TOPS’L The Magazine of the Topsham Sailing Club

Winter 2019

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Contents

Commodore’s Column 2

Social Diary 3

The Editor Writes … 4

Membership Matters 4

Yard Marshal 5

Hazardous Waste 5

Cruiser Captain 6

Yawl Captain 8

Skittles News 9

Love Topsham 9

Dinghy Captain 10

TSC Cadets: where are they now? 11

Circumnavigating Stonehenge 16

Odd Mods 21

The cruise of the Snark 23

What a Haul for £7 15s 6d 27

Commodore’s Column

Cover: Graham Brodie

Ahoy and welcome to the autumn 2019

edition of Tops’l, and thank you to everyone

who showed such concern over my lost jacket

- I can confirm its safe return.

By now the laying up will be well underway

or even complete, and another busy and

successful sailing season will be completed.

Congratulations in particular must go to our

Yawl sailors with their successes in the

nationals - Shane and his crew Strangler

taking second overall, with Ian and Tom close

behind in third place. Whilst the dinghy racing

has taken a bit of a downturn, cruiser

numbers remain very good with some excellent

evening, weekend and coastal racing. A

number of our cruisers have ventured away

with Rebecca heading back up to Scotland,

Kithros and its crew disappeared off to

Ireland, Shalom visited France again, and

Scilly was positively packed out with TSC boats!

It is also very encouraging to see a number of

TSC boats now under new ownership making

good use of the club and its facilities.

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Social Diary

As the sailing season draws to an end, make sure you come and join us over the winter to get together and reminisce, whilst enjoying the events Kate and I have planned. Further details on the club notice board and through emails. November 9th

RNLI fundraiser

November 23rd Evening meal December 14th Christmas meal December 20th Draw Night January 11th Prize Giving January 24th Dinner Dance We are also arranging a ‘Maiden’ film night, and there will be occasional talks. The annual black-tie Dinner and Dance event will be held at Sandy Park, home to Exeter Chiefs – our opportunity to dress up and heckle the Commodore during his speech (not really!). With fantastic views of the match field and stadium, it should be a night to remember. A separate prize giving event is being held at the clubhouse.

Debbie & Kate

Please note that the views expressed by contributors are not to be seen as those of the TSC committee. TSC does not endorse any product or service advertised.

With the summer events drawing to a close

the winter social calendar sets in. As usual

the skittles teams will be busy, a number of

winter talks are already planned, and Debbie

and Kate are working on various other

events. This year the Dinner Dance will be

separate from the Prize Giving, to try and

relieve the pressure of trying to squeeze too

much into one evening. Planning is underway

for it to be held at Sandy Park, so please

support Debbie and Kate in this venture and

let’s see if we can get the numbers up again.

Prize winners can relax - there will be a

separate prize giving evening!

The club’s legal status was raised some time

ago and works have been ongoing behind the

scenes. I hope to present some thoughts to

committee before the end of the year with a

view to presenting these to the wider

membership for consideration in 2020.

And finally, a big thank you to all those who

have carried out their galley duty. We have

been treated to a superb variety of tasty

suppers, and as a result have made over

£2500 in profits towards Club funds. Well

done and many thanks to all concerned.

I wish you all a very pleasant closed season

with the opportunity to get all those little just

jobs completed in preparation for next

spring. I look forward to seeing you at social

events over the winter months.

Peter Williams

Commodore

Editor: Miranda Row 01392 877975 editor@topsham-sc.org.uk

Design & Typesetting: Noel Harrison 01392 877425 r.n.c.harrison@gmail.com

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The Editor writes …..

Thanks again to the Ricketts senior duo, for

a peek into the Cash Book belonging to Wyn

(Bill’s mum) showing the costs for the

Hauling Out Dance and Supper from 60

years ago. Although the total cost of this

meal was only £7 15s 5d (or £7.77), the

Bank of England’s Inflation Calculator puts

this as £177.62 in today’s rates!

And finally, John Wesley said “Cleanliness is

indeed next to godliness”, but on Shalom it

has been installed next to the calorifier.

Thanks to Pete Fellows for his ODD MODS

article about installing a shower on Shalom,

although whether the ulterior motive was

clean occupants or a clean boat, I’ve yet to

decide. Keep these items coming please, it’s

interesting to hear these little modifications,

and it’s really not an onerous task.

Please keep sending in the articles – Tops’l

will only ever be as good as you make it.

Miranda Row

MEMBERSHIP MATTERS

The club membership has continued to grow throughout the summer, so thanks to all those people who’ve introduced new members, and thank you to those new members who approached me direct.

We welcome to the membership Simon & Zara Trickett, Keith & Patricia Willis, Martin & Joy Wright, John & Jane Waite, Jeremy Rawlings (returning member) & Steven Clarke, David Howard & Dawn Smith, Susan Greenall and Derrick Palmer.

