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Skipper’s Log – Tuesday 10th April
The wind was whistling again when we woke up, and all the yachts in the marina were leaning over and bouncing around. Easy decision – no sailing today.

Plenty of other things to do, though. One was to find an engineer who could explain why one of our 2 fuel filters was not letting fuel through. He couldn’t explain it, but after he’d sworn at it in Greek and poked it around a lot, it was working. Another was to get a minibus and drive ourselves into the mountains. I’ll let the crew tell about that:

Mate Frank:
Yesterday’s decision that it was too windy to go sailing took some time, this morning John and I had made our decision within 5 minutes of waking up.

However the day has been a great success firstly we found an engineer who after much head scratching fixed the engine problem after tackling a few more maintenance tasks we headed off to Lato a Crete village dating back to 700 BC. When archaeological ruins inspires 3 teenagers you know they are special and these really blew me away.

On the way back we came across a restaurant that looked like a cross between a English café and someone’s front garden, I went into investigate and was taken into the kitchen to look at what was in the pot! Well I was sold, my sort of place, we had the most fantastic lunch for 15 euro all local produce, no menu and served by a mother and daughter team

Seems strange to think this is our last night on Gipsy Moth IV it has been a great week

Fran:
Today it was to windy to go sailing, so we got up and started doing some chores on the boat. We had to take the floor out to get to the water pups to fill the up with water; we then scrubbed the floors boards before we put them back in. After this we drove to a place called Latto, on the way there the drive was so beautiful, there were loads of bright trees and the olive tree’s were especially nice, there were big mountains as well. Latto was a wonderful place, it was absolutely amazing, it’s a place right on the top of a mountain full of old rewinds from about 700BC. It was so beautiful and we got some great pictures. We then came back to the boat to get towels to go to the beach, before we got to the beach we got crêpes, I had white chocolate and strawberry. Then we went on to the beach and played football, volleyball, paddled and of course sunbathed. I think I have to say the highlight of the day for me was going to Latto. (and maybe the crepe.)

Rachel:
Today we got up and the first thing we did after breakfast was sort out the water tanks which took around an hour as well as washing the boards that fit into the floor. We then went to a beautiful village called Latto, the different thing about this village is that it was all in ruins, this might have something to do with fact that it dates back to 700 BC. We went all the way up the to get to the village. It was absolutely the most amazing view I have seen in my life even though I am in fact terrified of heights. It was so interesting to see the remains of what used to be such a big and busy village. We made out what seamed to be a few houses, a dungeon, and lots of equipment for work, and most importantly where they got their food and water from. We saw lots of orange trees, olive trees, and lemon trees. We also saw some goats and lots of herbs and plants. We went for lunch at a little café off the road on the way back there was only one choice for dinner which made a nice change and we were the only ones there. We had meatballs and aubergines, and Greek salad. We came home and had a crepe and went on the beach where we played football.

And finally Larvell:
Today was a great sunny hot day, the wind was nice as the breeze cooled us down today we got up and went to ancient ruins on the hills of Crete the scenery was nice I took a few photos and then we went to a little café in a little village the food was nice especially the meat ball. After that we went to the beach and played a bit of football. Today has gone so fast but it was a cool day, we had a white chocolate crepe at a shop near the boat that was nice too.

Skipper again – So, it’s a toss up between spectacular ruins and food. Let’s call it a draw. And let’s cross fingers for a less-windy day tomorrow.
John Jeffrey

John Jeffrey, Skipper

Final words from the Leg 25 Crew, rapidly getting used to being back on dry land

Rebecca’s log

Wow, it’s been a whole week without a diary entry from me. Time is flying now were on dry land with lots to do. It’s a race against time to complete all the jobs and maintenance work on Gipsy Moth that is needed before her next voyage to Crete. We managed to squeeze some time for a day trip to Luxor. We saw Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple and Luxor museum, all very fascinating but think I will leave Jonny to explain as he has greater knowledge about what we saw than myself. One thing I do have knowledge in is beer and was perplexed to find the restaurant we had lunch/dinner in didn’t serve it! What a crazy world we live in eh. After a lovely meal, we got back in the car with our very nice Egyptian cab driver who seemed to think we were part of Wacky Races and so did everyone else in the convoy for that matter. Great fun though.

Mate Alan

This will be my last entry into the Gipsy Moth log, rather sad really, as we prepare and service this wonderful yacht for the last stages of it’s very long and successful round the world journey before it heads home via the Suez canal. El Gouna’s marina is in a very smart place but needs to expand its real yacht maintenance facilities, the chandeliers does a good line in blow up rubber chairs but stock’s very limited boat spares, watching John trying to explain to the local shop keeper that he wanted a bucket was like a faulty towers classic. There are tons to do on the yacht and we have all been busy repairing electrics, repacking washing and generally making the boat look nice again plus ensuring John have some lights for the next leg!

The crew went off to Luxor for a day to see a little of ancient Egypt, 0500 start (although I did see John making a brew at 0350 (someone set their alarm wrong) arriving back at 2300 completely wiped out after 6 hours in a 4X4 that was driven by a budding formula 1 champion, so not much sleep there.

Still work to do on the boat, then a little well earned R&R before departing back to work. A couple of trips are planned that include a visit to the famous undersea world of the Red Sea and a cultural visit to the back streets and markets of an Egyptian town.

I have said this before, but I will say it again the young crew have been fantastic, a real credit to their organisations. This adventure will certainly stay with them for a considerable time and who knows how it may focus their futures? I personally wish to thank all those involved in the organisation and funding of this project for without them Gipsy Moth would still be rotting in her dry dock. Over and out.

Jason’s log

Last entry today as the new crew arrive in a few days rather envy them the chance to take this elegant looking lady up through Suez back towards home waters she has looked after us well guarding us from kamikaze shipping and fishing boats but like any lady worth her salt has kept us on our toes with exaggerated lean angles and plenty of slamming to windward.
On arrival in el goanna after negotiating extensive reefs and kamikaze fishing boats I was filled with excitement at the prospect of services on offer at this attractive looking marina
But also part of me longed to turn her about and keep on chasing that elusive horizon.
We have now spent a lot of time doing much needed maintenance and she has also received a well deserved clean and pamper and now looks so much better and it is now a pleasure to show her of to other sailors and tourists alike .
We have managed to fit in a trip to Luxor where we saw many antiquities and it was humbling to think that all this was going on when our ancestors were barely leaving their caves. I think we shall all be glad to see our family’s but sad to leave the boat. It goes without saying our gratitude to John for keeping us safe. Alan Flavell and those who along with UKSA and many sponsors enabled us to participate in what must be one of the experiences of a lifetime.

