MAINTENANCE MODE - 15/12/2005
(click for a larger image)
 Position: Catamaran Club, Falmouth Harbour
Maintenance Mode – with Antonia Nicholson from UKSA
I have been congratulated a few times today for bringing this national maritime treasure across the Atlantic but the honest part of me has to say that I am taking over and have just re-joined the boat. I suppose I am the first female skipper that Gipsy Moth has had and this has raised a few eyebrows too . However with the likes of Ellen Macarthur, Emma Richards and Tracey Edwards to name a few the idea of a female skipper is not as shocking as it was say five years ago when I first came to skipper a yacht in Antigua.
Our second day, back on the Moth has understandably been taken up by fixing defects and routine maintenance. The water in the aft tank turned brown on arrival in Antigua so that was pumped out by hand yesterday on the way around and today it was wiped out and flushed through several times. Ray fixed some of the interior woodwork mainly the grabrails and the corner of the comms station cupboard which has been under a lot of strain and needed reinforcing. Richard and I took the inflatable dinghy kindly donated by Avon with the brand new outboard engine (otherwise a long way to row!) over to Falmouth harbour to visit customs and to get the new spinnaker poles out of customs. However, need I say we are in the Caribbean and on island time, so we will try again tomorrow and hopefully catch the Customs officer before he disappears. There are some huge superyachts and cruise ships here, including the Star Clipper.
We were welcomed with open arms into Lord Jim’s locker, a great bookshop and given a Caribbean almanac which will give us the info we need for visiting the islands. I have also arranged a day at the Antigua yacht Club for the Moth, we will moor outside and will open her to the public. Afterwards, we are having a little welcome party, hosted by the yacht club. This is the first time she has been in Antigua so there are a lot of very excited people looking forward to seeing her. As usual we have had a few visitors who have been in awe of how great she looks and the whole project. Is this the one? Has been the most popular question.
After a good days work we cleared up and got her ready for the arrival of the crew who have just arrived (now midnight). We ate out again tonight….. ie took the primus stove on the dock! We have discovered that this is a great way of cooking and there was a very gentle breeze keeping those nasty little mosquitoes away, who have already had a good nibble at Ray and I.
So the new crew arrived after a long day into the balmy heat and are very pleased to be here. We have given them a quick guide on how to use the heads, lights and water, answered lots of questions and now to bed…. Incidentally Ray and Jamie being the only males think the girls have taken over already!
CREW ARRIVE - 16/12/2005
(click for a larger image)
 Winch Maintenance 101
Day 1
Position: Catamaran Club, Falmouth Harbour, Antigua.
Crew Arrive with Antonia Nicholson from UKSA
The remainder of the crew climbed aboard Gipsy Moth IV in the early hours of Friday 16th December, meeting Skipper Antonia and First Mate, Ray. This time the crew are Claire Frew from Yachting Monthly, Karen Clampey and Jamie Hallett from Highshore School in Peckam and Amie Mayers from the Academy in Peckham.
After a well deserved sleep we awoke and had our fist glimpse of Antigua. In an interview Antonia asked Jamie what the first thing he saw when he woke up, he answered “Sun….something you don’t see very often in London. Blue Sky and green everywhere”. Despite heavy rain overnight all crew slept soundly and comfortably in their assigned bunks. The boys are forward in the forepeak, with myself, Karen and Amie in the saloon. Karen in the coffin bunk to port, Amie to starboard and me on the lower saloon berth.
With blue sky above a few fluffy white clouds, a light breeze whistled through the masts to take the edge off the days’ temperature of 29 degrees Celsius. It will take us a while to adjust to the intense heat. After breakfast and a boat safety brief we set about the chores of the day. These consisted of servicing the Lewmar winches on deck, cleaning rusty tools and replacing the hanging fruit nets below. Karen and myself, aided by Ray set about dismantling, cleaning and re-greasing a winch in the cockpit. Amie and Jamie were given the task of cleaning the salty, rusty tools.
At 12 Antonia had arranged a Taxi to Jolly Harbour for us to meet with the other participants of the Blue Water Rally on a tour of St Johns. The taxi ride to Jolly Harbour was very much a tour itself. Our jovial driver gave us a running commentary the entire journey, with insights into the history and life on the Island. We learned that when the British first landed on the island back in 1632 there was severe shortage of water, hence they named the island Antigua, deriving from the words An-Ti-Gua meaning lack of water. An air-conditioned coach journey took us to the heart and bustle of the capital of Antigua, St Johns. The town seemed to be heaving with locals, shoppers and buzzing market traders. We were taken to the Antigua and Barbuda Museum located in a 1750 British town hall styled building called “The Court House”. Jamie and Amie busied themselves exploring and making film footage for the Gipsy Moth TV, whilst we looked about the timeline of historical exhibits.
The museum also gave us the opportunity to taste the native dishes. These included yam, sweet potato and plantain. After the museum we went on to explore the town. Heritage Quay, a popular tourist destination for the typical cruise liner shopper was our first port of call. The harbour can host up to 6 cruise ships at one time but today the streets were filled with mostly locals. Wandering further we entered the main high streets; lots of traffic and bustle from the polite but pushy traders. Their slogan “the more you smile; the less you pay”. We ventured to the fruit market and bartered for bananas, an avocado and a pineapple.
Back at Gipsy Moth we all mucked in tidying up and rustling up dinner. Our first day is nearly over, the team are weary but excited. Tomorrow we shall motor the yacht over to Falmouth Harbour itself, where the boat will be placed under the gaze of the public and be centre stage at a party organised for us at the Antigua Yacht Club.
READYING FOR THE OFF - 17/12/2005
(click for a larger image)
 PERFECT
Day 3
Position: Antigua Yacht Club, Falmouth Harbour
Readying for the Off with Claire Frew from Yachting Monthly
It seems I was the first to wake on the yacht this morning. I’m growing to love these times; seeing the sun coming up and the sky changing colour through the saloon hatch. All is quiet on the boat and looking around you try to imagine an old man of 60 years all on his own moving about and going about his daily chores. The feeling is almost ghostly.
The sound of a squall coming over woke the rest of the crew aboard. The sound of rain on deck I find is quite relaxing, especially when you’re all cosy in your bed. Its only then you get a splash of rain through a hatch and realise that yesterday’s washing is still on deck.
The main job today was getting the boat ready for the off. The original plan was to leave at midday, but then Skipper Antonia decided a night sail would be a better plan as we would then be arriving at dawn. We plan to make Guadeloupe, and an anchorage in a group called Les Saints. A series of safety briefs were conducted by Ray for the crew, these included man-overboard and lifejackets.
Skippers orders were for us, Karen, Jamie, Amie and myself to list together of meals and food essentials, we were told that cooking would be our responsibility from now on.
This afternoon we visited English Harbour and Nelson’s historic Dock. Besides being steeped in history the dockyard is truly spectacular. I shall try and write a few words in tomorrow’s log.