Tim Baker Hon. Membership Secretary

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First off, thanks yet again to Graham Brodie,

for all his lovely photos inside Tops’l and

this interesting one for the cover.

Whilst around the world in 80 days might

be a bit ambitious, Mike Horwood set off

from TSC in mid-June and circumnavigated

Southern England in 40 days, covering over

845 nautical miles. Juliet and Poppy the dog

joined him for 16 days in the middle, which

included descending the Caen Hill lock stair-

case - a flight of 29 locks dropping 237 ft in

around 2 miles, so respect to Juliet too!

I would never have thought to compare

crossing the Pacific with catching a bus, but

with no such article for years, then two

come along at the same time! Many thanks

to TSC Cadets – Where are they now?

Harry Ashton, and also to Ian Garcia, for both

sharing their experiences of crossing the

greatest ocean in the world. The essential

factor they both share being the spontaneity

of youth!

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Yard Marshal

As I write this, members are beginning to

remove some of their gear from the yard as

the end of season approaches. Just a few

think that putting it in the Green Shed is a

good idea, but this is not the case as the

Yard Crew will have to clear it out in

preparation for the winter season!

By the time you read this, all the Cruisers

will have been laid up, and hopefully all the

punts and inflatables removed except those

servicing the still active yawls. I would

encourage the early removal of punts and

inflatables as there is always a risk of

damage when boat movements are

happening, and it is inconsiderate to leave

them piled under other people’s boats

preventing access for maintenance.

I must repeat my usual plea to those storing

their boats, to ensure that their berth is kept

tidy and clean, to collect and remove any

hazardous or oil-based materials, and to

respect the Club’s waste disposal arrange-

ments, namely that our bins are for the

Club’s domestic waste only.

Looking forward to next season, launching

dates will be Saturday 14th March for the

early birds, with the majority going in

between 22nd to 29th March. The Yard Clean

Up is (provisionally) on 29th March 2020.

Bill Ricketts

Yard Marshal

Unfortunately, I need to remind a small number of members that the club does NOT have any facilities to handle or dispose of any hazardous waste. Hazardous waste includes: paint and antifouling (including the scrapings), thinners, solvents, oils, fuels, greases, discarded coveralls, gloves, tapes, fire extinguishers, batteries etc, etc. Disposal of any such materials in the club’s waste facilities leaves the club open to prosecution and the risk of substantial fines, possibly well into four figures. The responsibility for disposal of hazardous waste rests with YOU, the individual who created it in the first place, so please make your own arrangements for disposal of such materials and do not use the club waste facilities.

Peter Williams

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For those of us going cruising this year the

weather couldn’t have been much kinder.

We had prolonged spells of settled weather

which saw numerous boats getting as far as

the Scilly Isles or the Solent, one to France

and a couple as far as Scotland. On New

Dawn we’ve probably motored more this

year than any other as when there was any

wind about it always seemed to be too

strong or in the wrong direction. It may just

be me but I’m under the impression there

are many more pods of dolphins about com-

pared to previous years. What used to be

such a rare occurrence has delighted us on

numerous occasions over the last two years.

For people who don’t use their boats off-

shore, you may be missing a magical treat.

A fortnight after the penultimate race, the

final series consisted of a single race which

should have given the handicap committee a

golden opportunity to handicap the fleets.

Cruiser Captain EVENING SERIES

BRUFORD NORTON BEACH

1st Lucille Moben Waynflete 2

2nd Mew Gull Wild Weasel Seelipse

3rd Aeolus Kudu fTera

Unfortunately, the winners in all three

fleets were settled before the race. At least

there was still second place to fight for.

For the statisticians among you we had a

total of 592 starters this year in the Evening

Series. After the first count I was horrified

by how far down the numbers were, but

then realised that I was supposed to include

the Early Bird results as well as the Evening

Series. At 592, this is up by a small amount

on the past couple of years, showing that the

Evening Series continues to be in excellent

shape. The final race of the series had 27

starters which is only two down on the

highest ever.

The offshore races have been good for our

Commodore, who won the Babbacombe

race and the Francis Thompson trophy.

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This year some of the competitors headed to

Brixham after the Babbacombe race for the

July Jolly, which again, was a joint event

with SYC. Although not well supported it

was a really enjoyable evening.

SEPTEMBER SERIES

1st Moben

2nd Mew Gull

3rd Kithros 2

As I write this, the wind is howling, it’s been

pouring all afternoon, and I’m pleased that

we made the call not to take New Dawn

down to the ever-excellent Final Fling host-

ed by RTYC. It must be time for the boats to

come out. Thanks to Graham Atwell for or-

ganising and for hosting what I gather was

an enjoyably cocktaily party aboard Celtic

Breeze at Torquay for the few who were

there early. Thanks also to Donald

McLintock, Will Tarr and Brian Thomas for

serving with me on the handicap committee

this year.