Jonathan

Since we arrived we’ve mostly been doing essential boat maintenance and attempting to fix all the little niggles. I think it’s safe to say that nearly every piece of equipment on board has, at least once, been faulty or stopped working. It all adds to the character of the boat though and it’s certainly kept us on our toes. One of the main jobs has been to re-wire the mast which has kept John, Alan and Jason busy for days. John finally thought he’d fixed the problem and came down to climb ashore and check that the mast light was working. No sooner had John stepped off the boat had Jason said “John, the lights gone out again”. John spun round with a look of immense horror on his face. “Whaaaat?!” he exclaimed. “Only joking” replied Jason sheepishly.

Anyway, Gipsy Moth now looks almost new after having been cleaned top to bottom with more soaps, polishes and varnishes than you can shake a stick at. There’s a few more odds and ends that we need to tie up and then we’ll be done. It’ll be really sad to leave the boat, its looked after us and kept us (relatively) dry through some pretty tough weather.

Apart from working on the boat life is a lot more chilled out now we’re on dry land. On Monday we had the opportunity to travel to Luxor and view some of the ancient temples and museums there. It was an early 0530 start, made even earlier by my dodgy alarm setting skills. A very nice Egyptian driver came to pick us up and we drove down to Safaga to meet up with a massive police escorted convoy. There were hundreds of coaches and taxis and the journey from there to Luxor was not for the faint hearted. Random over-taking, random signalling, driving within a foot of the vehicle in front, driving with no lights on in the dark, and driving on the wrong side of the road (even with on-coming traffic!) seemed to be the general rules of the road. We arrived in Luxor at about 10 am and went straight to the Temple of Karnak. I could’ve happily spent hours wandering around. For those who don’t know it contains the largest hypostyle hall in the world with 134 massive stone columns making up the complex. With all the hieroglyphics and the sheer magnitude of the temple it really does take your breath away. Well worth a visit if you’re interested in that sort of stuff. That’s my part for the Egyptian tourist board done! After Karnak we moved down to Luxor Museum and then onto Luxor Temple. This temple was smaller than Karnak but equally impressive, with paint still visible on some of the better preserved walls. After a bite to eat we just had time to briefly explore downtown Luxor before piling into our Land Cruiser and heading off to meet the last convoy back to Safaga. We didn’t get back until after 11 pm so needless to say we all fell into our beds and that was that.
Anyhow, that’s enough of my waffling. Bex says I’ve already written too much! Just a few thankyous left. I’d like to thank Alan Flavell for organising equipment and courses for us, for looking after us and for being a great mentor. I’d also like to thank all the sponsors who made this amazing adventure possible for us. Thanks to John Jeffrey for skippering this yacht up the Red Sea professionally and getting us here in one piece! One last thanks to everyone at home who has been really supportive both in preparation for this trip and while we’ve been sailing, and to everyone who’s been following these logs. I hope they’ve made an interesting read and that we’ve properly expressed just how much fun we’ve had over the last 3 weeks. Thanks!! Bon voyage bye bye (ask John).

Skipper again – Bex was right, Jonathan wrote a lot more than appears here, but I’ve sadly had to trim it or it will never get through our narrow bandwidth link and onto the website. I think there’s plenty left here to show what a stimulating time the Leg 25 crew have had, on both land and sea.

John Jeffrey, Skipper

When we last posted a log, we were on our way north from Port Ghalib. Since then, a lot has happened. We’ve reached our destination of El Gouna, we’ve worked on the yacht, and we’ve explored a bit of Egypt. Here are just some of the stories:

Johannes – 9th March

Hi there, its 13:00 here and were making our way strongly towards el gona, our final destination and so the end of leg 25 and this crew, however….we’ve got a few days after cleaning up the boat to go site seeing and embrace as much culture as possible, so needles to say moral is exceptionally high.

I’m really looking forward to some snorkelling and enjoying a meal sat down on a table chair, never the less, gipsy moth is never to be forgotten, her and all the challenges she gave us.

Mate Alan

Our sail North from Port Ghalib started with the predicted calm weather that stayed in place until I went off shift at midnight, having seen in the early evening the most outstanding sunset of our leg and dined in our usual fine style treating ourselves to a can of mixed fruit for afters. I woke around 0300hours dreaming in was back in the washing machine suspended about 12 inches above my bed as the boat rocked and rolled. It was confirmed when I got up and saw Jason and Johan in full wet gear, soaked to the skin, with waves crashing over the deck that we were in for another stonking with a 6/7 NW just about on the nose. With this wind we had to tack to make the waypoint that would lead us into the coral reefs and channels taking us north to El Gouna. The wind continued for the whole day and by the time we entered the very tight channel into the El Gouna marina all bodies were encrusted with salt and we and Gipsy Moth were in much need of a fresh water wash. El Gouna’s marina is in a very smart place but needs to expand its real yacht maintenance facilities, the chandeliers does a good line in blow up rubber chairs but stock’s very limited boat spares, watching John trying to purchase and explain to the local shop keeper that he wanted a bucket was like a faulty towers classic. There are tons to do on the yacht and we have all been busy repairing electrics, repacking washing and generally making the boat look nice again plus ensuring John have some navigation lights for the next leg!

Jonathan

It seems like forever ago that I last wrote on the log, and a lot has happened since then. We arrived at Port Ghalib on Tuesday 6th and took a couple of days to relax and square the boat away ready for the last stint up to El Gouna. The only catch was the dubious path from the boat to the nearby hotel, including the “Ridge of Death” (which nearly claimed Bex) and the “Concrete swamp” (which also nearly claimed Bex and her sandals too!)
We departed from Ghalib on Thursday and planned to make use of the calm winds to get up to El Gouna sharpish. However the wind didn’t behave as it was supposed to and as darkness fell it started picking up again. Many people believe that the only way to experience weightlessness is to either shoot up into space or freefall in specially designed aircraft, but there is another way. Leave the helm in Johan’s (north steering) hands, head into wind and attempt to kip in the forepeak.

By Friday morning everyone was well and truly drenched and looking more like huge chunks of salt rather than sailors. Abu Tig Marina was in sight and, after avoiding a kamikaze fishing boat, Alan skilfully navigated us through the shallow coral reefs and into our final destination.

