The clear call of the curve of high canvas...

Thanks Cyril!

And a tangled mass of bureaucratic hoops to follow...

I'm off to England on Thursday 30th to start on The List of things to do before we can launch Berri. Then we have to run the new engine and start on The List mark 2. Today is a day of, first, visiting the Notary Public to certify Russian translations of my application for a Northern Sea Route permit, then to the Department of Foreign Affairs to have that certification certified. If all that works, then tomorrow to the Russian Consulate to have the first two certifications certified. If I'm lucky, I will get it all back by lunchtime on Thursday just in time to leap into a taxi to the airport. Then more signatures in London and the whole lot (4 copies of 4 documents in English and Russian, all certified) to the courier to Moscow. Then a 2 month wait, if we are lucky. Pete will be over in June and - if the Russians play ball - Pat Hahn too.

What is the collective noun for a lot of Doctors - Dr Gordon, Dr Cooper, the one from Dublin, even Dr Grumpy? This time there will be one from the Western Isles too - a certain Dr Talisker, with thanks to Pete Goss. A Bar, perhaps? A Saloon? A Barrel? A Vat?

For the time being, if anyone wants to contact us, try my Facebook page and send me a message. There will be a new contact adress on the website soon.

All the best, all y'all

A funeral, an anniversary and other stuff

David's funeral was the funniest and closest to the man of any that I have ever been to. Hilarious stories, tears, tributes to his wit and sparkling intellect, his shaky courage in the front line against terrorism, his scorn for the pompous and his erratic humanity. I loved him dearly and I wish he'd lived to write the book. Vale, Speedy.

Tomorrow, April 10th Oz time, is an anniversary of some minor significance.

"Hey, see that boat down there? Yeah, that one with the sail, not the power boat. Well, they're on their way to Alaska."

"Blimey".

And the second picture is the basis of the plan to get Berrimilla home later this year. I am trying to get an application together for a permit to sail the Russian Northern Sea Route from Falmouth to the Bering Strait. I think the chances are about even, but the fallback will be down the Atlantic to South Georgia. I understand we need a permit to go there too. More, probably sporadically, as we get closer.

Farewell Speedy

David Speed - my wonderful, brilliant, frustrating, always there, unconditional friend - Speedy died a few days ago of a heart attack. He was a man of astonishing depth and complexity and I don't have the words to express my sadness. Leave the Speed Six with Marvin in the car park at Milliways and we'll see you there, David.

The Funeral will take place on Wednesday March 4th at 3.15 at
The Chiltern Crematorium, Whielden Lane, Amersham Bucks HP7 0ND
www.chilternscrem@chiltern.gov.uk

Family flowers only with donations to the R.N.L.I. (Royal
National Lifeboat Institution) via the undertakers:
Arnold Funeral Services
38 Oak End Way,
Gerrards Cross,
Bucks SL9 8BR
Tel: 01753 891892

The Family would like you to join them for a drink afterwards at The White
Hart
Chalfont St Giles to celebrate his life.
The White Hart Inn
Three Households
Chalfont St. Giles
Buckinghamshire
HP8 4LP
www.whitehartstgiles.co.uk
Tel: 01494 872441

T shirts and other stuff

Berri Northwest Passage 2008 T shirts are now available under 'New Releases' here

http://www.dementedferret.com

They have the Berrimilla kingfisher on the front and Pascal's map on the back.

Thanks Nigel.

I'm in New York for a few days more or less on the way home, to go to the Explorers Club annual dinner with Leroy. I have to pretend I'm Karen - interesting and I wonder what people will think. Then a few more days in Falmouth to try to get the new engine into the boat and back to Sydney. Will be good to be home.

Lots of thank you letters to write and there will be an article in Yachting Monthly (UK) in the January or February issue.

In the car park

Berri is out of the water and in the park and ride carpark in Falmouth. Big relief to have it all finally sorted. Now I have to disconnect the engine once again so that we can lift it out in the next few days and start tranferring the marinising parts from the old engine to what is now a basic tractor engine sitting on a pallet outside Dave Carne's workshop in Penrhyn. Then, with a bit of luck, off to New York to meet Leroy and clap while he gets a big award from the Explorer's Club and then, if I can pin him down, Pascal to get the chart properly signed off with a DCO and an HMP stamp.

There will be T shirts - Nigel, if youre still on air, could you please put a link on the website or email it to me?

And to all of you who came looking for us over the last few days, I'm really sorry I missed you - I'm here for perhaps another week and my mobile number is (0)7186004379.

