7th July 2007

Having clarified with the staff of British Waterways that the maximum air draft to facilitate a transit through the canal was 3 metres we prepared Sun Dog and carefully measured the air draft as being slightly under the maximum at around 2.9 metres.

We set out from Port Edgar to arrive off the Carron River entrance around 18.15 as previously arranged with the guys from British Waterways.

On board was myself, my partner Sara and her good friend Eilidh who had not been on a yacht before and also had never been through canal locks either. Eilidh was keen to take the helm so once clear of Port Edgar she took the helm in a F3/4 wind against tide situation with the associated short choppy waves.

I’m delighted to state that she was as happy as a sand bunny riding through the waves. As for me; I was pleased that I had taken the time to lash the mast and boom securely to Sun Dog as this would not have been the time to try and re-adjust !!

We had pre-booked our slot to get into the first lock (currently numbered Lock 2) but first we had to get up the Carron River with enough water underneath us whilst having sufficient air draft to get under the Kerse Road Bridge. Given the fact that the river level (impact on height) can fluctuate, we had arranged to give the lads at the Lock a call when we were approaching the river as they agreed to come out and allow us to follow them up the river to the first lock. This was the start of what can only be described as first class service from all the staff of British Waterways (BW) who were involved in our transit of the canal.

They asked us to follow them up the river (keep in our wake) while they were taking depth measurements with a stick all the way up the river.

To be honest I think this would be advisable for anyone transitting the canal with similar air draft, because at times we were pretty close to the banks of the river – local knowledge is a wonderful thing! I’m pleased to say that we slid under the Kerse Road bridge easily enough and entered the first lock and into the Forth & Clyde Canal proper to berth for the evening, mightily relieved and looking forward to the rest of the trip.

8th July 2007

The next morning we had been asked to be ready for around 08.00 to ensure we completed all the paperwork and provide a copy of insurance certificate ( a “must have” document) and were informed that we would be locking through with a 60ft barge that would eventually be cutting off to join the Union Canal at the Falkirk Wheel (as they were heading for the centre of Edinburgh) . Going through the locks with the barge crewed by Charles & Hamish was a lot of fun – nice guys.

I have to say that the BW staff were exemplary in taking lines and working all the lock gates etc. Also Sara had given Eilidh some instruction on handling the ropes while going through the locks and she stuck to her task well, so well in fact it never once looked like this was her first experience of rope handling – well done Eilidh.

Our plan was to get through to the Stables at Glasgow Road Bridge and spend the night tied alongside, all through the locks Sara and Eilidh worked as a great team and made the whole process really easy and straightforward – not once did they miss a throw or end up with a rope in the water – really neat teamwork.

We said goodbye to Charles & Hamish at the Falkirk Wheel and wished them well on their return journey. We waited and waited for an operator to come down and open the bridge, so the girls had gone up to the Falkirk Wheel offices to find said operator. While they were away the person arrived Sod’s Law but it had to happen. I just cast off the lines and took Sun Dog through the bridge and picked the girls up on the other side amid much laughing and banter – so good for the soul.

We were to pick up another boat at the road bridge further down river and accompany them to the Stables.

There were some really lovely parts of the canal, and given the fact the sun was shining, really enhanced the experience. I really never thought it would be so pretty.

When we arrived at the hydraulic road bridge we had to wait while two other boats came through first, this was to be the first of a number of different solutions to the road crossings now in place since the canal was closed and subsequently re-opened. This bridge being hydraulic with some others being basic and others can only be described as somewhat ingenious – like the Falkirk Wheel linking the Forth & Clyde canal with the Union canal.

We duly arrived at the Stables and had a lovely quiet night alonside the pontoon. Chap next to us was not so fortunate as he had picked up a lump of plastic sheeting around his prop. However as luck would have it, he has a dry suit onboard and nipped over the stern to cut this away and disposed of it safely so that no other boat would have trouble with this particular piece of plastic.

9th July 2007

We set off from the Stables (Glasgow Road Bridge) at 07.00, as we had a reasonable run to get to the next set of locks at Maryhill in Glasgow and start our descent towards Bowling. En route to Maryhill we reached Stockingfield Junction ( a “T” Junction) where to go left ,would take one towards Port Dundas whereas we branched right for Maryhill and arrived at the top of the locks around 08.30.

