BERRIMILLA

Preparations for round the world cruise 2005.

The plan:

The plan is to sail the 2004 Sydney-Hobart, which is also the 60^th, fully crewed and then set off two handed from Hobart for the Falkland Islands and the UK early in January.   We expect to be in the UK by June 2005, in time for the Fastnet race which we hope to sail in the two-handed division.   We will then depart two handed for Sydney, perhaps calling at Gibraltar, Cape Town, Fremantle or Melbourne on the way.

All the equipment we are using has been chosen with this trip specifically in mind and contact details are included below for relevant websites and service providers.

Website:

www.berrimilla.com

The crew:

Peter Crozier, 59

Alex Whitworth, 62

Qualifications:

• Both crew members have
• Marine Radio Certificates of Proficiency with GMDSS endorsement.
• Senior first aid certificates
• Completed Yachting Australia Safety and Sea Survival course.   Alex W is a Yachting Australia Offshore Sailing Instructor endorsed to deliver this course for Yachting Australia (www.yachting.org.au ).
• Celestial navigation experience.
• AW is also a Royal Yachting Association Offshore Instructor (www.rya.org.uk ) and has a commercial Coxswain’s license.
• Peter Crozier has completed each way Atlantic crossings and a Pacific crossing and has extensive ocean racing and cruising including (in Berrimilla) most of the Sydney – Hobart races in the last 10 years and 7 Gosford – Lord Howe races.
• AW has been sailing since he was about 10 and ocean racing since the 1961 Fastnet.   He has skippered Berrimilla in the last 10 S2H races and completed 2 others.   Both on board for the 1998 Sydney-Hobart (for analysis and discussion of this race, see Bruce, Peter; Heavy Weather Sailing, 5^th edition, Adlard Coles Nautical, London, 1999).
• AW has also skippered Berrimilla in the last 7 Gosford – Lord Howe races.   We won PHS in that race in1999.

The boat:

Berrimilla is a Brolga 33, designed by Peter Joubert in the mid ‘60s and built in 1977.   She has a deep fin keel, with fully encapsulated lead ballast and a skeg-hung rudder.   We bought her in 1993 to sail the 50^th Sydney – Hobart and we have now done the last 10 Sydney – Hobarts and 7 Gosford to Lord Howe races.  Joubert’s boats have a reputation for extreme toughness and seaworthiness and Berrimilla is very strong, heavily built and seaworthy and we have sailed her through some atrocious weather.   Her stability index is 141.6 and her calculated limit of positive stability is 135.4 degrees.   Both of these are very much higher than most modern boats and quite reassuring in big breaking waves.   In the 1998 Sydney – Hobart, we won our division and also the PHS category overall.   We also won PHS in the Lord Howe race the following year.

Dec 27 1998.   Photo ãRichard Bennett 1998.   More photos at www.richardbennett.com.au

Preliminary research:

Royal Ocean Racing Club, www.rorc.org.uk for Fastnet eligibility details, followed by direct contact with RORC Commodore and Race Director.

Australian Maritime Safety Authority, www.amsa.gov.au, for  vessel registration on Australian Register of Ships, issue of Marine Mobile Station Identification (MMSI) for GMDSS,

Australian Customs  www.customs.gov.au  for export requirements

UK Customs and Excise, www.hmce.gov.uk, for immigration, temporary import, VAT requirements

www.noonsite.com for local regulations, clearance requirements and port details covering possible ports of call en route

UK Hydrographic Office www.ukho.gov.uk for planning publications, chart lists and other information

Registration:

• Registered as Australian ship Berrimilla 2, official number 857615, July 04.
• International radio callsign to be obtained from ACA.

Survey:

• Boat is surveyed every two years to comply with NSW Waterways Authority requirements covering vessels used for teaching by sailing schools.

Preparations:

Hull, rig & engine:

• Mast unstepped July 04, fully checked & serviced in workshop, reinforced from gooseneck to above halyard entry slots (info@yachtserv.com )
• All standing rigging replaced with oversized s/s wire, second forestay fitted
• Lightning conductor fitted

• Chainplates, frame and step checked
• Boat slipped Aug 04, hull fully checked by shipwrights, through-hull fittings and rudder bearings checked (boatmate…)
• New stern tube and gland fitted (fletcher…)
• New skeg bearing and prop shaft fitted
• The engine was installed in 1998 and has done about 1300 hours since.   It has been fully serviced and maintained by the manufacturer/supplier (Witchard Marine, www.wm-marine-diesel.com ) , all consumables, filters, impellers etc replaced regularly.   The last service was carried out in August 04 and it will be checked again before departure in December.
• Feathering propellor (Kiwi Prop, http://snoopy.falkor.gen.nz/kiwiprop/ ).  removed and serviced

• Fleming Self Steering windvane fitted and tested (Kevin.flemingselfsteering@bigpond.com).
• Boom brake fitted and tested

Electrical systems upgrade:

• Boat rewired throughout, July 04 (Marty Andersen, andersenmarine@yahoo.com.au  Royal Prince Alfred YC, Pittwater, +61 2 9979 6160), all wiring labeled and coded
• New VHF aerial and cabling
• Starter and house batteries load tested
• New switch panel installed
• New masthead and deck/steaming lights
• LED globes installed wherever possible
• BP Solar 585U (www.solartech.com.au ) crystalline silicon photo-voltaic panel and regulator fitted (approx 4.5 amps in sunlight) arranged so that panel can be moved to optimum position
• Ampair Aquair 100 generator with water and wind kits purchased and regulator installed.  (www.ampair.com, www.quirks.com.au,    )  Aquair uses a towed impeller giving approx 4.5 amps @ 6 knots, or a wind conversion giving approx 6 amps @ 40 knots wind.   We have also built a direct drive from a folding bicycle – output not yet tested but likely to be comparable.   Both crew members fit enough to pedal for at least two hours…
• Xantrex battery monitor fitted
• Fast charge regulator (from alternator) checked

Electronics and software:

• Boat has SatcomC with Easymail (C –Email at www.xantic.net ) and GMDSS distress facility, Garmin 130 and 75 GPS + 2 battery operated Garmin handhelds(www.garmin.com ), GME Electrophone VHF with emergency aerial.
• New ICOM M802 HF radio with full GMDSS facilities and Pactor-3 modem installed Aug 04 (www.icom.com )  .
• Radio integrated with internal and handheld GPS and primary Panasonic CF18 Toughbook laptop (www.tough.com.au ) and backup Compaq nv1020 laptop.   Capability to download internet pages while at sea.
• Both laptops have Sailmail with grib weather access (see www.pca.cc ), weatherfax, full SOB chartplotter navigation software (see www.digiboat.com.au ) and CMAP charts (www.c-map.com ). Backups for all apps are carried separately.   Both laptops have USB connection to integrated systems via multiport USB to Serial connector or can be connected directly to handheld GPS.   Compaq has internal CD RW for re-install if needed.   Separate CD RW drive carried for CF18.
• Category 1 radio compliance certificate issued Aug 04.

Navigation equipment:

• In addition to electronics, a sextant, tables, Merlin calculator and paper charts will be carried.   Both crew can use sextant.
• Publications and books
• Ocean Passages for the World (citation)
• World Cruising Routes (citation)

Charts

Full portfolio of charts for proposed route.

Safety equipment:

• Full Category 1 ocean racing inventory with compliance certificate valid until Aug 05.   Will be renewed in UK.   This includes harnesses, tethers, personal strobes, liferaft and EPIRBS and a 406mhz EPIRB
• We will also carry a satellite phone (+61 147 155 157) for emergency use.   This is kept in a waterproof container with spare batteries and a hand held GPS

To be fitted Sept/Oct 04:

• Full lightning protection (see www.marinelightning.com)
• New s/s fuel tank
• Desalinator  (4ltr/hr, electric or manual) www.katadyn.com,
• Enhanced first aid kit
• Some internal insulation to reduce condensation
• Spares for
• Engine
• Electrics
• Rigging
• Desalinator (spare membrane and O rings)
• 2 blade fixed propeller will be carried as spare.

Additional equipment:

• 90 metres 25mm anchor warp.
• Drogue for emergency steering and heavy weather
• 30 metres anchor chain and heavy shackles.
• Inflatable tender with outboard
• Mast climber
• 12v insulated cooler/warmer box for cooling the beer and raising the dough for breadmaking.
• Small camp oven and pressure cooker.
• Folding bicycle.

Food:

• Chefsway (Chefsway Food Adventures, Moonah, Tasmania) dried meals sufficient for the full voyage will be carried, in addition to other supplies.   Chefsway food has been used by crew on long races and found to be easy to prepare and superior to canned and other dried products.
• Other dried, canned and shrinkwrapped food has been tested and used over the years and we will be carrying sufficient for each leg.
• The boat’s internal water tank holds about 150 ltrs and we have a supplementary 100 ltr ‘soft’ tank plus the desalinator.  

Personal preparations:

• Both crew will have dental and
• Full medical checks
• Complete sets of cold weather clothing including Finisterre technical fleeces (www.finisterreuk.com ) plus Gill Ocean wet weather gear, Goretex gloves, goggles, etc.

Testing:

• All equipment will be final-tested during Gosford to Lord Howe Island race, Oct 30 2004 and on return trip.

Shore backup:

• We expect to be in email contact all the way round via Sailmail or SatcomC with home, RORC, CYCA and ports of call.
• Satphone is available if all else fails.

Tracking:

• We are looking for an appropriate application to run from this website to enable anyone who is interested to follow our progress.   It is not going to be in real time but probably a day or two in arrears.

International regulations:

• Visas will be obtained for all likely stopovers
• www.noonsite.com  used to download all local requirements relating to international port entry, customs clearance and local regulations.   Specific pages can be downloaded while at sea if needed.

Documentation to be carried:

Originals plus several copies (one set of copies laminated) of:

Australian Ship Register registration papers

Declarations and lists for Customs and port clearance:

Dangerous Goods

Firearms

Restricted Drugs

Personal dutiable effects

Yacht’s movable equipment

Crew list with names, residential addresses, passport numbers and ages.

Australian Ship Station License from Australian Communications Authority

Safety Equipment list

Liferaft and other safety equipment service records

406 EPIRB registration certificate

Passports

Copies of crew qualifications

Copies of survey report.

Official ship’s seal for certifying lists for clearance.