The Plan mark 27

I think I have an arrangement for Berrimilla for the winter in Falmouth. There are some generous people around! I will spend the next couple of days disconnecting the engine and unbolting what I can to transfer to the new one and then leave the boat and Dave and Gordo will work on it as a time filler when things are a bit slack over the next few months. Thanks guys.

I am at my sister's for the weekend and my old friend Don Burfitt, who gave me my first (and one of my most difficult!) Sydney-Hobart ride  is here too. Don is the convener of the Global Warming Alliance www.globalwarmingalliance.com and he gave us a superb award 'for services to the planet' - the crystal ball sits in a depression in the base and is so finely made that it floats on the trapped air and can be tilted and rotated. Lovely, but very difficult to photograph! Thanks Don.

For those in withdrawal

If any of you want something to keep the addiction going, perhaps I could recommend this
http://www.petegoss.com/mystery/

Pete will be carrying Berrimilla's rather battered Australian ensign to use as a courtesy flag when they get to Oz - and he's collecting for a charity. Not sure how to donate but I'm sure it's not too hard. Over to all y'all.

There will be more form me in the next few days as well, as things get sorted.

What now?

A rather dark sequence that just missed an iceerg calving in Pond Inlet - magic morning, all by myself in the cockpit with Berri hove to. If you look carefully, you can see Slarty's signature on the rock in the distance.

As the anti-climax takes hold, I'm wondering what might be next. The immediate plan is to get Berri sorted for the winter in Falmouth and then go back to Oz for a few months, via the USA where there are some interesting invitations on the table including a formal sign-off of Pascal's chart with an HMP rubber stamp, appropriately in a bar somewhere in California. What should we do with the original? I'll put a jpg of the final version on the website in case anyone would like one - seems to me that it would make a reasonable souvenir. I will also put it on a T shirt and post a link for people to order one. That's about a month away and I think that by the time the link is available, the immediacy of all this will have passed for all y'all. If anyone would like to buy one, perhaps you should let us know now and we can advise when the link is up. Nigel - if I send you a jpg of the signed off Pascal chart and of Berri's kingfisher (if I can find it), could you do the T shirting and put a link to your website on the Berri site?

I have about a thousand photos to sort and a presentation to put together around them. I will put a selection of photos on the website as soon as I can. McQ, Kimbra and I will need to pool all our photos eventually and make a proper record.

There will be an article in - I think - Yachting Monthly sometime soon, and I will try to get my act together to write a book. And perhaps a Sydney - Hobart in a different boa this year. That will be strange! Don Burfitt, the owner of Miko, my very first Hobart ride in 1977, is coming to Isabella's for a beer this weekend - should be fun, as we haven't seen eachother for aout 20 years.

Next year, Berri and I will do our last Fastnet together and then I will take her back to Oz - not sure how yet, but for an elegant finale, it ought to be via the Med and the Red Sea to complete a different circumnavigation. I'm told that pirates might make this too dangerous these days, so it will probably be via the Panama if we can dodge the hurricanes.

Meantime, I have to write thank you letters to rather a lot of people. Was it Newton who said that he was able to achieve only by standing on the shoulders of others? A statement that falls clearly into the list of things that I wish I'd said first!

Falmouth - can't be! We just left...

Just been interviewed by Deborah Cameron from the ABC in Oz - dreadful interview - I think she was in a hurry to get to someone else and I was too slow to make my points. Difficult when you're woken at midnight!

Still haven't quite assimilated the fact that Berri is back in Falmouth. Last time we were both here was Aug 20 2005 and we were leaving for Australia. That whole stay for me was shadowed by the fact that we had first a Fastnet to get ready for then the Atlantic and the Southern Ocean again, so there was a niggling tension all the time. This time is different - just have to get the old barge bedded down for the winter and then fly out. We've decided that the engine is past repair so I've ordered a new base engine from the Kubota agent and we'll unbolt all John Witchard's marinising goodies from the old one and bolt them on the new one and bobsyer. I had not realised until we got here that Speedy was collecting donations - thanks everyone! and they will go towards the new donk - I think they will cover about half of it, which is a nice relief.

One of my heroes, Pete Goss, is in town and I finally got to shake his hand yesterday on his lovely new boat Spirit of the Mystery - his website is www.petegoss.com   I'm slightly jealous - his new gig looks like a great blast. I have tangible (and noicely drinkable) proof that he's sponsored by Talisker. Thanks Pete!

The power is off in my hotel room - no coffee and, more to the point, this laptop will die soon so I'll post this and do some more later.

