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Skipper’s Log – Wednesday 11th April

Yesterday’s crossed fingers worked. With a happily reduced wind at dawn this morning, we leapt into action (some more leapy than others, less coiled spring than stretched Slinky). Conditions were ideal for a short outing, so we sailed round the island that guards the entrance to the harbour. Each of the 3 young people had a turn at tacking Gipsy Moth IV under sail and feeling the power in her as she responded to gusts rolling down from the hills. Great that we could finish on such a high note.

Fran:
Today we got up early, or earlier so we could get a quick sale .The sale was great the scenery was beautiful and the weather was lovely. Then came the fun bit, cleaning up!
We cleaned up for about 3 hours, I cleaned the top deck and got splashed by frank allot.
Then we shopped and got some more gifts. Today was great just like the rest of the week , I’ve really had a great time, its been really fun. I’d just like to say thank you to Frank, Mark and John for putting up with me and putting so much effort into the trip and thank you to Rachel and Larvell for being great fun and also putting up with me.
THANK YOU!
Larvell:
Today we got up about 7am and went sailing for the last time the weather was hot and sunny when we went sailing it was beautiful we went round a island and followed a ferry I took a load of pics with my digital camera. After the sailing we got back and had to tidy up all our mess after a long and hard time tidying up we went for a bite to eat at a café, then we went shopping more but I didn’t see anything to buy. We got back to the boat and had a nice cold shower to cool me down as the weather is boiling hot and then we went to a restaurant on the way to the airport then we had to wait a very long time for the plain home.

Mark:
Well it’s been a busy old day today ! Up early for a change as the wind had dropped so we could go sailing – yay! It was a beautiful morning so we went for a sail round one of the local islands – it was truly, truly magical….

Then the real fun began – time for my introduction to mast climbing ! I suppose it can best be described as an acquired taste. How solo sailors in the depths of the Southern Oceans cope is beyond me – it was bad enough while Gipsy Moth IV was tied to the quay.

Unfortunately it was then time to clean the boat which of course was everyone’s favourite part of the week – not !

It’s all done now and we’re having a final cup of tea onboard before we head off for the airport. The week has flown by – it’s been truly wonderful. Fran, Rachel, Larvell & Frank have been a great crew and John, the Skipper, deserves a medal for putting up with us ! John & Gipsy Moth IV are off to Malta next with a new crew – we all wish them luck and may the wind blow from any direction other than the one it’s blowing from right now !

Until I see Gipsy Moth IV again in Plymouth at her homecoming in May I’ll bid her and her new crew a fond farewell…..

PS – Thanks John – you’ve made this a very special week for a group of very special youngsters.

Rachel:
Today we had to get up early so as to sort out all the stuff we needed to do before we leave this beautiful place. The first thing we had did was GO SAILING, which I think was the most amazing part of the day the sea was clearer than ever and the sun was really bright. We did some tacking and steering the gipsy moth.
It was a really smooth trip this morning and the weather was absolutely spot on for sailing. We then did our bit to make the boat tidy again and make the boat nice for john to sail on again we then went for lunch and went shopping. I know I said this yesterday but big thank you to Mark, Frank, John and the Gipsy Moth iv for making this trip the most amazing ever.

And I’llleave the last word to Mate Frank:
We had a fantastic sail this morning absolute perfect conditions I sat on the bow and looked at a clear blue sea and the most stunning landscape as Gipsy Moth sailed along in 15 knots of breeze on a beam reach, it really dosen’t get any better

But now I am going home…..It has been a fantastic week….

Back when we pulled this old lady out of the concrete Gipsy Moth IV took over my life - for just over a year I worked with the most fantastic team. I have never had a chance to thank them for putting up with me, until now, so thank you David Green, Jon Ely , Tim Hughes, Anna Symcox , Claire Hornidge , Simon Hay, Richard Baggett, John Walsh, Paul Gelder, Adam Wilcox, Jessica Keene, the UKSA Maintance team, and all those involved who I don’t have the space to list here. It is a great project and I learned so much - it is unbelievable to think that Gipsy Moth IV is nearly home, so many people believed we wouldn’t finish the refit on time let alone come so far. Most of all I wish you could see how much Fran, Rachel and Larvell have gained from the “Gipsy Moth IV experience” I first met these guys last year, and it has been wonderful to see them take so much from our time here.

I’d like to finish by thanking John Jeffrey - it would be easy for a skipper who has been onboard Gipsy Moth IV for three months, giving his time to a project he really believes in to appear to be tired and want a break. Nothing could be further from the truth John has made us all feel so welcome and put so much into this week. It has been a pleasure to be onboard with him. I wish him fair winds to Malta.

Bye Bye Gipsy Moth

Frank

Skipper’s Log – Easter Monday 9th April
As I listened from my bunk this morning to the wind howling through the rigging, I guessed it would not be a sailing day. As it turned out, I was right, and we decided to find other things to do. There is plenty to see and do in this attractive town, and today’s special event was traditional Cretan dancing in the streets. In any case, there is always a list of jobs waiting to be done on a yacht. Here’s Rachel:
Today has been so full of exciting things it is going to seem hard to fit it on to one page. This morning we got up to the news of a change in plan we weren’t able to go sailing because the wind is so gusty and would have made sailing hard. So we went strait away to go swimming and waisted no time getting in the water it was absolutely freezing cold and hardly warm enough to swim in Frank and I were first in the water and after a while fran came in, the others decided not to come in. we dried off and went to have a drink at a café overlooking the beach, I had a greek coffee and greek yogurt with fruit and honey . We then went up to see yet another celebration of singing and dancing where there was loads of fish . we then went shopping on our way back to the boat but mark took Larvell, fran, and I went back on the beach for a bit where I played with my new catapult (gadda). We then went to get a shower and back to the boat in time to play cards and go to bed I am sorry this day in the log was very brief because I only had FIVE MINS to write this!

