Week from Plymouth, April 18  – 24 – report by skipper Geoff Norwood.

GSA Dufour 34 ‘Celtic Flame II  ’

Skipper Geoff Norwood  ; crew Jeff Birkin  and Neil Webber 

This was intended as a ‘blow the cobwebs away’, first cruise of the season. It was also my first outing as BSA skipper, though I had taken Hebridean Flame for GSA last year.

Thanks to Jeff Birkin, Neil Webber and Sue Fowle for trusting me with that.

Sue decided to join us in spirit only as the forecast was not promising to deliver the balmy conditions she has become accustomed to on her travels this year. Her foresight proved correct indeed!

Celtic Flame had not been used this season, and there were no bookings before us so we decided to get to Plymouth early to check her over and hopefully get to sea for Sunday evening. We travelled together and arrived at the Yacht Haven soon after lunch.

I had spoken to the bosun and he hadn’t had the chance for a proper shakedown run but the boat appeared to be fit for sea, and had been left with dehumidifiers and a small heater so certainly wasn’t feeling too wintery. The weather had perked up too and it was a fine afternoon with a brisk westerly blowing.

Celtic Flame is a 34 footer and is only a 2 cabin layout – the forepeak and the port quarter berth being compact doubles. Both saloon benches would make a single, and Neil volunteered to take one of them.

With our kit and food stowed we checked over the boat, with a plan to head east on the following wind. Given that the boats are club-maintained with volunteer bosuns I think they are in generally well-found condition. However, we found the wheel to be stuck and were unable to turn the rudder. With the autohelm engaged it turned freely under motor so we diagnosed the autohelm motor/clutch as the source of the trouble. Calls to the GSA technical guys weren’t productive so we decided to disengage the chain drive with split link – and soon after 3 o’clock away we were!

It really was a fine afternoon – so welcome after a grey April. Blue skies, not too chilly and a fresh force 4. We had full main and foresail up as we exited the East channel and around the Mewstone. Bearing away slightly with wind on a broad reach our indicated speed hit 10kts! Although the tide was with us that seemed a little unlikely and the GPS confirmed that the log was over-reading, but we still were making over 7 kts.

We all took the helm, and Neil, who had been a landlubber for about 3 years, was soon back into the swing. A 1 – 1.5 m swell on the quarter kept us on our toes as we were well powered.

I have been using ‘Visit my Harbour’ and ‘e-Oceanic’ as online pilot and harbour guides and a nav app on my tablet from VMH called ‘Marine Navigator’. After resorting to reading the help pages over the winter I can recommend it. Raster charts of whole UK and N. France for under £30 with 2 year’s upgrades, and compatible with other chartsets if available.

Jeff arranged snacks and soups and we settled into a perfect sail along the coast towards Bolt Tail.

CFII is equipped with a cruising chute which, given the crew’s experience, I was keen to try out, but the lively conditions and sea state made it inappropriate at first. The wind and sea eased quite a bit after a couple of hours and we were down to 4 kts so Jeff volunteered to go on foredeck and prepare. I took the helm to observe since it was new to me. We hoisted it successfully behind the foresail (or is it in front?) and, once that was furled, it filled and pulled, and pulled and pulled as the BRISK force 4 returned exactly on schedule! After just a few minutes it was clear that it had to come down and Jeff and Neil made a fine job of recovering it in fairly demanding conditions. Maybe another day?

So it was 6 p.m. by then and we were immediately off Salcombe entrance on a rising tide. Another 2 hours to Dartmouth was discussed but given the drive down and lack of match fitness we gybed onto the leading line and made our way in. It is a very pretty approach and waterfront and this early in the season it was fairly quiet and we were able to moor on the commercial pontoon right in the town with the proviso we had to leave by 8 a.m. for ferry operations.

We found quite a lot of water in the bilges, and also found that the electric bilge pump ran – but didn’t pump! Dinner beckoned and we decided to investigate in the morning. The forecast for Monday being S–SE with Tuesday becoming stormy we hoped to set of for Teignmouth which would be accessible by late afternoon (and has a deep water visitors’ pontoon).

Jeff’s wife had prepared a great shepherd’s pie – though, as it was veggie, maybe a gardener’s pie?? which we ate on board before going ashore for urgent supplies. The pubs were VERY quiet – a Sunday out of season, and no one around so after a couple of ‘urgent supplies’ we went back to the boat.

I

have been known to come equipped with double duvet, blanket and pillow for out of season nights, but have just investigated camping quilts. A down quilt that rolls smaller than a sleeping bag, along with my normal bag, made for a cosy night, despite the evidently rising wind. The pontoon is protected from the wind funnelling up the valley.

The morning forecast was S 5-6 occ 7, and with Start Point to negotiate I decided to opt for the security (and boredom) of a day in port. We had to move pontoons at about 0830. There is a large public pontoon with shore access adjacent the commercial one. However it is limited to 30 mins mooring. We asked if we could move to that since there were evidently no other demands for it that day, but ‘computer said no’ so we had to move around to the floating pontoon in the Kingsbridge estuary. On a near high tide we took the chance to go as far up river as we could (about 1 mile) but it is fairly unremarkable compared to say the Dart. So back to the visitors’ pontoon for hot breakfast and…

Not much to say – we attempted to sort out the pump. I stripped it back to the core and found some contamination, and Jeff investigated the pick-up end which had clogged and ineffective filters, but it was not very much improved. The chandlery at Plymouth said that diaphragms MAY be replaceable but probably a new pump is preferred. Cards, lunch, chat, Bruce Springsteen, Bruce Springsteen and Bruce Springsteen (I think Jeff likes Bruce) until we prepared to return to the first pontoon for overnight access to dry land, BUT…

Whilst preparing to cast of I clumsily stepped off the cockpit locker onto nothing and fell hard on my foot with pain that told me it was more than just a knock. Jeff patched me up overnight with special medicine for the pain. To cut a long story short I had broken 3 metatarsals and was in no fit state to sail further. Kingsbridge MIU plastered me up on Tuesday morning and with, the winds abating but a very lumpy sea, Jeff and Neil brought the boat back to Plymouth whilst I taxied back to the Bridge bar at the marina and awaited their return.

Jeff has added a few thoughts from their return leg:

With the advice of the Harbour Master, we exited on the western edge of the bar where, well off the transit, a deep channel allowed us to dodge the larger waves that surged up the shoals from the southerly swells which had set in. Adding a full headsail we made good progress in the fickle S-SW winds, even moving away from the coast to avoid the overfalls that plague that area in rough seas.

Water again quickly filled the previously carefully emptied bilges, washing over the deck plates. We resorted to frequent manual pumping. Unfortunately, a poor design means it takes a long time for the stern bilges to flood the centre bilge where the pickup is situated.

Despite the lumpy seas, grey clouds, cold and occasional drizzle we had a good sail back to Plymouth with a pod of dolphin joining us just east of the Mew Stone.

Neil has regained his sea legs and sailing mentality being really excellent in all respects except for knot tying - but he can tie an excellent slip(ping) knot.

I've spoken to GSA and, in the light of the circumstances, they've decided I can be a GSA skipper.

Thanks, Jeff

Thank you both so very much for the effort you made to help me and the extra load involved in clearing the boat.

We had to return to Bristol and Neil kindly drove my car, dropping Jeff on the way – thanks again.

So in summary – 3 excellent hours of sailing and a minor disaster. Luckily not at sea, or any more significant injury. I seem to be on the mend and looking forward to Hebridean Flame in July.

Thanks for all your kind wishes from club and crew members.