Getting ready

After being in Newlyn for the past three nights the weather looks like it's doing as was forecast, although we have sunshine which is a nice surprise.







We've moved Pixie from her snug berth between two local fishing boats, just so when we leave about an hour and a half before low water we won't get stuck on the way out. This would, as well as being embarrasing, mean we'd loose our window for the west and north going tide, and would also mean we'd be approaching the Irish coast in the dark. Not much fun.

We've topped up the water, Kirsty is making sandwiches. I cooked tonights dinner last night, so it's one less thing to do underway. Kirsty is now onto her cheesy pita breads which are simply pita bread stuffed with cheese and put in a hot oven for 15 mins. Not only are they tasty, they are also edible hand warmers!

We've enjoyed our time in Newlyn, Dave the harbour master is a constant highlight of our day as he comes around to collect our dues accompanied by his latest humerous escapade. From a mobility scooter with a puncture and a driver a little worse for wear, to his cunning plan to stop drunk Russian fishermen trashing the shower, to what to say if ther owner of the boat next door comes back! All of which have had us in fits of laughter.

We went to a pub overlooking the harbour last night and had a really good night out, as the Twitter feed will testify. When we arrived we were the only people in the bar, by the end of it we were on first name terms with the barmaid and three others.

Best get on with the preperations

Don't mess with Kirsty - a review of dinner last night

On paper The Smugglers sounded great. Harbour views, nice menu, local produce. But we were to be disappointed. Uninspired by the starters we went straight for the main course. The cod was nicely presented but didn't seem that fresh considering the proximity to the fish Market. The steak was very disappointing. Ordered rare we were presented with a grey piece of meat smothered in peppercorn sauce. It was sent back. After listening to the chef's protestations from the kitchen the waitress returned to ask if we wanted the same steak cooked more or a new one! We reminded her that we had asked for rare at which point she returned to the kitchen to another tirade of abuse. It was downright embarassing. After I had finished my fish the replacement steak finally arrived. It was better but definitely not a £16 steak. Then the dessert. The creme brulee was ok but I suspect the cheese board was supermarket bought and came with digestives, cheddars and water biscuits. Not what I would expect from a restaurant which claims to serve local produce. All in all a disappointing experience and a chef that is most certainly out of his depth.


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Power struggle

We are still obsessed with the battery capacity. I can't work out if a) there is an issue with our battery system b) the fact we have a battery monitor that is so easy to read is making us paranoid (whereas before ignorance was bliss), or c) we are a little but bored and therefore need something to worry about. To top off our power issues one of our gas bottles ran out last night and we spent 2 hours today trying to find a replacement. Penzance is out of stock.
Newlyn is a working fishing port and therefore not tailored to the needs of the yachtsman (and defintely not the yachtswoman). We are yet to locate the showers that Uncle Tom Cunliffe says there should be. Maybe we should have bought the new edition of his book. So we might have to resort to our first showers on board. We are off out for a nice meal tonight so we should probably spruce up a bit.


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Funny Forecast

The forecast today looked horrid force 5,6 or 7 coming from the south or west with showers. As it turned out, when we were going south the wind was from the south west, and when we were going west, the wind did the decent thing of coming around to the south for a nice beam reach across Mounts Bay.

Here's Kirsty tucking into a hot melted cheese pita bread this afternoon



The forecast for tonight looks typical of a bank holiday. Gale force 8 from the south, which means we'll be in Newlyn tomorrow night as well. Not a bad place to be with a Harbour Master as cheerful and helpful as Dave was today, when we arrive.

Then the plan at the moment is to head to Ireland, and catch the Scillies on the way back. But this plan, like all sailing plans, depends on the weather.

Hopefully when everyone heads back to work the weather will do what it normally does after a miserable bank holiday, and turn great again! If it does we'll be able to take advantage of it for the 30 hour trip to Kilmore Quay.

This will be our longest nonstop trip together, sailing through the night. It's a trip I've done a few times before, but never as skipper, or with just two of us on board. It's a big crossing for all of us really, but one I'm looking forward to, a little apprehensive yes, but still looking forward to it.

We'll be able to tweet for the first bit, but then we'll be out of range for at least 24 hours, so if nothing happens on this blog you know why.

But tomorrow there will be an update about what Newlyn has to offer, and what we get up to here. Until then.....

Location:Newlyn

Fraggles and Lizards

We are on our way again. We left Falmouth at 0830 and after a rather long wait at the re-fuelling pontoon we finally left the harbour at about 0945. On the way out we passed St Anthony's Head lighthouse which those of you who grew up in the 80s might recognise as Fraggle Rock. Here is a photo (sorry it's a bit far off).