Mate Frank:
Very Windy today so we had time to swim / eat / shop and maintain Gipsy Moth IV.

We have completed a number of the 100’s of jobs that a old lady who is 20,000 miles into a circumnavigation requires. There is something very satisfying about sitting on deck in the Med whipping the ends of rope / re-securing diesel tanks etc.

John takes the award of the day for managing to squeeze into the space behind the engine. (see photo)

Lets hope the wind drops tommorow

Fran:
Today we got to go SWIMMING!, It was to windy to go sailing but it was really nice day, we went swimming first, me and Rachel were the only ones who really went in properly, the boys were complete wimps, but Frank did go in for a few minutes, then we went for a drink at a café opposite the beach, I had an iced white hot chocolate and some Greek yogurt and some Greek coffee, after that we put are stuff back on the boat and went for lunch , where we discovered a nicer beach as there was actually sand! The sun also shined in that area a lot. For lunch I had an omelette. Then we did some shopping and went to the square and saw Cretan dancers we then went to do some more shopping and had ice cream. We came back to the boat had some pastor that me and Lavell made. And now we are going to play cards. Today was great!!!

Larvell:

Today was a windy day but the sun was still shining, about 10am we went to the beach and had a swim the water was cold but after swimming a lot of lengths we started to warm up, after the swim we went to a little café next to the beach, I had a white hot chocolate which was very different but they were very nice we should have them in England, the weather started to pickup and the wind calmed down a little bit, after that we when back to the boat and we did different jobs I checked that the pipes had plugs next to that in case they break it only took about 20 minutes, after that we went for lunch at a restaurant in the local town, I had a sport pizza which contained tomatoes, gurkings and something else which I cant remember what it was called but any way I didn’t like it so I took them off and pt them to the side. After lunch we when shopping I brought lots of things I got a load of prezzeys for the family it cost a bomb, now I am broke =[
After shopping me mark, Rachel and Fran when to the beach which was nice and sandy as the beach we went to in the morning had a load of pebbles and hurt my feet, Rachel had brought a catapult so we was shooting stones but Rachel broke it. After coming from the beach we went to the shop and got some food and drinks then went back to the boat and put the stuff away than played cards with Fran and Rachel which was fun, after having fun we had more fun by cooking tuna n’ pasta which me and Fran made, it tasted great, their if lots of talent for me and Fran to be professional cooks (chefs).
Frank and mark washed the pots for a change and then we all played cards and I keep winning, after a long day we all when to bed.
The days are flying by it I so fun out here and really hot got to put a load o sun cream on which is a bummer, hopefully the weather should be really hot and we are going to get a football or cricket stuff and I want to go and buy more stuff for me don’t know how I’m going to get it all home, we didn’t go sailing today as it was to windy therefore it would be hard for us and every one was still recovering from a long, hard and fun day yesterday.

Skipper again:
As I was passing a bar today I could see that the TV was showing Pompey playing away at Watford. On the way back I looked through the door again and the final score was 4-2. Could have spoiled my whole day if I’d let it, but even a Portsmouth FC supporter can’t be glum for long in this beautiful sunshine. Other news – we have new neighbours, a Nicholson 55 ‘Lord Portal’ who have sailed here from Malta. It’s a small world.
John Jeffrey

Skipper’s Log – Sunday 8th April
After a fascinating (and late) night watching some very unusual festivities, we made a slow start this morning. (That’s code for ‘the girls wouldn’t get up’). But before the day was too old we set off for a sail, northwards this time. Here’s the crew’s take on it – first Mate Frank:
I LIKE Crete, good wind, stunning coast and beautiful blue clear water.

I LIKE sailing with John, Mark, Frances, Rachel and Larvell great company, good times and happy people

I LIKE Gipsy Moth IV whatever anyone says when she digs picks up her petticoats and and leans over she is exhilarating and exciting

So all in all a very good day. IT was worth all the time this project took.

Hello to everyone at home particularly Justine, James and Rebecca Happy Easter and thanks for the card and eggs!

Mark:
It’s been another beautiful day here in Crete. After the excitement of yesterdays celebrations it was up in reasonable time for a days sailing North towards the island of Spinalonga. John, the Skipper, did a most excellent job of getting Gipsy Moth off her mooring, including the nautical equivalent of a 3-point turn in a marina full of other Blue Water Rally boats. This might not sound too difficult but as those who have read Sir Francis Chichester’s thoughts on the subject will know, Gipsy Moth IV can be compared in the nicest possible way to ex-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher – “This Lady is not for turning !”

Then it was time to put into practice everything we’d learnt yesterday as we raised the Mainsail, Working Jib (the triangular sail at the front) and the Staysail (the one between the Mainsail and the Jib. This is ¾ of Gipsy Moth’s sailplan and in the 15knts of wind that we had she soon adopted her customary attitude of 30-40 degrees from the vertical ! With all the crew clipped on to the safety lines we sped through the crystal clear waters at 6 knots under glorious sunshine – life is good!

