenger
Challenger has been delayed in leaving Cape Town as the Skipper Mike Symes has had to run off into town looking for a right boot to join the two lefts he has brought with him.
The Royal Navy on "Adventure" check in.
The crew assembled in Gosport last Thursday, with quite a few of us arrived on Wednesday as we were traveling a long distance, most notably the eight 45 Commando guys who came down from Arbroath.
After a day of briefs and kit issue the crew had a few 'bonding' drinks in a local pub, with the younger guys adventuring over to Pompey to sample the delights.
We arrived late Saturday afternoon after a long 24 hours traveling. The Skipper John was very kind and got us on board, settled us in then we met up with the other crews for an evening meal and mingle.
Sunday and Monday involved lots of briefs and training evolutions to get us used to the boat and to start slipping into our watches. Store ship was on Monday, and we now have plenty of food to last us across the Ocean.
We were given Tuesday off to go and explore Cape Town, with most shopping at V & A, Cape Town's answer to Gunwharf, only bigger! The weather denied a lot of the crew a chance to go up to Table Mountain, which this morning we can see clearly! More beer and wine was drunk, and a chance to meet the locals, and to introduce South Africa to the Royals!
Today, we are having our last meal on dry land and will slip and proceed this morning. Then go on and test everyone's sea sickness stamina!
Adventure out.
Wednesday, October 7
British Army take on the Southern Ocean onboard HMSTC Challenger
Mike Symes, Master 200gt, Cowes. Professional skipper for 10 years this will be my first venture into the Southern Ocean. I am looking forward to the challenge of working with a generally novice crew and developing their blue water sailing skills on passage to Perth.
Maj Austin Prendiville, SO2 SCM Plans (DE&S), Abbeywood. A last minute change of crew allocations resulted in my promotion to 1st mate, which involves the day-to-day management of the boat and watches, under close direction of the skipper. I’m really looking forward to sailing in the big seas I’ve read so much about; I think we are all going to experience a very exhilarating crossing to Australia.
Maj Steve Parsons, SO2 Sup (Mat), HQ London District. A late addition to the crew and allocated the position of 2nd mate. Though a seasoned sailor I have never ventured onto a Challenge 67 before nor sailed in the Southern Ocean so this adventure is a baptism of fire.
Maj Stephen Galvin, SO2 Log Sp HQ 2 SE Brigade. First time in the South Seas and only second time on a Challenge 67, during which I’m allocated to be a watch-leader and also the yacht’s purser. I’m really grateful for the opportunity and excited at the thought of that we will face in the coming weeks. ”Live Slow and Sail Fast”.
Pte Antoni Gabanski, 16 Tank Transporter Sqn, 7 Transport Regiment. Like the others, this also is my first time sailing the southern ocean. It is going to be an amazing thrill to accomplish as a novice sailor. I have about 5 weeks worth of sailing experience, from around the Danish islands (twice), the English
LCpl Antony Finnigan, 234/156 (V) Regiment. I have worked hard to develop my skills ready for the passage and I’m looking forward to arriving in Perth with everyone else, safely.
Lt Nathan Evans RLC, Tp Comd 13 Med Evac Squadron, Aldershot. With a few weeks experience this will be my first long passage and experience of the Southern Ocean. On board I will be responsible for Media and the maintenance of Challenger as the Engineer.
LCpl Colin Harrower, JNCO Surface Ops, 38 Brigade, NI. So far I have sailed one weeks familiarisation on a Challenger yacht. Although less experienced than others will make up for it on board with drive, willingness and enthusiasm. I hope by the end of the six weeks I will know how to make the perfect brew.
Sgt Shaun Broom, Trg SNCO 20 Tpt Sqnadron RLC. This will only be my second time sailing, however, the other occasion was Transglobe in 1998. I am looking forward to getting my sea legs back, my job on the boat is Master at Arms, responsible for good order and discipline on and off the yacht, so I am known as daddy!
LCpl Matthew Wright, 35 SHQ 3 Log Sp Regiment, Abingdon. I have never sailed before so for me this will be my first sailing experience, I am very keen to learn and open minded to the hard work that lies ahead and the new challenges that await me in the Southern Ocean, looking forward to getting to know the crew and finding my place on the boat. I am also still overwhelmed that I have this chance of a lifetime to do something so thrilling.
Lt Dave Mason, Tp Comd 13 Tpt Sqn, 8 Regt RLC. With experience in sailing both Nicolson 55’s and Victoria 34’s in UK waters, the once in a lifetime opportunity to take part in Transglobe is a great chance to build sailing experience to a whole new level. It’s not all plain sailing as the price to pay is being handed responsibility to produce the post exercise report during/after our return.
Sgt David Kelly, Post SNCO, HQ UKSC, JHQ. I have several weeks sailing here and there, but this will also be my first experience on a long passage. I will be the assistant purser on board and I am really looking forward to shopping for 14 people for 6 weeks; 1764 meals or 2½ years food for a couple. How many trolleys will we need?