Once again the BW staff were already there preparing the locks, and lo and behold another 60ft barge was joining us for the descent. They were heading for the penultimate lock gate before Bowling, therefore we would be in company all day. When we were going “up the locks” with Charles and Hamish and their 60 ft barge, they always went in first and were properly tied alonside before we entered. This time as we were going “down the locks” we had to enter the lock first and then watch a mass of steel heading towards our fibreglass boat. All I can say is 10 out of 10 for the chap at the helm of this barge and he was inch perfect in every lock – a mighty relief to me I can assure you.

After going down the initial batch of locks at Maryhill we tied up to a rest area where there were BW shower blocks and toilets – everyone took full use of the facilities and also took time to enjoy a cuppa and feed the swans.

After this we had only another lock to negotiate before arriving at the worlds only sail through Chippie – right in the centre of Clydebank. As we were approaching we could see that McMonagles restuarant was shaped like a boat. We had been told by the BW staff earlier that we could tie alongside the pontoons and walk back to the restuarant, or tie up at the “take away” window and get our Fish N’ Chips prior to going onto the pontoons. Well what would you do ? – Correct we did the same and pulled up the take away hatch……………really neat and a “must do” if transitting the Canal for the first time – a real novelty.

We had to stay tied alongside the pontoons while the walkway to the shopping centre was closed to pedestrians and the bridge raised enough for us to get under – a fairly substantial number of people stood around watching all this happen – again I think pretty neat and different thing to happen whilst out shopping!

With everyone suitably rested we once again set off heading for what was for me, going to be one of the highlights of the trip – going through the Dalmuir Drop Lock – which is one on the ingenious solutions on the canal. Boats arrive in the canal at the same height as the road and then they drop the water level down so that boats are below the level of the road – boats then motor underneath and them reverse the process once across on the other side……..really neat solution.

Exiting the Dalmuir Drop Lock we were asked to take our time getting down to the next bridge, which was one of the Bascule Bridges, and a neat fit for Sun Dog given the height and width of the wheelhouse – however we had been under others previously so no drama.

Onwards from here we had another type of crossing ahead, this time stopping the vehicle traffic as it was a swing bridge – but prior to reaching this we had a our first glimpse of the Erskine bridge which spans the Clyde and proved we were nearing the end of the transit.

Once through the swing bridge we had the penultimate lock before entering Bowling. The barges are not allowed to go any further once through this lock. If you look closely you can see the swing bridge only a few hundred yards astern.

Within another few hundred yards we were at the final lock into Bowling and as the barge was not allowed through this lock it felt quite spacious 🙂

Once through this lock we had only to get under the footbridge and old rail bridge, neither of which needs to be opened – and we were into Bowling Basin where we would get the mast back up and all the rigging adjusted. Incidentally this re-stepping of the mast is included within the transit fee – which makes it even better value.

10th July 2007

Decided on a rest day after getting the mast up the previous evening, but with all the wee jobs that needed doing- it wasn’t too much of a rest day! However we did get the chance to see a small fishing boat coming in through the sea lock, and we went for a walk to look at the wrecks that are in the outer harbour. These are no real navigational issue for entering or leaving the canal, and I guess in the fullness of time they will be removed and this area will be developed.

With the stick back up.

11th July 2007

All jobs done, topped up with water and fuel – the first refuelling since Marcus & I topped her up in Sunderland.

Total fuel 114 ltrs which equated to under 3 ltrs per hour since Sunderland – I reckon in the 16 hours the engine had been running in the canal (albeit barely above tickover) fuel consumption must have been around 1-1.5 ltrs per hour, as the overall fuel consumption when bringing her up from Ipswich was around 5 ltrs per hour at around 1600 revs. It will be interesting to see the consumption figures over the balance of the holiday.

Entered the sea lock at 11.00 in company with another yacht – once again BW staff were on hand to assist and hat’s off to Alex and all the guys from BW who made this transit so enjoyable and trouble free.

When the lock gates opened the skipper of the other yacht opened his trottle as if the Devil himself was trying jump onboard and the poor guy at the stern almost lost the lifebuoy and possibly could have got himself caught up whilst trying to get the line off……………….not good……………but thankfully no one injured and no damage done…that is good. But the Lord himself only knows why this skipper wanted to exit at warp factor 5 !!

Anyhow, out we went exiting the lock and into the harbour then into the River Clyde for the balance of our holiday. A wonderful few days with good weather, excellent company, and exemplary service from British Waterways staff.