The plan for today is to sail to Newlyn where we'll probably be stuck for a couple of days as a westerly gale blows through. On this passage we will pass the most Southerly point on mainland Britain - The Lizard. Pixie is sailing along beautifully at at the moment and with the tide underneath us we're making good progress.



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Super man to the rescue

Ok, confession time. It wasn't a problem with the alternator, it was a problem with the batteries, well more specifically the type of batteries.

I take to electrics the way a elephant takes to ballet, so when we needed to replace our batteries and add a second one I went for the "best", gel, thinking they would last the longest and be the best for Pixie. Unfortunately gel batteries are new technology, our engine and more importantly our alternator are old technology. The two don't mix. The new batteries want to be charged in a way the old alterator can't. Well it could but it will cost time and money to get it sorted

Of course I didn't know this at the time, I only know this now thanks to Kevin Green of Marine Electrical Services. We arrived yesterday and a few hours later Kevin was on the boat diagnosing the problem. He soon taught me the error of my ways and explained where I had gone wrong. The system was working as it should, but the batteries weren't absorbing the little charge the alternator was throwing out. By 3 o'clock today Kevin had bought down the new (old technology lead acid) batteries were installed and tested them. Not only that, but out reliable big red Bukh engine (that can be relied to spit oil everywhere) might not be leaking oil any more.

I spoke to Bukh Uk this morning and explained where the oil was coming from, they said "the copper washer should stop that"..."er what copper washer?" I replied. So our oil leak could be solved by a washer costing pennies. I spoke Kevin to see what time he was coming down and explained we were off to hunt for a copper washer. We'd tried a couple of places but had no luck. "I'll see what I can pick up on the way" was his reply.

What might seem like two very small jobs to Kevin have just transformed our trip. We no longer have to worry about battery charging, or oil consumption. Now all we have to worry about is the weather!!!

Thank you Kevin, you're a legend

Location:Falmouth

Peeping Tom?

On leaving the shower block after my second shower in two days I became aware of two eyes watching me. Don't be alarmed. With a snort of sea water and a flick of his tail he dived down under a boat and was off. It was the first seal of our trip - and a big one at that. Judging from the seagulls' reaction to his presence I think he is competition when it comes to fish suppers!


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Lucky Duck indeed

No you're not seeing things, Lucky Duck has two Easter eggs! Not bad seeing it's the end of May.

Because Kirsty an I haven't seen my parents since Easter my mum has been saving them. Now we've made it to Falmouth we can relax for a few days.






Fowey was as beautiful as ever and after having showers at the Fowey Gallant Sailing Club we went off to The Galleon and had two pints for £4.40...coming from London to Cornwall is worth it to save money on the beer alone, let alone the beautiful Fowey River. The sun was still out when we got back to Pixie, so we ate dinner in the cockpit.

This morning we took Pixie alongside the pontoons at Albert Quay and went ashore insearch of Pork Pies and Tiffin from Kittow Bros Butchers come deli, come heaven for anyone with an unhealthy appetite. I had to be dragged out of there for my own good, so Kirsty could get caffine from Brown Sugar, my shake was nice, though a little sweet, and Kirsty enjoyed her coffee.

Just before we set off I checked the engine oil and found it was a little low, so we got out of the harbour at 11, and enjoyed a very quick sail round here, there were a few big bits of water, but with the wind just aft of the beam Pixie was loving it. Although below it was rolling like a drunk after closing time Kirsty still managed to rustle up a couple of bacon sandwiches. How she does it I'll never know. We made it round in 3 and a half hours, quite a quick one for a heavy 32 footer.

Anyway we're now safely tucked up here in Falmouth, just waiting for Kevin from Marine Electrical Services to come down and look at out alternator, it doesn't seem to be charging the batteries as well as it should do. It was in Portsmouth, it isn't now. Boats eh?

Day 2 - Sun, Sea and Radio 4

We awoke this morning at 0700 BST to a perfect blue sky and after 15 minutes of contemplation we got up and weighed anchor.


