Final Missing Blog Pic's 9

And here finally are the last pics.
Pic 1 and 2 alongside at Jolly Harbour Marina, with the top diamond wires and starb spreader removed, whilst getting them renewed.
Pics 3, 4 and five, photos by a well met friend Barry, being hauled out for storage at the yard.
Pic 6 plotter showing 9,306 nm since leaving Liverpool Marina in 2009.
Roy

Missing Blog Pic's 8

Here we have a trial sail to Marigot Bay after fixing everything, water was still coming in, and I was hoping this would stop as had been out of the water for a while. Didn't happen!
Pic1 Duncans Yacht 'Stephina'...following pics by Danielle, with her at the tiller helming GL for the first time.
Roy

Missing Blog Pic's 7

Here are photos of the old engine after removal from boat, and New engine ready to put in the engine space. Duncan helped me a lot and together, although hard work in 35 deg C with high humidity, we managed it quite quickly.
Roy

Missing Blog Pic's 5

Here we have my last night before leaving Falmouth Antigua, Passing Sandy Island, then nine days of no sun, Then the plotter ( not good photo) but with 773 miles to go Batteries were back up to 12 volts again, even though pumping 250 gallons of water out per hour. Last pic is pidgon when I made it back. Arrival photos were already posted.
Roy

Missing Blog Pic's 6

Here we have views of the hull condition on arrival back in Rodney Bay Shipyard St Lucia.
Note the sheared off stern fitting, damaged bow caulking, the missing caulking and the leaking starboard garboard plank, down the full length of the boat. Port side is only wet underneath the keel, from the missing sealing port side.
Roy

Missing Blog Pic's 4

Here we have the famous Mount Gay Jump Up staged in Falmouth Harbour at the begining of Sailing week. People are allowed on stage to dance, and its all done 'in peace'. The 2 girls jumped into the freezer van, to hot for some!
And here is, an as yet untold story; The band invited the audience to show how to dance Caribbean style, they do know how to move out there, they then asked the european and usa people to show them how we do it......... well the thing is, a ticket cost 40 EC dollars, no smaller, and for that you get 5! rums with mixers, I had had 2 tickets and was on my own.......so 10 rum and gingers later the band then played the 'Blues Brothers' ( 'I want you, you, you' ) song.......... no one was getting on the stage........so I 'jumped up' and solo on stage, miming the words, did my party piece dancing with all the moves! when finished I jumped off and hid!
Roy

Missing Blog Pic's 3

Here we have at the top 3 views from the top of Pigon Island fort and signal station. Falmouth Harbour on the left.
Pic 4 Tatulah (cat) leaving
pic 5 Aleria leaving
Roy

Missing Blog Pic's 2

Here we have
Pic 1 The Palm Frond weaver
Pic 2 Guests enjoying the rum and music
Pic 3 My view of Pigon beach in Falmouth harbour
Pic 4 Leaving Falmouth for 'Horta' 23 May 8 am
Pic 5 plotter posn 23 May 8 am with 2,158Nm to go
Roy

Missing Blog Pic's

pic 1 botm right Pillars of Hercules English Harbour
pic 2 botm left winners plaques
pic 3 enjoying the afternoon Shirley's height's
pic 4 The AMP Halcyon Steel Band
pic 5 'Atlantide' a very beautiful retro motor yacht

Hi Everyone,
Missed posting a few pics whilst involved in GL's troubles, it was difficult to get a solid internet connection and signal kept dropping out. So this series of retro posts starts here after the Racing in April 2010, leaving English harbour to Falmouth harbour Antigua. Spruce left for Bermuda very soon after, and Moonlight left heading for Grenada.
Alerian's, Daria and Alex (Yachting Journalists of the 'Classic Boat' Mag article) The Tatulah's, Ali and Shane and crew John + myself went for a final visit to Shirley's Height's. Then as Aleria waited for gearbox parts and I for engine parts, Tatulah left the anchorage bound for 'Horta'. A few days after, Aleria all fixed, left for 'Horta' via 'St Martean'. I was still there waiting for the parts and failed passport renewal, I then decided to leave engineless.
Everyone knows the story from there on the blog, so now the pics.
Roy

