by Pam Graham
August 1992
Intrepid cruisers, Pam & Len, begin a “Journey of a Lifetime” aboard their Transworld 41 ketch, Kapalua II as they leave the UK, heading for France ...
Friday 30 July, 1992: At last we leave Cowes with a good ‘send off’ by friends, narrowly missing the Trinity House Jetty during the high speed turn as we waved goodbye to our
friends there. Weather was not very good and we needed to stow properly so we motored to Lymington, but in the entrance, stuck firmly in the mud, was our friend Pete on Pokeabout. As soon as Pete spotted us, he had a well-used tow rope to hand and ready to pass; with very little water and a ferry behind us, Pam caught a well-thrown line. Being downwind we were soon blown on to the mud bank as well but gradually we pulled clear. Later, we passed the ferry … also stuck on the mud.
Once under way we dived into the Yachthaven for a rest. The meal and a drink with Pete and his crew was our last contact with Channel Sailing Club. Leaving the UK was the first difficulty we encountered, waiting for replacement engine parts and then for engineers to make the repairs.
Tuesday 4 August, 1992: We left Lymington in very windy weather and made a pig’s ear of getting out of the berth by nudging a pile with the bowsprit. We finished the job properly as we were going through the Needles channel, when we attempted to negotiate the North channel and had waves demolish the grid on the bowsprit! It was much worse than we thought possible ... we still hadn’t left the UK! We managed to reach Studland Bay and put our anchor down for the night, but got no peace at all when our anchor dragged once and then again. Finally fitted the new Fortress anchor which held like a dream.
Thursday 6 August, 1992: Day dawned bright and clear with a soft north breeze that was really a south westerly in disguise, but we went anyway. There wasn’t much of it so we
motor-sailed until the wind freshened and we enjoyed some brisk sailing, gradually reducing to genoa only as we arrived in Primel in the Bay of Morlaix in the afternoon of 7th August. This had been our longest trip at 30 hours, but we had enjoyed it enormously ... and we were out of UK!
Saturday 8 August, 1992: Around Ile de Batz and on to L’Aber-Wrac’h where we moored up against another Transworld like Kapalua. The Dutchman on board seemed to recognise the boat as the one his Belgian friend had imported from Taiwan in 1978. He also said it had been to the Caribbean before ... could be; it fits and so we learn a little more.
Sunday 9 August, 1992: In Camaret by 8pm after a slow start, some gentle sailing but little sign of the fast tides for which the Chenal de Four is renowned. With confidence high in our new anchor we went into town, but returned to find the boat had been repositioned with extra chain put out by a very kind Frenchman. We were so lucky!
Tuesday 11 August, 1992: Off we go through the Raz de Sein. Wind on the nose again so we end up in Morgat and for the first time the engine fails us. We sail into the middle of a racing fleet and put down our anchor with catamarans, windsurfers, Optimists and rescue boats staring at our strange craft. Too bad! Len bled the engine—we thought it must be
air in the system as we were getting a bit low on diesel. Eventually she sprang to life and we went into the marina where a strong gin and tonic and a good meal set us right.
Wednesday 12 August, 1992: During the night the wind blew up and the tide went down and we touched bottom. We’ll have to leave this berth tomorrow, so will have another run at the Raz.
Thursday 13 August, 1992: Good wind freshening to a F5 so we set off. We had a lovely sail to the Point, put down anchor for lunch, while we waited for the tide, then set off again, but the wind was now so strong from the south we found it impossible to make the Raz and in the early evening opted for Douarnenez to anchor in Rosmeur. But the engine failed to start and we were running out of wind as we entered the sheltered harbor. Down with the anchor and another night and day working on the engine. We really had a problem this time and it was necessary to seek help.
Monday 17 August, 1992: Two mechanics stripped the engine down , told us the bad news—it was the injector pump—and towed us into Le Treboul Marina. We were stranded until Saturday 22nd August, ended up £700 lighter, and missed many chances of fair weather for going south We kept trying, but were beaten back to Morgat on two more attempts.
Wednesday 26 August, 1992: Finally rounded the Point and made for Audierne, Pointe Ste. Evette, where we picked up a buoy. What a laugh! Picture Pam lying full length on the side deck trying to put a piece of rope through the ring on this buoy, while Len tried to keep the boat still in strong cross winds ... what a fiasco! We must get one of those clever hooks that does it for you. The French sail up, lean over the side, and simply click, click and they’re moored!
Two exceedingly lumpy nights as gales were forecast and off to Benodet, where the sun shone and the seas were calm. This is more like the life we read about! We are still
experiencing the tail end of the weather patterns in the UK—all those low pressure areas from the Atlantic—so we may opt for a three day crossing of Biscay after all when the
weather turns more favourable …
BISCAY!!! That was three days and two nights at sea with very mixed weather, but without gales. We saw a whale pass behind us, blowing through his spout and flicking his tail. We are so pleased we stayed a good distance away.
Several times during the night dolphins visited us and played around the bowsprit, and then we caught sight of two or three basking sharks flapping their fins lazily as we passed. The worst we experienced was the wallowing motion of the boat caused by too little wind behind us, but who’s grumbling?
We reached a lovely fishing harbor of Corino on the northern coast of Spain and spent a couple of days sightseeing in warm sunshine, then on to Corunna in little wind (variable F3), which translated means none, but what little there was, was ‘on the nose’. What a beautiful city this is with its square similar to St Mark’s in Venice and its shopping areas rather like Amsterdam. We enjoyed a couple of days here before hurrying to keep our appointment in Portugal, where friends and family were arriving to visit us.
We made it to Leixoes and prepared the boat for the visit. Everyone duly arrived and took a taxi to Leixoes where we stayed a day then sailed round to Porto. We hired a car as the weather failed to cooperate. We have seen a lot of the wine-growing area from which port is made. One beautiful Portuguese village with canals running through the centre reminded me very much of Venice. In a couple of days our friends return home and we will visit Lisbon by
car before saying farewell to them and moving on. Wait for the next installment on our voyage ...