My first experience with a Cat

    

Following an ad on the internet, I joined the SV Guiding Light which was making a passage from Pensacola, Florida, to Fort Myers (via Destin, Port St Joe, Apalachicola, & Bradenton). The vessel was a Lagoon 41 and this was my first experience at sailing on a Catamarang.

We had a crew of three, and while I was lucky not to have to cook, I sorted out out a number of mechanical problems for the Captain, and stood the bulk of the night-time watches as we sailed offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.

The major performance difference between a Cat & Monohull is the increased leeway under sail, however this downside was compensated by the manoueverabiliy and shallow draught.

We covered around 375 Nm in the 3 weeks, taking time to enjoy the ports visited.  I hope to rejoin the vessel later this year.

Yacht Delivery - Phase 2; France to the UK.

               
After wintering Trompeta in Port Napoleon, near Marseilles, this year the job would be completed. So, with the owner still unwell, I became the "owners rep" with the responsibility to organise the delivery of the boat onward to Hamble Marina, in the UK.
Once I had finished the anti-fouling, servicing, and rigging, the boat was launched in May '09 and the voyage home started.

The passage was relatively flexible to allow for crew constraints and weather opportunities, and during the summer, we sailed the following legs ~

Marseilles - Barcelona - Cartagena - Gibraltar - La Coruna - Guernsey (via Biscay) - Southampton.

I was in attendance throughout the 6 legs, sailed under 3 different Yachtmasters, stood numerous watches, created all the passage plans, and carried out the formalities at every port.

The voyage provided me with a raft of experience, including the opportunity to helm the boat into a number of berths, stern-to. Biscay was kind to us, but not so rounding Cape Finisterre and the final run into St. Peter Port, where we were in Force 6 conditions for a few hours on both occasions.

We arrived at Hamble, Southampton in September, and the boat is now for sale. The total voyage was logged at 2030 Nm.

Holiday charter in Turkey

             
This was to be a week of pleasure sailing in Turkey, using a Oceanis 45'  yacht called Whinwhistle, cruising the coastline both east and west of Marmaris.  We had a crew of 6 and under a recently qualified Yachtmaster, I assumed a "second in command" role.
The passages were short day sails, and weather conditions were very good, so it was hardly demanding sailing, however additional experience was gained in both stern-to berthing, and anchoring.
We covered a total of 190 Nm during the week.

Yacht delivery - Phase 1; Malta to France

 
The task was to crew a Hallberg Rassy 42' called Trompeta initially from Malta, to Tunisia, joining the 79 year old captain who was on the last leg of a circumnavigation. The predominantly night passage to Port Hammamet was uneventful and due to light winds, meant motoring most of the way, standing solo 2 hour watches.
After assisting with removing the sails and preparing the boat for winter storage, I returned to the UK.
Several days later, the owner had also returned due to ill health, but now wanted the boat moved immediately to Marseilles, France, and "could I find a crew?"
Due to insurance restrictions, the boat had to have a Yachtmaster on board, so once that was sorted, I made up a total crew of 4, and Trompeta was sailed up the coasts of Corsica & Sardina to arrive 2 weeks later in Marseilles.  Most of the time it was day sailing and while weather conditions were good, the frequent marina berthing in crowded ports probably presented the biggest challenge to the crew. The final 8 hours presented the best winds, and we managed to see 8.1 Knots (SOG) with fully trimmed sails.
I logged 180 Nm from Malta to Tunisia, and a further 632 on the passage to Marseilles.

Taking my boat to Guernsey

 
After purchasing my Fairline Targa 34, Fairplay, and a number of forays across the Solent in the past 12 months, the time had come to give her a decent blast.  So, with 2 other powerboats, and a motley crew of Welsh lads, we planned a trip to St. Peter Port in Guernsey.
To spice things up a bit, the first night was spent at Poole Marina, then we met up with the other boats mid-channel, before tackling the Alderney race, and arriving Victoria Marina early afternoon.
Practising my passage planning, we departed the following day, leaving as late as clearance over the sill would allow, and for some variation, the return leg took us through the Swinge, then directly to the Needles.  A brief stop in Yarmouth for lunch, before the last blast up the Solent and into Southampton.
The weather was calm on both days, and I logged the weekend at 217 Nm.

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.