Weymouth
Sailing
Club

Stavros S. Niarchos

Voyage Diary

SSN 565 Plymouth – Tenerife

Introduction – Many of us who signed on as voyage crew (paying crew as opposed to the more permanent crew), were looking for an adventure voyage and this is certainly what we got! Whilst it may not quite compare to Scott’s diary in his expedition to the Antarctic, in which he wrote that the story would stir the heart of every Englishman, this trip certainly stirred a few ‘fixed’ objects and quite a few humans too: anything which was not thoroughly fixed down during the first week was hurled in an uncompromising fashion across the ship This included the captain, Liam Keating, on one occasion. This is a voyage none of us will forget, headed by a cool captain on a well designed ship. Stavros S N. is a steel-hulled ship originally meant to be a fishing vessel but the super-structure was never finished, and she was then completed as a purpose made sail -training vessel square rigged up above. She was rigorously tested on this voyage in many respects, as will be revealed.

DAY 1 Monday November 19th 2012.

We found the ship easily on Plymouth Hoe, and at 1pm I was dropped off, & then greeted on the gangway by Steve, one of the deckhands. It was raining and the wind was already soughing in the rigging. Looking up at the ship the masts looked huge & rather awesome.
We were shown to our cabins, followed by assembly in the Mess, then had registration procedure, harness fitting and then back outside for safety training. Dinner was at six with excellent roast chicken. After supper it was back outside to the bridge for wheel (helm) instruction. The latter is hydraulically operated so is very easy to turn. As events turned out this was a great boon, since in olden times it might take two or three strong men to keep the ship on course in strong winds. Originally it was planned for us to go up aloft on day 1, but we ran out of daylight and had safety alarm training in the Mess instead. We were then dismissed. I sorted out my bunk and locker and then turned in for bed.

DAY 2 Tuesday 20th November.

Up at 7 am as no watches set yet. Wind blowing hard still. Had a hearty breakfast in the Mess and everyone still in good spirits despite the Captain’s decision to stay in Plymouth for another day, on account of the inclement weather. At the morning briefing he told us it was Force 8 wind, and that you deal with a storm when you are in it, but you do not go out and actively seek one!
Training re-commenced on deck with bracing the yards. Our team were on the main course (the lowest yard on the main mast), and I was at the head of the rope belaying to the pin. Separate teams all braced simultaneously from hard port to hard starboard – i.e. all 5 yards per mast trying to keep in synchrony. This reduced windage as the yards were now aligned with the wind. New terms for me were “2/6” when heaving, and “come up” for all to drop the rope, except for the man belaying. In order to belay with tension on the rope, a stopper is used. This is a narrow rope wrapped around the three large lines coming from the pulley block. Once done, the main rope is “eased to the stopper” by the team and can then easily be belayed without slippage or loss of fingers. This was followed by rope-coiling demos -- right-handed ropes are coiled clockwise on the deck, and secured on the pin by means of a reverse turn pulled through the main coil, and hooked over.
After a coffee break we had emergency drills on fire, man overboard and general emergency. We then assembled in the waist (middle of the ship in front of the bridge) for principles of going aloft re H & S, plus the sailing practicalities of square–riggers. Furling and unfurling of sails was then discussed with lots of new sailing terms being introduced – e.g. jackstays, gaskets, cranelines, ratlines and a Flemish Horse to name but a few! After a session on knots it was time to go aloft!
Onto the side of the ship we went, then up the ratlines (ladder ‘twixt the shrouds), onto the Jacob’s ladder onto the lower platform. Clipping on with our harnesses was mandatory.
Once back down safely we had Captain’s briefing : the main plan was to leave Wed morning, and motor 400-500 miles west once clear of the English Channel. This was to get beyond the series of lows building up, and then hopefully pick up the NW Trade Winds.

DAY 3 Wednesday 21st November.

Cast off warps & left quay at 10.47am. Captain manoeuvred across the harbour verbally with a member of the voyage crew helming. We tied up to the other side to pick up fresh water.
At 12.23 pm we cast off finally and together with our Harbour Pilot set off past Drake’s Island to starboard and then Plymouth Breakwater to port. Soon after, the pilot departed and we headed SSW along the Cornish coast. I soon recognised Dodman point, and later on Falmouth and St Mawes could just be seen. We motored on into an increasing swell and wind at Force 5. By the evening, sea-sickness struck with a vengeance. I was slightly ill, but some crew were in misery for
3 days.