Skipper again – Quite a journey, especially since we had timed our departure from Port Ghalib to coincide with the slack winds that had been forecast. No wonder the crew were a bit shell shocked when we arrived, and setting finger to keyboard didn’t come high on their priority list! But we’re safely snugged up now and the guys are busily creating their final masterpieces. More later.

John Jeffrey, Skipper

Now we’ve left the tropics, the nights suddenly seem genuinely colder. So when Rebecca talks about chilling out, you have to read between the lines. Warm enough during the day to swim, though.

Rebecca

Good morning all. It’s early o’clock in the morning and I’ve just come off watch. We left Port Galib yesterday around 1000hrs and have been making steady progress up the Red Sea towards our destination of El Gouna. We should be there by this afternoon. When we tipped up at Port Galib on Tuesday, we wasn’t quite sure what we were gonna find. It turned out to be a good place to stop. Ok, the whole place was a building site but once you took the 10 minute trek across the rough terrains of what is to become a great mariner, you got to a fabulous hotel where we had dinner on the first night and was welcomed to use their facilities. We got some snorkelling gear and went to the nearby reef for some fish watching. I kinda freaked out when I realised I was surrounded by jellyfish (naturally) and needless to say, I wasn’t impressed when Johan threw one at me. Eugh. Once in the reef, we saw some breathtaking sights. I was just feet from a couple of lion fish, massive sea urchins (Johan tried to stroke it and got a bit stuck in his finger), clams and loads of other fish I haven’t even seen before, oh yeah, and jellyfish. That was wednsday which was just a chill out day. Once we get to El Gouna, we have work to do on te boat but for now, it’s time for some zeds.

P.S. It was great speaking to you lot. And make sure you email the gipsy moth addy crisy boy not mine. Xxx

Skipper again – you’ll notice Rebecca doesn’t mention the exotic belly dancer. I wonder why?

John Jeffrey, Skipper

It’s 7th March and yes, I know we’ve missed a day. Put it down to bureaucracy. Here’s how things developed:

Rebecca’s Log
05th March 2007

Some good news, we will be arriving in Egypt tomorrow. We’ll be stopping in harbour until at least Thursday evening or Friday morning depending on the weather after which we will make the 120 mile trip up to our crews final destination. We have until the 22nd to take in the sights, food and whatever else we can make time for. Gipsy Moth and her skipper, I’m afraid do not. They are scheduled to leave around the 18th on Leg 26 to their destination of Crete. Our Gipsy Moth experience isn’t over yet but so far it’s been one of learning and great opportunities from the Navy experience to seeing great natural beauty like the dolphins or sunrise or the night sky, the list goes on. All in all, it’s been an experience to remember and I’m sure that it won’t end once we get off and on land.

Mate Alan
We have had a period of intense beating with 100 mile reaches making slow progress towards our destination while dogging the shipping going up and down the red sea. We have now decided on the direct approach and have the engine on making our way towards our entry to Egypt and refuel port. Since my last diary entry we have seen a pod of dolphins that played for half an hour in our wake, they are a happy crazy bunch who leave you wondering what they know and think when they disappear as quickly as they arrive. This morning on the 0400-0800 watch we sited land for the first time for 12 days or so. It was the desert mountains of Southern Egypt illuminated by a setting moon and a rising sun about 30 miles in the distance, the heavenly bodies made this a very spectacular and unforgettable dawn especially from our isolated location at sea. Our clothes can stand up by themselves with the amount of salt in them, hair styles are not much better, I’m quite at home with this lack of washing business and the rest are coping well, but, Bex can often be seen with head in bucket trying to make her hair shine! The food has been outstanding considering the conditions we have to cook in, it seems to have developed into a competition between the watches, however, one watch found some tins on board from India with a fish and coconut label on them, opened, cooked and eaten talk about fire in a can, I’m still biting the toilet roll holder! Thank you the last crew! Jonny and Johan have a beard and are trying to work out the best time to whip them off so as not to effect the sun tans, Jason now weighs in at 10 stone and is on his 3rd book, Bex is forever happy and is gradually dropping down the factors on the sun-cream, John our skipper is always on the go, communicating and finding all sorts to repair on the boat, all this coupled with his regular Scarecrow Dingle Dangle song and impressions. Well that’s all for now, hi to everyone in UK, Ross, Iona, Rob, Grace and Sunny, Ross I often look at the forepeak bunk and imagine you there right at the start of the Gipsy Moth adventure. Take care all, Alan.


Skipper again

We finally arrived after a hearty breakfast at sea, squeezing between two arms of a reef and tying up outside the Immigration office. It was strange to be on land again after almost exactly 14 days at sea; except that we were not allowed on land. Six hours later we were still aboard, with our passports due to be returned “in ten minutes” every time we asked. In the end, we were released into the marina just in time to get to the restaurant ashore; which is where we met our new friend (see above). Just like the sea, it all moved up and down and back and forth and round and round, in a quite unpredictable yet fascinating way. And so did we, with just enough coordination and energy left to collapse into our bunks and sleep for hours and hours and hours and hours. Unsurprisingly, today has been given over to cleaning and tidying, and just a little bit of relaxing.

John Jeffrey, Skipper - Monday 5th March

There are mountains in sight in the moonlight, and we are looking forward to being on dry land for the first time in almost 2 weeks. Before we get in and start forgetting the sea (no, not really!), we want to tell you about one of the highlights of the voyage that we haven’t mentioned before, because the Royal Navy asked us not to. They are naturally enough very cagey about exact details of their movements, so when we met them by arrangement a while back, we agreed to keep quiet about it until they were long gone. Now their story has appeared on the RN’s own website, so here is the tale from Gipsy Moth IV’s point of view.

Mate Alan

Off the Djibouti coast we had an RV with 2 Royal Navy warships, HMS Cornwall and Fort Austin plus a few helicopters. The choppers were photographing Gipsy Moth in her full glory with the chute flying and the crew in their team shirts looking the part for our visitors. Unfortunately the down draft from the choppers caused havoc with our sail plan and we requested a no fly zone around the yacht otherwise we could have been knocked down and that would have been another story! Sailing along with two warships as escorts was fantastic especially when Cornwall turned on her full speed ahead, very impressive. The Navy did us proud, assisted with a repair to our water-maker, supplied us with a full breakfast English for a month and took 4 of the crew aboard HMS Cornwall for a very memorable tour of the ship while John and I entertained the very hot and sweaty repair team. (Perhaps I should emphasise that they weren’t hot and sweaty until after they had been working inside our engine compartment – John).

