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May 30, 2009

All Over

I had to make a decision today. Having worked on the boat all morning the decision was pretty much made for me. Those 1st 3 days had taken their toll on both me and on Ninjod. When cleaning out the water from her this morning I discovered the following damage to one of the bulk heads.

Hugh came with a battery tester to check my service batteries. They were fine !! Why then could I only pump in a relatively small amount of power? The answer came in the guise of a very small green wire. This small green wire is responsible to the regulator sensor and mine had broken. Once reconnected everything began to do what it was supposed to do.

I am covered in bruises. Some of the more easier to photo are:

Royal Cork Yacht Club Marine have very kindly giving me free berthing for a few days while I sought my problems out. My father is currently scheduled to arrive tomorrow. The plan is to get back to Suffolk before next weekend. This is my last OSTAR blog..Next in 4 years !!

P

Posted by ninjod at 03:36 PM | Comments (7)

May 29, 2009

The trousers n stuff

This is what is left of my trousers. The inner seams gone, most of the outer seams gone. They offer as much protection from the sea as a spatula.

Anyway it wasn't all about the trousers. I have the following jobs list to get sorted in Cork

1) wet gear
2) ballast pump air lock
3) fix electric bilge pump( would have been nice to have while ballast leaking)
4) numerous leaks. Mainly where people installed stuff for me and did not use a sealant
5) batteries. Here is an interesting one. With all my fancy charging gear I cannot get my service batteries fully charged. My alternator and smart regulator pump in 40 plus amps to start with. This then drops off quickly. Anyone got any thoughts on this please post a comment

Posted by ninjod at 06:25 PM | Comments (1)

Change of plan - Into Cork

The wind has backed further and Paul found in teh night that he couldn't lay Land's End and was making a lot of leeway in trying. The new plan is to get into Cork, which he is laying. He should be there early tomorrow with any luck.

Posted by ninjod at 08:46 AM | Comments (5)

May 28, 2009

Back to Falmouth

I have just spoken to Paul and he is now making his way steadily back to Falmouth. He was less emotional than this morning, and mainly annoyed at himself for not buying new/spare wet gear. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and I guess whatever may have broken on the way we would have thought we should have fixed earlier. Still, he is safe and that's all I am interested in. He asked me to read him some of the messages on the website, and was very grateful for everyone's best wishes and the fact that you were all watching his progress. As well as the comments that appear here, there have also been many phone calls, emails and texts from people wanting to show their support, which is great. I will continue to update until he back safe on dry land, where many decisions will need to be made...

Posted by ninjod at 07:31 PM | Comments (6)

Turning round

Those of you that are picking up the wav files will know already that Paul is making his way into Falmouth. He has had no wet gear since day 1, having been knocked by a wave which led to them ripping very badly. Tape didn't do the job so he ended up very cold and without any more dry clothes. On top of this one of his diesel cans leaked (my fault), leaving him feeling sick to the point where all he has had since he left on Monday is half a packet of peanuts. And then his ballast tank started to leak. He made the very tough decision this morning to turn round and head for Falmouth. There he can rest, get some wet gear and decide if he wants to continue. He is gutted as the boat was doing pretty well and he was really ready for this challenge. We are all gutted.

Posted by ninjod at 11:54 AM | Comments (9)

May 27, 2009

Wednesday 27th May

As promised, some pictures of the start of the race. They are not great as I took them on my phone (Paul has all the swanky gear on board!). I don't have much to report that can't be found on the microblog but will give a brief overview.
The first night started calm and Paul was slightly frustrated. Then the wind built and he had to reef in the dark, which apparently was pretty scary. This is probably when he ripped his wetgear. Hopefully he will find a way to keep relatively dry. Thank heavens for the cuddy! Since then the wind has been a pretty constant 25-30 kt, which is quite tough while still in site of land, shipping and other competitors as it seems no-one got much sleep for the first couple of nights. Other minor problems include an airlock in the ballast pump, the disintegration of the fruit basket (we were told by another competitor that he made marmalade last time out!) and the instrument panel facia falling down. Paul is tired and cold but seemingly in good spirits. He is mid-fleet (see tracking) a little behind Dinah (the other JOD). He seems to be making a better course than most others, but quite a bit slower, so I wonder if he is pinching a little. Keep the comments and good wishes coming. I am passing them on and he is very grateful.

Posted by ninjod at 10:14 AM | Comments (5)

May 25, 2009

The Start

I know that Paul and Ninjod have many followers so I (Jan) am going to do my best to keep you up to date with information. Of course the blog will be updated daily, but I plan to keep in touch with Paul too so will post any additional news. I know he really appreciates all of the good wishes be has been receiving, so if you have any comments please post them and I will try to ensure that they get through.

