Offshore sailing – my kind of weekend

Yes – really!  A spot of offshore yacht racing really is my kind of weekend!  This blog is about luxury and unique trips and sailing ticks both boxes.  It is a luxury to be able to take part in (and to not need to shower or change clothes for a few days or even go to bed for that matter) and each sail is unique, never are the conditions the same one day after the other!  So whilst I love nothing better than a 5 star hotel, a glass of champagne and a relaxing few days to enjoy reading my book by the pool… I also love yachting too. In fact I surprised myself last weekend at just how much I enjoy sailing!  I haven’t done enough recently, not since a regatta in Sardinia last Autumn, but sailing goes back to the basic quote – do what you love and love what you do!

Lovely day for a sail! Spinnaker up and sunbathing between gybes

Work is busy right now – I am rarely in the country for a week at a time and find myself trying to timetable a dash to the loo between conference calls that seem to run back to back through my days.  Sailing has always been the perfect way of tuning out and none more so than now.  Summer is a good time to live near Cowes and Hamble, that’s for sure!

Last weeks sailing was all about making new friends, teamwork, good banter, fun times and enjoying being on the sea in gorgeous champagne sailing conditions.  It is always great – no matter how tired you may be – to come home grinning from a good weekend on the water!

Lovely evening sail towards St Malo

It’s lucky I even got to the boat – coming back from Geneva through Heathrow quite by chance (or perhaps I looked dodgy) the passport checker actually asked me two questions – where have you come back from and how long were you there.  I got both answers wrong!  Fortunately he let me through anyway! Clearly it was time for a few days off!  Bright and early on the Thursday I headed to Cowes – I had to do some conference calls so I did these lying on deck in the sunshine with a cup of tea recovering quickly when my headphones were helpfully pulled out by passing crew!  A good place to work – work is never bad when the sun shines on you!

Happy Anna – sailing in the sunshine with friends

Thursdays sailing was an inshore race – wind varying from 0 to 20 knots and with the direction varying by 180 degrees on a number of occasions – not simple, but great fun.  It was the first time that I’d raced with this crew (we’d been out for some shake downs earlier in the spring) so it was fun to be racing together.  The team works – no egos, lots of fun and banter, lots in common and everyone working together.

We had a crew meal in the evening – we headed up to Villa Rothsay that I  have loved as long as I’ve been going there.  It is quirky to say the least, but fascinatingly so. It has a stunning Solent view, a homely nautical atmosphere and is great for a group meal.  Great preparation for an early start and a race to St Malo – packing bags after a “few” glasses of wine could have been a disaster, but luckily I packed the right things by taking advice, and was still in bed (sofa!) by just about midnight!

The crew

Friday morning was my first offshore sail since 2003 when I did the Fastnet Race on the same boat and we came 10th.  This time we were doing the qualifying race for this years Fastnet – a small matter of 180 miles to St Malo (and back).

Rounding the Fastnet rock in style in 2003 – black tie and 50 year old port

Friday was a stunner – nice breeze and glorious sunshine.  Offshore sailing is fun, especially in this weather, and I particularly like it when shortly after the start when everything is settled, we fall into our watch system and everything calms down – decisions are taken slowly and there is always good banter between the small team on watch at any one time.  It was perfect weather for the mighty Desperado of Cowes.  Most of the time we had about 15 knots and could fly our spinnaker – even doing 3 peels between sails which looked almost professional.  Better still we could do this from a position of comfort as we ploughed through the water – nattering amongst ourselves and keeping an eye on the sail trim.  All we were missing was some soft cushions really!  The boat is great for offshore – she revels in the longer courses and is the most comfortable boat to race on offshore too.

On watch with the dream team

There was one person on board who rapidly became the most important person – the chef.  Being looked after whilst sailing was perfect, even dealing with my allergy!  Normally I make the lunch on the boat – throwing meat and cheese into a roll, with a bit of butter if the crew are lucky.  But the chef has put me out of a role – he threw together warmed bread sandwiches, to order, and then when our watch were getting cold and tired in the early evening before supper, whipped up a little pasta meal for us!

A well fed crew is a happy crew

Night time was cold – oh my goodness I thought it was summer in July, clearly not.  By 5pm when the sun slipped behind the spinnaker it was already positively chilly.  Thank goodness for my woolly hat, which I almost didn’t bring (seeing that it is a Christmas decorated one).  Sunset was stunning – I had thought we weren’t going to get one with all the cloud cover, but it cleared just at the right moment.  The watch system fell apart a little as it went dark and we all spent most of the time on deck – the wind built which meant we were on the edge of our sail choices and so needed all hands available in case an urgent change was needed.  So sleeping wasn’t easy – collars of jackets pulled up over eyes and hats pulled down over eyes, and by squeezing too many people into small spaces we were firmly held on board!

A gorgeous sunset as we raced to St Malo

We finished the race at about 5am, after around 18 hours of racing.  It had been hard work and incredibly tiring – I only managed to get about an hours sleep on the outbound leg –  the motion of the boat, the adrenaline that there always is and the sounds of snoring (in stereo) in the saloon and cabins doesn’t make it easy!  Happily just after we finished we found out that we had won our class – this was really good news as we are a new crew and this was a real boost for us.

We had planned to stop off in St Malo for a dawn beer, then breakfast, then lunch – but we missed the lock in to the harbour.  Instead we headed straight home – 180 miles back where we had come.  The return delivery is always fun, it is more relaxed and there was plenty of fun to be had. Sleeping on deck isn’t frowned upon once the race is over – it could be likened to being on a sun lounger, lying out on deck fully clad in waterproofs and lulled to sleep by the sounds of the sea! Much more sleep achieved on the way home – maybe 2 hours in total on and off!

And so we slept – despite how it looks, surprisingly comfortable

It was a bumpy ride home, the wind was more on the nose and the sea state had built.  I had a few ‘moments’ on the leeward rail considering whether I needed to be seasick but thankfully I wasn’t.  Watching a DVD upright in bouncing conditions downstairs on a boat didn’t do any of us any favours in the nausea stakes!

The strangest part of the trip was coming back into the Solent at night – there was a new moon so it was incredibly dark, arguably the stars were stunning as a result – in fact I can’t remember the last time I gawped at so many of them for so long and saw the milky way so clearly.  Anyhow – back to the darkness – I was completely disorientated, it really is important to have GPS and a navigator to get you past obstacles.  We did a quick stop and grab in Cowes to pick up belongings we hadn’t taken to sea, then motored to Hamble.  A rapid departure and home in bed at 3am on Sunday morning!

Messing about in boats

And there it is – a marvellous weekend away, without any creature comforts (not even bedding or a shower) – my kind of luxury weekend away.  Even more so – sailing offshore takes us away from constant 3G connection, so offline really is a luxury!  That and the fact that our phones quickly ran out of battery too!  I have been very tired this week and found work a little dull and boring being stuck in the office after all the fun and fresh air, but it was well worth it.  I think I had forgotten how much I enjoy sailing – both being outdoors and taking the time to relax, and also the fun and camaraderie that comes from it too.  Life is tough and stressful and the last year has had its moments that’s for sure… So I am making a mental note as I write this that I need to remember just how much benefit there is to getting out on the water.  It is always the right thing to do to find time for the things that make one feel happy and alive.  Ratty was right in Wind in the Willows –

“There is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”

This is my ‘take12trips‘ entry for July – slightly different to some of the other trips I’ve been on this year for sure, but fantastic fun nonetheless!  Thanks to the rest of the crew for the fun and games – and for a number of ‘borrowed’ photos featuring above!  Roll on Cowes!