Sailing round Britain Blog - Hilary Lister
After a few hours' sleep, the guys at Berthon Marina kindly lifted the wounded Arty out of the water. Once on dry land we could see what we had dreaded - 3 holes in a line, 2 of which had pierced the carbon. On the plus side Melvin, the Berthmmaster here at Berthon, came round with champagne and wine which lifted everyone's spirits.
Lymington Lions started to appear with wine and lunch at around 11 am and, as their numbers gradually increased, so did the amount of food. They also brought the deputy Mayor with them and then proceeded to "force feed" the crew vast quantities. They have been incredibly understanding about the delays we have faced due to the weather and broken kit.
Simon Rogers, the designer of the boat, had appeared the night before and taken Helen, Jacqi and Paul out on his RIB intending to meet the rest of us as we came in. As it was obvious that we were not going to arrive for a couple of hours, they then went for a "raz" around the bay. He reappeared just after lunch wielding a crutch and a broken leg, to my shock.
It didn't take us long to put him to work fixing Arty, whose wounds he described as "minimal". He had been expecting a hole the size of a football. He was soonjoined by the whole of the Rogers design team who diagnosed a broken boom to add to our woes. We had noticed a bend, but a closer look revealed that the aluminium had in fact given way. The gnav - an upside down vang - which allows me to adjust the height of the boom is enormously powerful as it is designed for a much bigger system (there is no such thing as a gnav for a 20 foot boat). Because it had originally been fixed too close to the mast it was able to exert pressure on to the boom, beyond the lowest point where the boom should travel.
Paul took the Land rover off to collect a new boom from VizMarine in Chichester. When he returned he had just managed to squeeze it in diagonally, but it was obviously a close run thing. We were pretty unsympathetic about the problems he had faced as we were all just pleased to see it! Simon Rogers did however manage to affect a fast and good looking repair and we even managed to get some rare photographs of him obviously hugely enjoying the opportunity to get his hands dirty! He was soon joined by his whole family, Rebecca, Hattie (8) and Tom (3). Rebecca sacrificed her hair dryer to speed the drying process and Tom found numerous jobs that needed doing, including starting a drill which had the battery attached. It was lovely to catch up and they all stayed until 8 in the evening at which point Simon was forcibly removed to attend a previous engagement!
26 June 2008
Today I woke up to a message on my phone telling me that a friend of mine from Oxford was going to pay us a visit along with her two children, the eldest of whom, Ewan, was my first Godchild. I hadn't seen Claire and the family in almost two years, so it was an immediate lift.
Simon Rogers appeared to check that his repair of the night before had, in fact, gone as well as we all knew it had, but it was still great to see the carrier bag (which had been put there to protect it from the dew) come off. He seemed happy enough with his handywork, and I was certainly hugely relieved to see that everything looked as beautiful as it had done the night before.
We were treated to breakfast by Melvin this morning in the cafe up the road, so the whole crew were already feeling spoilt and ready to get stuck back in to work after a few tiring days. All that was left to do on the Arty was to paint the repair black. I felt incredibly guilty as Toby and Mike got on with painting Arty and then setting up the new boom whilst I spent the day with my friends and did my best to lead my Godson astray!
Sorting out the boom is not a straightforward job as my mainsheet must be the only one in the world that uses shot cord (bungee). Since all the rigging was down it was also a chance to wire up my Raymarine wind instruments. I'm now looking forward to seeing the whole rig up and working and am praying that the wind drops a little - we still have 5-6, occasionally 7 - so that we can complete the leg from Bramble Bank to here and then get ready for the long trip to Portland.
27 June 2008
The weather continues to frustrate us with extremely strong winds blowing from the Southwest. The boat, however, is now rigged and, thanks to Simon Rogers' help once again, we are now able to get the mainsail all the way up the track. Whilst Lymington is lovely, and Berthon Marina could not be doing more to make our stay more comfortable, we are facing yet another setback which will keep us off the water. Today Sean Davis, one of our RIB crew, cut himself whilst cutting a paddle down from the RIB. Although not a major injury, it was bad enough to need gluing back together at the local A&E. Since Martin Forster, one of our other RIB drivers, injured his arm whilst we were training in Cowes and is still recuperating, we have no spare crew.