A massive thank you to HMS Cornwall’s Captain and crew and we aboard Gipsy Moth wish you all the very best for your deployment.

Johnny
Last Wednesday (21st) we had a rather exciting encounter with the Royal Navy. At around 1100hrs a Lynx Mk8 helicopter was spotted flying straight towards us. Once it got overhead it circled above us a few times before disappearing again. “That can’t be it” we said to one another, and then sure enough we noticed two ship-like shapes just on the horizon. As they got closer we were able to identify them as the Navy warships HMS Cornwall and Fort Austin. They looked magnificent as they steamed towards us and made us feel very small in our little yacht!
Once again the Lynx returned and resumed its orbit of us whilst one of the aircrew appeared to be taking pictures. It was great, I never expected to being meeting the Navy. However, that wasn’t the end of it. John received a radio message from HMS Cornwall asking if some of our crew wanted to come aboard and have a look round. “Yes please!” were our replies, so they dispatched a sea boat to come and pick us up. Not only that but they sent two engineers along to fix our broken-down water maker, several jerry cans of water and a massive bag of food to keep us going. Most generous!
We donned our life jackets and helmets and then clambered aboard the sea boat. Getting up onto HMS Cornwall from the sea boat was now the next challenge. A ladder was dangled down and we had to negotiate our way up the side of the ship. I really didn’t want to fall in, there were a lot of people watching up on deck! Once we were all up we met a very friendly Naval Officer who introduced himself, took us to meet the Captain and then showed us around the different parts of the ship.
We must have been about an hour but it wasn’t nearly enough. Everyone from the Captain downwards did everything they could to help. We were given ice cold drinks (bliss), some tasty baguettes and even offered hot showers (which two of us took up!). They really were very kind to us.
We looked back at Gipsy Moth from the main deck and it didn’t look that appealing. Did I mention that the Cornwall had air conditioning as well? Nevertheless the time came and we had to depart. We said our goodbyes, re-negotiated the ladder and motored back to our yacht. It seemed loads smaller now! The Navy guys and girl picked up their jerry cans and the two engineers (one of which was slightly ‘ill’ whilst on board) and left us to our own devices.
It was brilliant experience and I’d like to thank everyone on board the Cornwall for looking after us and making us feel so welcome. I’d also like to thank the Naval Officer for giving up his time to show us around the ship and for the genuine enthusiasm he did it with. Cheers, Alan F.

Rebecca (who rather touchingly thought Cornwall’s living quarters a bit cramped)

Before I go into describing this amazing experience, I would like to thank the captain and all the crew of HMS Cornwall for an opportunity that is very much appreciated and hospitality that will not be forgotten. At the beginning of our sailing expedition, we were to rendezvous with the British Navy late one morning. By 1100hrs, we had HMS Cornwall steaming alongside us, proud and glorious looking. Gipsy Moth showed off for the camera flying her cruising chute as the aircrew in a Lynx Mk 8 flew overhead to take some postcard worthy photographs. When they heard that our water maker had broken down, they immediately sent experts across to us to deal with the problem. They proceeded to be more generous by sending over eggs, bacon, sausages and some other much appreciated supplies. I was sitting on deck when I heard that they were happy to have us over on their vessel for a look around. So off we went powering across the Red Sea in the Rib they had sent for us. Once on deck, we were warmly welcomed and shown around some of the ship and what it could do which was really interesting to see. My hat goes off to Navy personnel, to see how much room they have as their personal living space. Let’s just say it’s not very much. They then made sure that we had been fed and watered after they had arranged for stuff for us that wanted it to have a shower. How could I refuse such an offer in these sticky conditions remembering that Gipsy Moth doesn’t house such luxuries? Like any good thing, there’s always an end, and we were taken back to our boat with its newly mended water maker. Remembering that day, I am left with great feelings of gratitude for the way in which the crew members of Gipsy Moth were treated so once again, an eternal thank-you to HMS Cornwall and its crew, I hope all goes well.

Bex
Gipsy Moth IV, Leg 25

Skipper Again

I have many vivid memories of this thrilling encounter. One is the sight of RFA Fort Austin, by no means a small or manoeuvrable vessel, furiously zig-zagging to keep in formation, because our top speed was too slow for her. A ship-handling challenge for both our escorts, while all I had to do was just keep going. Well, nearly all.

A smashing occasion that we will not easily forget. I have long ago said my private thanks to the crews of HMS Cornwall and RFA Fort Austin, but here at last is a chance to say it in public. If you want to see the RN’s version of the day, here’s a link to their web page –
http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.8261.

John Jeffrey, Skipper

Twelve days at sea and the crew have finally cracked. It’s not the weather - they’re taking that in their stride - it’s my choice of music. I made them listen to The Stones, Johnny Cash and Steeleye Span yesterday, and today I have been banned from selecting music. I really can’t see why, but I am quite enjoying young Alan’s Nora Jones compilation, which is a mellow contrast to the definitely un-mellow outside world.

Johannes –

Hi there guys, it’s a rather pleasant day in the not-any-more tropics, were drawing closer to our destination, and were constantly battling the wind to make course to were we want to go, making course non the less.

Seemingly both Jonny and myself are jinx-ed by the wind, every time we seem to see the optimistic side of the weather and conditions, we get run down yet again, eve both resorted to hanging towels in front of our bunks not to sleep with the fishes, for if there’s something that will wake you up in the morning, it most serenity’s a face full of sea water.

O yes, before I say good-bye, I said hi to my lovely fiancé two days ago, and so with out intend forgot all the rest,so hi to:MANKS,BACON,JOFFY,LERINA and HEINRICH…….Whish u were here, lol.

Rebecca’s log

IN my last log, I wrote ‘Nothing else really been happening’. Not five minutes after I’d typed that and saved my log, there was a mad rush to the bow of the boat to see a pod of dolphins racing and playing with each other in our waves. I’ve been on Gipsy Moth for almost two weeks now and seen some amazing things in that short space of time but this has to be the best by far. It’s one thing to see them in a marine of some sort but to see them in their natural habitat is a rare and beautiful experience.