More pics and a news link

Autopsy 'surprise' pudding

Passer by wants to enter the Tombola

Corrie & Kimbra

Passer by wins the Tombola

Kimbra finds the lost the tin opener

Alex - Kimbra - Corrie

Should have gone to SpecSavers (note can of crew beater)

Dead reckoning

Safety briefing - use of the fire extinguisher

Put out more flags

The Nav Station

The Cone of Silence


News link
News Link 2

Some pics

I will try to do a sort of wrap up blog in the next couple of days - McQ and K leave for other parts today and I've got a boat to fix and apply TLC to - then we'll lift her out and put her away for the winter.  Almost caught up with sleep - and the relief of actually being here is beginning to take hold. Yay!

Thanks everyone for your messages - wonderful that you're all out there.

Celebration at the Chainlocker -Isabella W

"Consultation? any chance of a second opinion?"

Falmouth - more pics

Alongside in Falmouth - Isabella Whitworth

Falmouth + Fizz

Just arrived from David W.

Oops

Sorry - forgot to note position. Wonderful (ugly) Dave Carne and his mates came out and towed us in the last couple of windless miles. Love ya dave! So we're here. I'm knackered - more tomoz - love yez all.

4951 00511 The Examiner strikes again.

We seem to be stuck here off the Lizard. The tide is expected to start flowing from the west any time now but there's no sign yet and we're still being pushed back towards Canada. Not having fun and the wind is going to build from the east tomorrow. Poo. But it doesn't look like tonight for Falmouth right now. Sorry and we'll try to keep you posted.

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McQ: (Not) the Barn door...

.. still trying to get round the Lizard...
tacked out cause of land now have vmg of -4.0 knots.
No tide with us yet- surely thats been days with tide against us now, certainloy more than 6 hours
Not funny.
Want a glass of red wine today, not tomorrow.
my revised eta... tomorrow, would be nice.

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4952 00514 Barn door part 2

We've just tacked towards the Manacles from west of the Lizard. AGW, about 4 hours to them, then perhaps another 2 to the harbour. Approximate ETA on that basis around 2130 UTC - so 2230 .local, I think.

Barn door is 5 miles ahead. Can't even begin to tell you what that means.

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4955 00536 The Barn Door

That same imaginary line from The Lizard to Ushant - We can almost see it. About 2 hours, if the wind holds, and we'll be able to tack for The Lizard and Falmouth. Guesstimate still afround 1800 or later. We have to sail all the way and then into the harbour and alongside.

I'm just in mobile range - probably not for long and then back again in a couple of hours.

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McQ: Tuna Pasta

As EVERYONE knows, any self respecting voyage is not complete until the LAST evening meal of the journey- tuna pasta- is finished. DARN tuna pasta. I cooked tuna pasta TWO nights ago. It was SUPPOSED to be the last meal on board!!! But here we are two nights later... it turned out I was a bit pre-emptive with the tuna pasta and those VICIOUS Atlantic wind gods had a good chuckle to themselves as they brought us to a standstill and dashed my optimistic hopes for a late Friday Falmouth arrival!! So here we are still fighting our way home, and I am now going for a late Sunday afternoon arrival and fish and chips in Falmouth for dinner tomorrow night now instead. Tonight WILL be the last meal I cook on board this voyage!!! It WILL!!! The only thing is there is no tuna left, so pasta pesto it is!!! Though maybe a contingency dinner would be more wise given how heeled over we are!!! Beans, with, er, beans, anyone???

I can't wait for a small, celebratory, glass of something tomorrow night!!! (It had better be tomorrow night!!!!)

I'm really hoping someone has/could communicate to my dad that we will be in Falmouth soon and I think tomorrow evening now but also sorry if he got my eta of yesterday and is dithering around Falmouth waiting for us!!! I will try and call when in phone range assuming my phone still works.

My Dave, you are THE BEST EVER. I love you!!! Believe me, going as fast as we can!! xxx

Ali, no worries, I'll be up to see you very very soon, I can't imagine you'll want to go even to South West London after my welcome home party tonight, let alone traipse all the way to South West England tomorrow, and, we WON'T still be out here monday!!!! Lots of love and CAN"T WAIT to see you, have fun tonight, sorry I'm not in attendance and please apologise but thank my other party organisers (Sally and TP) on my behalf too ;)!!! xxx

Lots of love
McQ
xxx

ps: Simon and Gail, as you know today is a very, very, very, important day- it is only 6 months exactly until my birthday!!! Oh and yes, I think someone's wedding too- ALL my congratulations to you both- sorry I missed it- believe me I would currently far rather be there than tacking round the Scillies, against current!!! Am even close enough to know you picked a nice day for it (would, of course, expect nothing less since G organised!!!) See you for celebratory champers very soon though. Lots of love to the whole family (N & M too!!!) Bol xxx

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And another thing

We sailed Pascal's dotted line and it works. Good one, Pascal and thanks for the inspiration! Still have your beer, but it's under threat. Gotta cross that line sooon!

