Toe in the Water
Following Steve White's visit to the club for the cruiser class dinner, he offered members the chance to experience the thrill and the hardship of sailing an Open 60.
Five keen boys and one keen girl met at The Boat That Rocked early one Saturday morning recently to take on the Open 60 and pop over to Cherbourg.
Finding Toe in the Water was not hard, the tallest mast in the new Dean and Reddyhoff marina at Portland.
Steve was already on board and after stowing our gear in the very cramped crew area Steve gave a safety brief and then we slipped our dock lines and motored out of the marina.
Hoisting the main with its 25 metre luff took five of us almost the time it took to get across to the Northern entrance, clearing the harbour and the bunkering vessels nearby the gennacker was dragged up out of the sail locker, snaking up and down the foredeck the 2 to 1 halyard was clipped on and the sheets and tack attached, another ten minutes of sweating got the green monster up and we were off.
All Steve said was, "There's the boat, Cherbourg is at 150' she is yours, play with it as you see fit"; he switched off the pilot and went below.
Steve Homan Berry was first to grab the stick as we bowled effortlessly along at 12 knots with less than 10 knots of breeze at the top of the mast.
The afternoon sun glistened off the sea as confidence amongst the group grew as sail trim was adjusted, Barber haulers clipped on the gennaker, the main was dropped down and then up the track and water ballast added to the rear windward tank in and effort to squeeze more speed out of the 60 foot, carbon fibre, world circumnavigating, rocket ship.
Within four hours the French coast was in sight and thoughts turned to getting the sails down, fixing the WSC burgee to the shrouds, and getting everything stowed ready for the evenings run ashore.
A compulsory beer at the yacht club in Cherbourg (£6.20 a glass) and then off to La Gale the local restaurant which is home to the likes of Michel Desjoyeaux when in town. Unfortunately it was full, however across the square was a local home brew pub that dispensed real ales French style i.e.cold and fizzy.
Returning to La Gale we tucked into Moules, wine and cognac as Steve talked about his plans for the future.
Around one in the morning we settled in for the night, some chose the comfort of pipe cots whilst Steve HB and myself climbed around the engine, through a small hatch and into the sail locker, although only boasting head room of five foot the floor area was the size of a modern lounge, except it had no windows, no lights and was painted black. However we did get to sleep on the most expensive bed sheets, tens of thousand of pounds worth of sails!
After a very sleepless night with the lapping of water and the constant squeak of the fenders against the micro thin hull we were greeted by a heavy shower and a dull grey day with a strong north westerly pushing the boat against the pontoon.
After a shower and an interesting French take on a full English breakfast, complete with salad and vinaigrette dressing we headed back out to sea, struggling to get off the pontoon we managed to leave Steve Ives stranded on the dock. However some interesting manoeuvring going astern around the marina enabled our missing crew man to be plucked from a moored motor boat and we tentatively headed out of the Marina. The Open 60 draws 4.5 metres empty and there is less than 4 metres of water at low water in the entrance, Steve advised us to grab something in case we went aground and were thrown forward, thankfully we grazed over the bottom and escaped out into the main harbour were the painstaking job of hoisting and reefing the main commenced. Clear of the outer walls the Solent was unfurled speed increased ballast added to the tanks and the reefs shaken out.
Smoke started to pour out of the companionway whilst all of this was going on as an alternator belt decided to give up the ghost, Steve, totally unabashed turned off the engine and proceeded to change the belt whilst we enjoyed the sleigh ride. Although the wind was from the east, our boat speed of around 16 knots bought the wind forward as we pummelled along and soon the French coast was lost in the mist.
A sail was spotted on the horizon, sailing the same bearing as ourselves, within an hour he was alongside, we just had chance to exchange waves as we piled on past him and within another hour he had disappeared.
We were keen to launch the small 340 square metre kite (a Squibs is about 8 sq metres,) so we headed off toward St Albans to get a better angle on the wind. Again we struggled to extract the massive bright green snake of a sail from the sail locker and set about launching it. Don't sail above 130 degrees to the wind warned Steve, otherwise we WILL wipe out.
As the boat speed increased it was tempting to push it closer to 130 degrees and at 131', Steve White in a wavering voice said to Steve HB "careful" and promptly grabbed the other tiller to pull her off the wind, we all took turns on the helm whilst Steve White trimmed the massive kite on the coffee grinder.
With Portland quickly looming ahead, the kite was snuffed, again with lots of grunting and groaning, and Toe in the Water was nursed in through the eastern entrance were the main was dropped en route to the marina.
Finally alongside, the boat was put to bed, but not before Steve Dadd was winched up the mast to carry out a bit of maintenance. Aloft at a pinch under 90 foot, one only has to admire the boys and girls who take these trucks to sea single-handed and handle the massive sails, the over engineered equipment and climb the mast, not under the watchful eyes and helpful hands of friends, alongside. No, they climb up a halyard, inch by inch whilst travelling along at up to 20 knots being buffeted by the wind and beaten against the mast, putting their trust in the pilot. No wonder after nearly an hour of climbing they are knackered, all in a days work though.
One last team photo and good-byes and a tired and weary bunch head off home, ready for a hot bath, glass of wine and an early night, safe in the knowledge they had experienced something that not many others had - sailed and helmed an Open 60.