As I sit here now at 6.30 typing everyone is readying the boat to sail. This will be our first experience of not only sailing Gipsy Moth, but night sailing and so called “hot bunking”. We will be placed on a 3 hour watch system, rotating around the crew, each of us taking essential rest throughout the passage. I will be cooking a meal for everyone on passage tonight, this will be a Chilli Crab Pasta dish (a Kim Hollamby speciality). I will let you know how we all find our first sail, and of course let you know if the crew survive my cooking.
By Claire Frew
PS We forgot to mention our great night at the Antigua Yacht Club, where we were given the proceeds from the bar which amounted to $400 EC and also the race fees.
We were invited to stay for the Supper Quiz but only managed to stay till round 3 because we were so tired. We met many people who had seen the Moth and Sir Francis. It was a fantastic evening and was great to share the Moth’s many stories.
30 DEGREES HEEL AT LAST - 18/12/2005
Day 4
Position: 2 miles North of Guadeloupe
30 degrees at last with Claire Frew from Yachting Monthly
When I left the log last night Gipsy Moth was all ready to leave Antigua behind. Then disaster struck. With the engine running and all ropes off we discover she is aground. The tide had dropped a metre and unfortunately she had been gently making a hole for herself in the muddy seabed and now would not budge. So our first night sail to Guadeloupe was now out of the question. We quickly worked out the next high water was just before midday, and so decided to make the move then. Our destination this time would be to St Lucia; roughly a 40 hour trip. Disappointed, the crew settled down to a meal. It had been my turn to cook, and you’ll be pleased to know all survived.
I wanted to tell you a little more about Nelsons Dockyard and English Harbour. The Dockyard, consisting of a series of structures, sheds and houses dates back to the 18th century. The grounds are spectacular. The oldest part, The Sawpit Shed, where the planks were cut was built in 1769. For many years the dockyard produced and repaired many of Nelsons famous ships. The shelter of English Harbour has also provided a safe haven for many British naval ships. as it was very close to Antigua’s capital, St Johns, there they could get valuable supplies. Visitors to the harbour have included ships from Queen Victoria’s Navy, HMS Mohawk; a torpedo cruiser and HMS Tourmaline; 220ft Corvette.
Morning came and Antonia treated us crew to an hour on the beach. The beach was a ten minute walk away and all came back refreshed and raring to go.
At 11.20 hrs we left the dock and Antigua behind. Motoring out of the harbour mouth, the wind was in the west and there was a slight swell on our beam. The motion of the boat was already taking its toll on Jamie. Head to wind. I hoisted the main aided by Amie. The boat obeyed, gently healed over onto a beam reach. We hoisted the headsail (a no 2). Finally, our first taste of sailing the famous Gipsy Moth. Unfortunately the motion had claimed its next victim, Amie. Shortly afterwards we added the Staysail and the Mizzen Sail aft. The boat began to pick up speed and an hour later we were getting averages of 4-6 knots. At one point all sails up was a bit much and the boat was so overpowered the diesel canisters on the starboard rail were underwater. We ditched the staysail and mizzen after that.
After that the boat seemed to settle again. Our watch system had begun, our first water experiment is being conducted as I write and Antonia and Karen are already making us supper on the gimballed primus stove.
Here we go !
DAY & NIGHT, NIGHT & DAY - 19/12/2005
(click for a larger image)
 Day & Night, Night & Day
Day 5
Position: 3 miles a beam of Martinique… St Lucia in sight
Day and Night; Night and Day with Claire Frew from Yachting Monthly
With sails up, Gipsy Moth sailed away from Antigua with Montserrat to starboard. Poor Jamie was still very much suffering from the motion of the boat going along, and even Karen had a brief moment feeding the fish too. We each in turn took the helm for the very first time. When it was my turn to take the helm, she felt very strong, heavy and irresponsive to me at first. I felt myself trying to ride and gain speed on the waves coming in on the beam of us, as you would do when helming a keelboat. However I soon learned that the rudder was too small to respond to little corrections like these. She has certainly had her moments but from then on the helming felt fantastic. Amie, although she had previous experience of helming Gipsy Moth and smaller keelboats at the UKSA was a complete natural at the helm.
When the sun went down we could see squally clouds all around us and knew it would be wet and windy night for those on watch on board. The watch teams were Antonia and Karen, and Ray and I. We decided to leave the youngsters in their beds for the night, they had both fed the fish a fair few times now and needed to rest. My three shifts with Ray were 18.00-21.00, 00.00-03.00 and finally 06.00-9.00 and we somehow managed to get the wettest and the shiftiest of wind angles of the watches. Each time we returned to our beds with our clothes soggy. It seemed the boat would never settle for long, and when it did the wind would die suddenly; we were then forced to use the motor. At one point we had to put the reef back in the main as the wind was blowing up to 28 knots. On one particular watch when we had tried to keep the sails up as long as possible, and when the watch ended, we were horrified to find out we had only averaged 3 knots covering 10 miles. It was warm moonlit night and in between the clouds and squalls there were millions of stars; the constelation Orion, the Milky Way, and the planets Venus and Mars were among the few we could recognise. As we passed Guadeloupe and could see clearly all the street and houses lit up very clearly. Twice the size of Antigua, the island seemed to go on forever.
By the time the sun came up we were getting the first glimpses of the Dominica in daylight lying to port of us, with Martinique just a grey shadow in the distance.
All the islands we have passed have been luscious green, gagged and mountainous, as if they were straight out of the film set of Jurassic Park. Little towns and villages nestled in the troughs and valleys.
Today on board there was a treat for Amie, Jamie and Karen. They took parting a telephone conference with their friends and teachers from their schools in Peckham via the satellite phone. Amie told her friends how much she was enjoying herself, and to one particular friend, who will be joining Gipsy Moth on a later leg she said “It’s a great opportunity to be here and you’ve got to grab it with both hands…. All we have in Peckham are puddles of mud outside Pitzys Chip Shop”. Jamie on the other hand was not feeling so enthusiastic about his experiences but no doubt pleased to hear a friendly voice; is was great to see him smile again.
In 30 hours we have covered 140 miles so far, averaging 4-6 knots. There is another 33 miles to run to St Lucia, we estimate ETA in 5 hours. As it will be dark entering St Lucia we plan to anchor overnight and move to a marina tomorrow.
CLEANING AND RECOVERY - 20/12/2005
(click for a larger image)
 At last
Day 6
Position: Rodney Bay, St Lucia
Cleaning & Recovery Day with Claire Frew from Yachting Monthly
Well we made it; Gipsy Moth IV is now sat at in Rodney Bay, St Lucia.
With slight seas all the way yesterday, we had sailed in the lee of each island we passed so the sea was flat, to help those feeling sea sick. However, we motored most of the way after nightfall; arriving at 2130 hours, salty, shattered and hungry.
