Dear Junk Friends
As notified above, Lexia and I reached the finish of the Azores and Back 2011 Race (AZAB) on Thursday 14th July. The last couple of days were not easy on account firstly of having to stay awake as we closed the land and secondly because as we came within sight of Falmouth Harbour the wind died away almost to nothing. However, we did eventually make it and I was very pleased that a number of boats from the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club came out to welcome us. I then spent the night in the marina at the top of Falmouth Harbour. I walked, or rather swayed, from the marina up the hill to the supermarket to buy some essentials and was astounded and indeed scared by the pace at which everything moved, particularly the cars. It was like a speeded up film. Bad weather was forecast for the weekend so I was determined to get the boat back to her base in Plymouth on the Friday. The alarm clock was set for an early reveille but it took me until late morning to get away and get down to the harbour entrance. I then had the first of a number of consecutive junk encounters. In the Falmouth Roads I saw a junk rigged boat anchored and went across to have a look. It turned out that there were two junk rigged schooners anchored together. One was Roamer with Bob Burns on board. I have previously recommended Bob's book, Roamer Around the World, about his trip round the world in the 80s in his self built steel boat. I circled him and chatted briefly. I then circled the other boat which was a green painted steel Danish boat called Linda, a very substantial boat apparently very well sorted with a Danish couple on board. Again I circled and chatted briefly. I was invited on board for coffee, however that would have meant anchoring and getting the dinghy out and I was anxious to get on as gales were forecast, albeit "Later" and it was already looking dark and dirty out to sea. Then off to Plymouth on a broad reach in a good wind at 5 or 6 knots, but with quite a sea running and rolling beam end to beam end. I had to get back into the habit of keeping a more or less contiunous watch as there were many boats about. After some hours a small brown sail was approaching on a collision course. Being on starboard I stood on and as we approached each other sounded my foghorn. At the last moment he bore away and we passed closely port to port and I saw that it was a Kingfisher 20 (I think) junk rigged sloop with a couple in the cockpit, with a full sail up (flexible or hinged battens I think) and looking like a dinghy planing across the tops of the waves. The name was Almecia (I think) and she was bound for Falmouth. A very brave sight she made. Altogether it was a the finest possible sail and one that made my birthday. I even managed to make a decent job of berthing the boat into her marina berth singlehanded. Saturday was devoted to putting the boat to bed. During this I realised that the VHF antenna at the head of the main mast had disappeared. I already knew that the new windex which had been put up there just before the start was flopping around loose. However, the loss of the VHF antenna had been significant as it also sends and receives the signal for the AIS. Thinking back I realise that for some time I had not receiving AIS information from vessels at long range and that I was getting "Lost vessel" warnings, so I suspect that it was functioning on just the remains of the antenna cable. I therefore probably wasn't sendiing an effective AIS signal, a sobering thought. I suspect that this damage at the main mast head was consistent with what David Tyler recently wrote about the stress imposed by a tapered mast whipping like a fishing rod. Anyway it will all be repaired in due course. On the Saturday the strong winds did arrive. Lexia lives in Millbay alongside the Plymouth lifeboats. The offshore lifeboat had two shouts on the Saturday. One of them was the the junk rigged schooner Janvier Aquila, dismasted off Penlee point. Poor Dennis. No doubt we will hear more about t hat in time. I got home on Sunday and will now have to make family matters my priority for a number of weeks. However, I did receive a message from the race organisers to say that on the return leg I was (technically) not last. Equilibrium was part of the mass restart which took place before I even arrived at the Azores. After some hundreds of miles she had engine alternator problems and returned to the Azores. She waited there for some weeks whilst parts were flown in from Europe and then set out in pursuit of me. She arrived on the Saturday ie with a couple of days to spare before the finish closed. Because of her long elapsed time coupled with a 10% penalty for assistance received, she took much longer than Lexia so we were technically not last on the return leg. My stated aim had been to finish last. I was therefore thwarted at the end, even in that aim. Also I suppose I beat the three boats in the programme who did not actually make it to the start line, and the 12 boats that for various reasons retired from the outward leg to the Azores. However, none of that is important. What is important is that I had a great adventure, which was not undemending, and from which the boat and I returned safely. I am very grateful for all the support and encouragement that I received. I will in due course try to write up a proper account.
YOurs aye
Jonathan