All material on this site is © Copyright 2005
Log Updates
[Ed: This is the
first of what is expected to be a number of logs emailed from Berrimilla by
Alex and Peter as they circumnavigate the globe, with 2 Hobart and 1 Fastnet races
thrown in for good measure]
12 Dec 2004
Seems
our daft venture has begun. Today we loaded about two tons of gear and
food into Pete's van, and piled some more on the roof, and he launched himself
and van on the Spirit of Tasmania to take it all down to
19 Dec 2004
We've
had a huge week doing all the stuff we have been putting off for
ever. In the last couple of days we have taken off the winch bases
and re-sealed them and fixed some leaks - all in the delightful warmth of a
And fitted a new tiller and reinforced a perspex hatch and tested the shower curtain that we have designed to protect the electronics. Pete has made new storm boards for the companionway and - really important - a new footrest for the helmsperson, incorporating a Guinness/coffee mug holder for those unfortunates marooned in the cockpit.
And
we have been experimenting with our Chinese pressure cooker, using it as a dry
oven to make fruit cake and bread and damper. Works really well,
and we will calibrate the metho usage on the way to
Still to do - calibrate the instruments we replaced last week and generally tidy up the boat and start loading the race gear. We've done the mandatory radio check on the race frequencies, but we may still have to endure a spot safety check. Should be no problem and anyway, it's always good value.
Then
we have to start - 1310 on Boxing Day - and count ten lighthouses and turn
right for the Derwent.
Sat 25 Dec 2004
Happy Christmas y'all
Seems we are committed. I think Berrimilla is as prepared as we can make her but we won't know till we get there. The forecast is for a wet and cold and bumpy ride and we will need to keep the boat in conservative mode but not as bad, perhaps, as earlier years. Probably not in time for the New Year's Eve party in Constitution dock, but we will do our best.
The Fastnet organisers have accepted a provisional entry for the two handed division for 2005, so we can't wimp out now. If we actually make it to the start line, it will be 44 years since I was last there.
Sun 26 Dec 2004
Off and running – email from Berri: Not a bad start considering the number of boats on the line. Nice to have the striders fast group passing by to see us off - thanks y'all. Going down the coast under assym kite at about 8 knots off Botany bay - the cold front should arrive around breakfast time @ 30+ knots so the aim is to pick up the current and get as far south as seems reasonable before easing back into the coast towards Montague Island before the change. Celebratory guiness off bondi and fingers firmly crossed.
Sitrep: 0900hrs 27 Dec 2004, 471nm to go, 104th, 6.5knts
51 miles ahead of last years position.
We're off Montague Is., all well and so far, Berri seems to be holding together too. Reasonably dry and snug so our work last week may have been worth while.
Those of us who are experienced in the efficacy of such things had a nice bacon sandwich with tabasco and a small taste of guinness to fortify us for the southerly. Others made do with a stugie or two for similar reasons. We went through the front about an hour ago and changed rapidly from kite to #1 to #4 and two reefs and we're heading more or less for green cape which is promising. The change was quite soft, as forecast, but it's looking rather murky ahead.
Thanks heaps for all your messages and g00d wishes and special thanks to everyone who helped us to get organised and get going. Will try to keep updates more or less daily.
SitRep:1900hrs 27 Dec 2004, 442nm to go, 85th, 5.9knts
35 miles ahead of last years position.
For Steph - not just any beer, ma'am - only works with guinness and then only if you can keep it down.
Been a big day - down to storm jib & trisail - quite colourful but wet and cold. Now 30 miles N of Green Cape and Bass St. Boat ok, crew ok. Forecast lousy wth 2 more days of at least strong winds. 45 -50 kts today in driving rain sea surface all white and frothy with big seas up to six metres. Black lines of cloud with sunlight reflecting off the tops - magnificent and deserving of a small drop from the Dublin Doctor in appreciation
Sitrep: 0800hrs 28 Dec 2004, 397nm to go, 57th, 5.4knts
60 miles ahead of last year.
