Report from Pete Filby

Mid-morning I went to the yacht haven and got my first look at TONIC, which is the name of the boat, she is a Bavaria 46 offshore racing / cruising yacht, 46feet long, with four cabins, sleeping eight people, a tight squeeze when in harbour, but quite roomy when sailing as the person you are sharing with is on deck while you are sleeping. Storage is very limited, with room for the barest necessities.

Dave the skipper decided that as the wind & tide would be slightly against us on the first half of our crossing to St. Petersport, we would leave as soon as all the crew arrived and all luggage and fresh food was on board. We motored out of harbour at 2.15 p.m. before hoisting sail and turning off the engine, heading South West for the Channel Islands

After a very pleasant meal taken on deck while we all chatted and got to know each other, Dave chose who was to be in each watch. I was in Mikes, the first mates, with Cammilla and Caroline, we were to have the first 3 hours off watch and be back on deck at 11.00 pm I can remember going on watch and steering a coarse by the stars, the sky being totally cloudless and of a clarity only to be found at sea.

The night passed very quietly and we arrived in Guernsey at 8.30 am. After tying up along side, we had breakfast and it was decided to catch up on our sleep during what was left of the morning, and then go sight seeing in the afternoon. 
St. Petersport is a typical seaside kind of place, but it seems to have stopped in time, in the 1960s, with all the usual shops mixed in with a few foreign ones. Most things are a lot cheaper than on the mainland as it’s nearly all duty free. It cost £1.50 for a bus ride around the whole island, which we did, arriving back at the yacht at 6.00 pm. For tea, before going out for a few drinks.

6.00 am. Time to be up, showered, and breakfasted, before sailing on the tide for Sark. Another glorious day, but very little wind, so we had to motor over to the island. Dave had phoned ahead to arrange transport, tractor and trailer, the only motorised transport allowed, to get us up the very steep hill from the jetty, at the top we found a horse and carriage for hire for a sight seeing trip. Once around the whole place took about 2 hours, we spotted a secluded beach and on returning to the boat it was decided to anchor off there to have tea and maybe go swimming, unfortunately a heavy swell got up late in the afternoon and we had to go back to St. Petersport for a more comfortable nights sleep

Up again early next morning, this time to sail to Alderney. As we would be arriving late morning Dave decided to prepare dinner on the way, giving us more time ashore. Part of the trip took us through an area of sea known as the Swinge, an area of very rough seas caused by the Atlantic swell and tide being forced through a narrow channel.

It was here that we nearly lost our supper. At Alderney we had to moor to a buoy and get a water taxi to the jetty. We all decided that we would like to see some of the island so we hired two cars, put 5 litres of petrol in each and with a map of the island drawn on a piece of paper? We set off, what the map did not show was that, although there is one road around the island, not all of it is tarmac, or even really exists, at one point Dave was walking in front of the cars guiding us round and through an area of gorse bushes, which took a lot of what was left of the paint work off. This must be a regular occurrence, as the garage owner did not seem to mind. Having seen all the old German bunkers, some of which have been converted into houses, it was time to go to the Divers pub, which is known by yachtsmen the world over. Famous for its warm welcome and very long drinking hours. Which resulted in us eating supper at half past midnight! It could also account for us getting a rope caught around the propeller as we left the next morning. Luckily there were some divers working near by so we were soon on our way again to Cherbourg.

We arrived at Midday and visited the duty free shop on the jetty, this gave Dave the chance to stock up on wine for the yacht, he reckoned he was getting low, don’t know how! Then we had a quick look around the town before finding a restaurant, as we had decided to eat ashore. We had an early night, 11.30 as we would need to leave

Cherbourg at 5 am so we would arrive in Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight mid afternoon. Yarmouth was very busy as it was a bank holiday weekend and the Americas cup week had just finished, so we ate and drank onboard. Dave got out his accordion, and we spent a very pleasant evening singing songs and drinking wine.

Sunday and our last full day of sailing, a strong breeze, 10-12 knots of wind, and we were out sailing with and sometimes racing with racing yachts that cost millions, 70 to 80 feet long, healing over at 50 degree angles with the spray leaping over the bow. Magnificent. In many ways the highlight of the week. But all good things must come to an end and we had to sail up the river Hamble to our final destination.

Monday was a bit of an anticlimax with the morning spent cleaning the yacht and preparing it for the next crew, finally it was time to say good by to my new friends. Dave the skipper, Mike the first mate, Camilla, Caroline and Dave all MS sufferers Geoff and Adelina.

Hope my story has whetted your appetites and if you are interested don’t be put off, everyone is equal at sea, once the sails are up, all of the sail control and steering is done from the cockpit, so moving around is kept to a minimum. Nobody is expected to do more than he or she feels they are capable of, if you are feeling tired, rest, nobody will mind, If you are interested you can get your Competent crew certificate, by learning a few knots and sail handling. I think I can say you will have an adventure and make new friends and have very pleasant memories that will last you a lifetime. If you have any questions or need any information please do not hesitate in asking me.

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