Glorious sunshine and blue skies greeted us on the Thursday
morning for our early departure from Whitby. This being my very first overnight race, I
felt tremendously excited as well as a little apprehensive about what lay
ahead. Having packed plenty of warm
clothing and gallons of hot coffee and soup we were ready for any climatic
conditions we might encounter in the North Sea!!
Due to the lack of wind Dave and I were obliged, reluctantly,
to motor Double D to Sunderland. However,
this gave us ample opportunity to take in the incredible coastal scenery,
wildlife, and more importantly, time to revise vessel lights!!! Thanks Dave!!
Being accompanied by Icon proved
most enjoyable too for this outward journey. Exchanging the odd words of banter, whilst in
bantering distance, made time fly by.
Sunderland came into view six hours later, and approaching the
marina was a welcome sight. However our
joy turned to disbelief when we were informed that there was only room for one
vessel!! Oooops! Thankfully, after a
good deal of Neil’s persistence, a berth was made available and we moored
alongside our Icon crewmates. We made
full use of the marina`s facilities; eating and drinking and enjoying our
visit.
By late afternoon on Friday, we had our full
complement of crew. Adrian Fusco joined
us. It was to be his first overnight race too. All of us were eagerly awaiting the race
start. As the start time drew ever closer, I began to feel a few
butterflies, how dark would it actually be? and, would I be able to stay awake??
We had checked weather conditions during the
day and our worst fears were realised, LIGHT WINDS!! Frustration!! Well at least everyone was in the same boat,
figuratively speaking, and as it turned out, we all were, almost.
At the start there we all were, jostling and bobbing about,
using boathooks and fenders to stop the boats colliding as we literally inched
closer to the start line. Forty minutes later (which seemed an eternity)
everyone finally crossed the start line. Hooray we`re off thought I. Gradually the north easterly winds picked up
and we began to race!!!
As the light faded and darkness fell, I was amazed that it was still possible to
make out other boats against the skyline. I couldn`t believe the myriad of lights along
the coast as we passed Teesside, and realised how baffling it could be. Very steadily the winds began to increase
until we were making a healthy 5/6 knots. It felt fabulous and a real thrill when we
realised we were keeping up with the rest of the fleet!
One of the most magical moments was when Dave told me to look
over the stern and I was able to see the phosphorescence that he`d told me
about, shimmering and glistening in the murky waters below!! AWESOME!!!
Gradually tiredness took over, and I managed to grab some
sleep below deck, drifting off to the sounds of the boat as she skimmed the
water. An hour later, I emerged to see the wind farm was still
remarkably in view.
Then a mysterious red
light appeared almost dead ahead. At first it appeared as though it wasn`t too
far in the distance. After a while,
however, as the light improved and dawn was breaking, Dave realised it was the
light above Whitby harbour on the cliff top! Thank goodness he`d identified where it
actually was!! The dark definitely plays
tricks with your eyes.
As we sailed closer towards Whitby our course took us between
boats that were steering out into the North Sea and others that were hugging
the coastline. We noticed that we had
made considerable ground and were lying around 4th place. Fantastic! not far to go, we could finish
amongst the top half of the group. Alas
as the finish line approached we were scuppered!!
The wind dropped and we began to struggle to make any ground
over the water!!. We could see our
position slipping away and couldn`t do anything about it. Even though we were bitterly disappointed, I was relieved to have completed my first
overnight race.
I`m now looking forward
to cruising to the Farnes in July and here`s hoping the weather is kinder to
us!!
Mel Russell
Double D
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