What a night. Straight out of one of Turner's paintings - brilliant moon haloed by solid black clouds with translucent edges and a massively fragmented path on the water below. Water not black but steely grey in the reflections and sheets of spray flying all around the boat and over us. 45 - 50 knot gusts and we had to slow the boat right down to about 4 knots to keep her from banging into each wave. Just passing Gabo now with thick misty cloud all around with rain squalls and sunshine. Sparkling but cold.
Had to run the sked for Four Seasons this morning
cos Berri's new radio was working the whole fleet while FS couldnt get most of
them. Busy hour or so, and really difficult writing positions,
relaying and holding on while also working the mike - Berri going up and down
and sideways and rolling on 3-5 metre waves. Breakfast will be
Pippin fruitcake - Thanks Anne - with no doubt a draught from
Love youse all - it's going to be aslow trip, I think.
Sitrep: 1830hrs 28 Dec 2004, 394nm to go, 54th, 1.5knts
27 miles ahead of last year.
Hard to make progress in these conditions so we're hove to - better to be going sideways slowly in the wrong direction than fast. We'll have a look at the weather tomorrow. All asleep ‘cept me, doing the 1705 sked and Ross on lookout. Chocolate fix imminent.
Sitrep: 0600hrs 29 Dec 2004, 405nm to go, 58th, 2.7knts
35 miles behind last year.
Following an update email to Berri advising of Skandia losing keel and capsizing the reply was:
… we knew it is adrift and all safe but not why. Getting the boat dried out, doing some sleeping, finally getting stugies into our sickie now that violent motion has stopped and maybe get him back on deck.
Winds due to abate this morn but may not help much. Still getting 9 meter breaking waves and 60 kts in rain squalls but very comfy.
Choc fix administered. About to go on watch.
Sitrep: 0900hrs 29 Dec 2004, 399nm to go, 57th, 5.0knts
40 miles
behind last year.
Sickie no more. He's on the
pill, eating and steering for the first time in 2 days. Nothing like stopping the washing machine and
getting some sleep.
We're finally pointing more or less at Tas Is@6KT. Much better
feeling. And it seems there are boats
emerging from bolt holes up the coast and on our tail. Thanks for news. Interesting on watch last night - Turner all
over again but more vivid, if thats possible, with the breaking waves having a
faint bluish translucence. Never seen
that in moonlight before. Whiteout in the rain squalls with the sea surface
blowing up into the rain. Big waves too.
Trying to drink tea as i write. mistake.
Sitrep: 0800hrs 30 Dec 2004, 307nm to go (ETA 02/01/05 5:30pm) 56th, 4.0knts
121 miles
behind last year.
This ride is becoming a plum for the headbangers and
s&m freaks among us. For the rest
of us, its getting tedious. Looks like
another shitfight with the weather as we get further south and we may just get
in before Easter if all goes well. The
Dublin Doctor will be in short supply.
Will call Stephen’s mobile on the satphone if this USB link thingy
finally defeats me. Simon at digiboat
may have some ideas. Egg mash being concocted as I write - eggs,
bacon, cheese, tabasco and who knows what from the smelly wet sock bag. Life goes on.
Sitrep: 1100hrs 30 Dec 2004, 300nm to go (ETA 03/01/05 0300hr) 56th, 4.0knts
129 miles
behind last year.
Ello. Expecting to have our half way guinness in
3 hours with 489 miles on the clock.
Half distance is 314. SPBF. Not
much help from the weather gods for the next few days either.
Sitrep: 1800hrs 30 Dec 2004, 276nm to go (ETA 02/01/05 1730hr) 56th, 4.0knts.
The sun's out, the boat smells but is drying out,
we're getting some sleep - even me - and we're going to finish. We are trying to stay in a dropping breeze
tonight and be in position to pick up forecast NE/NW tomoz. Race rules prevent me from being specific in
real time. It will be interesting to
see whether Windmills and Rollercoaster have the same strategy when they report
on the 1705 sked. Half way guinness was
most welcome and we hope we don't have to sail so far for the second half. Thanks to everyone for messages.