Michael MacDonnell

Cruiser Captain

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The results of the final cruiser race of the

year, in the September Series, were a replica

of the overall results. Thanks to Peter Dunsford

et al for starting most of the races.

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Yawl Captain

We are drawing to the end of another

season, yet as I write this there are still

some hardy yawl owners keeping their boats

in the water until the end of November to

take part in the Bottoms Cup.

The Tom Blanks series of 33 races was won

by Shane Buckley in Black Sheep ably crewed

by Ann Leach. Ed Williams-Hawkes and Tim

Coombe came second in Y’All White, and Iain

Cooke - sometimes crewed by his 12 year

old son Jacob - came third in Proper Job.

Sadly, the Summer Series was a non-event

due to a combination of too much wind, no

wind and no participants, resulting in only

one race taking place, so no award will be

made. Only two races were held in the

Autumn Series, both won by Ed Williams-

Hawkes in Y’All White.

The Yawl Nationals were held under the

Brixham YC burgee on 29th & 30th June.

Thirteen yawls competed, of which five

came from TSC. Overall, Tim Pettit & Tony

Calcutt of Yealm YC in DY186 took 1st place,

with Shane Buckley & Jonathan Williams in

Black Sheep in 2nd place, and Iain Cooke &

Tom Kempton in Proper Job in 3rd place.

Well done TSC and Brixham YC for

organising an excellent event.

The Yawl Platter took place over two

Saturdays, however there were no finishers

on the first Saturday due to lack of wind.

Two races were run on the second Saturday,

and Richard Watsham with crew Ed

Williams-Hawkes in Goosewing were the

clear winners of both races and awarded

the Yawl Platter. John Skelton cooked a

delicious meal for all.

Unlike cruisers the yawls are one-design. In

theory they should all perform the same, so

why is it some seem to do better that others?

Having been racing them for 4 years now I

have come to the following conclusions:

Boat preparation - keeping the bottom

clean, getting the mast at the correct angle,

getting the sheeting positions right, etc.

Sailing skill - getting a good start, being at

the right end of the start line, and crossing it

just as the gun goes.

Crew – with only 2 people on board they both

must know what they are doing.

Knowledge of the river – keeping in or out

of the tide as appropriate to the direction

you’re sailing, and avoiding going aground!

Sails.

Weight – I don’t think this is as important as

some people think. A yawl weighs 430kg

without a crew, and around 600kg with, so

the odd 20kg saved by removing floorboards

etc. is not going to make a great difference.

However, having the weight in the correct

position towards the bow does help.

Don Macrae

Yawl Captain

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Skittles News

Bridget Ricketts

LOVE TOPSHAM LONG WEEKEND

As usual, TSC Internal skittles matches will be played on many Wednesday evenings throughout the winter. Below are the teams and their leaders, so have a word with them if you fancy playing. You can also check the TSC website for both the TSC Internal and Exe External match dates and results. Smacks Bridget Ricketts Yawls Ed Williams-Hawke Toppers Godfrey Whitehouse Optimists Kate Brodie Luggers Duncan MacFadyen Hornets Pete Williams

Topsham Sailing Club gates were opened on Saturday 6th September in support of the Love Topsham long weekend. Visitors were invited to take part in activities which included: knot tying, rigging a Topper, chart plotting, and a quiz. Around 70 people visited and many wanted to talk about how they can get afloat and what was involved in TSC membership. Exe Sails & Canvas and Trouts Boatyard kindly supplied prizes and props, and Miranda wrote a mean quiz, the winner being Christine - a club member! Thanks to Tracey Bailey, Peter Williams, John Davies, Ann Leach, James Falle, Katie Ricketts and the trio of Amy, Flo and Maile for helping to run the event and engaging with our guests.

Debbie Ricketts

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Dinghy Captain

reached a point with the dinghy fleet

where there are too few members to

cover the necessary race duties. On

most days there were as many dinghy

sailors on duty as there were actually

competing. I will raise the question of

the future of the fleet at the end of

season forum, but I think it is also a

matter for consideration by the

Topsham Sailing Club committee.

We are almost at the end of the Godfrey Cup

series of 2019 with just three races to go.

Although turnout for races throughout the

season has been low, often with just two

starters, only two races have been cancelled

- one because there was too much wind, and

one because there was too little to sail a

second race on a scheduled two-race day.

The future of the dinghy fleet at Topsham

needs to be discussed and it seems to me

that it goes hand-in-hand with the future of

cadet training, since the cadets could

provide future dinghy sailors. We have now

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On a positive note, Tim Falle, James Falle’s

son, won GC 15 in a club Topper, so we

have a winner for the Passage House Cup.