Any fellow Rogger owners who are considering this transit through the Forth & Clyde canal can do this happy in the knowledge that at least one (perhaps a lot more) has/have already done so – it could save a fair amount of time if travelling to the West of Scotland /Ireland from Holland etc – an alternative to having to go up to the Caledonian Canal and transit from Inverness to Fort William. Currently the charges are £6.00 per metre for a transit and less than half that price for a return journey, and bear in mind this also includes the re-stepping/dropping of the mast in Bowling. We ourselves had dropped our mast in Port Edgar before setting off for the canal, but my undertanding is there are facilities for dropping/re-stepping the mast around Grangemouth Yacht Club – but if you have any doubts, simply call either Carron or Bowling Sea Locks as the guys are very helpful and a credit to British Waterways.

One final point to end this part of the blog – and as a general observation for anyone planning to transit the canal. My engine overheat alarm went off once when going through the canal, and when I checked the raw water filter basket it had a fair amount of weed restricting the flow of cooling water to the engine. An easy fix and no damage done, but in my honest opinion it would be advisable to check the raw water filter basket at each stop – only takes minutes! Just glad that I had an audible alarm as I might not have noticed the engine temperature climbing on the gauge.

Thursday 21st June

Right to Left: Skipper Marcus, Phil & Me

Return leg to Poole crewing for my good friend Marcus Tettmar onboard his Hanse 371 “Csardas”

On Thursday morning the wind had vanished. A slight puff from the North. So after a lazy morning, filling the tank with diesel and buying a few extra items for the ships stores, we headed out of the harbour just before noon.

This would be Phil’s first passage, his longest trip to date Poole to Lymington and back with Marcus – about 20nm in either direction. He took a few anti-seasickness pills just in case. Probably a good job as there was a bit of a swell left over from the recent strong winds. And with only light winds to begin with the waves would often knock the wind out of the sails. So there was a fair bit of rolling around and crashing and banging of sails to begin with but slowly the wind picked up with Phil taking the helm and staying on it to the point where the back of his hands were sunburnt, whilst his fingers were white!

We were all looking forward to Phil experiencing his first night sail and basic tuition on lights was given fully expecting us to see one or two ships and fishing boats. In the event it must have been the most uneventful night ever. It was also incredibly dark. The cloud cover obscured the stars and moon and we didn’t see one other vessel all night!

Friday 22nd June

The wind had picked up on Friday morning and we began to make up for our slow progress. We even managed to fly the spinnaker for a while but took it down when the clouds we had been watching towering up into the sky behind us began to get closer. We weren’t quite sure what it meant but it looked ominous. As it happened the wind picked up only a little and we avoided any rain. We ended up with the genoa poled out instead.

We caught sight of the Isles of Scilly by about lunch time and decided to make use of this wind and get further East. We skirted the northern, rocky shores of the islands …..

…and then headed across the shipping lanes towards Wolf Rock and on towards the Lizard. Crossing the traffic separation scheme gave us plenty to do as we dodged the ships.

Later on, somewhere near The Lizard we noticed a dolphin break a wave on our starboard side. Then more. Phil was down below making tea or something so Marcus shouted for him to drop what he was doing and get on deck. You never tire of seeing dolphins around the boat, and apparently it’s not a daily occurence in the channel as it is further south, so this was special. For about half an hour we had a large pod of dolphins playing on our bow wave and swimming around the boat. What a treat.

The following night was much more pleasant. The stars were visible. We saw several shooting stars and even a couple of satellites and the phosphorescence sparkled in our wake. In the morning, with the wind dead aft we poled out the genoa to stop it flapping around and picked up our pace.

Saturday 23rd June

Marcus had decided to head to Dartmouth as neither Phil nor I had been to Dartmouth before and it is his favourite port on the South coast. So he wanted us to see it and experience the grand river entrance.

We arrived just before Noon. We could see rain lashing down on the land. It was dry out at sea. It was strange to have to put our wet weather gear on because we were heading into a harbour rather than out of it! We got soaking wet as we motored into the river, but we were all impressed at the car ferry. Look carefully and you will see it is only a raft being controlled by a small tug !!

Then, just to give us a bit of a tour Marcus motored up to Ditisham and back before mooring at the marina in Kingswear.

With dripping overalls hanging up in the boat we tried to time our trips to the shower block with breaks in the weather and then went over to Dartmouth on the ferry for a late lunch. Back on the boat the weather began to improve and we were soon sitting outside sipping a beer.

A wooden 50 foot Sparkman and Stephens designed yacht of around 20-30 years old was tied up outside the pontoon and it turned out was being handed over to it’s new owners, a young Belgian couple. They were left by the old owner with just their dog as crew and asked us if we would help them take it to their fore-and-aft mooring in the river.