We’re on our way back to port now with the promise of a swim at the local beach once the boat is safely moored up. The rest of the crew will update you with their thoughts on their first days real sailing on Gipsy Moth IV later…..

Larvell’s Log:
This morning I woke up and about 5minutes later I went for a shower at the facilities next to the dock, when I got back from having my shower frank had got me, Fran, mark and Rachel a Cadburys crème eggs for Easter which was very nice of frank, after that I set up the breakfast table as I was the first person up and ready.
After breakfast we washed the pots me, Rachel and Fran, Rachel washed the pots, Fran dried the pots, and I pumped the water through so that Rachel could wash and rinse the pots. After doing all this hard work we got the sails ready and went sailing, we went around two different islands the boat was on its sides a few times so you had to go to the opposite side so that you don’t fall in the water it was quiet fun, we went a long way and saw the place where we are going to go tomorrow for lunch, today for lunch we had sandwiches with different snacks and fruit. When we was sailing bank to the docks Fran and Rachel felt sea sick so they when below deck and when to bed we got back the time when I wrote this is at 5pm tonight I think we are going to play card games and Uno, we might go swimming if we are lucky =/.

And Rachel:
Day 2 and things are going just as well as yesterday, we got up today to have breakfast where we had a good range of cereals. We went and had a shower this morning which was quite refreshing and the facilities are quite good too. The weather was a bit cooler than yesterday but the sun was almost as bright. We went sailing again today we decided to go earlier today, but first we had a few things to do. Larvell, Francis and I made a tour of the deck showing where all the safety equipment and all the masts and the sails and all the other important things you can find on the boat. We also had to prepare the boat to start sailing. We sailed for about five hours and passed two beautiful islands, john explained why the rocks were formed in the way they were and how rock is volcanic action helped create the island. It was absolutely beautiful to turn the engine off and let the power of the wind carry us along, of course we did have to do our fair share of work to keep the boat sailing we had to do a bit of tacking and I also ended up steering THE Gipsy Moth across the beautiful Greek seas. With the sun shining away above us. I had to go downstairs to sort out my stuff which had just fallen all over mine and Fran’s cabins so it took us a while as you can imagine to start putting all my stuff back when we started feeling sea sick, so we both had to clamber up the stairs to the deck and sort ourselves out with some medicine to help us feel better I feel so much better now. We are going to have some chicken casserole for dinner which today I am going to help cook today We were going to go swimming but we all agree that it is too cold and windy and we are all way too tired to swim in the sea today so we will try and do that tomorrow. I will update my log again tomorrow which will hopefully be as good as today just as today was as good as yesterday.

Skipper again:
This is a much younger crew than usual, but they are second to nobody in their enthusiasm and their keen-ness to record their thoughts. Sounds to me as if they are having a good time, and you can’t ask for more than that. (Though inexplicably, none of them has chosen to mention today’s fantastic news, which is Pompey 2 Man Utd 1 – way to go, Harry Redknapp). If you want to know more about who the crew are and what they are doing here, please visit www.ellenmacarthurtrust.org.

Skipper’s Log – Saturday 7th April

New day, new crew. Say ‘Hi’ to the gang from the Ellen Macarthur Trust, who have already been busy with diaries. Here’s Mate Frank, the busy one:

The last time I was on Gipsy Moth IV was the 7th September 2005, when I was one of the crew that took her back to Greenwich for her re-dedication It was great to be onboard then and even better to be back onboard in Crete.

After a long day of travelling John met us at the airport and an hour later we were onboard, the first night on any boat is strange and this was no exception so I got the chance this morning to have a look around the boat while the crew slept!

We have been finding our feet this morning, shopping and working out what goes where John has had to attend a reception with the Mayor at lunchtime but we are hoping to get a shake down cruise this afternoon.

The crew have all settled in well, it is great to see them finding their feet.

I would just like to say a huge hello to the Gipsy Moth Team that I had the greatest pleasure to work with from September 2004 to October 2005 (you know who you are) – I wish you could all be onboard with us now – it is amazing to think that just 30 months ago Gipsy Moth IV was rotting in Greenwich and now she is on the final few legs of her global voyage

Crew member Fran:
It’s just day one and already having a great time, the weather is gorgeous and there’s such beautiful scenery. The seas bright blue, the hills are bright green and I’m sat here in the boiling sun writing this. Me, Rachel and Lavell are desperate to go swimming but we need to check the water temperature to make sure it’s not to cold. The crew are great and defiantly making sure we get lots of exercise, (washing up!). So far it’s great and it’s only just begun.