Congratulations and well done to Tim!

Last but not least, many thanks to Mark

Brundrett and the other race officers and

to all who crewed the safety boat this

season.

Chris Speyer

Dinghy Fleet Captain

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I studied engineering at Bristol and in San

Diego, California, graduating with a Master

of Civil Engineering in 2009, and having met

Sera, my wife to be. After a short while in

the engineering industry I decided to change

course and jumped into banking, where I

spent five years at ING Bank in Amsterdam,

before we started to get itchy feet.

It all began while driving down to the Alps

for a ski trip. It was Sera’s idea, who said:

Why don’t we sail around the world? Let’s

sell everything and buy a boat! About 6

months later we had quit our jobs, sold our

apartment and bought Lady Annabelle - an

Amel Super Maramu 2000, a well-known

blue water cruiser, more than capable of

taking us safely around. We found her in

Greece and upgraded the rigging, added a

solar arch, gave the rudder and the rest a

full service in Turkey - setting sail west

across the Mediterranean in August 2015.

Unlike most people that spend years plan-

ning, we just went for it, without either of us

TSC Cadets: where are they now?

Sailing the trades to Australia Harry Ashton

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having crossed an ocean, or even owned a yacht. My experience was mainly in dinghies

and I introduced sailing to Sera in California

in 2007. We had chartered a yacht in the

Med a few times - but did we really know

what we were getting into? Not really.

We joined ARC in November 2015 for our

first ocean crossing, which was a nice re-

assuring way to make the first real big step.

It was a 19-day crossing, choosing the scenic

route to sail further south and jump in the

trade belt. It got off to a bumpy start: 40-

knots and accompanying seas. I was badly

seasick. Being rookies, we hadn’t prepared a

single meal - not even our first night’s dinner.

ORS hydration tablets brought me back

to life, and thereafter I found my sea

legs. Looking back, we didn’t fare

too badly: one boat sank, others

lost a mast, and many turned

around. Soon after leaving the

Canaries, the fleet spread out

and within 24 hours our fel-

low companions were no

longer in sight. We saw less

than a handful of boats for the

next 2,900nm. It was magic.

You’ve heard it before, but dawn

and dusk, the stars, the glorious

blue skies and watching the weath-

er turn ominous, as squalls race up

behind, are truly unforgettable.

Arriving in the West Indies was tremen-

dous: warm turquoise waters and plenty of

breeze! We explored Martinique, St Lucia

and the Grenadines. The latter was our

favorite and apart from the overwhelming

number of boats, this place was paradise,

especially if you love to kite or windsurf,

which we do! Unfortunately, time here was

short, as there was a schedule to maintain.

As hard as it was to leave, the real joy of the

Caribbean followed: Bonaire, Colombia and

the San Blas. The adventure was kicking in,

and we had settled into boat life. Parked

above a coral reef in Bonaire, sipping a beer

and reflecting on a days windsurfing at Jibe

City - one of the best places to windsurf in

the world - we didn’t think it could get any

better. Next up was no doubt the windiest

passage, sailing around Venezuela towards

Colombia. Wind speeds in excess of 50 knots

kept us on our toes, particularly when Lady

Annabelle would surf down a wave and

come off the pilot in the middle of the night.

It was at least a quick passage, easily making

250-mile days.

We bought Lady Annabelle from a

French/Dutch couple, who we

spent a week with,

delving into every nook

and cranny. She was

immaculately maintained

and having crossed three

oceans in her, she was

well kitted out. It was no

easy feat to keep her in

this condition, but we did

our best. We had our fair

share of breakages: a dam-

aged bow thruster, genera-

tor and water maker problems,

to name but a few. People say

cruising is just repairing a boat in paradise

- which it is – but it certainly beats the 9-5.

There was never a dull moment, whether it

was trying to hunt down the local welder, or

botch a repair until the next port, there was

always a challenge.

Our longest passage was the crossing from

Panama to French Polynesia: 30 days at sea.

Having waited several weeks in Panama for

the wind to fill in, we finally set off with a

light breeze. It was an El Nin o year and

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Photo Competition I’ll kick off with - “Waiting for an Act of God!”

Please send your entries to editor@topsham-sc.org.uk

hence light winds in the East Pacific were

expected. We hoped the little puff forecasted

would be enough to carry us across the

equator before we headed further south to

enter the trades. It was generally an un-

eventful passage, with lots of good sailing.

About midway into the passage, a rogue

wave took us by surprise on a moonless

night, filling the cockpit and swamping

down below. We learnt the next morning on

the SSB, that our friends who were 100nm

ahead of us, were knocked over by a similar

wave, creating panic. Fortunately, there

were no serious injuries.

The marine life in the Pacific is next to none.