However, what wind there was was, plus an ebbing tide, was pushing them on to the pontoon and boats of this design and age are notoriously uncooperative under power. A power boat was moored, unattended in front and a boats length behind were moored boats and the boat hoist dock. At first we just assumed the usual role as crew and stood around waiting to be told what to do. But it soon became apparent just how inexperienced this pair was.

The young lady on the helm appeared to want to go full power ahead and hope for the best. Marcus and I both knew that the power boat in front would become a heap of fibres if we tried that tactic. We saw three options – one was to spring off, another was to use a long line across to the next trot of boats and pull the bow off, and the other was to move the powerboat.

We suggested springing off to begin with as that involved less rope and messing about. This presented two options – springing forward and moving out astern, or springing back and moving out forwards. The first would get us further off the pontoon but then we would be putting our faith in the ability of the boat to steer backwards under power, and we all knew that a boat like this would probably make it’s own mind up as to which way it would go when motoring astern, so we decided not to risk that method.

Springing aft would be safest, but wouldn’t get us as far off the pontoon due to the shape of the boat. Sure enough the ebb tide, the wind, the long keel, the shape of the aft section of the boat and no doubt the offset engine all contrived against us. We just couldn’t get the bow to come round far enough. Oh, and the fact that the owners had clearly never sprung off before and the young girl just wouldn’t leave the engine in gear. She finally insisted that we tied the stern line tight and she put the engine in full ahead. We had no idea how that would do anything other than keep the boat on the pontoon, or pull a cleat out of it, but she seemed to think it would pull the bow out. Marcus was beginning to lose patience, albeit he is to much of a gent to show it !!

As he put it – we were here to help not give instruction to unwilling students. Finally the most sensible decision was made – to leave it until tomorrow, get the marina to stand by with a rib and try again with the tide and/or wind hopefully pushing the other way.

Sunday 24th June

On Sunday morning after a trip to the chandlery for some necessary and some unnecessary items, including a bit of “practise rope” that we bought as a bit of fun for Phil, we were again accosted to help move this enormous yacht.

This time the wind was blowing lightly off the pontoon and the marina guy had quite happily obliged with a dory. At the end of the day faced with the option of attending with a launch or the potential for several squashed yachts it is an easy decision for the marina to make.

Of course with the wind now helping the boat left the pontoon easily and safely. We then motored up to the trot of moorings to which the boat should be tied. It then transpired that the new owners didn’t actually know which mooring it was and got on the blower to the old owner.

Finally they discovered that we were to tie alongside a ketch and that lazy lines had been left for us to pick up. Unfortunately the new owners appeared to be in a bit of a hurry and rather than motor around and reconnoiter the situation they made a decision to go port alongside.

The marina guy moored his dory the other side and helped with lines and we were eventually tied up to this ketch after a bit of tug of war against an overzealous helms person. We then discovered that the lazy lines to the buoys were on the other side of the ketch. So we had to cast off and start again, this time the other way round.

Again a simple case of helping out turned into a bit of a chore and we all got covered in seaweed and wet from the lines. Eventually the marina guy, eyes rolling, ferried Marcus and I back to the marina. We were left wondering if this couple had bought the right boat for sailing two handed. These boats were built with no engine in mind, when marinas were scarce and designed to be sailed by 12 crew. But I’m sure they’ll learn about the boat’s idiosyncrasies in time.

Our plan was to leave the Dart that Sunday evening and catch the tide round Portland Bill at 1am.

We motored out of the river in a light drizzle at 1830 into a flat calm with ominous clouds once again looming.

The engine stayed on for about 4 hours until the wind started to fill in. The forecast was for NWly gales later. Later means 12 hours. We should be in Poole by then, but hopefully we’d get the beginnings of the gale and get a fair breeze behind us. We certainly did and were soon charging along at 6-7 knots. Phil seemed to be enjoying helming and ended up helming almost all the way, right through the night, and did a great job, keeping us bang on course and at a good pace. The low cloud cover at night meant we could see Portland Bill lighthouse earlier than expected, and we could even see the light from the RACON buoy marking the TSS mid channel. It was a great night sail and as the sun came up we could see Anvil point ahead.

Monday 25th June

We pretty much sailed the rest of the way by eye, back in familiar waters, hanging a left at Anvil point and rounding Old Harry to head North up to Poole Harbour against the wind, with Marcus enjoying a fast beat into the harbour.

A superb sail back, and what a first passage for Phil, logging 340 nautical miles. We pointed out that many yachts in the marina probably do less than that in a season.

Shame about the weather as Marcus Ange & Ben didn’t get to see much of Ireland due to the poor weather.

But the passages there and back were for me, great fun, in great company. Cheers Marcus.