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4950 00703 A line in the imagination

There's a line between The Lizard and Ushant, familiar to sailors down the ages. Nelson used it - can't remember the exact words, but to the effect that, once past Ushant, every sailor considers himself single, Nelson himself included, it seems. Poor Cloudesley Shovell and several hundreds of his sailors didn't quite get back there, which itself is an interesting story about notions of discipline and knowledge. World records start and end there, famous circumnavigations and Atlantic crossings too. And it marks the entrance to the English Channel. I've crossed it a few times - less that 10 times each way - but it still has enormous significance as a symbolic marker.

For us, when we cross it, as we definitely will, sometime real soon now, it marks the end of a biggish undertaking. Berri and I will have completed perhaps only the second ever circumnavigation of the world via the North West Passage, after David Cowper. We have also completed a circumnavigation via Cape Horn and Berri may be the very first boat ever to get close to claiming the two, although the claim is dubious because the two circs stared from opposite ends and share the Falmouth - Sydney leg. However, each is complete in itself. Sydney, Cape Horn, Falmouth, Sydney in 2005 and Falmouth, Sydney, NWP, Falmouth Aug 20 2005 to tomorrow? And Kimbra and McQ have a nice new line of a different sort for their CVs.

I think that I can safely say the following: Berri is, we think, the 77th boat to have completed a transit of the North West Passage, the third smallest and one of only about 25 sailing yachts. Only about half of these yachts have done it in one season. All the other vessels have been icebreakers or ice-strengthened ships. Some of these have made multiple trips - 14 is the record so far, I think - so our transit was the 114th since Amundsen in 1903-5. We are probably the only vessel ever to have sailed from Sydney to the UK via the NWP (Fine Tolerance may have beaten us to it) and we are the first Australian boat to have done it in one season and without icebreaker assistance. Again, Fine Tolerance beat us through but they took a couple of years and I think were assisted by an icebreaker after they had abandoned the boat. I've said before how astoundingly lucky we have been - could'a easily been us.

But we still have to cross that line!

Sending this today because tomoz might get busy and a bit vortexy. Izz, there will definitely be an orange sail, but not sure which, or whether the angle will allow you to see it at the Manacles from Pendennis. And all y'all, come join us at the Harbourmaster's jetty for a bit of a celebration. My guess - very dodgy still - would be tomorrow evening, 1800 UTCish.

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4946 00718 The sitch as it seems from here

We're heading more or less for the Scillies from 34 miles west of Bishop Rock. Might just make it past them to the South on this tack or by putting in a short one when we get close in, which would get us reasonably close to the Lizard by middayish tomoz. IFF the wind holds, that is. If we can do that then we should have a flood tide from 1500 to take us the last 20 miles to Falmouth into a 20 knot ENE erly. Won't be pleasant, but wow! will it feel good to be doing it. But it all depends on the next 24 hours. If the wind knocks us about too much, then we're in the poo as far as the tide tomorrow is concerned. Cross 'em please and hold that pose!

H - and anyone else who needs it, my UK mobile will be +447816004379. We should be in range from the Lizard.

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K: Schooshling

KP - what do you mean you couldn't find any other references for "schooshling"?? The Concise Oxford told me they'd accepted my recommendation to include it. You sure you spelt it right??...Oh well...

Anyway, we're at it again - schooshling that is. My earlier optimistic view that we'd manage to stay ahead of the high pressure system was obviously overly optimistic and we had a nice park-up after all. Very frustrating when the end is almost within cooee. Now beating into a short choppy Celtic Sea, and looks like we're going to be head-bashing the rest of the way from here too. Huey's definitely making us work for it, right to the end!

We've now started to feel the effects of the tides around the south coast of the UK. This is also quite frustrating. Whenever I think we're making progress from the boatspeed and course shown on the compass/instruments on deck, half the time the GPS down below shows that we've been barely moving at all. Or worse - going backwards. But we are now definitely closer to England than Ireland.

The smog has been very thick on the horizon at sunrise the last few mornings, with the sun a sinister orangey-brown colour when it rises. And we've started to see ships again too - not as many as I would have expected given how close we are to the traffic separation schemes off the SW corner of the UK. Anyway, all signs of progress of a sort. I'm hopeful we might see some lights from some off the lighthouses tonight too.