We managed to get out on deck yesterday and catch some rays instead of having the feeling of being cooked in a pressure cooker below deck. The same, I’m afraid can’t be said about today, what with the waves forcing us to retreat or have salty bath every 10 minutes. I thought I got lucky this morning when I almost escaped my 4 hour watch dry. This was not to be. Good old Neptune was annoyingly consistant is delivering what feels like 10 buckets of sea aimed directly at my head 10 minutes before I was due to finish. I have all these joys to look forward to again in half hour. Now, wheres those oil skins??

Skipper Again
There’s a theme here – getting wet, but having a great time. Sums up sailing, really

John Jeffrey, Skipper

Let Johnny describe today’s adventure:

Hi there. It’s been a bit up and down over the last few days. The wind has been picking up and then dying off again quite regularly which meant there’s been a lot of sail changes, often quite rapid ones! Speaking about the weather, a classic example of Sod and his infamous law was displayed the other night when Johan and Jason went on watch. They must have been out there for about 5-10 minutes, nice and dry, when Johan decided to comment on the size of the waves. To quote Jason, “Johan said that it looked like the waves were calming down. As soon as he’d said it, even as his breath was still in the air the biggest and meanest wave crashed down over us! It was so powerful that it knocked us off our feet and across to the other side of the cockpit! I could’ve slapped him for saying it.” Needless to say Johan is now banned from talking about the outside conditions in any positive way.
Anyhow, we all shared a great experience yesterday evening when, in the middle of cooking dinner, Jason spotted a dolphin. As we all poured out on deck we realised that it wasn’t just ‘a’ dolphin but around 10 dolphins, and they were swimming up either side of the boat. We grabbed our cameras and scrambled up to the pulpit. The dolphins were just playing in the water, almost racing the bow as it cruised along. Every few seconds 2 or 3 of them leapt out of the water and dived back in. There was also one seriously hyperactive dolphin, I don’t know what he’d been smoking but he thought it was the best game ever to zig zag in front of the boat as many times as he could before we caught him back up. He looked like he was having great fun, but the whole thing was just a fantastic experience for all of us. I’ve seen dolphins properly once before in a water park in Spain but never close-up in the wild like this. A big thumbs up for that one.
It’s pretty chilled out on the yacht at the moment. Johan and I are listening to Queen on his Ipod, Jason’s typing out an email, Bex is sunbathing up top, Alan’s doing a great job of steering and John’s catching some more Z’s in preparation for our 0000-0400 shift tonight.
We crossed the tropic of Capricorn yesterday afternoon so we’re now officially clear of the tropics. I would say the weather just gets colder from here but its still roasting! At the moment we’re heading towards a bay to take a short breather and pick up some supplies. It’ll be nice to sleep in a horizontal bunk! I’m not complaining really, it’s been a fantastic experience, we’re all very lucky to be on this historic yacht.
I missed out on the personal comments yesterday so before I shoot I’d like to say a big Egyptian HELLO to Nim, Mum, Dad, Beck, Liv, Dougal, Grandma Hart, Jo, Mac, Jamie, Ben, Mandy, Rob, June, Viv, Anne, Jack, Grandma & Grandad Riley, Clark, Phillips, Saleh (everyones missing you!) Etherington, everyone I’ve forgotten to mention and anyone else that’s reading these logs and finding them interesting. Keep reading.
Adios!

Skipper Again
Johnny is hiding a shameful truth. He has just the same effect as Johannes on the waves – no sooner does he say “Hey, we’re off watch in a few minutes” than the mother of all salty showers comes down our necks. But it’s warm.

John Jeffrey, Skipper

An up and down day – wind strength has been up and down, and so have the sails in various combinations. One thing that has stayed up consistently is the cheerfulness of the crew, even though we are now officially no longer in the tropics. See for yourself:

Rebecca
First of all, just like to say hi to a few people. Dad, Crisy boy, Ab dabs, Bailey, Aimee and Dean if you’re reading it and Mum. Missing you all mucho. Also hi to all in the Oak especially Tony (I know you’ll be reading this), Mark, John and Kathy and anyone that knows me that’s reading this. Still on the Red Sea, we’ve had a momentary lapse in the strong winds so I’m relatively vertical at the moment, shouldn’t be too long before we hit dry land now. I was on the 0400-0800 hrs watch this morning and witnessed the moon going down and the sun coming up, there really is nothing quite like it. The sea and sky are awash with deep hues of orange.

I was sitting on the side of the boat just now when I saw some jelly fish floating/swimming, (whatever they do) near the surface, right where my feet had been not 10 seconds earlier, there were loads of them around the bottom of the boat. The boat still leaks on me and everyone else. Nothing else really happening, just chilling. Anyway, be cool. xxx

Johannes
Another beautiful day in the red sea, its 17:00 and all are merry, Jonny preparing tea, and the rest of us are sitting in the cockpit enjoying the last few rays from a magnificent sunset over the sea.

As per gipsy moth tradition, we had some very welcome visitors, in the form of a pod of dolphins, who insisted on playing on our bow, which made for a breath taking view: a brilliant sunset to our port side, the lovely smell of ravioli and the site of dolphins playing in front of our yacht………wish u were here, loll

To that extent, I think tea is about to be served and I fancy a few sunray’s myself, all the best…………..bon voyage.

Ps: just like to say hi to my fiancé at home, wishing her a pleasant weekend a hoping to see her soon, jelly tots…

Skipper Again

Since personal messages are the thing today, here’s a special greeting from me for my most distant relatives – Happy Birthday, Sam Houston. Remember San Jacinto!!!! (Everybody wants to remember the Alamo, but we lost that one . . .).

John Jeffrey, Skipper

First, best wishes to all our Welsh readers on this, St Daffyd’s day. There was a Welsh crew aboard from Bali onwards – they seem to have left quite a lot of leaks behind. (OK, it’s not the best pun ever. I’ll put you in a tumble dryer for a couple of days and invite you to do better).

With the wind insisting on blowing from the wrong direction we continue to tack back and forth across the width of the Red Sea, gaining a little ground on each leg. This morning we sailed past a Marsa (coastal inlet) where a cluster of other Blue Water Rally Yachts have been anchored for a couple of days waiting for the weather to improve. We chatted briefly on the radio, and I told them that the latest forecast shows the “weather window” they are waiting for not only has shutters across it but is about to be bricked up. They were having a jolly social time and didn’t seem to care, but we’ll have the last laugh if we get the best parking space and use all the hot water before they arrive.