We absolutely require three people on the safety boat, which means that we cannot go out on the water for 4-7 days until the cut is healed. It is not a simple solution just to take on new RIB crew, as the boat and my condition means that many of the jobs they perform on the water are unique to my situation. In addition the whole team has undergone sea survival training and special safety boat courses. I do have one or two friends from Westbere who may be able to help, however, and I managed to persuade one of them to come down for the weekend so that we can at least complete the leg from Bramble bank to Lymington. Martin Cox was the first skipper to take me out in a boat at Westbere and we are looking forward to him joining the team for the weekend. He will spend a day being trained in how to recover me from the water and how to approach Arty and then we will have Sunday and some of Monday to complete the sail. I think that everyone will be relieved to see her sailing again and I certainly can't wait to get back on the water.
Whilst all these delays are incredibly frustrating, it is important to keep them in proportion. We always knew that this would be the tough part as we are sailing against prevailing winds. Once we round Lands End the wind will no longer be in our faces and many of the problems with the boat and its systems will have been solved. It's important not to underestimate the role of the 'dry crew' in keeping everybody's spirits up, not to mention everyone's body weight! Without their care and fantastic cooking life would be a lot tougher.
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Hilary Lister Update
Day 14 - Sunday 29 June: Hilary was today able to sail the section from Bramble Bank (near Cowes) back to Lymington although her onboard electronics have still not recovered from the drenching they received last Tuesday. Efforts are being made to restore the navigational systems so, whilst also waiting for Sean's injury to heal, the team's stay in Lymington is extended further.
Hilary Lister in Lymington
Day 15 - Monday 30 June: Team remains in Lymington
Day 16 - Tuesday 1 July: Still awaiting rectification of electronics on Hilary's boat and for Sean's injury to heal. Possible that Hilary may not be able to sail again until later in the week.
Hilary hopes to leave Lymington tomorrow
Day 17 - Wednesday 2 July: The issues with the boat's electronics now appear to have been resolved and Sean's back off to the hospital today to check his injury. Subject to weather conditions, Hilary hopes to leave Lymington tomorrow (Thursday) or, if not, on Friday.
Hilary Lister sailing to Portland tomorrow
Day 18 - Thursday 3 July: Team remains in Lymington ahead of the planned sail to Portland tomorrow.
July 4 update - Hilary Lister
The weather has to be the most frustrating thing in the world …. the low pressure front we were hoping would hold off until Saturday has arrived 24 hours early, meaning that we don't even have the chance to make a dash to Poole. The forecast is for winds up to gale force 8, which there is no way the Artemis would survive, let alone me!
We have been in Lymington for almost two weeks now, so the whole crew is feeling is frustrated as I am. Most people are taking the weekend off and grabbing the chance to go home to see friends and family. Sean has been lucky enough to have been invited on board an Oyster 64, which is heading to Cherbourg. He is sure to come back a rougher, tougher mariner! In the meantime Toby, Mike and I will babysit Arty and look forward to the better weather we think is due to arrive early next week.
Hilary Lister Round Britain Dream Update
Day 22 - Monday 7 July: The poor weather conditions look likely to keep Hilary in Lymington for the foreseeable future, possibly until the end of the week. We really have had no luck with the weather so far!
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To Hilary Lister: Best wishes on your sail
Best wishes on your sail after your recent set-backs. Hope the weather to improve soon.
I know you will indeed keep up your spirits and succeed! David
Hilary Lister to sail again
Fingers crossed, Hilary is hoping to sail again on Sunday (Lymington to Portland)
Hilary Lister underway again at last
Day 28 - Sunday 13 July: Underway again at last! Hilary left Lymington at 06.15 this morning bound for Portland where she hopes to arrive in the late afternoon/early evening. Hilary arrived safely in Portland at around 19.20 this evening. The plan is now for a one night stay in Portland (instead of two) and to set sail again for Brixham/Dartmouth in the early evening tomorrow (Monday).
Day 29 - Monday 14 July: Hilary and the team will now, after all, stay a further night in Portland with a view to setting off again on Tuesday.