Sitrep: 0600hrs 31 Dec 2004, 207nm to go (ETA 01/01/05 1830hr) 55th, 4.9knts.
One of those evenings the poets like to mess
with. Mt strzelecki on flinders is. was
just visible under red and gold wispy mares tails and the boat is dry and we
seem to have kept the breeze so far.
Stars like you lot in the cities never see any more and the moon due in
a couple of hours. Rollercoaster had
the same idea as us so the next sked will be interesting. We think we can see Magic astern. If we can keep the breeze and collect the
change tomoz we should be well down the tas coast by the time the next
southerly arrives. Not looking like a
good one to be in for too long.
Sitrep: 1400hrs 31 Dec 2004, 181nm to go (ETA 02/01/05 1930hr) 57th, 5.0knts.
Thanks for the emails. Frustrating morning so far. We overtook
Rollercoaster during the night and were hooning along with the kite up at
sunrise but found the usual hole out off cape barren and watched the bubbles
not passing by for several hours. Huge
pink and brown jellyblobbers about a metre across and the occasional
dolphin. Roll on the
Happy new year to all seven
or so of our listeners in case you are all partying when next we crank this
thing up.
Sitrep: 1800hrs 31 Dec 2004, 161nm to go (ETA 02/01/05 0230hr) 7knts
Thanks to everyone for your
messages and good wishes. Happy new
year y'all too and we'll be thinking of you.
The race for us now is to
get to
Cross the fingers.
Sitrep: 2300hrs 31 Dec 2004, Happy New Year from the Berri's.
Sitrep: 1500hrs 01 Jan 2005, 47nm to go (ETA 02/01/05 0600hr) 58th, 4.3knts.
We've got a beer on with
Magic, about half a mile away, so it's everyone on the rail to T. I. and the
finish. We think we'll let him go round first
so he can find the holes for us.
Sitrep: 1800hrs 01 Jan 2005, 37nm to go (ETA 02/01/05 0400hr) 58th, 4.9knts.
Thanks everyone for
messages. We'll try and reply later -
just a bit on at the mo.
We love youse all
Sitrep: 0645hrs 02 Jan 2005, Sydney
to
58th out of a starting field of 116, at
an avg of 3.9knts. Elapsed time 6 days 17 hrs 35 mins 21 secs.
Sitrep: 1500hrs 03 Jan 2005
Berrimilla is
in Constitution Dock, but moving to Bellerive Yacht Club tomorrow for final
setup. No departure date yet decided.
Sitrep: 0700hrs 04 Jan 2005. Bellerive Yacht Club.
Hard to summarise a race
like that. Certainly one of the more
difficult and interesting that I have done, with a bit of everything
somewhere. Seldom do we ever get down
to three reefs in the main in Berri but this time we were there three times,
with the full storm gear up for around 24 hours and the #5 on its own for short
periods. And I've never hove to in a
race before, although we stopped to dry out in 1999 - but this time it was the
obvious thing to do. The boat was
handling the conditions really well and
Comparatively, most like
1977. I think, with a series of nasties and some parking and no let up. The 1998 storm was much more intense but very
short and 1999 was a headbang in both senses from half way to the finish. Including our heave to, we beat our 1999
time by about 18 hours, if I remember correctly, but that one also included a stop in Skeleton
bay.
Some interesting points in
the tracker plot (haven’t seen it but they must be there).
Full stop north of
We are now working on all
the jobs on the list to get Berri into voyage mode. She seems to have suffered no damage despite
some big crashes off waves and a lot of pounding. We have stripped hor out and James did a big
clean and polish with soap and bleach inside and today we will fit the internal
insulation and probably move from Con dock to Bellerive.
For the first time since all
this nonsense started, we have all the gear together and it is now spread
around the Sutherland's yard in various heaps ready to be loaded. It will be a challenge stowing t all.
The aim is to leave on
Saturday 8th barring major problems in the meantime.
All material on this site is © Copyright 2005