We had a dive compressor on board and

went down almost every time we dropped

the hook. Bonaire was impressive, but the

highlight was diving atoll passes in the

Tuamotus, French Polynesia. Hundreds

and hundreds of grey sharks feeding as you

drift through them. Probably the most

unforgettable experience was swimming

with humpback whales in Tonga. There are

countless whales all around the archipelago,

and the sounds, especially beneath the

waterline, are as if you are being contacted

by outer space.

Visiting uncharted atolls in the middle of the

Pacific was unimaginable. Sailors know

Beveridge Reef purely by word of mouth, a

large atoll that sits just beneath the surface

on high tide. It’s claimed many boats over

the years, and continues to do so as it only

appears on radar less than a nautical mile

away. After enjoying some whale inter-

action, we plucked up the courage to enter.

The inner atoll was incredible, with water so

clear you could spot sharks hundreds of

meters away. Less tame than in Bora Bora,

and actively pursuing their curiosity, a few

close encounters and changing weather

tipped us on our way.

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Dutch development bank based in The

Hague. I really love my job and frequently

travel to South and Southeast Asia. I work

with a small team tasked to build up a debt

portfolio of private sector banks and

microfinance institutions with the aim to

advance financial inclusion and sustainable

economic development. My wife Sera is

Dutch, and we now have two kids - Isabelle

and Frederic. Freddy is just 2 months, but

Izzy is 2½ years old and already loves the

sea and goes to the beach several times a

week. Sailing wise, we have a Devon Yawl

for messing around, and a local club has a

15-20 strong fleet of Lasers, so I still get to

race regularly!

Life was treating us very well and it was in

the Tuamotus that we learnt our family was

about to expand to three. Our cruising plans

continually changed; however, this was one

deadline we had to adhere too. Heading for

Australia, we left the boat and returned

home for the arrival of our daughter. The

cruising lifestyle certainly whet our appetite

for adventure. Breaking the western norms,

living outside and exploring new places is

certainly something for us. The Pacific is so

vast, offering endless cruising opportunities,

so one day we will return for sure - only this

time with four bellies to feed!

Upon my return I switched to development

banking, and now work at FMO, which is the

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Yankee—1935

from Margate to London involved an easterly

wind. I spent a night in the Swale mud

marina up Conyer Creek and a night at

Queenborough before tackling the tidal

Thames as far as Limehouse basin in the

East End, where the mast was lowered

converting Sirena to motor boat mode. A

word of advice to anyone with an AIS tran-

sponder: turn it off in the tidal Thames as it

seems to give every jobsworth with a launch

an excuse to come and tell you where you

can’t go and what you mustn’t do; better to

be inconspicuous I thought — afterwards.

The Thames through London is very busy

with strong tidal streams. However, provid-

ed the tide is carried, it is possible to make

the 20 miles from Limehouse to Teddington

in under 3 hours. Around high water the

sluices at Richmond are raised to allow free

navigation avoiding the lock, and being

Yorkshire-born I was particularly anxious to

avoid the £8 charge so timing was important.

Juliet and Poppy the dog joined me at

Windsor and we made our way up river.

For fun, we decided to visit Oxford before

returning to Reading to join the K & A canal.

Navigation on the Thames is very easy with

most of the locks being manned and since

all are push-button electric operation, the

occasional absence of a keeper was no hard-

ship. The only minor organisational blunder

St Kilda, the Baltic..… where next, which

would be different, new for me, and easily

accessible? The notion of circumnavigating

southern England had laid dormant in my

mind for some time – was it feasible? The

answer is “yes” and in fact I’m not the first

person to try this. Amongst others, Richard

Stilgoe did it in 2005.

In 1810 the Kennet and Avon (K & A) canal

was completed allowing navigation by

water between London and Bristol. The

canal flourished in the early years, but the

railways arrived and it fell into disuse and

disrepair. However, in 1990 the canal was re

-opened, making a circumnavigation of

southern England once more possible. The

main issue is to have a boat low enough and

shallow enough to navigate the canal whilst

being seaworthy enough to sail around

Lands End. Our 1980 Super Seal Sirena was

the obvious candidate.

With a forecast of westerly winds for a few

days, I set out from TSC on the evening of

18th June. The voyage as far as Margate was

straightforward with only three overnight

stops at Budleigh, Lymington and Brighton,

and the promised westerly winds actually

materialising on this occasion. Budleigh was

surprisingly peaceful and allowed an early

morning start to capitalise on the free berth

I’d been offered in Lymington. Unbelievably,

A Circumnavigation of Stonehenge

Mike Horwood

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was coinciding with the Henley regatta – a

remarkable experience for those who have

never been. Yes, there really are hundreds,

possibly thousands, of people in blazers and

boaters, apparently paying little attention to

what was actually happening on the river.