I love your blog
I love your blog. Personally I think Sailing is one of most wonderufl adventures in life.
Sailing round Britain - Hilary Lister
We left Portland for Brixham at 7am on Thursday expecting to sail for up to 19 hours. We were therefore pleasantly suprised when our plan to sail out into Lyme Bay on one tack and then back into Brixham on the other tack worked! Leaving Portland Bill and the Races was a steep learning curve sailing wise. Coming away from "The Bill" the wind was on my port quarter so I was sailing on the fastest point of sail. The wind around the rocks is tricky and the boat broached a few times as the mainsail overpowered the jib. This took me directly towards the rock, a situation which, from my point of view, seemed like a bad idea. However we were soon clear and made it to our first way point ahead of schedule.
It's always great to arrive in port to the smiling faces of Paul, Jacqi and Helen, but it was especially nice to surprise them slightly by being ahead of schedule. We'd hoped to catch them on the hop, but they were more than ready for us, as usual... :-) It was particularly good to see Jacqi walking in a straight line and talking what passes for sense amongst the team in general, as she had brutally attacked the Land Rover's bonnet with her head earlier in the day!
The day after we arrived should have been a quiet day, with the sail to Salcombe planned for the evening; as it turned out it was nothing of the sort. My Godparents came down to see me and we were accosted by ITV South West's News presenter Sam as we were eating lunch. I did a short piece, but they wanted a live feed for the 6 o clock news. In preparation for that night's sail to Salcombe I had been given strict orders from Helen to sleep. I "encouraged" Paul to step into the spotlight for his television debut. I was aware that I was breaking the sleeping rules, but I was pleased to hear him perform. If demand continues, signed photos may become available!
The forecast from the Met Office for the Salcombe sail was F4-5, occasionally 6. This is the limit we have set ourselves and so we put two reefs in to be on the safe side. I was towed out of Brixham harbour and into Lyme Bay at 11pm. The water was so glassy that even Arty struggled to move at any speed. After 30 minutes waiting for a howling gale to hit us from around the headland, we finally decided that it wasn't going to happen and took both reefs out. Now that we were at the western end of the Channel, we are getting Atlantic rollers which, whilst big , I would swap any time for the short chop of the Solent (as would 'Me Too'). Although the wind picked up to a force 3.5 for a time, the threatened gale never arrived; this meant we arrived in Salcombe to familiar faces, including Alex, an old friend from UKSA. He kindly came out to meet us with the rest of the gang.
Paul's charisma obviously helped with Lorraine Bullock, from Salcombe Council, who has managed to rope off several spaces in the car park. Salcombe is on a very big hill which makes the yacht club and it's showers are inaccessable; the Council have done their best to make our stay comfortable, but we may have to use the shower in the van for the first time which could be interesting.
Unfortunately, we lost Martin Forster who, for many personal reasons, felt he could not continue with the remainder of the trip. We are all very sorry to see him go, but wish him all the very best. This means we are back down to three "Ribbies" so we will be taking steps to try and find another RIB driver to join the team.
Hilary Lister
Hilary Lister's boat
Day 36 - Monday 21 July: Repairs to the keel are proving more problematic than anticipated and, with adverse weather forecasts for the middle of the week, Hilary may have to stay in Salcombe for a few days more.
Day 37 - Tuesday 22 July: Having consulted both the designer and builder of Hilary's boat, we now have a resolution for the keel issue which will be implemented today. The plan is then to undertake a test sail tomorrow and, assuming everything is in order, to leave Salcombe for Mevagissey on Thursday.
Problem with Hilary Lister's boat
Unfortunately, the test sail was unsuccessful and there is still a problem with the keel on Hilary's boat. Further investigation/work will be required before Hilary is able to sail again.
Hilary Lister sailing for Mevagissey
Day 41 - Sunday 27 July: After much despondency, a successful test sail today has suggested that the problems with the keel fixings have been overcome sufficiently for Hilary to sail the next leg. She plans to leave Salcombe for Mevagissey tomorrow (Monday).