DAY 4 Thursday 22nd November.

A big day for all of us, not least the captain. I was up at 3.30 am for the Morning Watch. During the night the wind had become gale Force 7 and by the end of our Watch it was gale Force 8,with gusts of 40 knots and occasionally 45 knots. The wind was howling in the rigging, yards were all braced parallel to the wind, and in addition to the motor we had two sails up – the fore topmast staysail and the main topmast staysail. These stabilised the ship and gave us some forward drive too.
At home my secret ambition was to be at the helm of a ship in Gale Force 8 plus. Well my ambition was soon fulfilled, since the Chief Officer informed me that the wind was up to Force 9 with gusts up to 50 knots by the time my helming was over. The Captain told us that the two low pressures had combined. Whoops - sounds like a well known film to me. Most of the excitement involved seeing how the ship dealt with the increasing waves and turbulent seas. Well is the answer. Waves were 20 foot minimum but likely to be underestimated from above. During this watch my confidence in the Captain and the ship was consolidated. She rode the seas well, took some water over the lee side and was occasionally awash at the waist. I also spotted some Storm Petrels as the dawn came in, expertly tailing us using the drag.
After the Watch it was breakfast, but this did not agree so I left off food for 2 days. I turned in for a daytime sleep. During this time the ship was hit by a line squall 30 miles long & 2 miles deep. In anticipation the watertight doors were closed down below. During the squall wind speeds reached 67 knots (75mph), which is Force 12.

Just after this the captain (Mr Glue Feet), decided to have a cup of tea but was hurled the full length of the canteen scalding himself and Nicky, who responded in a dour Scots accent “I would have preferred coffee.” The fridge went over, the microwave went the full length of the galley and the cutlery tray was smashed. Peter, the assistant cook, went flying and landed in a pool of eggs!
Back on watch from 4 till 6am: what a wet, cold and windy watch this was, with driving rain and huge waves.

DAY 5 Friday 23rd November

Another rough day. This is now becoming part of our daily lives. Wind force is gale 7 to 8 and we are still motoring roughly west to try to get clear of the foul weather. A lot of people are still suffering from the effects of seasickness. At the morning’s briefing the Captain explained that we were going to head west all day, but the good news was that we were likely to pick up the NW trade winds by night fall. He was right.
I later devoured my supper, which was a lovely beef stew.
During the evening Watch the wind was in the north west, so at last we had the favourable winds required by a square–rigger.
We were now coming off the Continental Shelf, since at the beginning of the watch the sea depth was 700m and 4 hours later it was 5,000m (3miles). We were also in the shipping lanes with lots of other vessels about. A big tanker was planning to come very close and Gemma (3rd Officer) spoke to them on the radio to persuade them to back off a bit, since there was no need to pass within half a mile of us.

DAY 6 Saturday 24th November

At the morning briefing the Captain announced that the engines would be shut down and the sails were to go up. Still a big wind and big sea but really getting used to it now, steady force 8 gusting 9 (45 knots/52mph).

My job during the next Watch was to take the helm. This was a great responsibility as I had the Captain next to me barking orders, and in addition a lot of crew aloft on the yardarms preparing the sails. Most of those people had only practiced this when the ship was tied up in Plymouth! Once done the engines were finally shut down & the ship spanked along at 8.5 knots under just two sails.

After I was released, but still on the bridge I noticed an assortment of wildlife that was tracking alongside. This included storm petrels, a gannet and a large pod of dolphins on a mission.
During the afternoon I fell dead asleep and when I awoke I found that a further sail had been put up, and the wind had eased slightly.

However on the night watch the wind force had dramatically increased yet again to a gale, and the ship’s movements were quite erratic.
I was given some time off during the small hours to write this diary. Imagine sitting in a cramped office with nowhere to put one’s feet, the office chair on which one is sitting is liable to tip right over and the keyboard is sliding around. It is 3.30am & one is seriously sleep-deprived! This might explain some poor spelling and English which has just been corrected!

DAY 7 Sunday 25th November.