Wallingford, aka ‘Causton’ in Midsomer

Murders, and Abingdon are attractive towns

with useful moorings - Abingdon free,

Wallingford not so. Stops were also made at

the ‘Three Men in a Boat’ pubs including The

Bull at Sonning and The Barley Mow at Clifton

Hampden. Oxford is Oxford - crowded with

punts with novice operators but allowed for a

meal with old friends in the old Oxford gaol

and a stroll through the colleges.

Back down river to Reading and into the

canal and quite a culture shock. The Canal

and River Trust (CRT) who operate the

canal are clearly a lot less well off than the

Environment Agency who operate the

Thames Navigation – and probably even

more so when they’ve paid for repairs to the

Toddbrook Reservoir at Whaley Bridge.

Locks are all manual with many in a fairly

poor state of repair. And there are 106 of

them between Reading and Bristol!

The canal through Reading town centre is a

slightly surreal experience passing by large

stores and busy shoppers, and has a particu-

larly narrow winding section with a one-

way system controlled by traffic lights. The

next section is a touch urban and littered

with shopping trolleys and other debris, but

once out of Reading the canal becomes more

scenic. I had promised Juliet that no expense

would be spared on comfort by staying in

17

• Stonehenge

• Bath

• Reading

• Oxford

Windsor

845 nautical miles

126 locks

40 days

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the long summit stretch including the 500

yard long Bruce Tunnel. The summit stretch

is 450 ft above sea level, only about 35 ft

less than the Pennine summit of the Leeds

and Liverpool canal.

Anxious not to be stranded when the section

was closed again, we pressed on to Devizes

before stopping for the night. The next day

involved descending the Caen Hill lock stair-

case - a flight of 29 locks dropping 237 ft in

around 2 miles. The main part of the flight is

around 16 locks in about half a mile and

results in a serious attack of de ja vu, not to

mention exhaustion. Fortunately, a number

of good humoured CRT volunteers were on

hand to speed our descent. The next night’s

stop was at Seend which, whilst only around

4 miles from Devizes, given the number of

locks, felt like a well earned rest.

18

marinas as far as possible. Well they are few

and far between and the ones that there are

don’t seem to want to accommodate

overnighters. So, the next three nights

were spent on ad hoc canal side moorings at

Burghfield, Thatcham and Hungerford -

pleasantly scenic with pretty canal-side

cottages.

All went well to lock 63 at Great Bedwyn,

which was padlocked shut… It was Saturday

lunchtime. Further enquiries indicated that

the canal had been closed between locks 51

and 63 due to lack of water. There was an

intention to open it briefly on the following

Tuesday, so we tied up on the lock waiting

mooring and worked out what to do for the

next 3 days. The windmill at Wilton and the

Crofton pumping station (built in 1810,

intended to pump water up to the summit

stretch and allegedly still in working order

but for whatever reason not working that

day), both within walking distance, provided

interesting diversions. Juliet enjoyed the

welcome break from lock operation and the

chance to read a book in the sunshine.

Tuesday 10am arrived and as good as

promised several volunteers from the CRT

arrived to unlock the gates and help us on

our way. In spite of a short stretch of canal

having been completely empty the previous

day, water had obviously been found from

somewhere and so we made our way up to

Henley

Thames and the Shard

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From Bradford on Avon the canal is level

with no locks all the way to Bath. The Avon-

cliff and Dundas aqueducts crossing the river

Avon are heroic efforts of 19th century

engineering and well worth a visit either by

boat or by land.

In Bath it rained (a lot) but this was the only

rain during the entire trip. At Bath, the canal

joins the River Avon via another steep flight

of 6 locks, including the Bath Deep Lock -

around 20 ft drop and the second deepest

lock in the country. After a short scenic de-

tour up to Pulteney weir we headed down

the Avon towards Bristol. There are 6 fur-

ther locks on the Avon between Bath and

Bristol before entering the feeder canal into

the floating harbour and after Henley, the

second organisational blunder of the trip – it

was the Bristol Harbour Festival, meaning

that mooring space in Bristol was seriously

restricted. Juliet and Poppy returned home

for work the following day, just sixteen days

after joining the boat in Windsor.

This left me and a former university work

colleague, Garry, the job of getting the mast

up and returning home via Lands End. The

following day, feeling a little embarrassed

about being the only masted boat needing

the Plimsoll Bridge to be swung at rush

hour, we headed off down the Avon Gorge

and under the Clifton Suspension Bridge

Juliet

Kennet and Avon Canal

20

Fine Dining

sailing leg of the whole trip with a NW F4.5

and mainly favourable tides meaning that I

made it from Padstow to Gorran Haven - 95

miles in only 15½ hours. The next morning

the wind went light but after motoring to

Plymouth to find some diesel in view of the

light airs, the wind filled in nicely to get me

back just in time to slither onto the mud on

a falling tide at the TSC pontoon on the

evening of 28th July, having covered around

845 nautical miles.

and M5 bridge to Avonmouth. The Bristol

Channel is potentially an evil place with

shallow water and very strong tidal streams.