The first part of our passage was a short, hour long motor to Anvil Point and it's picturesque lighthouse, then we turned and pointed to Dartmouth. We made very good progress for the next 6 hours, passing Portland Bill at about lunchtime. At this point the water races and swirls around the headlands and the depth plummets to more than 80 metres, causing turbulance at the surface. Even 2 miles off shore and in smooth water the over falls were apparent.
At around 1400 the tide started to turn on us and it has been slow progress since then. We're making just 4.4 knots over the ground. We have seen a few other boats but it is incredibly quiet in comparison to The Solent. Just a couple of yachts, two fishing boats and some distant tankers. Oh and we heard some rather large explosions in the vicinity of Warship HMS Manchester. I'm glad we weren't any closer! We have also noticed some different bird life - gannets and guillemots as well as the usual herring gulls.
We're currently about 17 miles from Dartmouth. ETA is 2130.



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Oh come with me to the rolling sea

First blog of the day, it would have been earlier but there wasn't much to report and we didn't have any signal. We were motoring in very little wind, not enough to sail, we had the radio on and the sun was out.

Now the sun is still out, the radio is still on, but the breeze has increased to a heady 10 knots (where's a sarc mark when you want one?). Not a great breeze, but enough to sail along at almost 5 knots. There are two other yachts heading toward Portland they are motoring, but we're not. We have spent money on new sails and we're going to use them at any opportunity.



The guys at Crusader have done a great job on them. Our old sails looked alright, but these are so much better, the old ones really were very tired in comparison. Having never bought new sails before, they have changed the way Pixie can sail. With the old sails we'd probably still be motoring.

Anyway, must go, there is some relaxing that needs doing!

Location:Off Portland

We are sailing...

It's been a long time in the coming, but we're away and sailing.









We have 11 knots apparent and Pixie is making around 5.5 knots through the water. We have a foul tide, meaning it's going against us, like walking up an escalator going down slowly. But the sun is shining, our new Crusader sails are working a treat, and now there is some wind from the right direction this really is turning into the perfect day to set off.

Yesterday we came down by train, went shopping and fitted the last bit of electrics. This was a data logger made developed by Tim Thornton. It logs our position and depth and is like a black box flight recorder, except the data logged could find it's way into charts of the future








It does feel a bit like big brother is watching us, but it's a fun idea.

Once that was fitted we went off to the shops to buy food and beer for the small pontoon party.








At 7 o'clock we dressed Pixie over all as the crews and friends arrived, we've gained a new crew member... Meet Lucky Duck!








She was a present from Jelly and James, and she'll be keeping us company on the trip.

After a beer or two we headed to The Royal Spice in Gosport for a very tasy curry.

This morning we left at 9 and motored to Yarmouth. The plan was to stop there for the night, but it was such a good day we refueled and set off
carrying on towards Swanage. On the way down here we re packed the flags...it took a fair while to untangle the flags, fold them up and stow them away again. I now know why they are saved for special occasions!






We got to Swanage just after 6 this evening and anchored, Kirsty set about cooking a chilli, we've now sitting in the cockpit watching an Ovni anchor next to us. I'm still in shorts and there is still a lot of warmth in the sun,

Location:At anchor off Swanage

And we're off

We are finally on our way. At 0910 BST we slipped our lines and motored out of Portsmouth Harbour. It is a beautiful day with very little wind. This time feels different from all those other times we have left - like the start of something amazing.


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Bye bye work

Well that's it! I've finished work for the last time for three months. I finished everything I needed to do. Handed in my company car. Edited a couple of videos for work that will come out when the magazines do. We have a new Suzuki outboard to test. I'm also up to date on my expenses, and I even had time to sort out my desk before heading to the pub. It's a strange feeling, not being in the pub, knowing I won't be in the office for over three months.

It's a lovey warm evening out there, the only thing that could improve my beer is having Kirsty next to me, but she's still at work.

Location:The pub

Only three more commutes to go

I am sitting on the train into Liverpool Street station. It is quite surreal to think about what I might be doing this time next week. If all goes to plan then we'll be in Dartmouth. I wonder what it will be like to not have to think about work for 3 months.


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A long day loading

The last Saturday before we set off was a very busy one. At 8:30 this morning the car was loaded up and we left just after 9 to go down to Pixie


Once on the boat, we fitted the replacement depth and log transducer from Garmin. The otherone was an early model, and the depth would freeze occasionally.

We also fitted our new Ocean Air blinds. I saw these blinds used on Jeremy Rogers' Contessa 32 Gigi. They are not cheap, but they open fully to reveal the whole window letting more light in, rather than the old curtains which never really opened completely or closed properly, they were a lot cheaper though.

Next came the installation of an extra support strut for the wind charger. Because Pixie's transom is so narrow, we weren't able to get the 120 degree spread on the struts. So we had a bracket made up by Fluid Fabrication, who did a great job btw, to support the bottom of the pe holding up the wind charger. Unfortunately the top of the pole started to wobble, so we had to add another brace today.