Keep that bubbly cold, and don't drink it all before we get there. On our way - honest!!

K.

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4950 0731 For Katherine

Happys - wish I was there to administer birthday hug! Will try to call if we ever get to Falmouth. Lots of love.xx

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4957 00739 Moving again

15 knots on the nose but much much better than nowt! Heading as close to Falmouth as the wind allows, vmg currently 3+kts, 120 miles to go in a straight line.

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4937 00826 Oh the frustration!

140 to Falmouth - closing with a vmg of a nanominipooptillionth of a smidgin of a knot. No guesstimates, but sometime next century.

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Satphone relay 4932 00837 (09.30z) 19/09/08

There is very little or no wind at all. Wind is expected this afternoon. E/SE most unhelpful direction. They have a small petrol generator on board, with enough gas to give the batteries one last charge. Alex thinks that would give them 3 days power. Mind you, even wind from the wrong direction might get Lizzie spinning. He is going to contact the engineers on St Mary's to see if they have any ideas. Mcq on the other hand is predicting an eta of Saturday night/Sunday morning.
More as it arrives. Best Speedy.

Update via satphone / Isabella in Devon

Just took satphone call from Alex / Berri. Frustration palpable. Alex
asked me to post this info direct to website:

Currently parked 93 miles West Bishop Rock. No change expected 12 - 24
hours. Then expecting some easterly wind which will hit them on the
nose.
No concrete news re putting in to Scilly, or eventual ETA Falmouth.

Gonzales

Please top up both. 07816004379 is Orange, 07770776274 Vfone. Tks.

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4932 00909

Still moving but only just. All bets off! Back to satphone for updates unless things change.

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K: Pesky dolphins

I'm sitting here in the nav station listening to the water swish past the hull and the dolphins swim along side us. I can hear them squeaking and whistling to each other. Wonder what it is that they're saying? I was standing up on the bow earlier, doing the Titanic-pose thing, and there were 5 dolphins swimming under the bow of the boat. Every time Berri dipped her nose into a wave I could just about reach out and touch them, if they'd let me. So close in fact that I was getting splashed not by the waves but by the dolphins breathing when they surfaced. Very special. Very special indeed.

I'm going to be an optimist: I'm hoping that we can keep outrunning this high pressure system chasing us down from behind and keep Berri moving all the way to Falmouth. No park-ups allowed!! We're definitely back to pootling (ie sub-hooning and way slower than schooshling), but we're still making 5-6 kts in the right direction. So far so good, and the sailing is lovely! Sitting in the cockpit in the sun watching the world and its many dolphins go by. Maybe they could give us a tow if we need it?

K.

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McQ: Global Roast

Yesterday there were lots of rainy squalls and I thought, 'There are lots of rainy squalls, we must be getting close to England' But today the sky is a clear bright, bright blue, there are a couple of puffy clouds far off in the distance, low on the horizon, but totally benign, reflected in the sunlight to look as if someone with greasy fingerprints has been smudging the bottom of my pristine sky-blue canvas!! The wind is easing, easing all the time but we are still moving, and not too far off the right direction (a little south of Bishop Rock) We are somewhere between hooning and pootling at the moment, the sea is pretty flat, a wee bit of a chop- enough to stall us should we try and take any more height, and a few sploshes over the side decks- but not enough to warrant full musto smock today!!! Just hoping we can keep carrying the wind over the next day or so and keep going towards Falmouth... as I kinda knew, as the wind eases, my pub for Friday night guessimate looks less optimistic, still hopeful though and realistic me is updating eta to saturday morning now!!!! All to play for though, still, in the Bollinger G-F race!!!

We have this big plastic tub of real coffee which we top up every so often, actually, quite frequently really, with whatever make/design/type of coffee that comes to hand, and we have all different types from American Bistro style (weak adn largely unsatisfactory on its own!!) to proper full on 100% Colombian's finest (much better!!!) Depending on the various concentrations you either need two or three spoons of coffee in the pot- and when you top up the 'global roast' its always best to start with three and always exciting to taste the latest surprise combination!!!

The best thing though is when you pour the coffee out and it looks thick and black and strong,(the pot is a one cup thermos filter mug so you can't see the coffee till you pour it out!!) but you never quite know till you taste it whether the creamy froth on top is a sign of a good cup of coffee or just the remnants of fairy liquid scum attached to the mug!!!

Lots (5 whole sugar cubes, infact) of love this morning
McQ
xxx
ps there are lots of birds about, small, unidentifiable (to me) but distinctly land based looking, I shall go wake K now so she can classify and, well, look at them I suppose!!