Pte Hayley Kemp, 17 Port and Maritime Regiment. I’ve only had a few weeks sailing experience so far and I absolutely love it; I jumped at the chance to travel to the Southern Ocean for a long passage. I’m not really sure what my job will be, but as I am the only girl on a boat with another 13 lads I am sure it will be cooking, cleaning and making the brews.
Pte Matthew Arnold, 43 Sqn, 12 Log Sp Regiment. For the last 6 months I have been attached to British Kiel Yacht Club in Germany. Whilst at BKYC I have had the opportunity to do lots of sailing and was recently awarded my Day Skipper qualification. I’m looking forward to the adventure that awaits us.
Day 1
After 24 hours of travelling and changing flights in Johannesburg the team were very grateful to arrive at the Royal Cape Yacht Club in Cape Town.
Walking out into the harbour and seeing the three yachts lined up awaiting their epic journey through the Southern Ocean was a great sight.
After initial briefings about the layout of the club and how long we were likely to stay each of the teams moved to their yacht. Before we could do anything else we were split into our three watches. The shift pattern that we would work through until our arrival in Perth in 6 weeks time.
After our berth allocations we were able to unpack and make ourselves at home in our yachts. With only a small box the size of a milk crate to put all our belongings space is a premium on board.
For the rest of the day we got ourselves familiar with the yacht and its layout before getting to know the systems in place on the yacht. In the evening we split up each of the teams for a dinner to get to know the people that were sailing for each of the other services.
Blog Day 2
Having arrived bright an early on Thursday morning to Ex TRANSGLOBE HQ in Gosport the crew undertook a series of briefings and kit issue. As a crew we had the opportunity to get to know each other prior to flying out to start a very unique experience.
Sailing in the Southern Ocean has the same kinds of admiration for sailors as climbing Everest holds for climbers. For those with very little or no experience of sailing this will certainly be a challenging and rewarding start.
For the rest of the day the crews got together last minute items before our flight the following day.
Discoverer - Leg 4 an Introduction
Hi Folks,
Welcome to the blog of HMSTV Discoverer, or Disco for short. We have prepared ourselves and Disco as well as possible for the rigours of the leg which lays ahead and we will keep you up to date with our adventure as it unfolds. First, I must introduce you to the crew – this will be superficial initially but as the characters emerge they will appear in full HD by the time we arrive in Perth. Andy Fernie from the JSASTC Staff is our skipper and is a man of huge tolerance and massive ocean sailing experience, especially the Southern Ocean. Neil Cottrell is the First Mate and conceived the idea of Transglobe. Paddy Cathcart is from Aldergrove; Buzz Busby is seeking even colder water than that found around Kinloss; Mike Donnelly is from Leeming; Tim Gardiner from Lyneham only just managed to join us having arrived in the UK from 2 months in Kandahar on the morning we assembled at Fort Blockhouse; Al Spence graduated from 4 FTS on the day before joining the exercise; Adam McNeely is from Coningsby; Sally McCarthy is from Lossiemouth; Paul Smith is from Coningsby but is shy about telling anyone that he is a Typhoon pilot; Owen Green is from Lossiemouth; Gemma Lamont is a University Air Squadron student from Glasgow and is studying Economics at Masters level; and Hayley Reeves is a scopie from Boulmer. That just leaves your typist for today, Dusty Miller and 2nd Mate, an old retired bloke enjoying his second childhood in the RAFVR(T).
We also have Disco Vera, our mascot toy dog who St Dunstans asked us to take on Leg 4 and all subsequent legs of Transglobe. Four of Disco’s crew are novices and I take my metaphorical hat off to them for showing the spirit of adventure needed to engage in this endeavour and make it successful.
So, that is us, hold tight, buckled up and be ready for tales of an adventure of a lifetime. Just in case your finger is hovering over the Escape key, please desist or you risk missing snippets which describe your loved ones in terms that you will recognise only too well.
Having assembled at Fort Blockhouse on Thursday 1 October we have travelled a long way South to join Disco in the lee of Table Mountain at the Royal Cape Yacht Club in Cape Town, and have already absorbed countless pearls of wisdom from the JSASTC Staff, the Skipper and the 1st Mate. We have learned masses of detail about what things are called on a boat and unhappily have already forgotten much of it, or possibly consigned it to a part of our memory that tends to become rapidly inaccessible. Needless to say, it will all become clearer and more natural once we get underway. We have filled up with fresh water and taken huge volumes of food aboard – that in itself is an art form if you consider how much food 14 active crewmembers will consume during the 35-ish day passage to Perth. And stowing it in the order you might wish to use it is nothing short of a miracle, but we can see how well we have done as this story unfolds.
Finally, we simply wait to refuel Disco whereupon we will be ready to rock and roll, and the weather ahead looks as though we will do plenty of rocking and rolling. The Southern Ocean gives every appearance of having cornered the market in isobars, and all are very tightly crammed together. Disco’s crew, on the other hand, have taken the opportunity to check out a few bars of another variety whilst awaiting the tide and weather and now are impatient to get started.
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