After that I sewed on the mainsail to the sail slides and attached a sail slide to the headboard of our new mainsail.

With all the jobs on board done we set off to Waitrose to get the non perishable items for the trip, sadly Waitrose was closed so we headed to Morrisons. While Kirsty stowed the food, I had one last job, to cut down a bit of plastic pipe to cover the flag of our danbuoy to stop the sun bleaching it, or the wind disintegrating it.

Only two wires left to replace on the alternator next Saturday, and then we're off.

We got home about 20 mins ago, just before midnight. We're knackered. Good night!

The packing has started!

Last night we started packing, I say "we" but Kirsty has started packing and I was helping, or actually packing whatever Kirsty handed me. We decided to pack 14 days worth of clothes, again when I say "we" this time I mean I as Kirsty seems to have three tops for every day "Some are short sleeved tops, others have longer sleeves, and I don't know what the weather will be like" was the reply to my enquiry into the quantity of clothes being handed my way, but they have fitted into the alocated space, so it's not a problem.

On shorter trips, I never seem to wear all the clothes I pack, this time I'm hoping I will, once I've packed them of course!

We also sorted out all the charts into areas. No mean feat when we have paper charts to cover our entire journey up to Scotland. Piles of charts lead from the dining room, into the lounge and back again. While the cats were in their element, with more paper than a Christmas day to play with, we had to made sure they didn't take their claws to our pathfinding paper. We've borrowed a thick stack of charts from Sam and Mags who keep their yacht Ituna opposite from Pixie. Sam wrote a great book about circumnavigating the UK and Ireland, which has helped in the planning process greatly and their kind loan has saved us loads.

We had already spent a small fortune on charts, and as well as the paper charts we also have the latest electronic charts covering the UK and Ireland from Garmin to go with our chart plotter. I must say the electronic charts are a lot easier to sort out and store. Rather than spreading them over two rooms of the house, all the chart for the UK and Ireland fit on one micro SD card, the size of my little finger nail.

Thank you Paolo

We're back in Portsmouth after a great, if cold, sail back from Chichester.

The plan was to get up at 5:15 to be away by 5:30, but yours truly didn't finish setting the alarm on his phone before going to sleep. And one of the problems with our new mattress is that it's so damn comfy that I slept so well. It wasn't until I was woken by Kirsty that I knew the alarm hadn't gone off. A quick calculation of water over the sand bar at Chichester Harbour entrance meant we could still get out of the harbour with enough water.

Once past the bar we were able to get out the sails and enjoy the sail. With around 20 knots Pixie was making short work of the journey. It was a bitterly cold northery wind, but when it's cold we break out Paolo Nutini and move around to warm up. Kirsty dances, my moves can't really be described as dancing and are best left off the camera!

We were in our berth by 9, and have just had breakfast.

- Posted from our berth in Portsmouth

Wet and windy

Well, while it was good to be on the water today, we could have done without the rain. Infact it started as a good fun sail, see below

We were having a good time, then it started to rain. And rain, then the wind started to drop, and I let out a bit more sail while Kirsty was down below making the tea. Just as she was pouring the milk, we were hit by a gust, and the wind started to build again when we had our hands full with mugs of tea and some dutch stroopwafel which I bought back from Holland last week.

After drinking the tea as fast as we could, we went to reduce the headsail and the rope jumped off the pulley and jammed. So my new cunning way of furling the genoa had failed in it's second outing.







In too much wind and pouring rain I had great fun furling the genoa. But it hasn't all been doom and gloom. The wind charger has been earning its keep, the Lewmar windlass we fitted was used for the first time properly, and it's Sounds of the 70's on Radio 2. So we're anchored somewhere in Chichester harbour, relaxing as the wind howls by outside.

Kirsty is reading, I'm doing this before I go out to unjam that rope. Barton blocks, you'll be getting this one back!

- Posted at anchor

Location:West Itchenor,United Kingdom

It might not be Scotland

As Kirsty has already said, we're finally away from our berth. And while Cowes might not be the most scenic place, but with a northerly force 7 forecast it made a lot of sense to be tied to a sheltered pontoon, rather than lying at anchor with little room if thing go wrong, both Beaulieu and Newtown creek will turn into lee shores later, so if we were to drag we'd have little time to sort our selves out. The moorings in those two places were probably taken before mid day.

The tide was going the wrong way for Chichester, so Cowes it was.


- Posted while on the move

Finally sailing

We are finally back on the water, albeit with old sails.


We didn't set off until 5pm so just heading to Cowes tonight.


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