Rodney Bay seemed big and quite exposed from the gusty westerly wind. In the dark I could make out a rough outline of the bay from the street lights surrounding us and the moon which had just risen. Every so often the sound of music from the town would come drifting across the water. There were also a few fairly large neighbouring anchored yachts. It had been a very long day for everyone and after a hot meal; it wasn’t long before the team were all tucked up in bed. I had completed my first ever offshore passage, 34 hours at sea and 160 miles; I was certainly pleased to see my bunk even though it was very damp again. Just to explain, over the last two days my saloon bunk had become a sick bay for poor Jamie, and twice he had slept on it with wet, salty shorts.
The wind continued to wail through the shrouds, halyards and stays throughout the night followed by the occasional squally shower, some quite heavy. The gentle buffeting of the boat at anchor was quite soothing. At dawn we had our first glimpse of St Lucia and our surroundings. There are two beach resorts, a town and a buoyed entrance to the inner marina; we plan to stay in the marina tonight.
By 1245 the sun was only just breaking through the grey clouds overhead that had been with us all morning, I doubt it will last. We are anchored in 3 metres of water, which is a clear green-blue, and you can see right down to the sandy bottom.
With all the washing up done from the night before and breakfast, we all set about cleaning and tidying, Flaking sails, cleaning the head and cockpit were among the few tasks. Antonia launched the dinghy and went ashore to clear customs. Jamie was up and about today and seems to have recovered from his ordeal.
A tearful moment came for Karen when she received her first emails through the Gipsy Moth website from close friends and family. Amie, Jamie and I also received a few emails each. It’s wonderful to read words of love and support from the outside world, even from people we don’t know; it’s truly humbling.
When all our jobs were completed, suddenly, without warning the rain came down again. The rain was heavy and soaked us all to the skin on deck. Ray promptly dived off the side and the rest of us followed. The water was so warm, and was a real treat, as we hadn’t washed properly for a day. I think we all had forgotten what warm water felt like. Antonia thought we were probably the first crew to ever dive off Gipsy Moth IV.
You may have seen in the video clips and photographs that I have presented Gipsy Moth IV with another toy mascot, a koala bear. I have been reading Francis Chichester’s book and remembered at the beginning of his voyage he was presented with a toy koala bear, symbolic of his travels to Sydney. It was given to him by Sheila Scott, who was the first British women pilot to fly single-handed round the world. Jamie has named our new recruit ‘Sydney’.
We are now sat alongside a finger berth in Rodney Bay Marina. And guess what, there are hot showers. Heaven. We are all off for a celebratory noggin (as Chichester would say) in the bar. Don’t worry Mothers Mayers and Hallett; it’s Orange juice for Amie and Jamie!
By Claire Frew (Yachting Monthly)
Amie’s view
Antigua yacht club 18th Dec – St Lucia Rodney Bay 21st Dec :
Antigua yacht club was really really pleasant. We met a lot of nice people like Elizabeth (a lady that Antonia use to sail with) Tommy who was the yacht racing director and locals who were very jolly and welcoming. At Antigua yacht club we done a lot of fun activities, Jamie and I went to different marinas interviewing yacht owners and asking them about their yachts; we were even lucky to get a grand tour of a luxury yacht named ‘TOTO’ the owner was very friendly.
Jamie and I also went to the local beach it was only a 7minute walk from the club but it felt like years trotting up and down them hills, fortunately the beach was the reward so it was “all irie môn” (as Ray try’s to say ha-ha!) when we left Antigua it was some what a relief but I knew that I would miss its beautiful sites, sea ,sun and its handsome boys (he-he!).
The first day of sailing didn’t go to good…with my stomach! I never knew vomit could fly so high next time remind me NOT to eat chicken and potato roti before sailing. Overall the sailing was excellent, the night sky was flabbergasting, Ray showed me all types of stars i.e.: Orion’s belt, seven sisters, milky way, Venus and mars it was breathtaking to watch the night sky could beat TV any day. We also saw flying fish, not what I expected but their next best thing to dolphins … well I suppose.
Sleeping was the hard part for me, I’m a very fidgety sleeper so it’s hard for me to do so on Gipsy, so sleeping like a vampire it is for the next couple of day. Helming the yacht is awesome! I’m a natural at it as I’ve been told; might consider on taking it up for a living!. Whilst sailing we past several beautiful countries like Montserrat, Dominica, Guadeloupe and Martinique. We anchored in St Lucia around 10.00pm and I went straight to sleep. The next day it was a new day a new exhilarating country and a new funky smell from the rest of the crew and I (he-he) we all needed a wash down and what better than a dip in the open sea whilst its pouring down with rain. First ray jumped in, Me, Karen, Antonia then last but not least Claire; Jamie didn’t jump in but he should of cause it was nothing but fun and a mouth full of salt water!
After the reviving sea bath we all had a rinse off with the solar shower, and how could I forget I had taken out my hair and Ray claimed I looked like Krusty the clown from The Simpson’s (very funny!). Later that day the Gipsy moth crew docked into Rodney bay. There was a very friendly local by the name of Stephen, he had never heard of Gipsy moth IV before but once I had told him the basis of her history he insisted that he took a picture of her. Gipsy moth pleases once again!. Karen, Claire and I then went on the marina to the local shops we stopped off at a jewellery stall, the jewellery was all magnificent and they were all hand made by the seller, I really wanted to buy a watch for my mother but it was $225 u.s and Amie’s money definitely don’t grow on trees so I had to give that a miss.
Night in St Lucia was a treat, we went to a bar on the marina called “Skuttle butts” and I ordered a virgin pinacolada, (if u don’t know what that drink consists of it is : pineapple juice , coconut mixed in with crush ice and NO alcohol! That’s why it had a cherry on the top ). After an hour or so we trotted back to gipsy and awaited on the food that Karen and Claire was cooking ; corn beef hash and vegetables was on the menu and it was delicious!.
It is now past my bed time so I’m off to my casket,
I wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a Happy New year!.
God bless
P.S: Could I take this chance to say Thank you to everyone at U.K.S.A i.e. David Green etc., my school The Academy at Peckham, my Mum, family and friends because without them I wouldn’t be here and I’m so grateful for this once in a life time opportunity.
Written by:
Amie Mayers aka Snow the afro!
VISTING A VOLCANO - 22/12/2005
Day 7
Position: Rodney Bay Marina, St Lucia
It had been a very hot and balmy night aboard Gipsy Moth again. We are all becoming accustomed to the heat during the day, however rain overnight meant the hatches were closed and we were slowly cooking in our bunks. What a contrast to yesterday; we woke to a clear blue and cloudless sky – it was going to be a hot one.
Today we had planned to do the tourist thing and explore the island, taking in many of the sights. Karen had arranged a Taxi at 10.30 to give us a tour of the island and take us to the two main attractions we wanted to see, these were the volcano and waterfalls.
A few jobs needed to be done on deck and down below prior to our little excursion. These included tidying away, washing, and investigating the running light, it had refused to work on our two night passages. I volunteered to go up the mast and have a look.
