Passage To Poole

First stop: Swanage Bay

In a comfy corner to windward of the wheel, I stretched and put the paws up. The perfect location to supervise André the owner, Bernard the RYA Instructor Magnificent*, and the Can Opener as he rocketed about as ‘Skipper-of-the-Day’. 

I’m a low key manager who likes to rule from behind by dint of a nuclear-radiating personality and the occasional swipe to the Achilles’ tendon. A kind of Chaircat of the Board, if you will.

Every minute you spend planning is repaid many times over. We knew this when we were doing the passage planning and chartwork the day before we set off to Poole. But seeing the plan executed really underlined Bernard’s message.

We were up bright and early, breakfasted and doing boat checks while the dew was still on the deck. Tidal calculations were checked and rechecked. The weather report noted and compared for continued compatibility with our plan. We were headed out the famous (and challenging) Needles Channel in a blow, so the plan had to be perfect. All was set to go. And so we went…

Through Needles, the sea state was ‘rough’. The Met Office defines this as about 8 to 12 foot waves. And this narrow channel is bordered on both sides by enormous pointy rocks rearing out of the sea to the east and jagged pointy rocks lurking below the surface forever to the west. 

Of course, you never think to take photos at the time (the Needles photo above is from another calmer day…). You’re riveted on the sailing.

 

The first night of the passage we picked up a mooring buoy in Swanage Bay (see leading photo at top) just south of our final destination. 

The second day, after skills drills allllllllllll day with Bernard, we pulled into the night-calm harbour at Poole. The glorious sunset made it all worthwhile.

 

Destination made: Pulling in to Poole

Could we have packed any more learning into our time with Bernard? I think not. 

Passage planning, berthing, anchoring and mooring practice, even some crew overboard work. It was a fantastic and very full training schedule. And much appreciated. 

The entire team has loads to think about and much to practice going forward.

 

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

* Bernard Mitchell works with the Hamble School of Yachting. Ask for him by name. He’s in great demand. Plan ahead.

A Year In Pictures 2013

Best boats of the year!!

All the boats we sailed on in 2013: 

Baltic 35

Cap’n André’s boat!

Hallberg-Rassy 29

Cap’n Davie‘s!

Sigma 38

Sigma racing!

Reflex 38 

Junior Offshore Group racing!

J80  

Red Tabby team racing!

J122

Racing at Cowes Week! – Image Source

 

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

 

Home Cruising Grounds

Views of the Solent…

Sooooooo good to be home…

–Captain Cat 

 (transcribed by the Can Opener)

A Year In Pictures 2012

Best boats of the year!!

All the boats we sailed on in 2012: 

Baltic 35

Cap’n André’s boat!

Hallberg-Rassy 29

Cap’n Davie‘s!

Sigma 38

Sigma racing!

Reflex 38 

Junior Offshore Group racing!

J80  

Red Tabby team racing!

J122

Racing at Cowes Week! – Image Source

Arcona 37

More Junior Offshore Group racing!

Fountaine Pajot 40

The Spain-Greece 2012 delivery

Eleonora

Eleanora, a 90 ft schooner and an exact replica of Westward that was launched in 1910.

 

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Sailing Again!

We’re racing on an Arcona 37 this weekend – a nifty Swedish racer-cruiser with a fantastic new captain! 

I am eager to get down to the water, so am currently standing over the Can Opener while he packs the necessities: pet life jacket, fuzzy cat suit, smoked clam rations, Jackie Chan movies on the ipod and the working tiara. 

I am becoming concerned everything will not fit in my taxi (You’ll be taking the train down to the water with me, bud. …Like all the other cats…)

This weekend is double great because we are not just getting in a race with a new team, and not just because we get to learn about a new deck layout and another boat’s systems – we also get to fit in two passages, there and back, to reposition this boat from its home berth, nearly a day’s sail from the race site.

We’re are pysched and ready to go! Right after the Can Opener finishes polishing the motivational sceptre.

 

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Gone Sailing – Back soon!

 

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Solent to Seaview

On a recent sunny training weekend, after a day of grueling tacking drills up the Solent (Uh, Furrball, it was a leisurely reach – we tacked once. My point precisely, dear Can Opener…), we pulled at our destination and moored just outside the charming Seaview Yacht Club.

‘Mermaid’ local design racing yachts at moorings across the way from us.

Beer and fish all round followed at the best pub in the world, The Fort.  (A brilliant venue to celebrate our first-cruise-together team-building exercise…)

I led the locals in a rousing rendition of showstoppers from my favourite musical, ‘Cats’. 

Everyone had a marvelous time.

The view from…Seaview

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

The Route Actually Taken

Where did we go in the end?

Here’s the route we actually followed during our three week delivery of the catamaran from Malaga, Spain to Poros, Greece…

 

Delivery Route:

• From Malaga, Spain through the Alboran Sea
• Alboran Sea to the Balearic Sea
• Balearic Sea to Algerian Basin
• Algerian Basin up to Trapani, Sardinia 
• North up and over the top of Sicily via Palermo and Milazzo to the Straits of Messina
• From Messina through the Ionian and Mediterranean Seas to Patras, Greece
• East through the Gulf of Corinth and the Corinth Canal 
• And finally to Poros, Greece in the Aegean Sea!

It was pretty ambitious – in the end we travelled 1553 nautical miles in just 3 short weeks. 

We saw winds ranging from 12 knots to 40 knots+, gusts up to 50 knots and swells up to 15 or so feet.

We’ve come a loooong way. And we’ve learned a lot. Time to head home to rest, recover and reflect. 

Well…I’ll be doing the reflecting while the Can Opener busies himself, cleaning and ironing my cape, restocking the pantry, and preparing those 17-step appetizers I’ve been fantasizing about for a good two and half weeks now. 

Outstanding appetizers, as we all know, assist greatly with reflection…

–Captain Cat 

 (transcribed by the Can Opener)

Planned Delivery Route – 6 Seas and a Basin

View Planned Delivery Route: Spain~Greece 2012 in a larger map

Here’s the plan…

Delivery Route:

• From Malaga, Spain through the Alboran Sea
• Alboran Sea to the Balearic Sea
• Balearic Sea to Algerian Basin
• Algerian Basin up to Sardinia (if there’s time)
• Sardinia past Tyrrhenian Sea and around Sicily 
• Sicily to Malta (if there’s time)
• Malta to the Mediterranean Sea
• Past Ionian Sea to Kalamata, Greece in the Pelopennese
• Around the Pelopennese to Spestes, Greece on the Aegean Sea!

It’s pretty ambitious – about 1300 nautical miles in 3 weeks. Of course, plans are made to be changed. But this is the plan we’re starting with.

And we’re on our way!!

–Captain Cat

 (transcribed by the Can Opener)

Sea Miles

So how many sea miles will the Spain to Greece delivery add to our nautical log?…

…About 1300 nautical miles!

Prerequisites to complete the RYA levels are:

• Day Skipper – 100nm
• Coastal Skipper – 300nm
• Yachtmaster Coastal – 800nm
• Yachtmaster Offshore – 2500nm

So we’ll have covered enough distance to qualify for all of the levels by the time we finish. 

We’ll keep working on getting even more sea miles in our log though. We need to keep gaining experience, building new skills – one of the beauties of the cruising life is the non-stop ride of continuous education. 

You can never have too much experience under your belt.

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Learn to Cruise

Previously:  Sailing Strength Training