Aboard an Indonesian Pinisi

   

After answering an ad on  retiredbackpackers.com  I flew out to the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia, to help skipper a genuine wooden Pinisi, from Bira, to Kendari (being the initial 3 week leg of a passage back to the Philippines).  The boat KLM Rima, was built locally on the beach, rolled into the sea, was completely crafted from local materials, and powered by an Isuzu lorry engine ! Even the sails were stitched by hand and run in leather clad hoops on the mast.

Although we had the benefit of a 3 local crew for helming, anchoring & sail duties, course planning was my domain and I carried out all chart work using a simple GPS, large scale charts, and simple plotting tools.
The voyage was a mix of all conditions, with about 3 nights spent under way. We encountered many people on the way ranging from corrupt harbourmasters in the big cities, to poor fishermen on some isolated islands that would trade you a days catch for half a gallon of petrol.
This log is not the place for a detailed account of the adventure, but suffice to say I learned a lot about sailing in Indonesia, albeit maybe not relevant to Western boating practices.
All told, the journey took 3 weeks, logging 390 Nm on the way.

In contol of €8 million

                 
I had a friend whose job was delivering Ferretti Superyachts as they came off the production line in Fano, Italy to wherever the customer chose.  One day the call came, "Can you give me a hand".
The initial plan was to deliver the 120ft long, Customline 97, called Serendipity, to Palma, Majorca, where it would be offered for sale, at around €8 million Euros. The first few days were spent cleaning and checking all the systems on the yacht, but as we worked, the sales team were also doing their job.

A call came to move the vessel 25 Nm down the coast to Ancona, where a prospective client could land his helicopter and view the boat. The chopper landed, and about 60 mins later, the deal was done.... and he wanted it delivered to Split (a mere 12 hours across the Adriatic).  What a disappointment, so at 5pm we slipped the ropes and headed east at a constant 12 Knots.
With 3 on board, I stood a couple of 2 hour watches while the rest slept, although the temptation was to stay on the bridge as long as possible marvelling at the array of electronics at my disposal.
Reaching Croatia the following morning, another quick clean was due before the final handover.
Mileage logged - 151 Nm.

Crossing the Channel with my RYA instructor

   
It was a unique opportunity; crew for the RYA instructor that had just got me through my Day Skipper exam.
So, I didn't hesitate in accompanying Dan Roper on his 31ft Nicholson yacht, Colonsay of Melforth, leaving Falmouth, heading for L'aberach in France.
The passage was calm although rainy at times, and we stood 2 hour watches each.  Dan's further practical tuition was appreciated on the way, and after staying overnight on a mooring buoy in L'aberach, we spent the next 2 days sailing through the Chenal de Four and onto Brest, where I left the boat.
The total voyage was logged at 134 Nm.

Sunsail delivery

   
This was my longest passage to date, and it involved delivering a Jeanneau 494 yacht from the Sunsail base near Split, Croatia, to the marina in Göcek, Turkey.  The boats name was Alejo and we formed part of a flotilla of 4.
The route was around 900 Nm which took us through the Corinth Canal, and with 2 weeks to do it, it meant we were on a tight schedule.
Within hours of leaving, we had to head back as one of the other boats had a skin fitting snap off, and started to take on water at an alarming rate.  We accompanied them back to the marina and the fitting was replaced overnight. The next day the journey began again, sailing night & day for the first 5 days, and experiencing Force 4-5 seas and 45 Knot gusting winds at times.
I left the boat at Rhodes logging approx 800 Nm.

Cherbourg & back

 
My first foray across the Channel was in a 27ft Sea Ray called Getaway.  Although not my boat, I took responsibility for the passage planning and navigation while underway.
The journey from Southampton went well with calm conditions, although returning the next day, we battled a Force 3-4 for the majority of the time.
The distance logged for the weekend was 163 Nm.

Cruising the coast of Spain

My father in law, a qualified Yachtmaster, had purchased a Steel hulled De Groot 33, called Suanda, and I joined for a weeks sail as we cruised from Almeria to Puerto Banus.
The passages were mainly day sails but I still learned a lot from the insight & instruction given.
We logged 126 Nm on this passage.

Holiday in Greece

 
A week was spent onboard a Sun Odyssey 51 called Foolish Pleasure, sailing from Corfu to Ithaca. As it was predominantly a holiday, my duties during the week were varied and with a total crew of 8, it was not a demanding challenge.
We covered approx. 170 Nm overall with no night passages.

Racing week in Marmaris

 
Joining a crew of 3, I spent a week racing the Sunsail Sun Odyssey 37 boat Papyrus in the bay of Marmaris, Turkey.
One of the races involved a night passage, and I stood my share of watches throughout the week.  It was a great introduction to racing, and I got to understand some of the complexities of the rules.
Total mileage for the week was estimated to be 100 Nm.

Bareboat sailing in the Leeward Islands

Joining a crew of 7 welsh lads, and my father-in-law, on board a Sun Odyssey 51, Coquet, the plan was to sail from St. Maarten to Antigua, taking 2 weeks to do so.  The wife came as galley slave, while I funded the adventure and acted as "competent crew".
Sailing via St. Barts, Saba, Statia, St. Kitts, &  Nevis, we covered around 175 Nm, mainly day sailing, but with a couple of night passages, where I did my turn on watch.