Some direct notes from my log – on Morning Watch 4am till 8am.Not too cold, no rain,3/8 cloud,13C.Wind up to Force 7 gusting Force 8 (nearly 50mph).Only one ship crossed our bow from port to starboard. Great moon; waxing still. Checked North Star – got bearing of 358 degrees first go --- quite happy with that ! Had long discussions with other members of the watch. No small talk. Sea raging, the ship rolling & dipping her gunnels under quite regularly; wind howling in the rigging. Still the earnest talking: what a mixed bunch of talented people I have been thrown in with.
Later – the wind was up even more now with spray and foam whipping off the wave tops. After supper the Captain came to us to ask for volunteers to hand (furl) the sails, since we were in danger of losing them. Bearing in mind it was dark, with a raging storm outside and the crew had only been aloft once, this was a major task. However a queue rapidly formed. I was not picked, so was forced to watch with trepidation from the bridge. The sails had been partially furled by pulling on a series of ropes, but the hanging remainder was now being thrashed by the wind. Up went the volunteers illuminated by the mast lights, and such a dramatic sight I have never witnessed in my life. The higher the men went the greater the fury of the storm. After half an hour of nail-biting drama the men were safely down and the sails stowed.
We were now back under motor again, heading SSW into the Atlantic in Storm Force 10.
Bed for all, except Veni who was one of the chosen few who had been aloft: he sat up all night on an adrenalin high!

DAY 8 Monday 26th November.

On Middle Watch, 12-4am. Took the helm for a good session: course 200 – 205 deg.(SW) I tried 203 deg all the time to try and keep her steady. Wind strength --- can you believe this? In books the storms seem to last only one or two days, but not this one --- still severe gale 9! Ship rocking and rolling. I am getting quite ace at making a cup of tea under these conditions --- ship rolls to left cup twisted to right, ship back to right cup to left, & up to 45 degrees on frequent occasions! Sugar is added half way between rolls!
Great night for moon and stars: moon nearly full and Jupiter very bright too.
Breakfast, then Captain’s briefing: the high pressure over the Azores was sending predictable NW winds down south and in addition we had the Portuguese Current going south at about ½ a knot. This was all good news as in addition the wind had dropped to a mere 28 knots. It was sails up time again! By the mid morning, and after a great deal of sweating on ropes, we had four sails up and were whizzing south at 8 knots.
Steak for supper, then back on Watch till midnight. Beautiful evening, not cold (12.5c), wind NW 20-25 knots with odd squalls. Came down after the Watch for tea & ginger biscuits. Fell into bed – bunk so comfortable now, a snug cocoon of bliss!

DAY 9 Tuesday 27th November.

Sunshine and now 13.5c so getting warmer. Wind moderate at Force 5-6. Ship’s speed 6-7 knots with 4 sails up.
Lecture from the Chief Officer on navigation lights during the morning, followed by an excellent lunch of mushroom soup followed by pizza. In the afternoon we had another lecture on Rules of the Road for seafarers.
On 2nd dogwatch (6-8pm) --- beautiful evening, slightly warmer again as now 14c; making good speed SSW at 8-11 knots. We are about halfway down the Iberian Peninsula now. Huge rolling well now, which the ship is surfing down. We are at 40 deg latitude & 12 deg longitude. Ever heard of the ‘roaring forties’? This has nothing to do with men having midlife crises, it is the great winds in the latitude 40! Sea depth is an amazing 5300 metres. The moon is full now.
Everyone is getting into the rhythm of Watches and lack of sleep, but there is always the assurance of having good tucker served up, regardless of the ship’s violent motion!

DAY 10 Wednesday 28th November.

The ship made very good progress in the night recording a top speed of 12 knots with Tony on the helm. He has now been given the name of Twelve Knots Tony! Wind still 27 knots (Force 6). We have finally left the ‘roaring forties’ and are now in lat 39deg. Hmm, the wind & sea seem to be blissfully unaware of this fact!
I was on Mess duties all day, and in fact did not go up on deck for 24 hours. Wrote up my diary for the log blog!
Bed, then lie-in until 12.30 am – Hmm! That’s the middle of the night folks – wake up! A life on the ocean waves.

DAY 11 Thursday 29th November.