We departed Scilly yesterday morning at 10:00 but not before going alongside the Island Packet and asking what sounded like a bizarre question to ask anyone – however I heard myself ask -“do you happen to have a Bob Johnston on board” – amazingly – “yes” came the reply and up popped Bob from below – nice to see him again. Bob runs Maritime Connection (see link on home page) out of Troon in Scotland, and after a brief chat we motored around to the north side of the islands into a gentle Atlantic swell and a light North Easterly. Once clear of the islands on our course to Ireland we hoisted sail and settled onto a close reach, gliding along at 3-4 knots in only 7 knots of breeze, the water rippling hypnotically past the hull of the boat.

We were in no rush. Ange (& Ben) don’t fly out until Friday, so we saw no reason to burn diesel and quicken the pace on this 135 mile leg. As it was the wind picked up a little and we were soon seeing speeds of 6-7 knots on the log.

It was a clear day and the sailing was easy. The sun didn’t set until almost 10pm and the stars shone brightly until the moon lit up the sky. Over night we passed the Kinsale oil fields. Night was short lived and the sky began to turn blue at 3am – but Marcus eventually saw his first satellite.

Soon we were in sight of the Head of old Kinsale, By 7.30 we were in the harbour gliding past the magnificant Charles Fort, no way would anyone in the past want to enter the harbour as a foe with that fort so strategically placed and cannon lined up across the bay.

Great to be here, especially after such great sailing. I’m heading back on an earlier flight to catch up on business whilst Marcus is very much looking forward to seeing Ange and Ben on Friday and exploring this part of Ireland.

After quick trip to Chandlery for some essential items we slipped lines and headed out of Falmouth. Wind blowing f3-4 from forecast NW. Sailing down to the lizard with the wind abeam we managed to air the spinnaker for a short while. I was a bit nervous when Marcus suggested the spinnaker but was relieved when it went up without any hitch.

Coming up astern of us was this beaut of a boat, to get some idea of scale look at the person at the foot of the main mast! Certainly a world girdling boat.

The forecast suggested the wind would go round to the north and continue on to the East sometime over the next 24 hours giving us ideal conditions for our passage north to Ireland.

As we slipped past the Lizard and turned west the wind blew stronger from the NW. We swapped the spinnaker for the genoa and gathered speed as the wind strengthened. Before long we were romping along at 7 to 8 knots, 9 over the ground.

What an amazing sail. Big grins on both our faces. We made Scilly in 9 hours averaging over 7 knots. A good blast. A great day.

Now on swinging mooring in St Mary’s Pool ( after I cocked up three times trying to get the line on the mooring) which has moorings with no pick up buoys all rather close to each other and there was a fair breeze – well that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!

Marcus and I changed roles and he picked up the mooring first time – don’t you just hate smart b*****ds ? Once secured we noticed that one of the boats on a mooring in front was the same Island Packet we saw when it was exiting Falmouth…..couldn’t see them clearly enough to check out if Bob was actually on board. Wind appears to be gradually turning east. So could be set to leave for Cork tomorrow some time. Time now for another hot bowl of Chilli and a good night sleep.

Poole to Fowey to Falmouth

Picked up by Marcus from Southampton airport at 8.30 on Friday morning and we went back to Shaftesbury to do food shopping, and when we were ready Ange took us and luggage etc down to boat so we wouldn’t have to leave a car at the marina.

I am helping Marcus sail his boat to Cork where Ange and Ben will fly into on Friday. The plan is for Ange, Ben and Marcus to spend a couple of weeks in Ireland, before I return at the end of June to help Marcus sail back to Poole while Ange and Ben fly home.

After stowing provisions we motored round to fuel pontoon and milled around waiting for our turn. Finally fuelled up just minutes before 4.30 bridge, so missed that opening, and ended up waiting near the bridge on a swinging mooring ready the 6.30 opening.

We wanted to get away as soon as we could to make use of the forecast southerly winds rather than have to drive into the prevailing westerlies. The tide is going our way past Portland Bill at midnight so we didn’t want to leave too early. The 6.30 bridge was therefore ideal.

Sails up in harbour and sailed out of Poole but then, as expected, had to turn engine on and motor against a light SW breeze. It was quite neat for me to sail past “Old Harry” as I had heard of this before and it’s quite impressive and at the same thought provoking.

We bashed against a strong spring tide until almost Portland Bill where it turned to whisk us past. Came upon a number of yachts tacking up and down against tide and wind, they must have been a race. Early in the morning the wind picked up from the South and we were able to start sailing and join the racing yachts.