A big day for Arty - Hilary Lister
Today was a big day for Arty. The repair work started by Vizmarine had been finished by Toby yesterday. She was lifted from her trailer into the water by Mike the crane driver. Setting up the electronics and getting her ready for the test sail to see whether our modified fix had solved our problems seemed to take forever.
There was a little wind in the estuary, so I was hoping for some nice gentle rollers in the bay to put her through her paces. As we went over the bar I was hugely relieved that there was no knocking and hopeful that this time we had solved the problems. Although there was virtually no wind, I sailed Arty on an unusually flat sea whilst Mike (our Mike, not the Salcombe Harbour Company crane driver :-)) and Sean looked on. We set up for the long tow back to the head of the estuary, all hugely relieved that Arty was behaving herself, but slightly disappointed that there had been so little wind as it meant we had not been able to put her under any stress.
The decision to sail tomorrow was left to Toby; he seemed happy enough, so everyone will be up at 2.00am tomorrow morning to head for Mevagissey. Salcombe has been extremely welcoming and the harbour guys, Roger, Dennis, Mike and Sam have been great. They have lifted Arty in and out a number of times during the past week without complaining once. Nevertheless, I'm particularly relieved that we will be moving again, as are the rest of the crew.
- Hilary Lister
Hilary Lister arrived in Mevagissey
Day 42 - Monday 28 July: Hilary finally set sail from Salcombe at 04.30 and arrived safely in Mevagissey at around 13.40.
Yesterday's sail from Salcombe to Mevagissey
Yesterday's sail from Salcombe to Mevagissey was tense for everyone. Although the test sail had shown no problems with the boat, there was very little wind and the sea was so flat that that it was glassy so I don't think that any of us felt that Arty had been fully tested.
We left Salcombe at 4:30am; there was almost no wind in the estuary, so I was very relieved when we reached the mouth had to find the wind blowing, as predicted, from the east. It was still relatively calm, as Sean hoisted the sails, I was pleased that our running repairs would be "broken in" gently. The wind stayed at our backs for the 8 hour sail to Mevagissey, touching at most perhaps a strong force three. Almost on cue it moved round to the south just before we reached our destination, making the entrance to the harbour much easier.
Mevagissey is the first port where we have had to use the land rover's hoist to get me out of the boat and lift me up the harbour wall. Positioning the hoist is difficult as the driver (Paul) has to keep clear of all the rigging. The conditions were not straightforward as there were onlookers, including the harbour master, so the pressure to get it right was huge. Paul, Jacqi and Helen did a fantastic job and Mike's strapping fitted perfectly. I certainly felt entirely safe the whole way up, with Mike and Toby holding me away from the wall and the rigging at the bottom.
We are now preparing for tomorrow's sail around "the Lizard" to Newlyn. It's another early start as we are staying on a campsite some 30 minutes drive from the harbour. We are extremely grateful to the owner, Keith, for putting us up at such short notice. As with everyone we meet we are constantly amazed by their generosity and their interest in the project.
- Hilary Lister
Hilary Lister in Mevagissey
Day 43 - Tuesday 29 July: Due to adverse weather forecasts, Hilary will now have to wait until Thursday morning at the earliest before attempting to sail from Mevagissey to Newlyn.
Day 44 - Wednesday 30 July: Unfortunately, unfavourable weather conditions have further delayed Hilary's progress - there is no immediate prospect of her being able to leave Mevagissey.
Cancelling a sail is always galling - Hilary Lister
Cancelling a sail is always galling, but to cancel it at 8.30pm is particularly difficult. Toby, Mike, Sean and I sat down and looked at the weather forecast for today. We were expecting force 4 winds from the south, but the weather forecast changed drastically in a couple of hours so that now we are looking at winds of up to gale force 8. It left us with no option but to spend another day in Mevagissey. By tomorrow we will still have a lot of swell, but the wind should drop to a more manageable force 4.
- Hilary Lister
Hilary Lister in Newlyn
Day 47 - Saturday 2 August: Hilary left Mevagissey as planned at 09.30 this morning, bound for Newlyn.
Day 48 - Sunday 3 August: Hilary arrived in Newlyn just after midnight this morning but faces a further delay due to more boat repairs being required.
Hilary Lister
Thanks for interesting post! tjj
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