Gipsy Moth IV was generating a lot of attention out on the pontoons. I could see Ray loved every second; he is very proud of Gipsy Moth IV what with all his hard work during the restoration. Despite the many jobs, a few guided tours were conducted for any one who asked.
10.30 came and we were off in the taxi, and with yet another jovial and very informative local at the helm. We were told St Lucia was named by the French who used to inhabit the island prior to the English takeover. Our first stop was the bustling capital Castries. We were left here for half an hour to explore the tourist market with T-shirts and handcrafted gifts. We found the market sellers not as pushy as those we had experienced in St Johns, Antigua. Back on the road again we drove south along the coastline through villages and settlements. The scenery was spectacular; green and luscious. We would go up and up the windy roads into the hills and then descend into valley after valley, coastline after coastline, each view more breathtaking than the last. We passed a huge banana plantation; sugar cane had been the main produce of the island, however they could only get one crop harvest a year and it didn’t produce enough income. Bananas could be grown all year round and harvested once a week. It was only then we really began to see the true St Lucia. Colourful wooden houses and dwellings, rickety metal shacks, outhouses and shops. Some were very run-down and damaged by sun. There were people sat outside in open doorways and children playing out in the street, everyone seemed very ‘chilled out’ and genuinely happy with the world despite their basic living.
All of the Caribbean islands have either active volcanoes or exist as a result of volcanic activity. St Lucia is no exception and this brings me onto our next scheduled stop on our tour. Sulphur Springs is the only active volcano on the island, but is not
one you might expect, the clue is it is called a ‘Drive-In Volcano’. Although it is many metres above sea level, has bubbling water pools and sulphur gas it does not have a huge mound with a crater on top. We were told many years ago this had collapsed. What we saw was the crater, the magma chamber below heating the water pools to over 500 degrees. Jamie said it was like being at Jurassic Park. The neighbouring town was called Soufriere after the French translation of Sulphur-in-the-air.
The Torialle Waterfall was our next stop; Beautiful gardens with spectacular waterfall in the centre. Karen, Amie, Jamie and Antonia donned their swimming costumes and stood under the powerful water stream.(see footage)
Last of all, a quick stop at Marigot Bay; a beautiful sheltered and palm fringed anchorage. Antonia has visited here before and said this is where she had planned to take Gipsy Moth IV to anchor.
I’m now sat here out on deck, shattered after a long day sight seeing, the sun going down and a cooling breeze. We plan to sail for Barbados tomorrow morning at 0730.
All crew are shattered – we shall have supper and hit the hay very soon.
Jamie said it has been the “best day ever!”.
By Claire Frew (Yachting Monthly)
ON THE WAY TO BARBADOS - 23/12/2005
 Day 8
Position: 10 miles north west of Barbados, 28 nm to go….
Hi, it’s skip here and I thought it should be my turn to say a few words while I’m not too busy. Its now 0100 on the morning of Christmas Eve and we can see the loom of Barbados on our starboard bow. We are damp and our clothes are soggy, ahh! It is apparently as wet in the coffin bunks as it is on deck now. We have been motoring all day since half seven this morning when we left the beautiful St Lucia. There is a steady flow of 20 knots (recently 25) from ENE but in order for us to arrive on Christmas Eve in good time we have to maintain an average of 4.5knots. This of course was Gipsy’s average speed on her first circumnavigation, however with the seas about 1.5m-2m high and a course to windward, our only hope is to give the Yanmar engine a good work out. Gipsy Moth is a very steady boat (except when going downwind) but just slow in comparison with today’s yachts, she also has an odd motion that keeps getting the better of the young crew.
Karen and I were rummaging through the soggy plastic bag of boiled sweets from Tenerife and the box of soggy biscuits when we remembered those at home delving into the huge tins of chocolates and mince pies. I’m looking forward to our slice of Christmas cake tomorrow that Ray’s Grandad made us.
As we motored around the top of St Lucia this morning, with Jamie on the helm for the first time, we passed several very nice looking hotels and wonder how many people just spend their one or two week holiday in the comfort of a hotel. They rarely get to see the hidden fishing villages and the lush rainforest that we drove through on our tour yesterday. We would have liked to have spent a few more days in St Lucia and I would have liked to take Gipsy Moth to some of the idyllic anchorages around the island – its well worth a visit but make sure you do a tour of the island with a local taxi.
As we motored away from St Lucia, we all (except for one at the helm) took to the aft deck which became the sun deck formerly sick bay! We sang some carols while laying across the hatches resting our heads on the fenders and have edited a special one for you all on Christmas day. It has been very hot but the breeze and the odd wave kept us cool. I made sure everyone had enough sun cream on and enough to drink but I could not administer any shade so if anyone knows of someone who could make us an awning or even buy one for us, you will be greatly appreciated by the forthcoming crews. Unfortunately, there were a few hot bodies this evening. Just as the sun was about to set on the cloudy horizon behind us, our youngest members decided they really had to get to bed, having been sunbathing all day! I think they knew that the watch system was about to begin and if they were asleep we would forget about them! They managed to miss the evening meal which I am ashamed to have served up this evening, it was packet macaroni cheese which I don’t think had ever been near a lump of cheese. We decided that perhaps it was not so bad after all because it was a good stomach liner and even stuck to the bowls, it was so tasteless that if it did manage to come back up, we wouldn’t taste it!!
We are looking forward to arriving in Barbados in a few hours time and will don our Christmas hats and head to the beach for a wash. (After a quick clean up of the boat of course). Or even better jump off the boat as I hope to drop anchor in Carlisle Bay.
Just one more thing…Karen our intrepid support teacher would like to say to all those who said she was mad to go sailing and especially to be away at Christmas and leave her family behind are quite mistaken. She has been telling me this evening that this is one of her best experiences ever and something she would love to do again.
COME ON IN TO BARBADOS - 24/12/2005
(click for a larger image)
 Gipsy at anchor at sunset
Day 9
Position: Bridgetown Docks, Barbados
We made it! Christmas in Barbados
The Reeds Nautical Almanac describes the route we took from St Lucia to Barbados. I quote:
“Few sailors will make the rough trip against the trade winds to reach Barbados from the rest of the Antilles”
We certainly had it on the nose all the way; we were beating to windward in 20 plus knots and were forced to motor all the way with the main sail reefed. The boat was bouncing, rolling and crashing through the waves; the navigation lights reflecting in the plumes of disturbed water at our bow. Each time the deck was awash, a torrent of water dropped through onto Karen’s bunk. We had seen the glow of Barbados in the distance from miles away but when we were finally about 5 miles off we could smell the Rum from the distilleries. A great relief for all of us and an incentive for Ray!
Twenty two and a half hours later, at 0650 we tied up in Barbados’ Bridgetown Docks surrounded by some large and very daunting cruise liners. Gipsy Moth IV is sat beneath the bows of the Empress of the Seas cruise liner. Gipsy Moth IV and her shattered crew had to clear customs here before moving on.