Marcus being the skipper was extremely alert as we bowled along in the midst of these racing yachts !!

We were both quite tired. I had been up at 4am on Friday to catch my flight, and I don’t think we had quite recovered from our Ipswich to Edinburgh trip on Sun Dog (my Rogger 35) the weekend before. Despite taking it in turns to sleep we both would need a full sleep so decided to stop somewhere for the night. Fowey would be ideal as we’d arrive there by evening.

We duly entered Fowey harbour just after 5pm and rafted next to some charter yachts. Soon discovered these were chartered by a stag party all dressed as pirates. Not so sure we’d get the full nights sleep we were after and badly needed.

The pirates all got the water taxi into town and after a bowl of chilli we put our heads down. Amazingly we slept right through without disturbance. Considering the amount of empty beer bottles we saw that went into the recycle bin on the pontoon I’m amazed we weren’t disturbed as there must have been a bit of a party on the pontoon when the got back from the town!. Two of the charter yachts went over to the town quay apparently to go and press gang pirates that had not returned the previous evening!

After a lovely breakfast of bacon and eggs and feeling fully refreshed, we slipped lines and headed out to sea. Decided to just do the short 20 miles to Falmouth as we wanted to refuel before heading round corner to Ireland. The forecast was for N winds the following day which is not much good for heading up to Cork, but should go round to East on Tuesday. Therefore figured we should take it easy and pop to Falmouth, (then Scilly on Monday) do a chandlery stock up and then wait for the Easterlies before heading up to Ireland.

Had a great sail from Fowey to Falmouth and saw this square rigger coming out of the mist ala the “Black Pearl” 🙂

Light southerly saw us close hauled and slipping through a calm sea along coast. It was very misty so couldn’t see land despite being less than a mile from it at times. Going into Falmouth there was a blue hulled Island Packet leaving, and I thought I saw Bob Johnston of Troon on board, it was too far away to be certain, but I recalled that he was going on a trip on such a boat. I was so convinced it was Bob that I tried his mobile – but no answer – c’est la vie

While berthing at fuel pontoon engine decided to cut out when going astern. Luckily not much wind and it started again quickly so no drama. This had happened a few weeks ago to Marcus when leaving lymington but at the time he had put it down to the engine being cold. Didn’t have that excuse this time. Exhaust also seemed quite smoky when opening up ahead or astern. I thought it might be a dirty air filter. After refuelling and finding a berth we took air filter out and gave it a bath in petrol. Very dirty. Wrapped knuckles to Marcus for not checking it before. Suspect the problem solved. Poor engine was being strangled.

It’s now Monday morning. We’ll leave Falmouth for St Mary’s after a trip to the Chandlery for a few essential items such as an Irish courtesy ensign that we forgot all about before our trip!

Sara & I had initially travelled down to view Sun Dog and we both felt she could be ideal for our needs, we then travelled back home and I returned a few weeks later with Mike Hall a surveyor with Paul Jeffes & Co. We also had the added benefit of the current owner being on hand. He explained the way the electrics etc functioned, but unfortunately he had no idea how many litres per hour the boat used, anyhow the deal was completed via Opal Marine Brokerage, and I then had to arrange to get her back to Scotland.

I had initially considered having her transported on the back of a truck, but my good friend Marcus Tettmar (who lives in the south of England) said he would take some time out and help me sail her back, as he stated, “Gerry, boats are not meant to be on the back of trucks, they are meant to be in the sea”…….how could I argue with this logic – bonus!

With Sun Dog being on the east coast of England it seemed our best (quickest) option would be to sail her northwards up the coast and into the Forth Estuary, berthing her at Port Edgar marina ( just under the Forth Road Bridge) a distance of some 350+nm. From there we could (later in the year) take her through the Forth & Clyde Canal.

Maximum air draft of vessels going through the canal is 3 metres, maximum depth around 1.5 metres (?) therefore she should fit through the canal, if a bit tight on air draft, once the mast is down. If she doesn’t fit we will have to sail her up to Inverness and bring her down through the Caledonian Canal.

Marcus and I agreed a date and arrived about the same time on the Thursday. We split the list of chores with Marcus doing the food shop, and me doing the chandlery purchases and collecting the liferaft we had hired for this trip. Our pencil plan was to either get away that evening with the tide, or sleep over and leave the next morning.

We seemed to be making good time with the provisioning etc when by chance we found out that the marina didn’t have a 24 hour fuel facility, and if we wanted fuel, we would need to get the boat round rather quickly as the fuel berth was about to close!