Johannes
Good evening to all from a very distant gipsy moth 4, we’ve turned the engine of and were using good old wind propulsion to make our way up the red sea and so onward to our destination. Its weird as Jonny said, not to see land for over a week, gives one a better scope of things, but non the less, a most pleasant and adventurous experience by any standards…

Mate(Allen) and Bex are on watch, Jonny is sitting next to me listening to his Ipod, he is due on watch in 30 min, Jason and myself are on from 12:00.

All the best to every one who’s reading our logs and thank you for those loved ones who stayed at home so we could enjoy such a adventure.

Skipper again:
Finally, my thanks to watch partner Jonathan (Johnny), who is in the cockpit patiently steering while I am in the dry preparing and sending this log. Mind you, I am still a bit soggy from my earlier solo stint on the foredeck in the moonlight, getting the jib down and the staysail up when the wind increased. Hard work, as a result of which we are leaning over less, Johnny has hiccups, and I have a wet bottom. Ah, the romance of sailing. Nos Da.

John Jeffrey, Skipper

I’m composing this in the cockpit, by moonlight, as we motor over a smooth swell. The familiar shape of The Plough is in line with the mast head, and the Pole Star is dead ahead. This time last night we were pounding our way north-eastwards through 25 knot winds. A passing freighter, who obviously believed nobody should be out sailing in such conditions, called us up in an anxious voice to ask if we needed any help. Very friendly. When he learned we were not only OK but British, he seemed to stop worrying and motored on his way.
Around dawn, the strong winds started to ease, as predicted, and we turned on the engine so as to motor in the right direction. When the wind is as fierce as it has been recently, the yacht is blown sideways quite a lot, and definitely doesn’t go where it’s pointing. So we’re taking advantage of what will probably be a temporary lull to gain a bit of ground. I have spoken by HF radio to other Blue Water Rally yachts who are taking shelter further up the coast, so we are obviously in for another blow later.

Mate Alan
We are making good progress, though with still a fair bit to go to our final destination We have the iron sail in use at present due to a short interlude in the strong NW winds, however the waves are still big enough to find the leaks. It was said we are in a fair ground simulator, but its lasting for weeks, but true to form someone said think of the amount of £4.00 entry fees we are saving, classic. Signing off for now, all the best to work who allowed me to experience this great trip, Alex Tucker can be proud of his people, a very positive, happy and impressive bunch.

Johannes
Its 15:30 on a lovely afternoon, the sun is shining, the sea has calmed down and all is outdoors having their part of the sun. We had a interesting morning, we ran into some naval vessels who seemed very suspicious of our intensions and bearing, after convincing them the only thing we were after was the sun and the wind, we parted ways, its my watches turn to make the evening meal, and I will so be shortly getting on with it.

But yet again……what a wonderful time we are having.


Jonny here.

At last I’m sitting up on deck once more, enjoying the sun sunshine, instead of being stuck downstairs due to the howling wind and 6 foot waves. But its not just me, the rest of the crew are taking it relatively easy too. Alan’s catching some rays in the cockpit whilst seeing how long the helm will steer itself. Bex and Johan are looking at the charts attempting to work out how far we are from our final destination (and squabbling over whose ‘more right’). Jason’s got his head down and John is taking a well earned rest from his ‘skippery’ things by also catching some Z’s in his bunk.
It’s been a relatively uneventful day so far, apart from a little visit from a Coalition Navy! The first we knew about it was when a Lynx helicopter flew straight over us, scoping us out. Then John had some contact on the radio and two warships appeared heading straight for us. Two of those ‘bad boys’ heading towards you is quite a sight! It certainly makes you feel a little small. It turns out that they were just checking we were ok (I have a sneaking suspicion they wanted a little target practice as well!)
We’ve been sailing non-stop for nearly 7 days now. I never gave it much thought before we came here but to not see dry land for a week is really strange. Its just sea, any direction you look, its just sea. Another strange thing is the constant rocking motion of the boat. It’s not too bad now the wind has calmed down but in stronger conditions doing the simplest of things (like washing up or making tea) is really quite challenging. So is using the toilet! But you don’t want to know about that.
Anyway, that’s enough from me, my cup of tea is ready!

Skipper again:
Perhaps I should explain that there are quite a lot of Western navies operating in, or passing through, this area at the moment. A couple of warships heading your way to check you out can be a daunting sight, but it’s comforting to know they are here, and treating everybody the same.

John Jeffrey, Skipper

The team are catching up with their diaries now, but before we hear from them, here’s a photo of a strange encounter of just a couple of days ago. The catamaran appeared dead ahead, coming towards us. It wouldn’t answer radio calls, but as it got close it swerved directly at us. I thought they were less likely to be pirates than a bunch of drunks, and I wasn’t encouraged to see to people apparently fighting over the steering wheel, so I gunned the engine and buzzed off. We never saw them again!

Mate’s Log
27th Feb 07
Alan everyone’s mate again, the night before the wind shifted to the north was memorable. While on the 2359-0400hrs watch an explosive meteorite went off and illuminated the whole yacht a sight I’m told only happens once in a life time. We all-so had a stow-away for most of the night, that flew off after a well earned rest. The South African hunter was successful again, however Becks persuaded him to return the Tuna with the soft fish eyes to the sea, but not so with the second one and we can all confirm it tasted wonderful. The wind then shifted to a predicted strong one from the NE and we have been beating in a large enough sea ever since. We have discovered lots of leaks, some jaunty angles of sleep and generally getting about the boat plus a very wet cockpit that involves full oilskins during the night (waves over your head are quite refreshing during the day) Everyone has been amazing with a very positive attitude to the rough conditions and we are all looking fwd to a cold beer whenever we find some land. Thanks for the message Rob, hope your flights are exotic and just to let you know the bed still collapse’s on a fairly regular basis. Take care from all on the lovely Gipsy Moth.

Johannes’ Log

We’ve had a rough few days; the wind has turned against us and were now doing a minuvere called tacking witch basically implies zigzagging across the waters to so head towards our destination and use the wind as propulsion, Jonnie is making the food, Rebecca and Allen are on watch, Jason; my watch partner; is sleeping and John is catching up on some diary himself.

We hope for a change in the wind so we could make more steady progress, but it all stays enjoyable and the best times of our lives.