On Watch duty as above till 4 am. Wind NW, about 20 knots (Force 5), ship on 38deg latitude now so we are not far from Gibraltar (the bottom of Spain). Distance to Santa Cruz, Tenerife now 454 miles (always Nautical Miles note = 1852 metres,so a long mile) In the last 24 hrs the ship has travelled an impressive 173 miles. Weather is getting warmer on the bridge at night.
Excellent breakfast of porridge, scrambled egg, tomato, and sausage, followed by loads of toast.
Morning lecture from Chief Officer about marker buoys in channels.
During the afternoon Watch I was on the helm, and asked Gemma ( Officer of the Watch) if we could put up more sails to get a bit more speed on :she replied rather guardedly that they were waiting on a decision. All was soon revealed and the ship’s crew, particularly the permanent crew were about to be rigorously tested. It transpired that Griff in Red Watch had been taken seriously ill and a new drama was about to unfold. Based on medical opinion on board ship the Captain had spoken to a doctor in Falmouth via the Coastguard Station and he had advised to get Griff off ASAP. Falmouth contacted Lisbon Coastguard (Portugal) & they phoned the hospital in Madeira island! Next thing was the Portuguese navy sent a helicopter out! Suddenly there was frantic activity, and certainly excitement too on board. “All hands to brace the yards”, then all sails were rapidly furled and suddenly we all spotted the helicopter! What was the pla ? None of the Voluntary Crew knew so we just watched and took photos. It transpired that there was no way this helicopter could get a man down to the aft (backend) of the ship because of all the rigging in the way. Suddenly Kim and Fliss (bosun & 2nd Officer) were whizzing about preparing a RIB (one of those inflatable boats); down into the sea it went, the girls dressed up like spacemen, then poor Griff down over the side too. The RIB raced off towards the helicopter a few hundred metres away. Imagine the wind strength underneath it! Double it and add a bit more on! We all thought the RIB might flip over hurling two girls and Griff into the maelstrom. However due to their extreme skill and bravery, the man lowered on the wire from above successfully boarded, hooked up Griff and away they went into the sky. All was well and Kim roared back on full throttle. The helicopter flew once around the ship and then zoomed off to Madeira hospital. I said at the beginning, that this voyage was full of drama: that was some rescue mission we witnessed.
A few notes on the rest of the day --- sails back up, plus one extra, temperature warmer now @ 17c, wind NW Force 4, and on Lat 35 deg now. Evening Watch was beautiful with warm breeze and moonlight.
Bed. Some day!

DAY 12 Friday 30th November.

Warmer again @ 18C, wind reduced to Force 4 with a moderate sea swell. We took the water temp today amongst other Met Obs and it was 19C. Wow. Still virtually nil wildlife. We have depleted the oceans.
At Captain’s briefing he told us that we had hoped to sail via Madeira and pick up Griff. However he had had surgery for appendicitis so he would be in hospital for a few days. Another good decision made by the permanent crew (to send Griff off). Well done.
Later the Captain also said in his lovely Irish accent “the big swell should reduce today from every two waves to every couple or so”!!
More lectures on sailing techniques in square-riggers during the morning.
Rest of the day was uneventful. We were sailing along in the direction we wanted to go (about SSW) at 5-6 knots.

DAY 13 Saturday 1st December.

On Morning Watch 4-8 am: much warmer now and have shed a few layers. Note a few as it’s much colder at sea! Air temp was 19C and sea temp 21.5C. Took helm – large swell now about 2.5- 3 metres. We took a lot more Met observations, fed them into a computer in the chartroom, and these were sent to the main Met Centre in Bracknell! How cool is that.
Happy hour, that is to say cleaning, followed after breakfast. At his stage I must point out that chief cook Bill, his wife Karen, and Peter never failed to produce a meal during our adventure voyage even under the most dire conditions. A big “thank you” to all of them.
Another mid-morning lecture was given as part of our Competent Crew Certificate (Royal Yachting Association.).
On Watch again at 4 pm: lovely sailing as a warm wind & Force 3. People turning up in shorts and tea shirts on the bridge. However a rain squall came and put paid to that! Still huge swell on the sea of about 3 metres. We still have six sails up in total. This may not sound a lot, out of a total of 18 but the trouble is, if the wind gets up someone has to go up aloft to stow them.
Early to bed as on again at midnight. This is not for the faint–hearted this sort of voyage!

DAY 14 Sunday 2nd December.