With kit lying everywhere we went round to the fuel berth to fuel up, but in the rush we had trusted that the fuel pump would cut out when the tanks were full, but unfortunately we suffered a fuel blow back and ended up with diesel sprayed all over the boat!!

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and with the value of this we now know that we should have opened the side lockers and simply looked at the clear filling hoses!! In the chaos we also forgot to fill the spare jerry cans; and by the time we remembered and ran round with the cans the fuel berth was closed until 0830 next morning..much muttering was heard on board along with a bit of frustration/exasperation. When things calmed down a bit we had the boat cleaned up and fully ready to go, we then checked the fuel sight glasses and it looked like one tank was only half full.

However the decision was made to leave Ipswich and refuel/top up at Shotley marina further down the river where the fuel berth was open until around 2100, this meant time spent going through a lock and meant a little bit more time would be lost.

In the event we filled the jerry cans and topped up the tank it must have been an air lock in the sight glasses as she only took 23 litres! What I would have given for the boat to have fuel gauges for both tanks!!

Anyhow we were now happy enough that the tanks were full, and our plan was to include stopping off around Newcastle area and refilling the tanks. This would allow us to calculate the fuel usage and also ensure we had enough for the rest of the trip to Port Edgar should we have to motor the whole way and stay within our weather window.

We finally left Shotley marina around 2000 and headed for the exit with still a few hours of tide in our favour. The weather forecast was indicating variable weather with winds from the NW, NE force 4/5 occasional 6. We were now committed to getting to our first stop somewhere around the Newcastle area, as most of the other ports of refuge were either ones that dried out, or could be tricky entering in an ebb tide in the wrong wind conditions.

Passing Felixstowe we saw this huge container ship – amazing number of containers on the deck – hopefully they all stay there !

The electronics on board consisted of a Geonav 6 Plus black and white chartplotter, with a Garmin GPS linked to a Raymarine 530 chartplotter. We also had all the appropriate paper charts, and had agreed to not only keeping a detailed log, but also to mark off the paper charts en route.

As we turned the corner and started heading north we were amazed, that with the engine running at 1500 revs, the effect of this with the big three bladed prop, had us charging along between 8 & 9 kts, this was almost surreal. All of this without the benefit of any kind of breeze as it was non existent at this time, ain’t it great when the tide give’s one a lift at the start of a trip!

All through the night the calm conditions prevailed until mid afternoon next day when we had about a F4 on the nose, but Sun Dog was quite happily motoring sailing along. When the tide was with us the speed was good, and when against we dropped below our intended average speed of 6 kts. Engine was kept at between 1500 & 1600 revs and we had the mainsail up to steady the motion.

Passing through the gas rigs some 20 miles + from the coast,

Marcus was at the helm and said that the Geonav was fading, and it eventually failed completely. Within seconds this was followed in turn by the other electronic systems. Not a major issue as far as navigation was concerned as we had the log and chart up to date, but we assumed that there must be a loose connection in the power supply to the instruments.

We checked all the connections and they seemed fine. Double checking with a multi meter showed that the power to the instruments was down at 10 volts. Up went the floorboards in the wheelhouse to allow us to check the domestic battery bank, and yes the whole domestic bank was down at 10 volts.

The previous owners understanding of the way the batteries operated had been wrong, and we can only guess that he must have done short day trips and subsequently connected to shore power, thus keeping the batteries charged. The reality was that since leaving Ipswich the domestic bank had been running everything including the fridge for a considerable period of time, in itself quite impressive!

We simply adjusted the switch that we now knew would link all the batteries together, and trusted the alternator would be able to bring the domestic bank back up to full charge.

This situation clearly showed the benefit of keeping a log and perhaps also keeping the position and course on the paper charts if we hadn’t done this ……..?

Passing Whitby lighthouse during the night there was a fair amount of commercial traffic, and tides were a bit stronger than we had imagined they would be, given the distance offshore. Watches were around 2 hrs during the night, with some discussion early the next morning about where to stop and refuel. The first option was North Shields where Marcus could have met up with a friend of his, but this would have meant a few miles down the river to the fuel berth and the same on the exit, using up some valuable time, bearing in mind we only had a finite weather window.

I left the decision to Marcus who finally decided that Sunderland would offer us the quickest turnaround time. A few miles out from Sunderland we called them to ensure they were open 24 hrs (the situation we experienced at Ipswich was still on our minds) and in we headed to the fuel berth.

This is where the trip took a bit of a bad turn. As we entered the marina there was the fuel berth which also doubled as the reception berth, and it had a fishing boat already there – no worries, we simply hovered around until he left the pontoon. Then as we went to go alongside another fishing boat nipped in at our back and as he was small and wouldn’t have needed much fuel we let him get fuel first.