By lunchtime we had dropped anchor in Carlisle Bay and after a few jobs on board all, apart from Jamie went for a swim. We had spotted a few shy turtles swimming about.
Food essentials were running low aboard so a trip to the town was needed. Karen, Antonia, Amie and I motored over to the beach in the tender and pulled it ashore. Bridgetown town centre was very busy but the supermarket wasn’t far away so, we purchased what we needed and struggled back to the beach with our heavy bags, loading them into the little dinghy. The sandy beach shelved away very quickly. We had noticed this on our arrival as us and tender had been catapulted up the beach by breaking waves. On departure we pushed the tender filled with shopping out to a depth that we could get in and drop the outboard motor. Then disaster struck. Suddenly a wave broke over it filling it with water and again catapulting us and it up the beach. Unfortunately the force of the water on the engine caused the engine bracket to break on one side and flooded the outboard with sea water. So we had a flooded dinghy and no outboard. In the end we had to be towed back to Gipsy Moth IV with all our soggy shopping which we had carefully provisioned for.
To end an ‘eventful’ day we had been invited for Christmas Eve drinks aboard a neighbouring anchored yacht, a beautiful Oyster 62 called ‘Wishanger II’. All our jaws dropped at the stunning accommodation and luxury, plus Christmas decorations; a complete contrast to what we have grown a custom to. I think Karen wanted to move in.
We have all gone to bed now like good boys and girls. We have a chimney aboard but we don’t think Santa will be able to get down it.
Merry Christmas all.
Claire Frew (Yachting Monthly)
Happy Christmas to Irene, Karen’s mum, who will be accessing the internet for the first time and of course to all our mums, dads and loved ones.
A BEJAN CHRISTMAS - 25/12/2005
(click for a larger image)
 Happy Christmas
Day 10
Position: Carlisle Bay, Barbados
Christmas Day aboard Gipsy Moth IV
Merry Christmas to all
It had been another night of heavy rain and high winds aboard Gipsy Moth IV, despite this, our anchor held us firm in position.
At dawn, it had just felt like any other day aboard. It wasn’t until we turned on some Christmas music and donned all our Christmas hats that my parents had given me it felt like Christmas (Thank you to Mum and Dad). Amie and I were busily making paper chains and snowflakes to decorate the saloon while Ray was making us his speciality, scrambled eggs. This was later followed by some sparkling wine and strawberries up on deck, which Antonia treated us to.
All crew had arisen extra early in preparation for a live broadcast to BBC News 24, sadly an hour later we were told this had been cancelled, which was disappointing for us and especially the youngsters.
Amie had contacted her Auntie and other family who live in Barbados; they came to collect her at 1pm and she will be staying with them overnight. She seemed very excited and we were all quite jealous to think that she would be sleeping in a warm dry bed, with hot running water on demand and of course, what we missed most, a shower. Her Auntie has kindly offered to give us a tour of the island tomorrow which we are looking forward to.
The remaining crew, now five went ashore in search of Christmas lunch or dinner. We had tried earlier to contact the local yacht clubs but sadly to no avail, they were all closed up for the day. We walked along the white sand towards the Hilton Hotel at the end of the beach. My thought was they may have restaurant serving a Christmas Buffet. Sadly they were fully booked, so we went next door to the Grand Barbadian Hotel. They had room for us and we had lunch. It was lovely to sit in a proper chair and eat and drink without having the palaver of washing up afterwards.
As I sit here typing at 2000hrs, the wind is building again and is beginning to buffet Gipsy Moth IV about on her anchor. We are hoping to move and anchor her closer to shore tomorrow; a good idea, what with yesterday’s tender beach fiasco and us being anchored so far out in 20 metres of water. The plan tonight was to go ashore in search of another meal but this may not happen as it has been such a long few days for us.
Claire Frew (Yachting Monthly)
Karen’s Log
As I awoke, I peered to the bottom of my “coffin” to see what Santa had left me in my stocking, but unfortunately all that was there were three old potatoes. Amie had
not done much better, all she had was fruit and vegetables.
Then the Christmas spirit kicked in, not alcoholic of course! Santa had not forgotten us, he had been unable to fit down our chimney so had left our pressies with the skipper, Antonia.
Whilst we were waiting for the live link we all made our phone calls to our families and loved ones which was quite emotional. Jamie especially perked up after speaking to his Nan and hearing all his family in the back ground or was it that I had promised him a glass or two of his favourite tipple….Coke!!!!
From Antonia
A very happy Christmas to my parents, sisters, brothers, (incl in laws) nieces, nephews and to my in laws –the Nicholsons and Lords. Apart from our day tour in St Lucia, which was preceded by a few frantic hours trying to clear customs, upload information etc this is the first day that I have been able to relax a little. We have had an enjoyable day and have just finished the evening by playing UNO, although unfortunately the sound of the engine running for several hours to charge the batteries ruined the peace. Jamie took himself to bed early, having really enjoyed the day once he had touched base with home and had his coke.
We actually wished there could be a few more hours in the day to fit everything in but we are looking forward to our tour of the island tomorrow then it will back to boat maintenance and a good thorough clean before the crew go home. They have adjusted pretty well and are just getting used to the routine now and we only have to tell the youngsters twice now to do the washing up when its their turn!! I don’t think Jamie and Amie were too impressed with the offshore sailing but we have told them it’s not all about sailing it’s also seeing these fantastic countries and meeting people from all walks of life.
Merry Christmas!
BOXING DAY - 26/12/2005
(click for a larger image)
 Crew at Animal Flower Cave
Day 11
Position: Carlisle Bay, Barbados
Boxing Day aboard Gipsy Moth IV
It was very hot on board overnight and the wind had continued to rock the yacht around on it’s anchor. We all rose early for our usual swim and shower on deck. There were a few jobs to do onboard before we went ashore and to meet Amie’s Auntie for our tour of the island. Gipsy’s batteries have been exhausted while sat here at anchor, so we have been running the engine most of the morning to get some power back to re-charge all the vital equipment.
Midday came and Amie and her auntie Grace, picked us up from the Boatyard in a people carrier and we started our tour of the island. We began with Bridgetown; she showed us the various shopping malls, fish and food markets and other sights, including the Bridge in the Town (i.e. the name Bridgetown) and the Treasury Building with it’s beautiful clock tower. We then went to the Texaco diesel refinery; Diesel is a valuable necessity on the island, as is water; as there is no natural water supply on the island, all water used by homes is desalinated using machines that run on diesel. We were then shown the ‘Hot Pot’ which is a beach where all the hot water from the distilleries is pumped to. The bath like water is known to have healing properties. Other stops on our tour included Folkstone, Port St Charles, the Arawak Cement Plant, the Animal Flower Cave on the northern tip of the island, and Basheeba, a town on the east coast with its exposed and rocky coastline popular with surfers.
