Post on 19-Jan-2015
description
Kalessin of Orwell
Round the outside and back up the middle, 2006-8
Part 1 – preparation & departure
About Kalessin
• Westerly Storm 33 – 170 built• Built 1988, bought by us 2004• Length 33ft/10.1m• Beam 11ft 7in/3.5m• Draft 5ft 6in/1.68m (fin keel)• Engine 18hp Volvo• Fast, spacious, elegant, solid
Kalessin’s layout
L-shaped galley
Big cockpit locker (with holding tank beneath)
Spacious heads
Aft cabinGuy then Ben Forepeak cabin
Sam & Camilla
Conventional saloon layout
About us
• Sam, 68 – retired 2007• Camilla, 52 – made redundant Nov 2005• Guy, now 18 – was just finishing GCSEs• Benedict (Ben), now 15 – year 8 when we set off• Sam & Camilla RYA coastal skipper qualified • Owned dinghies & trailer-sailers 1986 onwards• Flotillas and charters• Magewind 2002, sailed E Coast & Netherlands• Kalessin 2004, sailed E Coast & France
Ben Sam Guy & Camilla
• Take a year, 2005-2006
• Take Magewind (bilge-keeled Sadler 29) through the French canals to the Med
• Boys to….??
Plan 1 (2004)
Plan 2 (2005)
• Take a year, 2006-7• Guy to take a year out after GCSEs• Ben to be educated on board• Buy & prepare Kalessin• Summer cruising round the
‘outside’ to the Balearics• Winter in N Africa or E Spain• Head on towards Greece in 2007
Plan 3 (what we did)
• Four months, June-October 2006• Guy with us for six weeks• Ben educated on board• Summer cruising round the outside via
Brittany & Spanish Rias• Kalessin winters in Algarve• Head into the Med in 2007 – Balearics &
Barcelona• Home through the French canals in 2008
preparation
Preparation – what we had• Radar• Chart plotter• Autopilot• Navtex• CQR anchor• Rope cutter• Pressurised/hot water• Fridge• New gas cooker
Preparation – on Kalessin• New standing rigging• Rigid vang/rod kicker• New sprayhood • All-new exhaust pipework/fuel lines, new water lock• New anti-siphon valve• New switch panels• New instruments (wind, depth, log) and senders• Replaced GPS repeater (faulty)• 1 extra battery (4 in total)• 2 solar panels• Adverc power management system & lots of wiring• New deck plugs at mast• New CD player & speakers• Replaced deck light, steaming light & tricolour + cabling
Preparation – on Kalessin• New gas alarm (it never worked though…)• Replaced VHF aerial cable• Installed Windex• New rudder bearing• Grab handle on transom • New Lavac & holding tank• New tap & connection for front water tank• Additional electric bilge pump• Replace jib, genoa & spinnaker halyard• New jib sheets• Extra warps• 2 extra anchors (CQR, Fortress, Delta)• New windlass• Clean, polish, antifoul (with Ocean Performer)
Preparation – shopping• Liferaft• 20 Imray paper charts• 4 C-map wide charts (£140 each)• 6 pilot books and assorted maps & guidebooks• Awning and wind chute• New stainless steel saucepans• Full set of kitchen equipment (no more “borrowing”
from home)• New duvets & bedding• Books, books & more books• 2 cameras• 2 laptops and associated wiring• Wetsuits, mask & snorkel and fins• Fray Bentos pies, Pot Noodles, Marmite and bags more
Main saloon
Under-sink cupboardwith two new batteries
New Vetus water lock, seen from aft cabin
Spot the chart table
The holding tankfinally arrives
Holding tank in situ
Note ferociouschiselling
Do we really need all this?
Keeping in touch
• The blog
• April 2006 – Sept 2008
• 155 entries
• 2 laptops on board
• Wi-fi when available
• Internet cafés
• Mobile phones - UK and French SIM cards
Departure
Leaving SYH,6am
Calais 19-22 June
Boulogne 23 June
Dieppe 24 June
Calais (4 nights)
At last… Cap Gris Nez
Skipped Fecamp!
Le Havre 25 June
Honfleur 26 June
St-Vaast 27 June
Cherbourg 28 June
Honfleur… fantastic
Schoolwork in the Baie de la Seine…
St Peter Port29 June – 2 July
Sark 3 July
Lezardrieux 4-5 July
Treguier 6-7 July
Morlaix 10-11 July
Trebeurden
8-10 July
Little Russell… hot, no wind, no land…
An emotional moment – Sam helms Kalessin between the St Peter Port pierheads
All the boys
In and out of Ploumanac’h (low water)
If you must go aground on the Trebeurden sill, try not to do it on the night of the France-Italy match…
Morlaix
L’Aberwrach 12 July
Brest 13-15 July
Camaret 16 July
Audierne 17 July
Loctudy 18-19 July
Benodet 20-21 July
Port la Foret 22-23 July
Ile de Groix 24-25 July
Lorient 26-27 July
Guy flies home
Sauzon, Belle-Ile 28 JulyQuiberon/Morbihan
29 July-4 August
Our first swellAs Hugo Vihlen* once commented, "I don't know who named them swells. There's nothing swell about them. They should have been named awfuls"
* he crossed the Atlantic in a 5ft 4in sailing boat
Camaret
Raz de Sein on a non-scary day
Île de Groix
Lorient station – farewell to Guy, who flew
home from Nantes
La Trinité, racing centre of France…
…and a great place for
repairs
Ben liked the grass…
…but preferred the chi-chis
Weather information
The hurdle race…
Finisterre
Biscay
Chenal du Four/Raz de Sein
Channel crossing
Race of Alderney
etcetc
etc
Across the Bay of Biscay….