2009
March 13th-15th-Practice weekend, Black Diamond(Hartlepool)
13th - 15th March 2009: Black Diamond - Hartlepool - Tyne - Hartlepool 100miles tidal
The main aim of this weekend (besides having fun and giving people the chance to play around) was for Titch and myself to get some practice at skippering, under the watchful eye of Black Diamond Skipper, Calvyn Whitehand. We also hoped to each do a skippered passage (60mile minimum). Unfortunately bad weather kept us in Hartlepool on the Friday, but on Saturday we set off early under Titch’s leadership. The winds were strong, and picked up through the morning to a steady force 9, occasionally gusting 10. We struggled on, carrying only a jib, but we made it safely into the tyne where we dropped sail and motored to Newcastle quay. To celebrate our safe arrival, Jonny and helpers cooked an almighty chicken roast, with all trimmings (including pigs in blankets). The Sunday was under my leadership, and was also a very eventful day. There was a heavy fog as we slowly crept down the tyne, blasting our foghorn every few minutes. It was very difficult to make out the river banks, and navigation had to be very tight. Once out of the tyne, the fog began to lift and the winds were much lighter than the previous day - in fact too light - and we had to motor half of the way. BUT the sun was out and we relaxed for the journey back. We reached Hartlepool with enough time to practice picking up some man overboards under sail.
Titch succeeded in having a 60mile journey signed off. We did not cover quite enough miles on my watch due to slow progress and time constraints, but I gained my first real taste of skippering.
Colette Matthewman
May 1st-4th- Practice weekend (Largs)
Fifteen of us from as far afield as Norwich, Bristol and Edinburgh headed over to Largs for a three day weekend on 1st-4th May 2009. We had two 31 foot and one 38 foot yachts for the weekend. We headed north through the Kyles of Bute to Loch Riddon where we picked up mooring buoys and had a barbecue on the very scenic beach on the Saturday evening. On Sunday we sailed south through the western side of the Kyles of Bute and down to Lamlash on Arran, where we picked up some more buoys and headed to the pub. The wind picked up overnight and so we had a fast downwind run back to Largs to return the boats on the Monday. Everyone who hadn’t sailed on the Clyde before was amazed at the stunning scenery and the great sailing there.
Jon Seddon (volunteer with OYT South)
May 22nd-25th- Practice weekend Plymouth
June 25th- July 4th - Tall Ships delivery
Kiel, Germany to Gdynia, Poland.
My mate went to Stågerup and Rødme and all I got was this lousy blog.
So, the start of a big European adventure – due to stretch as far as Russia! First things first, we had to get to Gdynia for the opening event of the Tall Ships Races.
The initial challenge was to find the boat though: no mean feat considering its location turned out to be a closely guarded secret. But fear not, our intrepid explorers found their individual ways there. The arrivals list reads: local man hires car and offers lift to damsels in distress, a similar fate befalls myself, lift given by two-seater open-top roadster (bag on lap), German RNLI delivery by rib, and a friendly police car… (nothing untoward I might add, just a friendly rozzer).
So to the sailing. With one Hel [bad pun intended – do read on] of a distance to cover we knew there would be overnight sails aplenty. We set off the next morning and the refreshed look on everyone’s faces – for it being their first day on open water for quite some time – was palpable! But short-lived… Most of them very quickly turned green and someone, (Lord knows who, my head was in a bucket), delivered us to dry land. A most pretty location we concluded it must be Denmark and took a quick look around, bumping into nearly all seven of the natives. Given the nature of the local, rather orthogonal, architecture we dubbed it ‘Legoland’. Officially termed ‘Langoland’ we weren’t a million miles off, but importantly it was near to two towns affectionately known as ‘Stågerup’ and ‘Rødme’…
Duly refreshed we headed in search of more of Denmark. The island of Bornholm saw two visits, and was even graced with the appearance of our cruising chute in preparation for use in the race out of Poland. By now everyone had settled into life on board: no more green faces, only constant satisfaction at the gentle swell and a break from choppy seas. Alan, (our British Kiel Yacht Club representative and general be-everywhere, do-everything bosun/mate/crew), was even coming round to our rather more laid back approach to life aboard!
Our final Danish call was into Gedser before the long hop to Poland. Easily settled into watches, (thanks to near constant sailing and short stop-offs), the sail down to Poland was no longer as daunting as it may have seemed after the first [green] day. There was even time to make invitations to a party on one of the three laptops onboard! Not even blanket fog could phase us as we gallantly saw off a fully rigged ship through the haze with our own, handheld, trumpet fog horn, that could be heard as far away as the front of the boat, (as everyone who was asleep will attest).
Amidst the exciting convergence of boats in the Baltic all en-route to Gdynia there was hatched an undeniably attractive plan, as it was discovered that, but a short distance from Gdynia, lay the port of Hel! “Go to Hel”, came the cries over the VHF radio. Much laughter ensued and, once all of the possible jokes had been exhausted, we arrived.
The ensuing period I must admit is, at best, a blur. Only two weeks previously I had completed seven years at university and had decided it was time to celebrate. Needless to say the port of Gdynia hosted a magnificent gathering of boats and events, with some hilarious zorb-balling on the beach, as well as some gladiator-style fighting on a spinnaker pole, (the TV kind, not the Greek kind). Our own ‘Crew Party After Party Rave Party’, (courteously hosted aboard Black Diamond of Durham), also went without hitch or drowning. Even some of the local female beach furniture invited by our very own Hollywood A-lister, Matt Damon [Andy Taylor the look-alike], made an appearance.
Of course the obligatory Captains Daughters dance made an appearance in all manner of places, not least of all the crew parade, (bathed in glorious sunshine, obviously), attracting the attention of the crowds away from all those organised marching bands! And-a-five, six, seven, eight…
Andy Kitching
July 4th-12th- Tall Ships Race 1
August 8th-16th – ASTO small ships Race (Greenock to Belfast)