And Rachel:
Day 1 and the weather is beautiful, It’s still hard to believe that we will be sailing on the gipsy moth iv for the next week and sailing with the most amazing crew. We are sat in Crete with the most fabulous scenery and clear sea imaginable. Today we went for a tour of the town and gone through a safety check and talk and went to buy some ingredients for dinner at the local vegetable store where they had the most amazing food and spices. Later on we learned how to flake the sails and actually sail the old lady (nickname of the gipsy moth) we learnt how to react if god forbid somebody actually fell over board and it was my job to throw the bucket attached to a float and pretend it was a man named Nigel so that we could rescue it in practice The Weather in Crete is unbelievable I love the heat. I am enjoying myself so much and it is only day 1. but we are taking precautions such as sun tan lotion (factor 50) and drinking lots of water so as to not to dehydrate. It is just so amazing to be sleeping and working in the same boat that has been sailed around the world by the Francis Chichister who must be the most amazing man to overcome terminal lung cancer to sail around the world. I know how hard it is to have cancer in its self but to actually achieve something so amazing after this would probably be a dream come true I only hope that I will be able to achieve my own dream. Today has been amazing but there is still the next few days to have an absolutely once in a life time experience.
And finally, Larvell:
Today is day 1 and the weather is looking good, I woke up at 9am Crete time or 7am your time. The boat gipsy moth IV looks good for its age, the sea water is very clear and me, Fran and Rachel want to go swimming in the sea later on. The temperature is about 25ºC, which is very hot, the mountains in the distance look very nice with tree on them, at 1pm we all had lunch, we had sandwiches with different meets and fish. Earlier we went to the local town which was nice the local people were kind and helpful. Later on we sailing on Gipsy moth IV, we took the sails out and let the wind blow us, as we was getting to know the boat we try some activities, first we did a rescue where we attached a bucket to a fender and through it off the boat then we had to sail round and rescue it with a special hook, we sail back to the docks, us four went to buy food and other stuff whilst Frank was cooking Spag bol, we then all ate and then we all got ready to go out to a special event the event is a bit like bomb fire night, we got back around 12pm Crete time so 10pm UK time, when we arrived back we all had a cuppa and got ready for bed. Overall today has been a fulfilled day.
Skipper again – Nothing left to say! Obviously these guys know how to enjoy themselves, a pretty useful life skill.
John Jeffrey

Skipper’s Log Thursday 5th April 2007

Today’s great news has been the freeing of our friends from HMS Cornwall. Quite apart from the common bonds that unite seafarers, which we’ve seen so much of within the Blue Water Rally, HMS Cornwall has a special significance for Gipsy Moth IV. She was the frigate that met us near Djibouti, sent us gifts of food and good wishes, and welcomed some of the crew aboard while 2 of their engineers paid us a visit.

HMS Cornwall’s crew has been through a tough time, and it’s silly to compare their ordeal with our experience of a few windy days. Nevertheless, in both cases it has been teamwork that helped keep things together. The crew of Gipsy Moth IV was young and inexperienced when they arrived aboard in El Gouna just a couple of weeks ago. They’re still young, but they have gained a lot of experience in that time. They haven’t become expert sailors (and they certainly haven’t become diligent diarists!), but they have learned a huge amount about coping with challenges, and about working together with other people towards a common target.

They are in the air as I write this, on the way home. In between looking forward to being with friends and family again and thinking about bacon sandwiches, I’m sure they will spare the occasional thought for the things they have found out on this trip, about foreign lands, about sailing, and about themselves. It hasn’t always been comfortable (OK, it’s very rarely been comfortable), but it certainly has lived up to its promise as the experience of a lifetime.

John Jeffrey, Skipper

Tuesday 3rd April 2007

I asked yesterday if all our readers would get on to the Met Office and pester them for some different winds. Well, we’ve certainly had a selection, though not quite what we wanted. But that’s the sailing life.
The day started beautifully for Sarah and me, as we watched the sun come up. We could really see it, too, none of this cloud stuff that’s been covering the sky lately. It was fun to watch the full moon setting in one direction and the orange sun rising in the other, almost simultaneously. (That’s why the moon is full – think about it). The wind, though still fresh, dropped enough for us to be able to carry some more sail, and in no time we were romping along with Sarah hanging on to the tiller and looking down at the water rushing past her feet on the other side of the cockpit (did we mention Gipsy Moth IV is inclined to lean over?).
As advertised yesterday, we tacked around the middle of the day to head up north so as to get around Cape Sidheros. As the wind continued to weaken Simon started the engine to keep our speed up. “It won’t go into gear” he said. “Oh Dear” I replied, or words to that effect, as I realised I had to crawl into the engine compartment to find out what was wrong. I’m here to tell you that it’s noisy in there, and dirty, and hot. Hot – that was the good bit! I made the job last longer than it needed so I could bask in the warmth of the engine, having been perished most of the day. (Yes, this is the Mediterranean).
So now we’re motoring along OK, though if we want to stop I have to crawl back inside the engine compartment and disconnect the propeller shaft from the engine. Not something you do in a hurry, so getting into the marina is going to be an interesting exercise. More about that tomorrow, after we’ve completed it safely.
Meanwhile, the highlight of the day has been Ed’s pasta dish. He hasn’t done much cooking before, so everyone gave him lots of advice which he listened to very patiently before (very sensibly) ignoring most of it. We all enjoyed the result, whatever it was. Simon and I had seconds, so Ed – take a bow. And cooking lessons.