When it came our turn, we obviously had to ensure we filled both the tanks and also checked the engine oil and water. Unfortunately the fuel hose wouldn’t reach across the decks to the second tank, and while we were considering turning her around on ropes we were being subjected to verbal abuse from a group of men on the pontoon. I’m not sure if these were sailors or anglers, but either way their behaviour was appalling. We will never be back there – ever – it was an absolutely atrocious way for any group of adults to behave.

When we left we were both still furious and trying to calm down it really was that bad! The good thing was that when we had done the calculations on fuel consumption it worked out at 5ltr per hour, a lot less than I had imagined. If we had known this in advance we would have been able to go the full distance without stopping and avoided these “brain dead” individuals, who are simply a waste of good fresh air!

The wind god’s must have known we needed a bit of cheering up and they gave us enough wind to be able to sail with both the main and Genoa doing their best, and we were sailing along at 5.5 kts in glorious sunshine – this was indeed good medicine.

The rest of the trip was spent back in harmony and we also had the pleasure of enjoying the sight of a whale only a few hundred metres from the boat, and also watching pairs of Puffin, really delightful little birds.

We crossed the “border” back into Scottish waters, when off St Abbs I saw what looked like a fishing boat with a peculiar rig coming from astern on the same track as us. As it was getting closer I realised that no fishing boat would be going at that speed, and would not be painted grey. As we weaved past the lobster pot markers, it did the same closing to a few hundred meters astern and then the VHF kicked into life.

Turns out it was HM Customs who asked a number of questions, and once satisfied thanked us for our time and off they went heading north. It is quite reassuring to know they are around and doing their best, whilst at the same time conducting themselves in a very professional and courteous manner.

I was hoping that we would have enough daylight left to be able to see the Gannet Colony on Bass Rock which sits at the southern entrance to the Forth Estuary, but by the time we got there it was dark. However we could make out that the island was covered in what looked like lighter rock across a fair area, could this be guano? We lifted the binoculars and it was astonishing to see the island was completely covered in Gannets, this would have been amazing to see in daylight as it is the largest Gannet Colony in the world with some 80,000 birds all on this one rock. http://www.beautiful-scotland.co.uk/bass.htm

The final three hours or so that was left before reaching our destination was down this busy stretch of water with navigation lights everywhere marking out the various channels. The light on the hills above the town of Burntisland proved to be a good marker and pretty much lead us to the safe water mark, from which we could pick out the first starboard marker from which we could then work our way accurately down the North Channel. By this time we were both getting a bit tired, however we had been really comfortable in the wheelhouse with the gas heater keeping us nice and warm.

There was a bit of swell running with the tide and we had the mainsail up and were charging along toward the Forth Rail Bridge. As Marcus had not been here before, he sailed us under both this bridge and the Road Bridge and then within a few hundred meters we were safely tucked into the berth in Port Edgar Marina.

Previous daylight photo taken from underneath the Rail bridge.

We had some 5 hours sleep before Marcus was due to fly back home, having booked a flight whilst entering the Forth Estuary isn’t technology wonderful when it works?

In the morning we calculated that we had covered some 360nm in 54 hours, most of this motorsailing with excellent fuel consumption figures.

We also jokingly said there was no need for lifejackets sailing through the night on Sun Dog, but that instead we should have been wearing Dinner Jackets given that we were sheltered so much in the wheelhouse.

This had been a totally different kind of sailing experience for both of us, but for me it proved that the Rogger is eminently suitable for the type of family boating I have in mind.

She sailed well when the wind was up, was really comfortable in a sea (albeit only experienced so far in a F4) and it was warm and comfortable in the wheelhouse; it was a strange experience sailing through the night not wearing full waterproofs and woolly hats.

Great experience in great company, and with the exception of Sunderland, a superb trip – thanks Marcus.

Since we arrived at Port Edgar the weather has turned horrible with strong winds and gales forecast. I guess our guardian angels decided to take good care of us on this trip and made sure the weather window stayed open until we reached our destination.

I am a delighted with Sun Dog and look forward to getting her through the Forth & Clyde Canal to the West Coast where time can be spent (hopefully) in sunshine. But there again if it rains there’s always the conservatory sorry wheelhouse.

However, first of all I am flying down next week to meet with Marcus and give him a hand to get his yacht Csardas a Hanse 371, over to Ireland for his family’s holiday…………life can be hard at times!

Blog will be updated in due course.