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4952 01133 gribbery pokery

The Plan - as far as it goes and until we change it again: there seems to be a biggish windless hole about to be sitting over the Scillies which is likely to make things quite difficult for engineless Bears to get into town. When I spoke to Officialdom about the possibility of a tow into St Mary's, there was a certain reluctance to commit but the option is definitely there, on a commercial basis. So that's the backup. The grib shows that there is a chance, if we keep some speed up and edge ourselves a few miles to the south that we will be able to keep sailing generally towards Falmouth - so that's The Plan until it changes. It would put us close to Falmouth by Saturday, but beyond that it's really difficult to predict. Could be earlier, but more likely late Saturday, early Sunday. Apologies for lack of precision - navigation is often the art of compromise and playing the uncertainties.

For the doubters - yes, Berri is definitely available if the right proposal comes along. The most interesting so far "How exciting! Sorry we can't bankroll you, but why don't you make it your next project?" Maybe, but I'd certainly like to be part of anything that does happen. Else, I'll just keep the old barge in Cat 1 condition for as long as I can afford to or until one or the other of us falls off the twig.

We're almost in the Celtic Sea again. Can't believe it - Last time Berri was here, we were rounding the Fastnet in 2005. I can feel the voibes and smell the Kilkenny - where are you Conor? Sadly, we're just a bit too far south for any of that malarkey.

Izz, I think it's time for Sublime Thoughts. If you have time amongst other more pressing matters, cd you pse get on to the Energy, Mines, Resources Canada website and try to download the North Circumpolar Chart MCR 4141 from their National Atlas of Canada, 5th Ed. I tried in Nuuk but didn't have the bandwidth. (atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/ 5th Ed reference Maps MCR 4141 perhaps - my notes are a bit cryptic.) I'd like to get it printed full size if I can find someone to do it, or else order one from Canada.

Victor - Taupo Radio broadcast pretty much all the time - See ALRS - and I hear them on 6224 mcs. Callsign Taupo radio.

For the ABC - we might be in mobile range by Friday evening UTC but iffy. You'll have to call me - I don't know whether either of my sims has credit on it and anyway I don't have a number to call you. +4407770776274 or +447816004379.

Hoonster - gather methane while ye may! Hope the project proceeds sheeplessly iaw plan. Glad you got to speak to H. I agree absolutely!

Love yez all!

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Google Earth updates

Just at present I'm unable to update G.earth. Back on air hopefully friday.
Speedy.

4956 01158

I'm a weary old fart. This sort of sailing, where we have to sail in very difficult weather conditions against seasonal deadlines and in complicated terrain with extra hazards like ice and fog is pretty stressful and Berri and I have been in a sort of survival sync probably since leaving Dutch and certainly since Nome. When the whole shebang depends on the planning and preparation that was done months ago, the focus sharpens a bit. As I have said before. we've been astonishingly astoundingly lucky, with the weather, the ice and the advice we have been given. We seem to have got it mostly right, and, as Pat said in one of his blogs, it makes for a boring story apart from the wonderful people we have met along the way, and all y'all out there cheering us on. Thanks everyone. The weight only really started to come off for me yesterday morning when I pulled in a grib file that showed no signs of another beasting between here and Falmouth. By far the worst bit of all for me, and I suspect for the others, has been since we left Greenland - more or less what I had been afraid of since we started to plan this gig. September is pushing our luck in the North Atlantic and - again - we were lucky.

We'll be even luckier if we make Falmouth by Friday - the decision whether to go for it or pull into the Scillies for an engine fix will be made probably within sight of Bishop Rock, if the wind lets us get that close.

MJC - pse tell Melanie journo that my local mobile will be either +447816004379 or +447770776274 depending which still has some credit on it. Failing either, Oz mobile number might work or message via website.

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McQ: tactical decision time for the competitiors in the Bollinger Greenland Falmouth Race