John Jeffrey, Skipper

Skipper’s Log : Monday 2nd April 2007


If you were out here for a sunshine holiday, you’d be awfully fed up. The temperature is low and the wind is howling. It’s been like that for a couple of days, and the waves are pretty big, too. About as much fun as holidaying in Crawley, according to some.
The crew is too busy hanging on to handholds and their breakfasts, so it falls to me to keep our readers in the picture. Speaking of pictures, this one shows you what’s appearing on our chart plotter at the moment. The yellow blob in the middle is us, and the red bits are land. At the extreme left is the eastern half of Crete, and to the right of that are a number of other islands. Two of them – Karpathos and Rhodes – are where other Blue Water Rally yachts have taken shelter for the time being.
You can see the line we want to follow to get round Cape Sudheros, but we can’t go that way because that’s where the wind – a very strong one, though not quite a gale – is coming from. The best we can do at the moment is a bit south of west, and the other line shows that we’re on course to miss Crete altogether.
The figures on the top row tell the same story; we are covering the ground at 2.66 knots (pretty slow), in a direction of 259 degrees. If your eyesight is good, you can read our latitude and longitude, then comes the bearing of Cape Sidheros (289 degrees) and its distance from us (72.3 nautical miles).
If you maths is up to it, you can see that it is going to take us more than a day to cover that distance at that speed. (If your maths is not up to it, get studying!). And that’s assuming we could point in the right direction – which we can’t. So we’re doomed, then? No, not quite. For one thing, we can tack, and sail northwards; increases the distance we have to cover, but gets us there in the end. Or we could go faster. I’ve slowed down deliberately to stop the yacht bouncing around so much, so people can eat dinner in peace. Better yet, we could head directly for the Cape under sail only, if the wind would just swing around and come from our side. I spoke to ‘Spirit of Affric’ by HF radio earlier this evening, and he is sheltering in Karpathos from a strong northerly wind. Now that would suit us to a ‘T’.
So will you all please telephone the Met Office and ask them to arrange for a northerly wind so that Gipsy Moth IV can reach harbour. And showers.

John Jeffrey, Skipper

Skipper’s Log Saturday 31st March 2007

If you’ve been following the story you’ll know that we set off northwards when most of our Blue Water colleagues went directly towards Crete. The position now is that we are due east of Crete, nearer to Cyprus than to our destination, sailing along quite comfortably; meanwhile, the yachts to our west are battling with strong winds on the nose. We’ve had a supper of corned beef hash (now there’s a surprise) and I’ve put a reef in the mainsail before we settle down for the night.

(A word about the food. Even the most creative cooks can only work with the raw materials available. With no huge refrigerator like some more luxurious yachts, we have to rely on tinned meat. Egypt isn’t big on that, so the choice is pretty limited – no ham or pork luncheon meat, for example. I don’t think the crew are too keen on the healthy salads and fruit that we are torturing them with, either. But they aren’t obviously under-nourished, I have to say. Nevertheless, it will be fun to find out what’s in the shops once we reach Crete).

An unexpected consequence of the odd winds has been all the tiny land birds that seek refuge on our yacht then expire, exhausted by the struggle to beat the headwind and fly back to land. We even had a visit from an owl earlier today, though he didn’t look quite as tired as the titchy things that flop onto our deck. One even made it into the cabin where it flew around for a while before I caught it and took it outside again before it could damage itself in its panic. Take note, the tender hearted among you – I’ve tried feeding them and giving them shelter in the past, and it just doesn’t work. They are always dead within a few hours, totally drained by what must have been hours or even days of fighting to get back to dry land.

Although it’s holiday time – Easter and all that – we’re certainly not experiencing holiday weather out here in the ‘sunny’ Mediterranean. When I turfed Sarah out at 4 am this morning I bribed her with a promise of a glorious dawn. Unfortunately, it was 2pm before the sun finally appeared, which was just after the rain stopped. Still, at least we saw a rainbow.

Skipper’s Log : Friday 30th March 2007

The guys are still catching up. After days of idleness they are being forced to work and the shock to their systems is obviously too much. Just for the record, now that we are out into the Mediterranean we are sailing non-stop (largely because there aren’t any stopping places), which means more or less 8 hours on watch in each 24. Right now we are making the best of an easterly wind by heading northwards, rather than north westwards directly towards Crete. There is method in this. A change is coming, and the wind will soon be NW. If we are heading that way we will be battering into it. But if we get up a little further north early on, then the NW wind will be over the starboard bow when we turn towards Crete, and we can romp along. Or so the met man says.

Anyhow, here are the latest instalments from our stream of consciousness team:

First, Ed:

Thursday-bit of a low point, as the battery wont charge up and we ate cold tinned meat in the dark and went to bed at 7;30. engine wouldn’t switch off, and anchor broke aswell. So a pretty jolly day

Friday-cant remember what happened on Friday, as electrics on board haven’t worked and my thoughts have had no means of being recorded (im not exactly the kind of person that would keep a voluntary diary) saw a lot of intimidating big ships on way into suez though. Oh yeah actually come to think of it Friday was the day when I slept in because I was kept awake by two very prolific snorers.

Saturday-stayed on board and cleaned the boat after a sandstorm, then discovered that the showers and toilets we had been looking forward to so much were not worthy of our longings. Also explored downtown Port Tawfik (suburb of Suez) not a particularly touristy place.

Sunday-pretty much the same again, did a lot of reading and some more cleaning, and even more eating cold meat and going to bed before 8 o’clock.

Monday- Went to Cairo (which is absolutely huge) with the rest of the bluewater rally people, which was nice as it gave me a chance to put names and faces to the voices we’ve been hearing over the vhf. We were in the big museum (cant remember its proper name) from 10 till 3 looking at lots an lots of statues and artefacts, and also taking our time over a hot meal in the cafeteria. Then in the afternoon checked n to a fivestar hotel! And went out for a meal Which included a bellydancer. Basically getting accustomed to things that the Gipsy Moth cant provide (unless anyone wants to get their belly out).

