Doodle Ventures

So we are still in the U.K., unfortunately the remains of tropical storms and unusually for 2018 Atlantic low pressure systems have hampered our attempts to sail south to Biscay and beyond.

So having left work a few days ago I find us moored in Port Pendennis virtually alongside RFA LYME BAY.

Friday was looking good but now we have the weekend to chill out in Falmouth as the weather window has moved to Monday. So more time to update the Google reviews of Falmouth eating and drinking establishments.

So when we leave we are like to head for Northern Spain to drop off two of the crew then head on south with just three.

So it seems months ago since I was leaving Falmouth in the snow having just learnt how to navigate with a sextant. However we now find ourselves sat in Plymouth Yacht Haven aboard Gitana supping a glass of beer on the eve of our departure.

Unfortunately we are blighted by South Westerly winds and high seas getting out of the Channel and into Biscay so we have decided to make best to windward tomorrow and put into Falmouth and wait for the high pressure to build and hopefully head south on Friday.

We are aiming for the Canaries in one hit however we shall see how we go, we have time limits for two of the crew so may pull into to Portugal on route.

So hopefully over the next few weeks when internet allows I will be running a blog on our adventures and hopefully setting up my online notes for ocean navigation. Practicing what the guys in Falmouth taught and simplifying down the art of celestial navigation.

So after a month of decorating / rebuilding my bedroom learning how to love an 1840’s cottage with no square edges, this week sees the beginning of the rearranged RYA Ocean Yachtmaster Theory course. My trip down to Falmouth yesterday evening was fitting to today’s lectures chasing the sun as it made its way towards the horizon. A fantastic sunset only to be treated with the building sea on the beach and the strengthening winds which are going to bring snow in by the end of the week. Even this far west you cannot escape the big chill on its way just after the first signs of spring we return back for a bite in the tail of winter.

Anyway one day down an easy introduction but a taste of the somewhat mind boggling world of Astro navigation. Hopefully it will come in handy when we set of on Gitana in the autumn. I’m looking forward to practicing taking a few sights with my yet to be purchased sextant.

Another week in Falmouth although this week is unusual due to not being here for work more nor arriving on a boat for pleasure. I thought it would give me a good opportunity to refresh my google reviews on some of the eateries and work on some web content. I hope by the end of the week to swing by Gitana and see what progress is being made and hopefully get some more time on her prior to the spring fit out season.

So having spent the festive period topping up my knowledge on sun and star sights I was looking forward to my week in Falmouth. Unfortunately the centre had to post pone the course due to a last minute change of plan for the instructor. So with a week off work an AirBnB in Falmouth there was nothing else for it but an unplanned boat week in Plymouth to crack on with that refit list!

So Monday morning I headed to Plymouth via Topsham to pick up some redundant flares and arrived ready for work via the flare drop. Monday afternoon was spent working through the work list so that we knew what we wanted to do for the week.

Tuesday morning saw us start work, the main objective was to close out a series of jobs that had been either waiting on parts or time to complete. This is mainly plumbing and resolving issues the previous owner / owners had created with their boat building skills. The weather for the week was not on our side as several Atlantic storms are rolling into the south west peninsula as they do at this time of year. This restricts us to below decks which is slightly annoying as we have lots to do on the upper deck.

It is now Friday and the week is drawing to a close, the good news is the work list is getting smaller and we almost have two working heads compartments on the boat! The bad news is is that my fixfail VW has had an engine warning light come on so I could be having a mini adventure getting home.

So the New Year started in one of the windiest places in Wales if not the United Kingdom. A pleasant few days had been spent in Newton Haven a daily body board in the sea was a refreshing way of working of the Turkey.

Now with all the festivities over its back to looking forward to an exciting 2018. As in my first blog post I hope to record the ins and outs of a crew member aboard Gitana as we prepare and set sail at first to the Canaries via the Azores and then finally across the pond to St Lucia.

This website is not only just for recording these sailing adventures I want it to become a space to try out a few ideas to try to reach a wider audience. Over the next few weeks I will start to populate it with some features on past adventures and hopefully some new ones.