With Saffron Star back home we will now get her race ready with a scrub and a de-cluttering next week.
We hope to be able to provide a live blog as we go round, assuming it is not too windy and stressful. Hopefully we will be able to take a few snaps like this one of a common dolphin we took on the way across the Bay.
Remember Race Day is Saturday 29 June. Finishing the race for Jerry!
A 13 hour motor from Braye Harbour to Portsmouth. But Saffron Star is back in her home port. Time for a beer!
Some of you have asked why we have no photos of the storm on the blog. Well, apart from scaring my mother, as the skipper was busy preparing the drogu and grab bag in case we had to abandon the vessel we didn’t feel all that inclined to get the cameras out. And, don’t forget, we saw this on the way:
We arrived at our swinging mooring in Alderney at 1845 after a slow then fast motorsail from Guernsey riding the infamous Alderney race.
The water taxi took us to Divers for a beer then on to Moorings for Scampi and chips where we met an old friend Carl, of the local Flewitt dynasty.
Jerry used to love coming to Alderney for beach parties in the ’80s. I would elaborate but as they say, if you can remember them they can’t have been that good.
We planned to stay for another day and Carl had kindly suggested driving us around to see thye sights but with a NE forecast for Tuesday we decided to get home.
We left Jersey at 0530 to catch the hifh tide. We have made an unscheduled too in Guernsey to re-fuel, get provisions and re-check the passage plan to Alderney, famous fot its ferocious tides.
We have arrived in Jersey after a 13 hour motor sail allowing us to lock into the inner harbour at two hours after HW.
Friday night in St Helier is not unlike Friday night in Gosport ( I would imagine).
We plan to leave 0530 tomorrow for Alderney and our last stop before heading home.
Today we had a good sail covering 64 nautical miles in 9 hours, an average of 7 knots. The wind is SW and the trip was stress free compared to earlier passages. There is a transatlantic sailing race a out to leave from Toscoff with dozens of foiling Transat single handed foiling boats preparing to leave. No photos to post as the weather is not great.
Tonight is our last night on French soil as plan to leave early tomorrow morning for Jersey.
Saffron Start has now covered 920 nm since Portimao.
We spent three days in La Coruna chatting with other yachties hoping to head North after Storm Miguel, exchanging weather apps and tips. We left on Sunday with a favourable forecast and a galley full of pot noodles.
Day 1 was uneventful enough with the usual sighting of dozens of dolphins.
This trip was a bit more eventful on the cetacean front with three whales sighted. We saw two types. On the first day we saw a minke (Pete – you can probably confirm this) and the second day we sighted what we believe was a fin whale .
When we left the UK to bring the boat back across the Bay of Biscay my mother said ‘Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.’ Sorry Mum but I have been disobedient. Day 2 was a different ball game, however, and the Biscay lived up to its reputation with gale force winds and waves of up to 5 metres. Our planned 55 hour journey turned into a 68 hour test of endurance. We finally arrived at Camaret in Brittany at 4 am this morning, Wednesday 12 June.
After a sleep, shower and breakfast we are planning the next stage to Roscoff and the Channel Islands before returning home.
We have decided to postpone our departure by a day as we do not enough fuel to motor across the Bay and we want to be prepared for all eventualities. After an interesting chat at the chandlers we found that fuel cannister was not lata or bidon but Jerry Can. We should have guessed.
We’ve been waiting in La Coruna for three days for a weather window to get across the Bay of Biscay. Today’s shipping forecast is not encouraging:
COAST AND SEA
GALE WARNING: Issued: 21:46 (UTC) on Thu 6 Jun 2019
Gale force 8 veering westerly and increasing violent storm force 11 imminent, then decreasing gale force 8 later.
WIND: West 7 to severe gale 9, occasionally storm 10 at first, decreasing 5 or 6, then becoming variable 3 or 4 later.
SEA STATE: Very rough or high, becoming moderate or rough.
WEATHER: Showers, thundery at first.
VISIBILITY: Moderate or poor, becoming good.
But we are ready. Food and water on board. The forecast for tomorrow looks OK. and we have the sticker on the boom:
See you in Brest!
Waiting in La Coruna for a nasty weather system to pass. Tomorrow, Friday, 60 mph winds are forecast with 30 foot waves. We hope to be able to cross the Bay of Biscay at the weekend.
Chilvers' Challenge 