Industry and Pride is the slogan of the island. As with St Lucia, sugar cane used to be the main industry on the island but although it is still a big export for Barbados, the tourism industry is the biggest and most profitable industry on the island. There is only one working sugar factory remaining on the island. From our observation, Barbados seems the richer and more civilised of the islands we have visited so far. Yes there are run down areas like any other city or country, but the standard of living and housing is much better.
We visited Amie’s family home where Amie had stayed Christmas night. This was a real insight into Barbadian life. The family were very friendly and hospitable, even though the house was already full of family and visitors. Amie seemed very happy; perhaps it was the good night sleep in a dry bed or a hot shower that did the trick. We’re all very jealous but it was lovely to see her re-united with her relatives. She is staying with her family again tonight.
Back aboard Gipsy Moth IV, the crew are all very shattered after a long day’s site-seeing, we have really enjoyed today. Tomorrow is tidy and clean up day; we are not looking forward to it but it’s got to be done.
Claire Frew (Yachting Monthly)
Jamie’s Log (Highshore School)
I thought that I would share a few interesting facts with you all;
The capital of Antigua is St.Johns.
The capital of Barbados is Bridgetown.
Antigua is made up from volcanic rock.
Barbados is formed from coral and limestone.
English is the main language spoken in both countries.
Antigua became independent 24 years ago.
Barbados became independent 39 years ago.
St Lucia became independent 26 years ago.
St Lucia is the largest of the Islands that I visited.
Antigua has the most mosquito’s…I know because they bit me 24/7.
St. Lucia has scrapped sugar cane for bananas.
Antigua has only one remaining sugar mill out of 150
Barbados has just one sugar mill.
The currency in Barbados is Barbadian Dollars.
The currency in Antigua is Eastern Caribbean Dollars.
Jamie’s tips for an uneventful days sailing;
Never sail on a full stomach because you loose it over the side.
Avoid milk, it curdles in your tummy.
Sleep through most of your watch!
CLEANING AND THE PENULTIMATE DAY - 27/12/2005
(click for a larger image)
 Amie and Jamie sorting the tinned supplies
Day 12
Position: Carlisle Bay, Barbados
Cleaning and Packing up Day
It was another uncomfortable night aboard for us aboard last night. The boat was wallowing gently again in the swell; a few times I nearly came out of my narrow bunk in the saloon. The loud music from the ‘The Boatyard’ bar on the mainland went on late onto the early hours. Jamie seemed to enjoy it and before going to bed, he had sat out on deck as he has done on previous nights, singing along. Once he actually fell asleep out on deck.
Ray had made a list of cleaning and maintenance jobs that had to be done by the end of the day. We all launched into action after a quick early breakfast. The first job was to dry all the lifejackets and oilies out in the sunshine, some actually needed rinsing as they were covered in salt, mildew and most probably sick….nice! All the bedding and cushions followed. Once this was done I set about doing emptying and cleaning the cupboards in the heads. We are still running low on battery power and having to run the engine plus the water maker at least 4 hours a day. So we were working over the din for most of the time.
Amie had stayed again with her family last night and had to be collected at 10am from the Bridgetown dock. Antonia and I went to collect her in the tender. Previously we would have taken the tender to the bar resort ‘The Boatyard’ as they have a handy pier for docking, but each day we landed were charged $20 US for a day’s landing. Not a bad rate but we have now found we can leave the tender on the town moorings for free. Ray and Antonia will be on the boat for a further 6 weeks, they will be running the yacht for the next two legs. The next crew arrive in the new year.
The next major job was the interior surfaces down below. All the treadmaster/trackmark flooring had to be cleaned; the removable sections were cleaned on deck my Karen and Jamie and the remaining panels were scrubbed thoroughly by Antonia and I. The difference was incredible; the floor was filthy with bits of food, stains and goodness knows what else.
It’s our last night aboard Gipsy Moth IV. It is finally sinking in that we will be leaving tomorrow. Jamie still remains adamant that he hasn’t enjoyed himself but I think he has. I’m sure he will miss it and look back on it for years to come. I know for a fact he has become rather attached to the yachts inflatable tender and can now drive it like a real professional. The team has really pulled together today, its weird but I think we have all developed a greater respect and pride in Gipsy; she has been our shelter and home for the last two weeks.
Tomorrow, the plan is to go and explore the town and shop for some last minute Duty free pressies.
Claire Frew (Yachting Monthly)
GOING HOME - 28/12/2005
(click for a larger image)
 On the beach before leaving
Day 13
Position: Carlisle Bay, Barbados
Going Home Today
On my last day I thought I’d tell you a bit more about the little quirks and habits we have uncovered about Gipsy Moth IV. When she is sailing along she is very strong to helm, this is due to a strong weather helm. She has a few other unusual habits. Retrieving an anchor with the wind on the nose; normally any other yacht would exit with the bow being pushed downwind, the boat turning itself in the wind, with the stern upwind. She on the other hand kept her bows upwind and the boat gradually walked her way sideways. Antonia and Ray think this something to do with the weight and displacement in the keel; it could even be the shape of the hull. Manoeuvring under engine can be a frustrating and very hit or miss task. Gipsy’s prop is above the rudder so when in reverse no water is being pushed over the rudder; therefore she tends to have a mind of her on when trying to moor up and movements with the rudder will not rectify the situation. Gipsy Moth IV was definitely the first of a kind and ahead of her time, and I believe she and Francis Chichester have been the inspiration of many a sailor and yacht builder after them. I still don’t know how Chichester did it, Gipsy is certainly a handful.
For me this adventure has been the experience of a lifetime. I have fulfilled a couple of great ambitions of mine. I have explored the blue waters of the Caribbean, experienced my first offshore passages (although only 260 miles) and the real bonus was that it was all aboard probably the most famous yacht in the world. I shall treasure my experience for the rest of my life. My thanks to my skipper Antonia, first mate Ray and to the rest of the crew, I will miss you all very much. Amie and Jamie, each in their own special way, are probably two of the most talented and caring youngsters I know. I’m sure they have learnt some valuable lessons on this adventure and I’m sure they will cherish their experiences for the rest of their lives.
Claire Frew (Yachting Monthly)
Amie’s view: aka Snow
From gipsy to family 24th - 28th
Hi! Everyone,
It was around 6:00am in the morning and I was awoken from my uncomfortable but precious sleep, I was wet, salty, stinky and TIRED! From my 3 hour night shift I had done earlier on. My wake up call was the voice of Antonia “Amie….Amie! We’re here…..were in Barbados!...wake up.” A smile suddenly sprang to my face with happiness and relief. I made a “BR-AP!” sound (local teen celebration gesture) and jumped out of my casket, I trampled up the cockpit and once I saw the view of my mother’s birth place I was overwhelmed I couldn’t wait to get off gipsy and get on dry land, Ray claimed he could almost smell the rum from the Mount Gay factory.