Carrying the tide in a westerly direction

against the prevailing westerly wind means

that one almost inevitably faces rather vi-

cious short steep seas. However, we were

very lucky with a SE wind at least as far as

Ilfracombe. The next day we made Padstow

from where Garry had to return home leav-

ing me with the task of single-handing it

back to the Exe. Ironically this was the best

REMINDER Items for the next edition of Tops’l should reach the Editor by 7 October 2020

20

Caen Hill Flight

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In the past we have bought numerous black plastic bags and hung them somewhere near the mast hoping that the sun will work for us. However, they normally get punctured, dribble out of a small tap, and if you are lucky are just lukewarm. Our kids, younger ones and older ones alike, enjoy numerous water sports, and when the inevitable wetsuit comes off, it is great to enjoy a refreshing shower. On Shalom we do have a shower in the heads but usage results in tedious wiping down the whole area of the heads. Shower kits are not expensive, and come complete with hose and mixer valve. We chose one from eBay, and put some time into considering a suitable location. The obvious placement would be to the left or right of the sugar scoop, but this presents limitations for use and privacy issues, especially as we also have a Habitent for the cockpit area. We decided that a position low down on the port side, same side as the calorifier and towards the aft of the cockpit area would make installation simple and allowed full functionality whether in use in the cockpit or the stern of the boat. The fresh water system on Moody yachts is based upon Hep2O piping and fittings, and it was easy to tee off a cold and hot supply to the shower unit. Costs and materials were as follows:

Odd Mods

Shall we Shower on Shalom? Pete Fellows

1 Shower kit 60.00

2 Inline shut off valves (A on photo) 7.00

2 15mm Push fit tees (B on photo) 3.60

3 Meters x 15mm Pex barrier pipe 5.00

Total cost 75.60

As always on board, water is at a premium, but a quick rinse down at anchorage is a luxury that we would not want to be without!

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23

I’m not sure how many of you will recognise

this book title by Jack London about a yacht

crossing the Pacific in the early 20th century

from San Francisco to Australia, but it’s

what inspired a young single man in his 20’s

to give up his job, rent out his house and see

if he could passage across the Pacific.

Back in the 1980’s, Google only existed in

the ‘Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy’ so old

fashioned methods of reading had to be

employed to work out how this dreamer

could make it across with only limited sail-

ing experience. Apparently if you were in

San Francisco in the summer, boats looking

for delivery crews all advertised in a maga-

zine called “Latitude 38” which surprisingly

according to Google still exists! At the time I

tried to order the magazine in WHSmith but

they’d never heard of it, so being 26 and

reckless I threw caution to the wind and

booked a single ticket to New York. My trav-

els around the USA to get to San Francisco

will have to wait for another day, but suffice

it to say it was fun.

Full of enthusiasm the aforementioned 26

year old arrived on the Californian coast and

tracked down the magazine. Sure enough a

number of skippers were looking for crew,

but distressingly all the places were filled!

Plan blown, I settled down doing boat

maintenance despite my lack of marine

skills, an apprenticeship as a pleasure boat

captain, and working at San Francisco Yacht

Club - posher than TSC but where my accent

was ‘well liked’. Fast track three months and

out of the blue I got a call saying one boat

had a last minute vacancy leaving in 24

hours! Quick decision, girl friend told, car

sold and bags packed, to follow in the foot-

steps of the Snark.

The Cruise of the Snark Ian Garcia

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The boat was a Macgregor 65, one of the

most plastic boats I ever sailed on. There

were only two bits of wood on it, a name

plate in the saloon and the oven door han-

dle! Brand new and called Trust, she was

being delivered to Aus for the owner who

was on board with his son. Now I’d slightly

exaggerated my blue water experience,

having never sailed out of sight of land, nor

slept on a moving boat, but off we set for the

first leg to Hawaii, 2000 miles away! A

professional skipper plus 5 crew, split into

three watches, 3 hours on 6 off. I was paired

with an American from San Diego called Bill

who as a professional basketball player was

even taller than me, so we were nicknamed

the tall watch.

I have to admit the first few days were a

blur of sea sickness, so I missed seeing the

land disappear, whales swimming nearby or

anything really, but eventually my sea legs

clicked in. I have a memory of eating steak

from the on-board freezer, cooked on a

barbecue hung off the rear transom,

followed by ice cream! My memory maybe

slightly unreliable by being so hungry. The

first leg was two weeks or so, with some

amazing downwind sailing. Trust was only

12 feet wide so pretty fast - surfing down a

wave we hit 20 knots! Inevitably being a

new boat, things started going wrong early -

we ran out of gas, the autohelm packed up

and all the fresh water leaked into the bilges.