Tuesday-woke up in luxury although feeling a bit rubbish because I had eaten too much last night to make up for days of corned beef, and went to the pyramids. The pyramids are huge! Also went underneath one of them, which was a smelly and slightly claustrophobic experience. Also saw the sphinx which I wasn’t quite as impressed with as its not quite so huge, and has birds nesting in its neck. In the evening we got to see the weirdest thing ever; the pyramids sound and light show, which I would thoroughly recommend if only for a laugh, and to see the Egyptian bagpipe players dressed as pharaohs. Oh yeah also got to go to an actual supermarket, which apart from not having any pork products (for obvious reasons) was brilliant as Hannah Sarah and I went a bit mental (I don’t think that we will use the jelly or the instant just add water ice cream).

Wednesday-Found out we couldn’t go through the canal yet because of a mystery submarine (which no-one saw). Spent the day doing an inventory of the boat.
In the evening we found out we were to transit the canal at 5o’clock the next morning, so John Simon Brian and I were up until 1:30 fixing the mast light, putting the dinghy away and sorting a rogue rope which got wrapped around the propeller.

Thursday-Transited the canal all in one go, saw a lot of very big ships, and a lot of men with AK’s and even more desert. There wasn’t as much hassle and asking for bribes as I was led to believe which was good.

Friday-Brian and I did the midnight till 4 watch which was about as much fun as morris dancing!

Skipper again:

Never tried Morris Dancing myself, but it looks fun to me. Just for the record, the anchor didn’t break, though it did bend in a quite spectacular way (straight now). And we didn’t get a rope round the prop, though we had a narrow escape – a rope belonging to someone else floated down tide and lodged under our hull on top of the prop shaft. Luckily, I spotted it before we ran the engine, which would have wrapped it pretty convincingly round and round and would have meant several dives with a knife to clear it. As it was, it took nearly an hour to get it free. So Ed’s description of Wednesday evening is actually quite restrained. Which is more than can be said for these two:

Sarah and Hannah’s Log:

‘Plough’.
I just wanted to write that.

We have Power!!!!!

“I think I see the light. Dun dun dun dun dun dun-dun.” Sarah’s going to do the washing I feel so alone. I don’t know what to write now, this is what my log would have been like if I’d decided to be less lazy and do one by myself.

Come and help wash up, girl!

Yeah I might, except I’m still in me pj’s hehe. I guess I could change my pants then I’ll look like I’m ready… for… something. I’m not quite sure what yet. I need to let you past.

Anyway, the reason for the “We have Power!!!!” comment was because the Gipsy Moth has been having electrical problems since last Thursday. Almost a whole week without hot water!!!

And hot food! It’s been cold corned beef and salad sandwiches. Thoroughly depressing.

We’ve been having conversations in the evening sat in the dark. And we’re all in bed by about 7 because we can’t see each other… But it’s all Ok! Because the Lovely Frank has fixed all of our troubles…

They were dark days though. Dark, dark days. Mainly because we didn’t have any lights. But by the good graces of one Innforapenny II we were spared a day of corned beef and were treated to a lovely warm meal and a gorgeous hot chocolate. I sound like such a suck up.

Never mind.

But it was lovely.

There’s no denying that fact. It was lovely.
Anyway, we’ve just returned from Cairo

And had plenty of hot meals. I quite miss the corned beef now… NOT.

Mwahahaha!!!

I’ll be happy if I never see a plate of cat food posing as a meal for a human again.

Just imagine – all of that Corned Beef, and not once did we have Corned Beef Hash. What a waste!!!

And I really wanted some too, with lots of hot beans and tomato ketchup smothered all over. Mind you, I bet Simon’s bought another lifetime supply. So if we ever feel that nostalgia and want some corned beef I’m almost certain there’ll be some on hand. I however don’t think I’ll ever eat it again. HA.

We should continue the story from where we left off.

Where did we leave off Sarah? I’d sure be grateful if you could tell us all. Wouldn’t you be grateful kids?

Yes…. Well, last we heard, our heroes were sailing up the Red Sea from El Gouna to Crete. The weather was rough (but then calm), the risk factor high (and then a bit lower).

They could feel their hearts pounding in their chests as a wave crashed like thunder onto the deck. They dived for the ropes to control the boat gone asunder.

The sky was dark, and the wind roared through the rigging. The anchor bent mysteriously like a stick of liquorice in the sun.

Or a steel rod in the hands of Superman.

And then….! All was calm. The sun shone, and the dolphins arrived.

They danced merrily along the side of the boat. The heroes desperately trying to capture the moment on their cameras as the gentle breeze caressed their skin…
Maybe we should tell the truth now!
It was almost windy on some days on others it was quite windy. A wave did crash on the deck but only to our amusement. We did see dolphins and it was bloomin’ difficult to take a picture. And yes the anchor did bend and Sarah and myself heard it all night!
However I think this melodramatic description is much better so let’s continue with that… Sarah take it away…

We arrived in the Suez Canal on Saturday or Friday

The days all seem to melt into one as the cabin fever sets in…

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sorry we took a break there, but we’re back now. Well almost. I don’t quite know where Sarah is although we decided to write this now. She’s disappeared on me! Anyway I thought I’d let you know that I’ve just had a lovely ice cream from a shop nearby (We’re in Suez now but we’ll fill in the details in a minute). It was blackberry. Delicious.

Skipper Again –
And that’s where they left it. I can assure you they are still on board, undamaged, and more or less conscious for a lot of the time. Ed is eating, Sarah is still singing, which I think is probably a good sign, and Hannah hasn’t finished all the chocolate. Yet.