Ladbrokes/William Hill/ Paddy's/ Your local betting shop would be having a field day with this one- its 221 miles to Bishoop Rock, plus 49 to the Lizard plus 20 to Falmouth which is less than 300 till champagne!!! We are zooming along in the right direction at about 6 knots at the moment, so that would get us to Falmouth in the not too distant future!! HOWEVER, we are being chased (aaargh!!) by a big phat high... which will slow us down, if not stop us, then we have the tides to contend with, no wind and no engine and 3knots tide againt us at the Lizard if we time it wrong (if we are indeed in a position to time it at all!!) we go backwards (and we know how much I hate going backwards!!!)
So... if we can ghost on through the high with the big A-sail up like the past few days, and then not get stuffed by tide (I think we need to be at hte Lizard 2pm ish or 12 hours later) then Friday evening a vague possibility, otherwise, and more likely saturday morning or afternoon, especially with minimal wind and no Ernie to help or sometime loong after that if we find ourseloves drifting aimlessly near the scillies in a few days time with no wind, we may still go in to pause/reflect/and fix there...... either way, this Bollinger Greenland Falmouth race (which I entered us into last week, but fortunately exists only in my head!!!) looks an exciting tactical one... and it must be nearly time for me to start getting excited too!!!
.. and enjoy the last few days of Atlantic Ocean!!
Lots of nearly there love
McQ
xxx
ps I'd very much like it if one (or more, but one would be fine)of my friends could make it to Falmouth to welcome me in!! Thanks!!

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K: The Brolga spreads her wings and flys!

Since yesterday's dawn kite-drop we have been fairly schooshling along on a tight reach towards the UK. Truly exhilarating sailing & fast enough to keep our escort of pesky dolphins interested. Yea ha! And yes, schooshling is a real word - it's the sound the sea makes as it slides past the boat hull when you're going really fast. Let's hope we can keep schooshling fast enough so that the high pressure system behind us doesn't catch-up too quickly and we can keep this wind for a bit longer.

A couple of milestones. Firstly, Happy Birthday Mare-Bare!! As expected, we haven't quite made landfall in time, but I hope the pressie from Cambridge Bay arrived. Will see you real soon now with bottle of red in hand, so keep that Aussie pub rock karaoke CD handy! (Ray may want to arrange a game of golf that day.)

Secondly, Lizzie's been whizzing frantically all day and both batteries are now back to 100% charge. Yay.

And finally, we're now starting to "climb" up the edge of the continental shelf out of the Atlantic Ocean and into the Celtic Sea. A week ago when we were getting hammered by those big low pressure systems, it felt like this day would never come! Depth under the keel is currently around 2.3 km. By this time tomorrow it should be 100-150 as we pass south of Ireland. I can smell the Guinness brewing from here...or is that just the collective fermenting of damp thermals & used socks?

Cheers!

K.

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5006N 01351 W

5006N 01351 W289 Bishop RockAbout 300 west of ScilliesCurrently stonking along, but all could change. Might go on to Falmouth if current stonk continues, which could just possibly mean a Friday evening Falmouth arrival.

5012 01512

Just dropped the kite in the middle of what is becoming the longest week of my life at the end of the longest and loneliest and most intense six months since I first went to boarding school in England nearly 60 years ago. Wow! And there's a whale around - wonder if it's the same one Pete and I saw in Biscay in 2005.

Trying to pull in a grib - Lizzie now has enough apparent wind to charge the battery again - one less problem - and we can use the computer. 345 to bishop rock so a bit under 3 days AGW. We'll decide what we're going to do as we close in - might still press on th Falmouth if the wx window seems open. Else, a day or so in St Mary's.

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Satphone relay 5108 01751 (08.10z) 15/09/08

433 miles to run to the Scillies. Around 4 days. Still not enough wind for Lizzie, so everything down to glow-worm level. More as it arrives.
Best, Speedy.

Satphone relay 09.00z 14/09/08

They've got the kite up. Though not enough wind to run Lizzie. So satphone until there is.
Best Speedy.

For Pat Hahn

Yo Pat! - I know it's fanciful, but if you could hop on a plane to Falmouth and help us celebrate an achievement that you had a huge part in creating it would be more than kinda nice. Bring some of that new brew - and just think, you could go bother Megan in Germany on the way!

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5148 02132 Stages of the moon

Some of you may remember my Bering Sea sunset, between the superpowers and behind the Diomedes - dramatic and beautiful and there was the moon setting it all off on the opposite end of the northern horizon.

Just like tonight, but without the drama and at the almost opposite side of the Earth. Gentle sunset behind a bank of wispy cloud low in the west - pale pale pinkish sky - and the moon hanging above the eastern horizon as a tissue paper disc almost invisible in the ambient light. An hour or so later, the eastern sky was a deep bluish grey and the moon had turned golden - blue and gold in the night sky - brilliant light and only one visible star directly above. Golden reflection on the still steepish rolling waves - unusual and striking.

And now it's all gone normal silver again, with misty glow - not a halo - and some first mag stars just visible. Wow! Crumpled tinsel reflections and birds in silhouette.