Canary islands only about 70 miles away now, so land will probably be sighted at dawn. This will be just into Blue Watch blast it. White Watch want to be the ones to shout ‘land ahoy’! The Watch notes show light winds of just Force 3, but still the huge swell, so if anyone had been parachuted onto the ship they would have been thrown around like a top. We are now heading for Fuerteventura island. More ships around now and one liner had to change course for us. Temp now 21C at nights. When the Watch finished we had only 30 miles to sail until land.
Off to bed. Whilst I was asleep Amelia sighted land. Humph!
During breakfast we sailed round the south side of the island. Immediately after this it was up on deck for bracing the yards, then it was my turn to go aloft to stow the fore upper topsail (3rd yard up), and then the one below as well. Once the sails were stowed we motored towards the harbour but were not allowed in owing to ferries arriving. We then simply anchored offshore and once everything was shipshape we were free to climb the rigging for photos etc. After this it was swimming time.Yeah ! Some of us dived off the side, and later a couple of people pirated back via ropes chucked over the gunnels.
About 7 pm the captain skilfully took us into the harbour where we moored up.
Later we had our first experience on land for many days: it rocks when one has been at sea for a while. We walked up to the village and sat outside with a drink. Later we ate some freshly cooked fish.

DAY 15 Monday 3rd December.

On Watch in port from midnight for just an hour to stop unwanted guests.
After breakfast and briefing, it was all hands on deck to get ready for leaving port. We now planned to head for Gran Canaria island. I went up aloft to get the main-mast lower sail ready, but no sooner down got picked to helm the ship out of port. We struggled to maintain our course once engines were shut down, so the yards had to be braced hard to port side. This done we tidied up all the ropes on deck into neat coils in order to get rid of ‘spaghetti mile.’
We were now free for a while, so I immediately asked an officer if I could go up onto the huge bowsprit. This was allowed provided we wore harnesses and clipped on. Three of us worked our way out to the very end and stood up. This is THE ultimate cool and was such fun. Flying fish added to the excitement.
Supper was excellent Cajun chicken. We sailed on through the night.

DAY 16 Tuesday 4th December.

Woke up at 7 am. Panic! What happened to our Morning Watch from 4-8 am? Well it transpired that we reached our anchorage at Puerto Mogan, Gran Canaria at about 2 am, and then the Permanent and Volunteer crews did the lot. This meant dropping anchor, bunching up all the sails from below, and then properly stowing up aloft. White Watch never heard a thing! Thanks guys for giving us a lie in.
After breakfast it was more fun, as we were to have rowing tests in the line boats. We did several laps around the ship and on the last lap I suggested we pull a bit harder to give a spurt. I gave a couple of hard pulls and whoops the oar broke in half with a great crack.
After stowing the boats on the main ship, we were taken ashore in the RIB and given three hours free. I listened to live jazz and then had a swim in the harbour.
After supper we lightened up further by playing silly games. Quite right too. This has been one hell of a trip.

DAY 17 Wednesday 5th December.

Up at 6.15am for Mess duties. We had weighed anchor whilst I was asleep and were already under way bound for Tenerife. This was under motor alone. After breakfast we assembled amidships in the ‘waist’ to gather teams for going aloft. This was to effect a neat “harbour stow” on all of the sails that had been used. I went out to the end of the yard, called the yardarm to do the outer clew of the sail. As this is the most difficult part there is always competition to do this bit! See what a team we are! Not only do you walk along the foot rope under the yard, but at the end transfer onto another line called the Flemish horse. To find out why it is called this you will just have to sign up and give it a try! Whilst we were up on the yards we saw flying fish from above! How cool is that. Once all down safely, Chris from our Watch was given the helm all the way to Santa Cruz where our berth lay. Quite a tough berthing manoeuvre was accomplished, turning the ship round in a tight harbour and then moving sideways into a tiny “parking space”. Scary stuff. There was a lot of full rudder, and engines ahead and astern on opposite sides etc.
Once moored safely up, the most exciting adventure voyage of my life was effectively over.
There was a BBQ in the waist in the early evening, and then we all went ashore for deep intellectual discussions over beer or wine. Or something like that!

DAY 18 Thursday 6th December.

Deep clean of the inside of the boat after breakfast. Some departure briefing by the Captain, and then a day off. Plans for a final night out are in progress.

Signing off now. See you on another voyage maybe. Put down those digital Tablets & I-pads and enter the REAL world of adventure.