07 Jun 2004
Nice weather yesterday… the day started with a yacht race which was made interesting by the complete lack of any wind. After an hour of slowly drifting in the general direction we intended, we decided to call it a day and instead head over to Herm for the afternoon. We pulled back into the marina to drop off a crewmember. Helen has an exam this morning and she needed to study for it… good luck ‘H’!!! Myself, Dave and Aidy went off with swimming shorts, a towel and a beer ready for an adventure that would get a little chilly!!! When we arrived in Herm, Dave pumped up the dinghy so that we could get to shore for our lunch… the excitement started when the dinghy would not stay inflated due to the nice tear in its underside. After discussing all possible options, it was decided that we had to swim to shore in the freezing water!! We finally arrive at the BBQ and have an hour waiting for food… at least we dried off and warmed up. We headed back to the boat which we could now wade out to. We try out the new waterproof case for the IXUS camera… didn’t leak so that was successful. Dave sets up a swing from the rigging and the boat gets a clean around the waterline.
31 May 2004
Amazed… I am truly amazed! From this day on, I will be avoiding ‘CI News’ shops as much as possible so I am not subjected to their rediculous way of doing business…. let me explain. I am in town and decide to look for a magazine to read in this rainy bank holiday afternoon, I select a digital photography magazine and go to the till to pay. She scans it in and requests £4.99. Check my wallet, no cash as usual so I hand over my Switch card. The tiller states ‘You have to spend £5 to use a card’!!! After my questioning the seriousness of her statement because she must be joking about 1p… it seems she is quite serious to which I explained that it was shame they were missing out on a sale for the sake of 1p!!! I promptly left with a look of astonishment and my magazine still sitting at the checkout!!
24 May 2004
Another weekend gone by and another red face for me… not embarrassment as some might think but once again the sun and wind out on the sea has taken its toll on my sensitive skin! Saturday saw Mystere and crew take part in the ‘Round Guernsey Yacht Race’. We took about 6.5 hours to sail around which was quite good considering we were in the smallest boat and we had some adventures… the most memorable was a chinese gybe where we had Mystere lying flat on the water, this was about 4 hours before the end and resulted in my boot filling up with water and squelching for the rest of the day. We submitted, our time but do not have a result yet. I don’t think that we have done very well but we learnt a lot which can only benefit us in the next races.
Sunday saw a relaxing day where I managed to have lie-in. I was aching from 5.5 hours at the helm on Saturday and my face was still burning. We decided at about lunchtime to go to Herm for lunch… this resulted in a very big rush to get ready and to the boat before the tide went out!! When we got there it was very nice but all of Sunday saw a cold chill on the wind which was a shame. Still, sitting below decks with a beer and a couple of magazines was perfect relaxation for me!
18 May 2004
Finally did it today! I completed my final open water dive and am now a ‘PADI Open Water’ qualified scuba diver! Anyone want to go down?
17 May 2004
What a great week-end. I am now another year older! Thanks to everyone that sent me cards a gifts… Aunt Angie and Co, Grandad Dave (Cool e-Card!) and of course Dad and Jane! Closer to home I need to thank… Parents for sandals and money, ‘H’ for a bag full of cool things, Dave for a leatherman, Aidy & Karen for wine… not forgetting my Grandad that gave me some money then borrowed it back to go for a pint!!
Yesterday 9 of us went to Herm on Mystere. People got wet in the dinghy and some of us even went swimming.. it really was that nice… if a little cold in the sea still!! Today I am looking a tiny bit red but no more than usual when I have been out in the sun!!
I am currently experimenting with my James Bond Camera that Helen bought me, it is a small camera that takes pictures, video, audio, stores data and has a time lapse mode… quite good fun! Watch out.. I might catch you out doing things you shouldn’t be!!
Later today I expect to be completing my final dive in Havelet. I will then have upgraded myself from PADI Scuba Diver to the PADI Open Water qualification. I am looking forward to getting this done! I hope to go diving in Spain in September where the water is likely to be much warmer!!!!
14 May 2004
Last night I went scuba diving and very nearly froze! I was down for 48 minutes and the sea temperature here is 11C. I came out shivering and dizzy… quite like being drunk actually! 
I think I should consider a drysuit if I plan to go down in these cooler climes. An alternative is to only dive where the water is warm when on holiday!!
This weekend could be fun. It is my birthday on Sunday. I will be racing Mystere in the morning and then heading off with 9ish people to Herm for drinks in the afternoon… I believe it will be a good laugh! It is quite likely there will be some stories to tell!!!
10 May 2004
Just had a great week-end. Early starts on both mornings meant maximum use of the days. Extra sleep could have been had on Saturday as the planned 9AM Scuba dive in Havelet bay was canceled at the last minute… never mind… shopping with ‘H’ it was then!! I bought a new lens for my Canon using money that I had for my birthday. Now being fully kitted… I really must get some pics online. The camera works really well except that I am having some small problems with focussing, I hope that these issues are solved easily as I would hate to be without for another extended period!
We completed our first race on Mystere this Sunday. We were very happy with our 8th position out of 10! In fact when you consider that we thought we were doing a completely different race and didn’t know the course it was a result that we even got to the finish! The way I look at it though… It was a nice day, we finished a race, we didn’t break the boat and we weren’t last… what more could you want?? The new set of sails will be quite nice but they wont be here for a month or so!!