Hoonster man - any chance you could join us for an ale in St Mary's?? Else, if you don't make Falmouth, I'll come a looking once I've sorted Berri's winter arrangements there. Won't fly out for at least a couple of weeks, maybe a month, depending. Then, maybe, I will deliver some carefully preserved beer to Pascal to celebrate inspiration and initiative. Impossible that this entire idea has come together and almost gone in less than a year - this time last year I was working on the LSU Symposium presentation and funking standing on my back legs with Pete in front of all those super achievers.

Ain't life odd?

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McQ: Marvellous!!...onward to the North West Passage (!!!)

Well, if I had a runcible spoon I'd definitely be able to eat with it tonight!! The ocean under the moon is a really bright sparkly silver. Infact there is so much light that despite the stars too it feels more day than some of the days we have over the recent days!!! It is very, very lovely!!! And its 20 past 11 in the evening and I was expecting the wind to have eased of to around fifteen knots around now, from the last grib we had, so its also a bonus that we are still storming along in 18-20knots of breeze... even more lovely!!!

And so it seems we are off to the Scillies- a wise move I think, since we are passing close by anyway and we can get the engine fixed and time things into Falmouth for fans/paparazzi/tides at Lizard/daylight/winning ETA comps etc, and if we mis- time then we will hopefully have a working engine to help us re-time...

So, with 595 miles to the Scillies (funnily enough we have to go through the 'North West Passage' if we attempt to go in from this side!!! Ironic or what??) thats less than a Fastnet or a Hobart!!!!

Marvellous!!!

SO ETA for Scillies this week sometime (Wed? Thurs?) and ETA for Falmouth, probably Sunday afternoon, or maybe Saturday afternoon... or maybe another day totally, we shall see!!!

Lots of love
McQ
xxx
PS I am very much looking forward to my welcome home dinner in the Three Chimneys, hint hint mum!!!
pps mum again, I will wave at all the planes overhead tomorrow and hopefully you will wave back!! xxx

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5202 02229 St Mary's here we come.

Been looking at the options and as we will be passing so close to the Scillies, it would be silly to pass up the opportunity to call into St Mary's, get the donk fixed, have a beer and leave so as to get to Falmouth in daylight. So that's the plan, but as you all know, most plans don't survive the first contact with the enemy - in this case the Examiner - so we'll wait and see. We're about 6 days out from the Scillies.

Paul and Ellen - yep, the first S2H that Berri will not be in in 14 years - could get her back in time but way beyond my budget. Might be back to do it myself if anyone will take on an old fart with no sense whatever. And if my family don't have other ideas.

I have always thought that Orion is upside down down under, Susie. His belt and no doubt other goodies aren't supposed to hang upwards. At least, the Greeks didn't think so!

Steve and Kelly - thanks for being there. Steve, I'd like to return your silver dollar with another notch in its belt, so to speak - you can then put it to better use yourself perhaps. It has done us proud, Please send me your address.

Carla - likewise with Lerizhan - but I have your address. He should be on the handlebars in Nome when you claim that drink. But you'll have to barge the bike in from somewhere...

Love yez all.

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5207 02249 Does anyone have any suggestions?

As a decrepit Old Fart, it is likely that I will not have enough income to maintain Berrimilla properly for very much longer. I would hate to see her falling apart on a mooring and would really like her to be used in the manner to which she has become accustomed. I could just sell her at whatever the market will allow for an ageing historical artifact, but I would much rather try to arrange for some sort of future introducing people to ocean sailing. This would require capital and organisation. She does not have the cachet of a Gypsy Moth V, but something along those lines perhaps, and preferably in Australia but I'd go for anywhere that had the right approach. Is there anyone out there with a brilliant idea? Or a tax problem or just feeling generous? Berri has a lot of my life's savings tucked into her tumblehome and although I would like to be able to, I just can't afford to give her away. Old Farts need Medicinal Compound to keep going and it has to be funded somehow!

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5213 02410

Still moving tho wind softening. All ok, more later. Going for early grib.

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5230 02558 Engine part 2

When we get to fixing the little beast, I'm going to try to find a suitable non-return valve to put in the exhaust line between the engine and the muffler - or just a simple shut-off valve, but that would require a special stating procedure - no key until valve open...

Blog - silly word - je blog, tu blogs, il blog, nous bloggons, vous bloggez, ils bloggent? Bloggo, bloggere, bloggi, blogitum??

Realistically, Saturday 20th or later....

All y'all have no idea how I'm looking forward to that day.

Izz - have met but not yet tasted Betty's fat finger. Poor Betty! Japanese thoughts to await more sublime time.

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