So...the start. The wind was light this morning and in the North - kite start! No pressure. We rigged the boat and then said our goodbyes. Paul was very nervous by this point. I managed to get a ride out to watch the start with Colin Drummond on Sleuth Hound, which intially I was very excited about, but then did not know if I coud cope with being that close to the action. We were expecting a very line shy fleet, especially given that the penalty for being over the line at any time after the 10 minute warning signal was 30 minutes for every second over the line. With 1 minute to go, Paul still did not have a headsail up and I was starting to think he did not know when the start was. He then jumped into action and pulled the headsail up. Rob in Jbellino and Barry in Dinah made a real race of it, and were first and second over the line. Paul got a pretty good start, about 8th over the line, and most of the fleet were over the line within a couple of minutes. It turned out to be quite a shy kite and only a couple of boats went for it. Oscar on King of Shave was one and we all feared he wouldn't lay the breakwater. We cheered everyone over the start line and I got some pictures which I hope to upload tomorrow.

Posted by ninjod at 04:50 PM | Comments (3)

May 24, 2009

The Microblog

During the race the micro blog will get updated

CLICK THIS LINK TO BE TAKEN TO THE MICRO BLOG

Posted by ninjod at 11:06 PM | Comments (2)

Race Day Looms...

I am currently sitting in a hotel room typing this ahead of tomorrows start. It has been a bit of a roller coaster day for me.

The skippers briefing took place this morning and I wasn't feeling my best during that. No big surprises during the briefing just an early start tomorrow.

Jan and my father helped me a huge amount today by taking NINJOD off to a remote mooring to meet a diver called Nick. Nick then cleaned the bottom of the boat making sure no nastiness was clinging to the bottom. It all counts !!!

During the afternoon the boat was cleaned, non slip stuff was stuck on the floor beneath the steps and everything else was stowed. Everything not needed for the crossing was taken off of the boat.

A large chunk of my family then made me very happy by turning up to wish me well. My fave cousin Laura and her smashing husband Chris turned up. Laura made me a lovely cake shaped like a lady !!

My brother Daniel, his lovely wife Clare and their young son Charlie arrived. Charile came aboard and met Monty. They seemed to get along very well.

My other brother Marc, his wife Clare and their children Charlotte and Calum arrived. Charlotte is in love with her boyfriend and Calum is a rocking drummer.

During beers with the entire clan there were moments when I felt a little emotional and overwhelmed by it all...

Posted by ninjod at 10:51 PM | Comments (0)

May 23, 2009

Shore Crew arrives!

Jan arrived just after midnight last night after a long drive from Suffolk. Most of the final jobs have been done now and we are just stowing everything ready for the off.

Posted by ninjod at 05:53 PM | Comments (2)

Bonding

This afternoon RWYC arranged for the OSTAR competitors and their chums to take a river boat trip to the idilic location of Pentillie Castle.

When we arrived we were presented with lots of Isle of White Vodka ( thanks to Hannah's sponsor ) and some rather lovely food.

Posted by ninjod at 12:05 AM | Comments (3)

May 21, 2009

New Pole

Finished sorting out my new spinnaker pole today. The challenge was to make a multi purpose pole one that is sorted for both symmetrical and asymmetrical kites.

The new pole has bungi spectra bridles top and bottom. Snap shackles replace the fixed shackles that attach the bridle to the pole down haul points on deck. This is the standard configuration for my symmetrical kites.

When asymmetrical kites are required the snap shackle is removed from the center of the pole and attached to a webbing strap. The 2 snap shackles connecting the the lower bridle blocks to the deck are moved forward to a pad eye and the end of the pole becomes very stable and restricted in its ability to move aft.

Posted by ninjod at 07:10 PM | Comments (0)

Even More Arrivals

Today saw more of the fleet arrive in QAB. Some of the fleet anarchists went straight to a more cosy marina ( can't say I blame them... snag... snag... ).

Having dismissed all his own advice about early preparation and an early arrival Jerry on Q2 ( the lovely boat below ) arrived today.

Posted by ninjod at 06:11 PM | Comments (0)

May 20, 2009

More Arrivals

Some more arrivals today...

And.. my replacement AIS unit arrived. I have just finished installing it and it all now works.

Posted by ninjod at 05:37 PM | Comments (1)

May 19, 2009

Solutions

Thanks to the team at Allspars the new forestay is now installed and the rig has been completely checked and tuned.

Finally the kind people at Weatherdock, makers of EASYTRX, my AIS transponder have shipped me a replacement unit free of charge to solve my firmware upgrade problem. It should be here tomorrow.

Posted by ninjod at 05:23 PM | Comments (0)

This mornings arrivals

Rob and Karen on Jbellino, Will on Elmarleen, Rubicon and Calystene

Posted by ninjod at 12:02 PM | Comments (0)

Problems

Currently sitting on board NINJOD without a forestay. Turns out the rod that was put on back in 2007 was at the limit of its capabilities and susceptible to a fair amount of stretch. Allspars are currently building the new beefed up forestay.

Also following a firmware upgrade on my EASYTRX AIS unit last night it decided to stop working. I get some data out of it but it never actually fully boots up.

Ho hum..

Posted by ninjod at 10:42 AM | Comments (0)

May 18, 2009

Registration Complete

Armed with a pack of paperwork I went off to the race office at 10:45 this morning. The race office team sped through the process of ensuring I had all the right documents. I am now pleased to report that I have ticked all the right boxes and am registered in the race.

The OSTAR flag sits in the cabin as it is still blowing 30 knots here.