Thursday 29th March 2007

Regular readers will have noticed yesterday’s deliberate mistake – “enter the Red Sea at Port Said” should have been “enter the Mediterranean Sea at Port Said”. Well, that’s what we’ve done. There was a hiccup when the US Navy decided to send a submarine through the Canal – at least, that’s what we were told – which was therefore closed to traffic all day. Somehow, though, we were all shoe-horned in to a revamped plan today, and after a 5 am start we have come right through the Suez Canal without stopping. Gipsy Moth IV was the front boat in a convoy of 10 Blue Water Rally yachts. An Egyptian Canal pilot, who spoke almost no English, was on board for part of the trip. We were surprised by how busy and crowded the Canal can be.

So, as ever, the crew are pleading pressure of work as an excuse for not putting their diary entries here. Let me do it for them. Yesterday, Simon and Brian chased all over Egypt for food supplies for the next part of our trip. Hannah and Sarah completely emptied all the cupboards in the forepeak and found things they didn’t know existed. Ed did the same at the other end of the yacht and found an umbrella. I went up the mast for the final time in Egypt, at midnight last night; the next time I go up there we’ll be in Europe, and daylight.

We’re in the Med now, with an unexpectedly favourable wind from the \north east helping us along. For now, that is. Weather is just like plans; subject to changes. Now that we’re back in cooler climes we’ve cooked (and eaten) a stew to celebrate, and dressed up in our winter woollies. Watch mate Sarah is sitting under the stars driving Gipsy Moth IV across a peaceful ocean and humming quietly to herself while I‘m in here typing. Useful in so many ways, that Sarah. For example, she knows where the chocolate is.

More later.

Skipper’s Log

Tuesday 27th March 2007

As I hope you have noticed, it’s been a while since we’ve been able to upload our diaries. The reason has been electrical problems aboard, but these have now been pretty well cleared up. It’s a long story which we won’t bore you with here, but Frank Trotman flew out from UKSA with some key spares and we are now ready to go.

Go where? Well, since our last message we have reached Port Tewfiq at the southern end of the Suez Canal. We are parked right at the entrance, as you can see from the picture. It was an eventful trip, but I’ll let others tell the story (though I hope someone thinks to mention the sandstorm that blotted out the landscape just as we arrived). We’re poised now to motor the length of the Canal, starting tomorrow morning and pausing overnight at Ismailia. Once we enter the Red Sea at Port Said it’s another few days sail to our final destination in Crete.

Here’s what some of the crew have to say so far:

Ed’s Log

Sunday- hung around Geneva airport for yet another few hours (I’d spent 6 hours there over the past week and been there 3 times) met with Brian after a minor panic about whether he would make it, and if not how do I get a visa and what d I do when I get to Egypt etc. Plane was great, being used to easyjet meant I was very pleasantly surprised with multiple free drinks(well obviously not free) meal, and a movie.
When we got to Hurghada we were met by John and Schumacher (the fastest taxi driver in Egypt….apparently) and were whisked to El Gouna.

Monday- Got up, learned about the boat (still a lot to learn mind) and looked around “downtown” El Gouna. Bought supplies, and cooked banana surprise for the crew which went down well, despite my efforts to ruin the sauce with everything I could find I the cupboards including chocolate and soy sauce.

Tuesday- Set sail for the first time, straight Into a vey windy reach across the shipping lane, all non experienced crewmembers including myself were very seasick much to our dismay, and perhaps dreading the thought of throwing up all the way to CRETE. Other than that I did manage to catch up on a bi of sleep lost last week despite rough seas and using a misenstay as my pillow. Had veal for dinner which just isn’t as nice as beef.

Wednesday-The fact that I don’t like eggs is beginning to become very apparent, and im getting very hungry, so I sneakily ate a kitkat I found in my bag in the bog, I mean Heads. Still haven’t got round the yachty lingo. Motored all day which I wasn’t really unhappy about as it means we’ll get to Suez quicker. Everyone got a bit stressy when it was decided we had to put a second anchor in which involved a lot of hassle and dinghying. Also had veal again for dinner. Everyone is happy that that is the last of it. Let the cow grow up before eating it next time!
SARAH AND HANNAH’S DIARY

Good Morning World!
It’s 0715 on this beautiful Thursday morning, and we are sailing. We spent last night in a tiny port called Râs Budran, on the Eastern bank of the Gulf of Suez. We left our starting point, El Gouna, on Tuesday morning and have been sailing northwards to our next major destination - the Suez Canal. If all goes to plan we should be there by tomorrow evening!

Wow Sarah, you sure sound like you know what you’re talking about. (says Hannah, sounding like an extra from Superman…) I had no idea where we were last night, and I had a vague suspicion that we heading to the Suez Canal. Ooh but we’re arriving tomorrow evening. How spiffing! Does that mean the opportunity draws near for our trip to the pyramids? We need to get butter-ing up some of these crew members to take us.

Maybe we can bribe them?

Or get them drunk?

We only have Gin and Tonic!!!! We could always spike the Tonic with more Gin…..

We can buy some more from Suez and then they shall be in the palms of our hands. We shall see the pyramids!

MWAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

Anyway back to… what we were talking about. Not the illegal drugging, of course.

Yeah, so…. We arrived in El Gouna on Saturday evening, so we had a couple of days to look around. We made the most of our time by riding a camel! Woo and Yay!

It hurts!

We ate some Ice Cream in Downtown El Gouna…

“When you are low and life is making you lonely you can always go, DOWNTOWN”

And all that Jazz.