Luckily for us we had a water maker as oth-

erwise the latter problem could have been

serious. The lack of autohelm meant we had

to hand steer all the way, but it gave you

something to do on watch, the only down-

side being the skipper frequently

popping his head out of the lazarette and

shouting you were off course.

Arriving in Hawaii main island was breath-

taking, only beaten by the cup of tea and

cooked breakfast we got in the marina hotel.

After luke warm drinks made with engine

heated water, and no hot food for at least a

Niuatoputapu

25

week, it will stay in my memory for ever. I

can seriously recommend bacon and mango

combo! We spent a few days in Honolulu

watching the surfers and regaining our land

legs whilst getting the boat re-provisioned.

The owner who had continued to be very

sea sick decided to get on a plane to Aus, but

it wasn’t hard to find another willing volun-

teer hanging round the marina to join us.

Heading next to the American Samoa

islands, was another two week leg, but by

then we were so far south the weather was

great and of course we had the fun of cross-

ing the equator. A couple of us were new to

that experience, and the ceremony mostly

involved toasting Neptune and watching the

GPS to record the actual moment. American

Samoa was a strange place, in some ways a

bit like a hick town in the US but surrounded

by the bluest water and golden beaches you

can imagine. Sadly, being a delivery trip, we

couldn’t stay long or visit the other amazing

islands nearby.

However, the next stop in the Tonga

archipelago was probably the highlight of

the trip. The island of Niuatoputapu, where

we stopped was, in those days, completely

unspoilt with no roads or shops and only

ever visited by the odd yacht. Moored in the

shelter of a Pacific atoll is hard to beat, with

the waves crashing all around but the boat

sitting perfectly still and calm on the

clearest blue water. After snorkelling there,

nowhere else in the world comes close. The

locals made us welcome with a feast on our

arrival which mainly consisted of fish and

coconut! If there was ever paradise that was

it, so leaving was tough.

Sailing to Fiji was a shorter leg and we

caught fresh tuna on the way which the

American skipper knew how to prepare.

Tonga

26

owner flew out and sacked the skipper as

they’d fallen out, bringing a new Aus skipper

with him. It made us all a bit unsettled, and

my watch mate left due to home sickness,

but I was determined to make it all the way

across and stayed on board. Arriving in Aus-

tralia I was amazed by the customs

formalities, not just the paperwork, but

checking us for health and food we might be

smuggling in. After three months and over

6000 nautical miles, being in close

proximity to 5 strangers had got wearing,

and I was very keen to get off - but I’d had

an amazing adventure!

Oh yes, one other achievement from the trip

- I managed to read all of War and Peace -

actually quite a good book if you ever find

yourself crossing the Pacific!

We were eating fresh raw tuna within

minutes of it coming out of the sea, and then

of course tuna steaks for days after. The

only downside was the amount of blood

involved, it looked like someone had been

murdered in the cockpit! One thing that has

stuck in my memory for the last 30 years,

was the Milky Way. Night watches were

spectacular and if I wasn’t steering, I would

just lie in the cockpit looking at the stars,

spotting satellites and thinking how small we

were. Fiji was much more commercialised,

being a popular tourist destination with

Aussies, and very wet. From memory it

rained every day in the capital Suva - the

very wet side of the island, but luckily I

managed to go touring in an old Skoda with

an Aussie I met, so I got to see the dry side.

The last leg was to Bundaberg, just north of

Brisbane in Aus, but before we left the

27

60 years ago, Topsham Sailing Club was due to have its Hauling Out Dance and Supper at the Church Institute, now known as Nail Cellars, which was hired before the new TSC Clubhouse was finished. Its top floor had a stage and room to dance, and the middle floor had a basic kitchen and room for some tables. Nowadays, we are used to a splendid galley with all mod cons, and are served with a hot meal and pudding, and a choice of real ales and wine to drink. It was different then. An army of ladies was needed to prepare supper. With cut loaves, bread rolls, baps

and pastries - not to mention biscuits, fancies, jellies and a rather alarming sound-ing ‘Block Cake’ - one can only wonder how many members were able to shimmy to the music of Les Turl and his 3-piece band, amongst the ‘Dance Crystals’. No doubt some of the reprobates escaped to the Passage for a swift pint in the interval! Total cost was £7 15s 5d, of which only £5 2s 7d was collected. Sadly, the book does not record what was charged, only that there was Lots of food over, that there was an Ice cream failure, and that they should Next time cut Quality and Quantity – perish the thought!

What a haul for £7 15s 6d! Bridget Ricketts

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