Posted by ninjod at 01:09 PM | Comments (1)

First Get Together

With RWYC closed a crowd of 13 including a number of skippers and their shore support/family went for a couple of beers and some grub last night at the Barbican in down town Plymouth. All very sociable and nice to finally put some faces to the names I have seen so many times on emails and mailing lists.

Posted by ninjod at 07:50 AM | Comments (0)

Pure Solo

Hannah and her man ( sorry, dont know his name )arrived yesterday evening in Pure Solo, her Figaro 2

Posted by ninjod at 07:46 AM | Comments (0)

May 17, 2009

Job Done !

Jan and I arrived at QAB in Plymouth on Friday night. We spent all day Saturday and most of Sunday morning completing the last few tasks ahead of the race. The weather this weekend has been pretty poor with strong winds and rain being served up most of the time.

After numerous shopping trips to the local chandlery and supermarkets the boat is stocked up and everything has been stowed away. More meths for the stove, more fresh water for drinking and more mars bars for when eating is important but conditions prevent food preparation.

The galley is now organised. We have made use of the space beneath the stove by installing a webbing bag across the space. large items (pots and pans etc.) sit behind the bag while utensils required for cooking sit in the bag.

There is no wet locker as such in NINJOD and where to hang wet gear has always been a problem. Jan purchased some M8 eye nuts and attached them to the back of the studs from our previously installed external grab bars that are just outside of the hatch. She then cut cord at different lengths, put a hook on each cord and tied them to the eye bolts. With the same thing on boat port and starboard we know have lots of hanging hooks and space for wet gear.

With Jan now on her way home I am now alone on NINJOD. Tomorrow morning I will take my pack of documents up to the race office and register.

I write this from NINJOD while listening to Fever Ray wondering what to do now.. Perhaps some beer !

Posted by ninjod at 03:14 PM | Comments (0)

Flamingo Lady

At 0830 this morning Mike and Flamingo lady arrived in QAB. He had left Weymouth at 1600 the previous day.

Posted by ninjod at 08:56 AM | Comments (0)

May 16, 2009

Saturday Morning - 35 Knots in QAB

Jan and I arrived last night, had a quick beer and climbed on board NINJOD. It wasn't the best night as the wind has been blowing hard since we arrived. We are rafted out beside DINAH and have a large Sigma outside of us.

There are a few competitors here now.

Posted by ninjod at 08:05 AM | Comments (0)

May 15, 2009

OSTAR Hairyectomy

With the car full of gear and my OSTAR hair cut complete, Jan and I are about to leave for Plymouth.

With a bit of luck I will return home to Suffolk after spending a bit of time in Newport.

Many thanks to Ray from TBYC for the book of Tinkerbelle's trip across the Atlantic.

Posted by ninjod at 01:33 PM | Comments (2)

May 07, 2009

Pole Envy

I have to admit something publicly. When I arrived at Plymouth and saw Dinah I got spinnaker pole envy. Dinah's spinnaker pole looked lovely and on NINJOD aside from the hull the spinnaker pole was one of the few things I had not go around to replacing.

The problem with being ready a few weeks ahead of race day is that you start to go through everything over and over again, "am I ready??", "what if I break this.. " etc. etc.

By yesterday morning I was convinced my asymmetric spinnaker performance was going to be impacted by my old shoddy spinnaker pole.

By this morning I had ordered a new spinnaker pole from Andy and the chaps at All Spars in Plymouth.

"But its an upwind race" I hear you cry..

"But what if bits of it are not" is my response and justification for the expense.

Oh dear..

Posted by ninjod at 03:59 PM | Comments (3)

May 05, 2009

Plymouth Delivery Trip

On Friday at 1730 Jan, my father Phil and I left Suffolk Yacht Harbour at Levington bound for Plymouth on our non stop delivery trip.

The first part of our trip, down the east coast from Harwich to Dungeness was dictated by wind direction. Basically with the wind on the nose we did a fair bit of tacking. Our route took us out to Long Sand Head, around the outside of the Thames Estuary and around the outside of the Goodwin sands. At one point during the night we were contacted by a patrol who redirected further east around some unlit structures that are destined to become another wind farm.

Tacking between the shipping lanes and a few miles offshore in fairly light winds ( 10-12 knots ) we made slow progress. When the tide turned against us our over the ground speeds dropped to between 3.5 and 4 knots. Things became very depressing during those moments.

Still we soldiered on past Beachy Head, Selsey and St Katherines point. At one point while offshore between Swanage and Weymouth we actually found ourselves going backwards on one tack.. Grrrr the tide was strong !!

When we got into Lyme Bay the wind freed a little. We were still heading upwind but the wind angle finally allowed us to make our course without tacking. Boat speeds rose into the 8/9 knots region. The wind speed rose and at one point in 25 knots true we briefly considered a putting a reef in the mainsail.

Finally, 2 days and 15 hours later we arrived. The direct route between our home berth and Plymouth is 300 nautical miles long however I guess with all the tacking we must have covered at least 350 nautical miles.

Posted by ninjod at 11:18 AM | Comments (1)