Rebecca’s log

Hi boys and girls. The Gipsy Moth rollacoaster is in full swing at the moment and has been for well over 24 hours now. The sunbathing days feel like a distant memory now with huge waves continually threatening to soak us the moment we step on deck, with quite a few suceeding in their mission to turn us into aquatic beings. I probably should be getting annoyed with the sea but am finding it very amusing instead. I see it as experience sailing in all types of weather. Last nights watch was pretty uneventful compared to the 2 previous nights where me and my watch buddy witnessed a meteorite, numerous shooting stars, hitchhiking birds, an eagle type bird and flying fish. No, the fresh air hasn’t gone to my head… yet.

P.S. This is one for all who wish to laugh at my misfortunes.
While peacefully drifting off to sleep in my bunk last night, I had the delights of a face full of sea water after a vent above my head decided it would open up and let the outside in and on me.

Johnathan - Sunday 25th

Its nearly 1300 hrs and the sun is beating down on us from a clear blue sky. Bex has taken the helm with a towel wrapped round her legs in an attempt to stay shaded. Johan, however, is going all out in his just his sporty shorts and has just caught another fish… (Begin lots of picture taking and poking)… We think it was a tuna. Preparations were being made for it to meet its doom (and our stomachs) however constant pleas from Bex meant it was released again. It should be thankful it didn’t get any slaps like the last one! Alan now has the helm, Bex is making lunch, John is doing ‘skippery’ things on his computer and Jason is having a wash.

Skipper again:

How sad that Johnathan has identified fiddling with the computer as ‘skippery’ activity. All too true, I’m afraid. I seem to be forced to spend a lot of time at the chart table and/or keyboard while the others are outside, enjoying themselves in the howling wind and drenching spray. Ah well, that’s the burden of command for you.

John Jeffrey, Skipper

Another short one, for just the same reasons. I felt it was going to be one of those days when I was woken up by a teacup. No, not with a cup of tea, by a teacup. It flew across the cabin, empty, and hit the side of my bunk. That was just before the metal case for my sunglasses fell on my head.

Actually, I’m the only one grumbling. This crew of sturdies is taking it all in their stride as if they’d been out on the ocean all their lives. Anyhow, once you’re in the cockpit, things are fine. The sun is shining, the sky is blue, and some of the waves breaking over the boat miss you altogether. Just like we miss our nearest and dearest. Here’s a piccy for one of them.

John Jeffrey, Skipper

This is going to be short. I’m sure the team have a lot to tell you but conditions are not ideal for writing, or reflecting – or anything much except hanging on. The wind is howling out of the North, which is more or less where we want to go. It’s not as strong as it was a few nights ago, but then it was behind us, and the sea was gentle. Now the waves are bigger, the sea rougher. I don’t want to drive the old lady too hard so we’re not carrying very much sail, but even so Gipsy Moth IV is leaning over and everything takes twice as long. So forgive us if we just say ‘Wherever you are, have a nice day, talk again soon”.

John Jeffrey, Skipper

When I expressed surprise yesterday that nobody had mentioned our flying visitor, I should have realised that the crew diaries were still ‘work in progress’. Life is settling into a pattern of watches, mostly 4 hours, and people are coping well with that, but the little extras (like diaries) can be hard to fit in.

It’s the usual story. Too much wind, then not enough wind, solving problems, obsessions with cooking and eating, changing sails, sun, stars, giant freighters lumbering past in the dark; a pretty typical ocean passage, really. One extra feature this time is that some of the crew are using it as a time to give up smoking. They’re coping pretty well with that, as they are with everything else.

Jason’s Log

Another day aboard.
The sun shone down French airforce planes flew around
Allen and john got tanned in the sun
Beck’s caught two fish well sea weed near miss
Jonny made tea
Johann wanted sweet corn but got none
Jason enjoyed his sailing while basking in the sun

(Is this a Derby Haiku, or is Jason the new Hemingway? He certainly has the beginnings of the Hemingway beard . . . )

J de K’s Log

Another day in the hot African sun and how I enjoyed it, we all managed to get our dobby(washing) done, and had a good few hours to catch up on the reading material we brought onboard, we’ve switch over to engine drive, as we have no wind propulsion.

Sadly I didn’t manage to catch any fish today, although we all had our fair share of a nice piece sea weed at the end of a hook…….made for a good laugh.

Jonny’s Log

We had a few surprises yesterday. Firstly there were dolphins swimming about 20m from the yacht. It was very brief but to see them at all was just brilliant. Hopefully there will be more! Secondly we had a French maritime patrol aircraft fly straight over us and very low too! John got straight on the radio and spoke to the aircrew. They were actually very friendly and even offered to give us help should we need it.
Anyway, its nearly lunch time now so I’m off. I’d just like to say ‘hi’ to all my family and friends, especially my dad who I know would love to be on this yacht too. I’d also like to say ‘hi’ to my fiancé, I miss you!
Ok, the cheese is over. Until next time.


Skipper again:


That’s what excited the others. My own special moment was a hot shower from one of those plastic bags you set out in the sun for a while. Bliss.

John Jeffrey, Skipper


At last the crew have drawn breath long enough to set down their impressions of the voyage so far. You’ve already heard a lot from me; it’s time to introduce the Leg 25 crew of Mate Alan, Crew Leader Jason, Rebecca, Johnathan and Johannes (though those aren’t always the names they call themselves). Over to them.


Mate’s Log

Alan here, what a fantastic start to our journey on board this dream of a yacht, after a beautiful night at anchor in a very remote harbour we have sailed with the wind over our back quarter for most of time. 30/35 knts during the first night had a few eyes on stalks, but, nevertheless a great performance by our young novice crew who took it all in their stride. We are now, with cruising chute up, sun on our backs, blue sea and a few white horses, moving silently towards our final destination wondering what delights we will have for dinner tonight. A point for the last crew, you were obviously using the wrong bate the first launch of the fishing gear had a 50 pound (maybe 5) shark on board that due to the amount of food we have on board was released back to the depths after some serious photo shoots. I suspect we will have some rough stuff on the nose before soon that could have a dramatic effect on the sunbathing routine. I know everyone is having a great time and we all thank John for his superb leadership and knowledge. Speak soon, stay safe and wrap up well!

J de K’s Log

It’s been a relaxing day and we had a few hours to reflect on our voyage, and I so managed to get the angling lines in, caught a fish, and lost one lore, both Jonnie and Rebecca thought it a good idea to wash the hair with some shampoo and a good bucket full of sea water.

Sitting in the sun and reflecting on the day while Rebecca and Alan prepare our evening meal brings to mind how fortunate we are to be on this historic voyage.