I had a banana split, t’was delicious. I forgot what Sarah had some oddly named one. Chocolate… compote or something. I know it wasn’t compote. But we went in this bus. This bus looked like the whole of its side had been ripped off and was replaced by a few planks of wood. It also looked like they’d taken the wrong side of the bus off at first and then hastily stuck it on and put some plastic sheets over it. It was however nice and breezy in the bus. All the way to Downtown and all the way back there were hundreds of guard points. At first it was a bit worrying but it became routine.

El Gouna was such a weird place - everything was really pretty, but it looked unreal. It was a bit too Disneyland. But it had the BIGGEST boats you can possibly imagine. On had its own island! What a crazy country we are in…..

I think one of the reasons it looked so Disneyland, Sarah, is because that the person who designed it wasn’t even Egyptian! He was Italian. Makes you wonder. I think the place on the whole would have been more interesting if there was some kind of story behind it. Like, there was this white statue looking out on the harbour and I thought “what an interesting statue! I bet there’s an interesting story behind it!” But there wasn’t. I was upset.
I feel at this precise moment that I should comment on the crazy taxi. Well I thought it was crazy. The driver decided that he didn’t particularly want to choose one side of the road to drive on so instead he chose the middle. And at one point he even swerved on the grass. Scary stuff!

Definitely. I’m glad we’re on the water now, rather than the roads. Less traffic.

We’re writing this quite oddly. We’ve managed to describe quite a few days in no order what-so-ever. It’s all higgle-dee-piggle-dee. That was fun to write. What else have we done?

We cooked a pretty impressive curry with Ed, from scratch. And Christoph Rassy came aboard.

Yeah, I really liked him he was so loud and … happy. I can’t really come up with any plausible adjectives at this time in the morning. Oh, must dash. I’m on watch.

(I feel I should explain. We are on a watch system – we have been paired up {Me and John, Hannah and Simon, Ed and Brian} and each pair takes it in turns to steer and watch out for any problems. Hannah and Simon have just gone on the 0800 watch.)

Anyhoo, we are all having a fun-filled time. It suddenly struck me at 0645 as we were setting sail that, if I hadn’t taken the chance to apply I would still be at home asleep, about to wake up for school. And I would not be standing on the Gipsy Moth, in Egypt, watching the sun come up. Isn’t it amazing where one small decision can take you?
Well, I hope that everyone on the Isle of Wight I having quite as fabulous a time as we are, and I’m sure Hannah and I will be having some more obscure conversations later… Morning, everyone!

Skipper again:
I want family and friends to rest assured that we are not letting Sarah and/or Hannah smoke anything funny. They just really are like this; maybe it’s the euphoria of sailing a historic yacht in exotic surroundings (or is that historic surroundings and an exotic yacht?). Don’t go away.

John Jeffrey, Skipper. Wednesday 21st March

If the crew look happy in this picture it’s because they have just had a sound night’s sleep at anchor, and the sun is shining, and the wind is a lot less strong than it was yesterday. We had what is politely known as a 'Spirited Sail’ yesterday, with the wind getting up to 30 knots for a while before settling to a relatively sedate 20 or so. One or two of the crew found it not totally With such a strong wind we covered a fair distance, even taking into account the need to thread our way carefully between the reefs which lie outside El Gouna. By mid-afternoon we had found ourselves a comfy spot on the Sinai shore and lowered the anchor. Even in the bay the wind was blustery and the sea far from calm, so we laid a second anchor from the bow to double up on security. This was a bit of a struggle in the choppy conditions, with Ed joining me in the dinghy to share a good soaking. When I came on deck this morning there was hardly a breath of wind, and the bay was like a lake – still, better safe than sorry. At least getting the second anchor up in these conditions was a lot easier than putting it out had been.

Last night I spoke by HF radio to a couple of other Blue Water Rally yachts who are also en route to Suez. Like us, they are hoping to take advantage of the favourable winds which have been forecast, but guess what? This morning, although it was supposed to be much the same as yesterday, in practice we have light winds from the North. So light, in fact, that we have given up trying to sail; after a pleasant but unproductive hour drifting along and getting nowhere much, we have reluctantly started the engine. Lovely as it is to drift gently along, watching the fish jumping (and the oil rigs flaring), I can’t afford to be well South of Suez when the NW winds start to blow again, as they surely will before long.

So we’ll find another anchorage tonight well north of here, and this time I’ll try hard to make sure the Crew start putting their own news onto the website.

John Jeffrey, Skipper. Monday 19th

They’re all here – the Leg 26 crew, that is. Simon, Hannah and Sarah flew in only just over a couple of hours behind schedule (Time to Spare? Go By Air!), and Brian and Ed came 24 hours later. They have been much too busy to write their diaries yet, so I’ll summarise. Sarah and Hannah have found new skills they never dreamed they had, such as rigging a slip line, riding a camel, and ordering an ice cream in Arabic(“ice cream, please” works pretty well, especially when accompanied by two big smiles); while Ed has cooked a meal for 6 people for the first time. And all of them have taken turns at winding things up and down the mast, such as the mainsail, and me. (I just can’t get enough of this dangling business).

A crack of dawn start tomorrow, as we take advantage of a promised reduction in the wind. Now where have I heard that promise before? The plan is to spend a few days sailing gently northwards up the Gulf Of Suez to the start of the Canal. What an exciting prospect! More news tomorrow.