Return to UK

Hello Everyone,
Well I have repaired GL and went for a final sail yesterday, everything working aoK, it was a beautiful day and I very nearly got carried away, such a magic sail, GL was doing 7knts again, and with hardly any swell at all, all I wanted was to just keep going, but the few responsible brain cells I still posses stopped me and I returned to Jolly Harbour.
I then went and signed a contract to have GL hauled out, put in a steel stand and tied to the ground, the stand is also welded together which is all standed precautions against hurricains. I then checked with customs and imigration and made sure it was all ok. Then a web booking on BA who fly direct to Gatwick.
So everyone the scary bit for me is, I fly to UK on Monday night 16th arriving in Manchester in the late afternoon on Tuesday 17th, Guiding Lightless.
I will then have an overnight stay with my sister and should be in Beaumaris on Wednesday and will be seen standing outside the Old Bulls Head having a smoke! with a pint or 2 of Guiness waiting on the bar.
Hope I see many of you during the next few months.
Roy

PS I will try and keep the blog updates going, and I will be going back to Antigua in November, I think.

Alonside Jolly harbour

Well folks I am again in dock with repairs to carry out.
I entered into Antigua customs and found its Carnival weekend, no chance of anything being done till Wednesday, have in the meantime investigated the rig failure and found the spreader end protector had split in half, the remaining piece was like a knife and was sawing the wire in half. This happened at the same time as other failures on my escape to St Lucia.
I also found out why my previous engine failed, or I think I now know why. The now, new way, devised to start and stop the new engine has been followed to the letter every time except when I stopped and anchored this time. When I came to start it again it took a couple of goes to start? well the engine has been starting imeadeatly every time so what was different? I've come to realise, the water in the exhaust pipe under the engine before it reaches the waterlock is too much for the engine to push out, before its started, its like putting a plug in the exhaust pipe, the more you keep turning the engine without it starting, the more water is being pumped in! so now I know I will keep having to shut the water off about 45 seconds before stopping it, this is to clear the pipe of water.
I am still thinking about were to take GL now, I have made the desision to come home the easy way and fly, this means to find a safe place for GL for this hurricain season, and leave her all alone. Not something I feel happy about, but I have to come back to sort finances out.
I am meeting the shipyard manager today and will let everyone know what transpires.
Roy

Gaudalupe to Horta.

Hi all,

0730hrs Yesterday was the final bit of the test sail before crossing the Atlantic. I believe this weather window for August is the last possible chance this year.
I have been constantly watching forecasts and satellite pic's so it was a go for leaving, I had Antigua Barbuda or St Martean as emergency stops if it didn't go well.
It didn't go well I'm afraid. I had to give the boat a serious trial, so with all sails set I pushed her as hard as I could all day. GL was doing over 7 knts in 18-20knts of wind, with no apparent problems. The wind was and is still good. At 1430hrs the port strut holding fred started to move on the wooden pad, I went down below quite calm as this had been concidered in the redesign, so I went for the spanners to tighten it up, the pad had dissapeared when I returned, it was under a lot of pressure so had to slow the boat down.
As luck would have it I was passing Jolly Harbour in Antigua only about 6 miles away so went in there gently and anchored.
I spent the rest of the day making a new pad with success but it got dark and I got tired, I was being so carefull not to drop anything when I dropped myself over the side! so I called it a day and had to wait till today to finish it off.
This too has now been completed with success, with a small mod so I carn't lose the pad again (2 screws).
After this I gave the whole boat a good checkout time 0930hrs and now the bad news. During this check I noticed the Starboard top diamond wire stay was slack? I went up the mast in Rodney Bay and nothing seemed amiss up there then. I Rigged the 'chair' and went up to see what was wrong. I'm afraid to report the stay has all but parted, and I'm also afraid to say, thats this journey over! Until repaired GL can not sail anywhere else, that will take time of course and no way will I be even concidering crossing the Atlantic this year now! I have been lucky in a way that the test showed up this weakness before I had gone to far, dosen't bear thinking about if it had happend next week!
Will let you know what happens next when I find out myself
Roy
Position: 17,4.45N , 61,53.78W