Page 28 - Yachter Autumn 2021

28 CRUISING REPORTS
Traveller – There Is No Path
Traveller, your footprints
are the only road, nothing else. Traveller, there is no road;
You make your own path as you walk. As you walk, you make your own road, And when you look back
You see the path
You will never travel again.
Traveller, there is no road:
Only a ship’s wake on the sea
Antonio Machado
Head.We were well drilled in the art of tacking by the time that Rattray Head was behind us!
Once rounded, the close haul became a run, in a following sea, Sea Wanderer riding the winds of change with poise.
That’s how it all came to pass. Despite
a busy, demanding and rewarding job, I found time to sail. Now retired, I have sailed, mostly as skipper, and mostly on Sea Wanderer, over 5,000 nm.
Amongst my highlights are:
Crossing the North Sea, to Ijmuiden, dodging the gas rigs and their eerie night calls and lights.
From Ijmuiden to, and then back into the North Sea, north to Amble (caught in a Force 7/8, but that’s for another time)
Amble to Eastbourne, and various crossings of the channel, from Eastbourne.
The star ‘voyage, was on Caledonia as I helped a friend, Glen’ move his Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 36 to Gijon, where I disembarked, though he was bound for
the Med. Kip, Arklow, Kilmore Quay, St Mary’s, Camaret, Concarneau, Belle-Ile- en-Mer, Ile d’Yeu, La Rochelle, each berth and anchorage an adventure in itself.The wonder of passing through medieval gates as we entered ‘Le Vieux Port’ in La Rochelle, passing in the wake of merchants and sailors long gone. Magical.
Then a 48-hour passage across Biscay, a passage of marked contrast, with a flat calm on the first day and night, dolphins doing their thing for four hours, even as the sun rose; and then the second night, with winds averaging 30mph and gusting way beyond that - heavy sea, rain lashing, 8/9 knots into the dark and unseen - all exhilarating and terrifying at the same time - the yin and yan of sailing.
I love sailing and I love the sea. What sailing has given me:
reflecting a set of new and unexpected skills, and the quiet pride that comes from those; An even deeper awareness of the natural
world and its profound impact on our lives. Weather, tides, currents and pressure all demanding fine judgements of strategy and tactics;
Humility and gratitude for the joy of being alive in an environment that most people are not lucky enough to experience;
As I write, I am preparing for the club’s cruise to the Channel Islands, organised by RSYC’s Laurie Bates. With my Hydrovane (Me Lovely Interesting Self Steering Assistant) I’ll probably be solo. I am using the trip as the first ‘baby step’ to a round Britain sail that I am planning for next year. Again, probably solo, I shall be dedicating
it to the charity ‘Sue Ryder’, and if anyone knows of potential sources of sponsorship, particularly corporate, I’d be more than happy to hear from you.
Western Atlantic seaways of the Iron Age, from Cadiz in the South to the Shetlands. A future OSTAR (2star) and Jester AZAB- we’ll see!
So, this is the story of my relationship with Sea Wanderer and the sea.
To close:
At an instrumental level, qualifications
Beyond that, a dream to sail the ancient
Mike Hopkins