We firstly docked at Bridgetown port and cleared customs, straight away I called my cousin Grace-Anne to say I have ARRIVED!. Later on in the day we sailed over to Carlisle bay and anchored.
Christmas day on Gipsy Moth IV.
Christmas on gipsy to be honest started of quite quiet and boring … I was homesick because it was weird not waking up to my mum and brother shouting “Merry Christmas!” and “Hurry up and get ready for church!” or waking up to a nice full on mouth watering Sunday breakfast. We had eggs for breakfast that Ray had made and they were delicious. Later on Antonia had let me meet up with my family and stay there for a day or so. My cousin Grace had picked me up in front of the boat yard and was welcomed with a lovable and suffocating hug. When I had finally arrived at the family home I said hello to everyone and merry Christmas to all and then got FOOD! A variety of rices, ham, BBQ chicken and macaroni pie which was delightful as always. Later on I went on the internet to talk with my friends and was stampeded with “HELLOS!” and “ARE YOU BACK YET!?” the conversations never stopped, so much that I went to bed at…..4 o’clock in the morning!. I couldn’t wait to hit he sack , but when I did I slept with the biggest grin on my face and woke up with it to.
Boxing day around Barbados:
My cousin Grace-anne, had said that she would take my gipsy moth mates and I on a tour round Barbados I couldn’t wait because I love it all the time.
My cousin and I picked up the crew and started our journey. We covered all sorts of destinations even some of my family homes which was pleasant.
My best time of the day was the cliffs next to the animal flower cave its beautiful in the morning and just as beautiful at night.
When the tour was over my cousin dropped us of at the boat yard and was saying our goodbyes , but then surprisingly Antonia said I could stay another day with my family I was overwhelmed another day in a comfy bed and running water and most of all FOOD!. I jumped at the offer and said thank you. My 2 cousins and I left and went back to my aunty graces house and was knocked out .in the morning I got my hair done by one of my cousins named michelle which came out splendid by the way and then left quite late to go back to gipsy.
I got back on gipsy I was happy to see her but at the same time sorry to say bye to my cousin , we had to give her a makeover in other words clean her all up and I got the heads but it was ok . this is my final night sleeping on gipsy and I am overjoyed that I don’t have to sleep in a casket anymore. I am definitely going to miss her and the sailing and I’m hoping I could do it again, but not for quite a while, give it another 3 months then I’ll be ready to get back to it (ha,ha!).
Goodbye!!!! Im going home tomorrow and can’t wait to see the family and friends.
YAY!!
Jamie’s view;
Sailalong with the Hallett!!!
Although I found the whole sailing experience difficult. I am pleased to say that it ended on a high.
I am now able to drive the dinghy. I took Karen and Antonia for a farewell cruise. We visited our neighbours, “Wish Hanger” to bid them Bon Voyage, and then back home to The Gipsy Moth.
A big thank you to Antonia for all her patience with me and to Karen for nominating me to go on this trip. A hello to Robert, who should have been on this leg but unfortunately he broke his shoulder.
Karen says:
As our adventure is drawing to an end I would like to say “Thank You” to;
Highshore School for giving me the opportunity to support Jamie on the “once in a life time opportunity”. How many STA’s get this chance in life! I will never complain about my job again, well only quietly.
To the UKSA –David Green, for selecting Highshore to be part of the Gipsy Moth experience; names include, Simon Hay, John Jeffreys and Dewi Thomas for all their training and advice which they gave us before making this trip.
Special thanks to my family, especially my two children Claire and Tom who I left home alone, for all their support and encouragement. They have enjoyed reading the Skippers Log, as they can keep abreast of my adventures.
As the oldest member of the crew I can actually remember waving to Sir Francis Chichester with my flag on the river bank as a child, and have visited her many a time whilst she was in dry dock in Greenwich -never thinking that I would be part of this amazing experience.
Through this experience I have acquired new skills, made new friends; visited amazing places and I have fulfilled several of my life ambitions, visiting a volcano and standing under a waterfall.
Finally, thanks to Antonia and Ray who have been fantastic. Ant especially, she kept me going throughout the night with her endless supplies of sweets.
Thank you…I will never forget you both.
A QUIET MAINTENANCE DAY WITH A RUN ASHORE - 29/12/2005
(click for a larger image)
 The Careenage at Bridgetown
Day 14
Position: Carlisle Bay, Barbados
What a strange night. I have spent the last two weeks sleeping in the forepeak with Jamie on the other side of the cabin and it has been weird not hearing him stir during the night. Also, nobody has been taking little trips to the heads, which tends to be noisy, as the pump is on the bulkhead.
As is my ritual I put up the rain charms (wind scopes) before going to bed and at about midnight it rained for half an hour. Antonia, who decided to sleep in Jamie’s old bunk, got up and closed the hatch. I lay in my bunk with a little smile because it takes about five minutes. Out here five minutes is all it takes to get soaked. I listened to her grumble and curse, glad it was not me for a change.
At six o’clock, just as the sun was about to make it’s appearance, I wondered through the yacht to pop up on deck and again it felt strange, with nobody in the bunks. No sleepy “hello” from Claire, Amie or Karen. Five minutes later saw me in my bunk finishing off a novel.
Antonia and I got up an hour later and put on the kettle. We had a lovely breakfast of bacon sandwiches with a mug of tea and coffee respectively. In the process of making the brews it was apparent that the milk was not happy in the container, as it had escaped into the small fridge. So that was the first job of the day. The engine was put on to recharge the batteries (which takes a good four hours at least) and we decided to do some of the maintenance and defects list.
I do not know how many of you that read these reports own or work on boats, if you do not then you may not realise the importance of keeping on top of the jobs.
This is a short list of lessons I have learned;
1) No job is ever too small. Rule of thumb, a five minute job will always take half a day.
2) Whenever you decide to varnish, it WILL rain.
3) Never put off doing a job, at sea they always get worse.
4) A gentle tap does not really work, as it usually involves the tapping device going over the side (i.e. spanner or hammer) or the tapped object will split (i.e. starter motor).
5) Never concentrate fully on a job, you will either fall over the side as a speed boat wake rocks the yacht, or a deck fitting will bite your toes. In Gipsy Moth it is usually a deck frame that lowers itself three inches to catch your forehead.
6) Always paint, varnish or epoxy when nobody else is on board, they will touch it and ask, “is this wet?”
7) Sikaflex, 5200 and 4200 was invented by a sadist, as it is designed to spread by three times its volume and coat everything in sight.
8) You will never have the right size bolt, if you do you will not have the nut that fits it.
9) Never use sharp knives, chisels or sail repair needles as you will slice, puncture or stab either yourself or the item you are working on (i.e. dingy, sail etc).
10) Always get in a professional, you have somebody else to blame. There are two words you never ever want to hear a tradesman say and these are “Oh s**t!!!!).
