Time to go racing02 - 05 - 12
Just under a week to go until my first race of the season. The final few boat jobs are being ticked off and charts and weather routing are being prepared. We don’t have onboard computers on the mini, so a lot of preparation times goes into studying tides marking up charts before the race and putting lots of waypoints in to the GPS to make navigation while racing as simple as possible!
Preparation and practice19 - 04 - 12
So we are half way through April, no idea how that happened! With now only 3 weeks until the first race of the season – UK Solent Race, starting in Lymington on the 6th May; final preparation are now under way.
A weekend off the water for some vital prep!05 - 04 - 12
An important aspect of any sailing class is boat preparation, but it is particularly important when sailing solo offshore as one small problem can easily lead to a very big head ache…
UK Mini Training, take 203 - 04 - 12
Over the second weekend of the UK Solo Mini Training Programme (24th&25th March), we were blessed with blue skies and sunshine, but were unfortunately again plagued by light winds.
Why Sail Solo?28 - 03 - 12
A question I am often asked is why sail solo? Why choose to sail by yourself when it would be much easier to sail with a crew or even double handed? Most people are too sensible to sail across oceans alone. Even the keenest of sailors would question offshore sailing in a Mini 6.50 as it is so small.
The first weekend of the UK Solo Mini Training Programme13 - 03 - 12
This winter has been a busy one for me, fixing and mending the boat in preparation for the coming race season. It was great to see my work come together this weekend as part of the UK Solo Mini Training Programme.
UK Mini Training09 - 02 - 12
This year for the first time there will be a UK Mini training programme.
What’s it like sailing a Mini?30 - 01 - 12
Sailing solo is pretty different from crewed sailing, personally I love sailing and being out on the water but there is a certain sense of adventure and challenge that attracts me to solo sailing.
Looking forward to Christmas!19 - 12 - 11
There has been a noticeable change in the weather this week; winter has set in, which posed an interesting challenge for boat work this weekend, not least because of frost-bitten fingers.
So what’s next?23 - 11 - 11
It’s been a busy few weeks of planning and organising, but there is lots of exciting news!
A Roller Coaster Ride22 - 08 - 11
It’s been 9 months since I set out on my campaign to race in the 2011 Mini Transat Race, it’s been a roller-coaster ride of high and lows and at times it has driven me close to insanity but it has been worth every second.
Basecamp returns to Cowes17 - 07 - 11
Basecamp has made a safe trip home from Douarnenez to Cowes, sadly not by water but behind a van.
Mini Fastnet24 - 06 - 11
Due to a low sweeping across the Irish Sea on Tuesday the Race course was altered to a southerly course down the French Coast.
3 days to go to the start of the Mini Fastnet!17 - 06 - 11
3 days to go to the start of the Mini Fastnet, security checks complete, batteries, life raft, survival container and water all sealed.
The Mary-Agnes Trophy race without auto pilot!12 - 06 - 11
For me this was a tough race, due to a fault with my new auto pilot I had to sail the whole race without a pilot so reaching the finish line for me was a great achievement.
A quiet week for me…24 - 05 - 11
After the disappointment of not being able to do the UK Mini Fasnet Race, it’s been a quiet week for me.
Pornichet – Plymouth09 - 05 - 11
After the disappointment of having to pull out the Pornichet race, I rushed back to the UK last Sunday to pick up some spares and start making some new parts for the boat.
Forced to retire from the Pornichet Select01 - 05 - 11
Only 4 hours into the race I had to take the very difficult decision to retire.
Ticked - Mini Transat qualification passage21 - 04 - 11
1000 miles, 9 days, alone on a 6.5 meter boat, there were highs and lows, good days and more challenging ones, but it was an absolutely fantastic experience, I have learnt so much about the boat and myself.
The 1000 mile Mini Transat qualification passage08 - 04 - 11
After finishing my delivery trip back from Italy in the early hours of last Friday morning I quickly packed up the boat and headed back to the UK to prepare for my trailer license test.
Life Adrift ….04 - 04 - 11
Its day 2 of my delivery trip back to La Grande Motte, after the Archipelago Race and I am adrift in the Sea between Corsica and the south coast of France without a working engine.
Archipelago race video02 - 04 - 11
After a bad start i managed to finish 6th overall. A great first short-handed race!
The Archipelago race02 - 04 - 11
The Archipelago Race was my first official Classe Mini 6.50 Race. After a bad start, I rounded the top mark in the mid-fleet and had some ground to make up.
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