04 May 2004
Some days are truly inspirational. Sunday 2nd May 2004 at 15.30 is one of those days. The weather is great, there is a nice breeze and everyone is cheerful. There can even be small problems that are solved easily and quickly with a bit of teamwork and it just makes things better. These days are remembered for their carefree and enjoyable atmospheres.
This particular day we had a good crossing- we hoisted the main, came up into the wind and in about 4 knots of wind, Mystere was happily doing 7 knots… a wonderful day. During the hoist of the headsail Aidy, being on the foredeck, notice that the foot was twisted, 10 seconds later and we have both sails up and the boat is now doing 8 knots and is so perfectly balanced, she can sail in a straight line with no one at the tiller. This was the first time Mystere had worn that sail and it was a great sight to see it fit so perfectly.
Shane headed up to the bow with Aidy to tidy up the spinnaker halyard and pole up-haul leaving Helen at the helm. Shortly afterwards, Helen was insisting that Shane take the helm as Mystere was coming up to Herm quickly. This in fact meant we were sailing into the harbour! Aidy, Shane, Helen & Leigh all chipped in and in the space of 2 minutes did the following in a particularly smooth and controlled manner which surprised everyone! Headsail dropped and bungeed to the foredeck, gybe main to avoid other moored patrons of herm (a RIB decided it would cut in front of us and then stop), tack around to avoid Herm ferry, start motor, drop the main and motor to the area we had decided to anchor.
As we were coming up to the anchoring position, Aidy as ‘Anchor Master’ (A position held for 2 years!) informs us all that the head sail needs to be shifted as he cant get into the anchor locker… this is what the fore hatch was designed for… shoving it down below! With the foredeck cleared Aidy is ready to drop the ‘hook’ as we scan for a nice sandy patch. Amusement ensues when Aidy states that he is dropping the anchor, Shane at the helm put Mystere into reverse but the engine strap has come loose. Leigh is ordered to stand on the jumping bubbling engine to push the prop into the water and Mystere shifts into reverse at about 3 knots. During the cockpit excitement of Leigh doing the ‘twist’ with the backstay, Aidy has managed to get the anchor on a patch of sand into which it readily bites… this had three consequences… Aidy is nearly pulled off the front of the boat, Leigh nearly went off the back and Shane had to stop laughing and take the boat out of gear… then start laughing again!
Now that we had anchored, it was time to get to work, Leigh was provided with a flat dinghy, a pump and a bottle of beer! Helen gets a Capri Sun and has a small tidy up, Aidy and Shane get a beer and sit down in the cockpit overseeing the various tasks.
In herm there is a very strong 2 knot current flow South which made the dingy crossing to the beach… different!! It was different as we couldn’t be bothered to get to the beach and we landed on the rocks. Shane did an admirable job of jumping into the cold water at shin height to make sure that everyone got off safely and the vessel did not hit the rocks. A clamber over the rocks with the dingy followed before it scaled the cliff face! After a walk along the coastal path to the beach, the dinghy was set down to rest and the crew headed to the local tavern to do the same.
On the way to the pub, new Frisbees were bought including a new prototype disc that, in fact, did not fly very well at all. One of life’s great pleasures is to sit outside at the Mermaid Tavern and drink a cold beer so that is exactly what we all did. The only thing that could spoil the bliss is the mention of exercise… however, it was Frisbee being suggested which has to be played as much as possible in the summer. We headed to the beach where the height of the tide meant Frisbee had to be played on lots of small stones… we were saved by the late hour and the need to head back to Mystere.
Indian canoe style paddling in the dinghy and once more back to the yacht.
It was a nice sail back to Guernsey with the wind off of our Starboard quarter. A lot of time was spent playing as we tried different combinations of sail and halyard tensions to discover ways of increasing speed over the ground. About 2/3 of the way there the wind shift meant that it was almost dead astern so the outboard was started. Motor sailing is fun… at 8 knots back to St Peter Port we passed two other yachts before lowering the sails and entering the marina.
A slow jaunt through the Marina and a perfect entry into the berth… Mystere was moored again and all packed away…Leigh is late for his stew and Aidy late for his BBQ… drive safely guys… no speeding!
04 May 2004
It is now Tuesday and we have had a bank holiday!! What a week-end… it started last Friday lunchtime when my new camera arrived by DHL… at last… it was ordered on 17th March!!! I had the lens for it on about the 20th march so it was nice to finally get my hands on it… I wrote an article about it ages ago… its here if you are interested. The week-end was also great, the Aquasail.net website was progressed, a day in Herm, seeds planted for the vegetable garden and my friends left for a 3 year trip around the world on their yacht Spinalonga, their story is going to be recorded on the Aquasail site at http://spinalonga.aquasail.net. I have written a short story from Helen’s notes about the trip to Herm so Have a look here… it was a really nice sail.
13 Apr 2004
Its been a while since I last updated the site. I have been very busy over the last couple of weeks. Our boat Mystere had the final maintenance completed and she was put back into the Marina. After 5 solid days of working on board… she was ready for a test. We headed off to Jersey for a couple of days then headed back. It was a nice trip involving tourist activities and a great game of crazy golf!! Dave also bought a night vision scope… very cool toy!! A log of the trip is being written so I will link to it and the pictures when they are uploaded. My family can expect an email soon as I have decided that an email to all my relatives in England is a good idea… I just hope you don’t all start deleting it like Spam!!!