Anyway Antonia and I fixed a split in the cap rail, re-fit a couple of latches and also completed a number of small jobs. I am pleased to say that the job list has been much reduced. I would like to point out that any yacht always has at least a page of jobs that are not important i.e. will not affect the sailing of the vessel, but make a small difference to either the appearance of the yacht or just make life aboard a little easier. A lot of jobs on the list would be nice to do.
However at the UKSA, where we train prospective skippers, we follow a routine maintenance plan, that splits up jobs into weekly, monthly, four monthly, six monthly and annually. These are the jobs that must be done to make sure the yacht is always safe and ready to go to sea. This policy is professional in the regard that if the skipper is not happy, they yacht does not sail until they are happy!
After lunch Antonia decided it was time to drop tools and go ashore. I have not been ashore for a couple of days and was very happy to go. We headed towards the internet café to send more video clips and photographs. We then headed to the Barbados Yacht Club, to introduce ourselves and of course the star of the show Gipsy Moth. The person we needed to talk to was not in, however we were informed that they had been invited to the reception at Mount Gay on the 3rd. Next stop was a mobile phone shop so Antonia could purchase a pre-paid SIM card for the phone. This is a lot cheaper than using a normal mobile phone, as you do not have to pay for receiving calls. Next was a stop in an electronics shop were we picked up 100 re-writable CD’s. We then headed back to the yacht to write this report and Antonia has a couple of e-mails to send.
We have decided to go out for a couple of hours this evening and sample a bit of the night life, as this will be the first and only time we will be able to, so I shall sign off and talk to you tomorrow.
Ray Nicholson (1st Mate, husband and dogs body).
P.S. Thanks for the Christmas cake Grandpa, it was fantastic!
SAMPLING LOCAL ENTERTAINMERNT - 30/12/2005
(click for a larger image)
 Carlisle Wharf
Day 16
Position: Carlisle Bay, Barbados
Antonia and I have just come back from an evening out at The Plantation. This is one of the main attractions on the island, one we were told not to miss.
We got up this morning and wondered ashore, we needed to get a couple of personal items and Antonia also had to make a number of phone calls. First of all Antonia called a shipping company that was supposed to have received a number of items for the yacht. This ended up taking quite a bit of time due to people not being in. The items were supposedly sent to the Barbados Yacht Club, however they have ended up in another shipping company’s warehouse on the island, so we need to make further arrangements to pick the items up. These things never seem to go smoothly.
The rest of the day was spent walking around. We found out some information about the island. Mainly that the British colonised the island during the 1700’s and imported slaves from Africa to work the sugar plantations that were set up. The island also started making rum that became very popular during this time. It turns out that where we are anchored was the main area for the square rigged sailing ships to anchor. The small harbour we have been going ashore was the area for the lighters (small shallow drafted craft used to transport the goods to the ships) used to pick up their cargo. The harbour also had facilities to tip ships right on their side, until the masts were touching the wharf almost, so that the hull could be cleaned of sea growth, which would slow a sailing vessel down by as much as three knots. This process was called careening, and the harbour is called the Careenage. There is an area just inshore that has some old photographs of what the area looked like during its hay day.
We came back to the yacht, got changed and then headed of to the Hilton hotel to pick up the bus, which was to take us to Plantation. It turns out that transport, food, drink and the entertainment we inclusive of the price. We were then treated to shows such as cabaret dancing, local carnival dancing, fire eating, a limber pole competition, a steel band and one of Barbados’s famous local bands. All in all it was a very good evening and more history of the island was explained. Tomorrow it is back to work with the jobs and getting the yacht ready for the new crew to arrive.
Ray Nicholson.
OLD YEARS NIGHT- 31/12/2005
 Sunset In Paridise
Position: 13 06N 59 38W
Its New Years Eve to us Brits, but out here it’s the end of a year and that’s what they are celebrating tonight. Ray and I have been thinking about how to see the New Year in, there are numerous parties on the island but we decided we couldn’t leave Gipsy Moth on her own so here we shall stay. What a year it’s been, I have been involved with the project all year and Ray directly since the spring so there’s no better place to be. Ray is cooking a hot pepper chicken dish and some breadfruit. Later we shall toast the New Year with a Mount Gay and some Caribbean rum cake. All along the West Coast there will be numerous firework shows so we should get to see at least three lots from our anchorage. The local yachties spend the night on their boats watching the fireworks so we feel we are doing the right thing.
Our plan this morning was to nip ashore to the Internet café and to look for some varnish because the chandlery we found was predominantly a fishing store. Then spend the rest of the day varnishing and generally preparing for the next leg. However just as we got into our little dinghy I received a phone call from Penny the Sailing Secretary of the Barbados Yacht Club Sailing Association. She invited us to meet her for lunch at the Yacht Club.
We met some of the Clubs members and some very memorable characters. Most of them had come across Gipsy Moth before, either seeing her at Greenwich, at Southampton Boat show or reading the book. These people have lived in Barbados for at least ten years and some all their lives, so it’s amazing that this far from the UK in the West Indies, our maritime treasure has made a name for herself. So thanks to Penny and Rod for their hospitality and to Wipers for the use of his mooring. We were quite amused at one gentleman who after discussing Gipsy’s characteristics said “ we all like skinny women so what’s wrong with a skinny boat”.
The Barbados Yacht Club has over 900 members and appears to be more of a social club with some tennis courts, sailing facilities, a great beach kitchen and set on a fairly big site. They have the typical fleet of Oppies for the kids and have a good range of sailing courses and of course lots of racing. It was odd to see the yachts still on the hard but they will be launched soon now Hurricane season is over. Wipers offered us his mooring because he reckoned it would be out of the noise range from the Boatyard pub and Harbour Lights, which are audible till 4am. So when we got back to the boat we commenced at pulling the line up. We managed all the rope and about 15 metres of anchor chain but then had to give in. Ray did not want to use the windlass because the chain would ruin his careful paintwork! He also said the crew could haul it in when we leave, it will be character building.
We are not allowed to move from here without permission from the Customs and Immigration and that in itself would take half a day to organise. Despite Barbados having some very good sailors and a large sailing community, the facilities here are not great for yachts. The only marina is at Port Saint Charles, which is on the NW coast but apparently only has enough room for about 6 vessels and the berths are usually taken up by superyachts.
We have been told the nearest yacht friendly place (i.e. a chandlry) is Bequia, in the Grenadines, which happens to be our next Port of Call.
Finally, we would like to wish you all a very happy new year and a very special thank you to our main partners: Yachting Monthly, UKSA, the Maritime Trust, the Isle of Wight, Corum, BT and Inmarsat. Without the support from these organisations and many more Gipsy Moth IV would be spending another sad year at Greenwich. Instead she will be giving youngsters and many others an experience that they won’t forget in 2006. It certainly will be an experience we won’t forget. There are many more sponsors and supporters than those above, however from the three of us and Blackbeard of course we wish you all
A very prosperous New Year.
Antonia Nicholson (Skipper)
PS The accompanying photos aren’t loading onto the site so we shall try to add one tomorrow. |