Jonny’s Log

We officially left harbour very early yesterday morning. We started to make our way out of the bay and as we trundled along loads of fish started darting left and right to get away from the boat. They were jumping all over the place and one crazy fish managed to land on board. Unfortunately that fish landed near Johan and it got a few slaps to calm it down before it was thrown back in.
We made steady progress throughout the day with the help of a strong southerly wind pushing us along. On the port side we could see Africa and on the starboard side we could see Arabia. It was quite a view.
One of my watches for the day was from 0000 until 0400. The stars really lit up the sky and I saw 5 shooting stars in just those four hours.
Today the wind has let up a bit but we’re still making good progress. Johan managed to catch a fish, I don’t know what it was but it was reasonably big and it didn’t look happy. Needless to say he was pretty pleased with himself. Bex also braved the first hair wash on board using some very fancy Garnier Fructis shampoo and a very high-tech bucket.
Its now 1800 and preparations for dinner are being made. I’m sitting at the back of the boat and the sun is slowly setting, it’s a beautiful sight. Wish you were here?

Rebecca’s Log

Hi everyone, it’s Bex (Hi Bailey & Aimee, big kiss, mhaw)!! Let me start off by telling everyone who knows me that I’ve quit smoking!! Yaay! It’s our 5th day at sea without any hiccups, touch wood. We’ve had some amazing weather. As soon as we got here the heat was intense with clear blue skies. We didn’t actually set sail until the 20th (we flew in on the 18th) what with prepping the boat with a cooker and food and such like. We started off with some strong winds (35-40 knots) that required some serious leg muscle and a certain amount of luck to get from one end of this beautiful yacht to the other but things soon started to settle down after the wind let up. At the moment we’re cruising along at a nice speed of 6 knots, so it’s quite a calm and relaxing afternoon with a mixture of eating, sunbathing, oh and sailing.

I do enjoy the days but I prefer the nights as I’ve never seen a sky like I have since being here. The sky is a sheet of black with tiny pin pricks of light shining through. I saw the Milky Way last night which is a first for me and the waves are scattered with what looks like flecks of glitter which is plankton I believe.
**NEWSFLASH**
Just got called out because we had dolphins swimming about 15 metres in front of us on the staboard side. This is paradise, I want for only one thing. A nice cold beer.

Skipper again:

There you have it from the horses’ mouths – they’re enjoying it despite all the hard work, such as having to get up at strange hours, and sleeping when normal people are out clubbing. I’m surprised that nobody thought to mention that we were buzzed a while ago by a patrol aircraft who came back a second time, no doubt for another look at our festoons of washing – or maybe his attention was caught by Rebecca’s glistening hair. I recognised the aircraft, and there’s nothing to worry about; quite the opposite. I don’t think its giving away state secrets to say that I spoke to him on VHF and he used the callsign ‘Coalition Aircraft’. Nice to feel we’re being watched by friendly eyes.

Who would have thought it? So soon after getting used to the luxury of hot meals, cups of tea, and so many of the other things that make life aboard pleasant, we’re eating cold food out of packets again.

No, there’s nothing wrong with the splendid new cooker, it’s the weather. Gipsy Moth IV is bouncing and rolling so much that we decided it wouldn’t be safe to have hot pans flying across the cabin along with the shoes, clothes, contents of cupboards, books and people that have filled the air this afternoon. Sheets of spray are coming inboard to add to the hilarity – and, even as I write, so has a flying fish.

Why so? It’s the wind. It was fresh when we set off before dawn, and has been building ever since. It’s now around 30 knots with the occasional gust to 40. It is directly behind, which makes steering interesting. Even with no sails up except for a small staysail, we are barrelling along at 6 or 7 knots. Thank goodness we’re not trying to go the other way. As it is, we’re happy to be making such good progress; forecasts suggest this wind will persist for a couple more days, which should see us well along our way. Then we expect headwinds, which will be a bit tougher. Still, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now, I’m off to look for some dry clothes.

John Jeffrey, skipper

Not long ago I promised you that today would bring the collected thoughts of Alan, Jason, John, Johannes and Rebecca. Wrong again. It’s been a full day, and I’m driving them to another early start tomorrow, so heads are already down.

Dawn found us raising the anchor and creeping out of the isolated anchorage where we had spent a hot but peaceful night. We just knew the day was going to well when a pod of dolphins came by to see us off. After a busy day, full of adventure – of which more later – we are now back at anchor again.

This time, instead of an offshore reef, we are inside a fishing port. If that conjures up images of Grimsby, think again. This village does not have the cosmopolitan charm of Grimsby, or the metropolitan bustle of Whitby, or the enchanting ambience of Fishguard. What it does have is street lights, both of which seem to be working. Travel broadens the mind – absolutely true – but that’s not all. As Rebecca put it so accurately, ‘it makes you grateful for what you’ve got’.

Anyhow, we felt our way gingerly into this tiny place while trying to line up a signal tower with an invisible minaret that is clear on the chart but which was probably pulled down years ago. Once safely in, we finished off the BBQ chickens we bought yesterday and those of us still awake are enjoying a second look at a crescent moon lying on its back and sinking sedately into the western sea. I’ve promised the guys that it will be a bit higher in the sky this time tomorrow, as measured by its distance above the brilliant Venus; let’s hope I’m right or they’ll never take me seriously again. Assuming they do now, that is.

John Jeffrey, skipper

I don’t think the leg 25 crew will be putting their thoughts and experiences onto the website this evening. The poor souls have been working so hard today that they are only too pleased to crawl into bed, though not before producing a smashing chicken dinner and admiring Venus chasing the Moon down to the Western horizon. (Hope you’re all watching this at home, folks; same spectacular sky, just 3 hours later).

We’re sitting peacefully at anchor between two arms of a reef, after a full day of shopping, maintenance jobs, sail handling, Man Overboard drills, and generally coming to terms with a new and quite strange environment. The weather has been kind, with enough wind but not too much, and plenty of sunshine. To me, it seems slightly odd to be alone again after several days in a crowded anchorage among the Blue Water fleet , and several more sailing in close company with them. To the crew, half of whom have never set foot on a sailing yacht, the strangeness is rather different. For all of us, it’s good to be out on the water; partly to be away from the more squalid aspects of life ashore (see picture above), but mostly because it’s good to be on the water anywhere in the world!

Expect to hear more tomorrow from Alan, Jason, John, Johannes and Rebecca. All you’ll hear now is snoring.

John Jeffrey, skipper