As New Year resolutions go this was a big one. Finally, after years of talking, dreaming and wishing, it seems that the Skipper (also known as 'The Kipper) has decided that this is the year for relocation to the Mediterranean. I do not mean that he has decided to do the 'sell up and sail' thing but rather to relocate his sailing yacht 'Petra' to the warm and sunny climes of the Mediterranean. I have crewed regularly for The Kipper for many years and so I feel I know him well enough to act as his scribe for the impending adventure. We felt it might be an interesting idea to provide a diary of the events that will lead up to this epic voyage and the beginning of a new chapter in The Kipper's retirement.
Before we go galloping off with the fine-grain details of our preparation, perhaps we should take time to provide some background information about The Kipper, how he got into sailing and about his boat. The Kipper finally retired in 1998 after 30 years long and arduous service with Kent Police but, as this diary is not about his career as a policeman we shan't say any more about it. We will however just take the time to mention that The Kipper got his big break into the world of yaching through a small yacht named The Lincoln Imp. She is a Moody 33 and is well known and fondly remembered by many people who were given their introduction to yachting via this solid and reliable workhorse. 'The Imp' as she was affectionately known was owned by the Kent Police sailing club but after many years of service she was finally sold and was replaced by a smaller Sadler 26.
Having been well and truly bitten by the sailing bug, The Kipper completed the necessary courses to enable him to act as skipper and has never looked back. After his retirement he purchased his first yacht, a Sadler 26 by the name of 'Aquagem' and began 'hooning' (technical sailing expression) around the River Medway, the River Thames, the Thames Estuary, the Channel, the east coast and the south coast waters. Aquagem proved to be an excellent little yacht on which to build sailing experience. With her bilge keels she allowed for plenty of practice parking on sand banks in the estuary but she was also a really seaworthy boat that took most things on the chin whilst keeping The Kipper and his crew honest. Following many adventures Aquagem was sold in 2004 and was replaced by a Westerly Storm named 'Petra'. She is a 33ft fin keeled yacht that sails like a dream. Since purchasing 'Petra' The Kipper has gone from strength to strength and escapes to his boat as often as possible. He is often heard describing her as his version of the garden shed. He still sails the same waters as before but has been as far afield as the Channel Islands and the west country. He has adopted the ethos that if there is a yacht in front of us clearly they have thrown down the gauntlet and we must overtake them. Over the years we have trained The Kipper to use the lines that are attached to the reefing system and that having the lee rail and side decks underwater is all well and good but she really does sail better when she's a bit more upright. After many years, he's gradually coming around to our way of thinking!
Now, having said that The Kipper retired in 1998 this actually meant getting another job. Since retirement he has worked harder than he ever did during his illustrious career as a policeman. Sailing has been restricted to holidays and any spare time when he could sneak off to the boat for a few hours or a weekend. During the many evenings spent on Petra and after yet another glorious days sailing the subject never failed to come up about taking the boat to the warmer waters and spending the summer drifting around the Med. I make no apologies for tyring to convince him he really should chuck in the day job and do it while he was still capable of standing up unsupported and of eating food that didn't have to be put through a blender before being consumed. I of course suggested he spend the summer in the Med and then cross the Atlantic so that he could spend the winter driting around the Caribbean. Looks like we're now well on the way to achieving the first bit...let's wait and see what happens next.
So, after many years of talking and dreaming about it, it seems The Kipper has finally decided that 2012 is to be his year. He will be relocating the boat this summer but will not be retiring completely until the end of the year. Having delivered her safely to the Med he will then return to the UK to complete work commitments for this year.
Petra was hauled out for her annual winter maintenance in November last year and is now safely ashore in Chatham marina. Following the big decision the jobs list doubled in size and so the pressure is on to get her ready for launch at the beginning of April. Petra is already a well set up and equipped yacht: she has an 18hp Volvo engine that was new in 2002 and her standing rigging was replaced in 2010. She has a well-equiped chart table and navigation station that includes VHF and SSB radios, a laptop with software to download weather charts, all the usual GPS and radar toys and a Yeoman chart plotter. She has a life raft that will shortly be going off for service, a new flare pack, a wind generator, a well-stocked drinks locker, a practical galley and she can comfortably sleep 6 or 7 people.
The plan now is to install a holding tank and replace the primary winches. The chap-in-the-know has stated that he thinks a new tank is achievable and that it can probably be located on the port side of the boat which is good news because if we store anything else in the cockpit locker our list to starboard will be so bad the spreaders will be in the water. On the plus side, she does sail rather well on a starboard tack so it isn't all bad. The cost of installing the new holding tank along with the pipework and deck fittings for pump out facilities has been quoted at a mere £3,000 or so. Yes, you read that correctly - three thousand pounds. Don't make me say it again!
The Kipper will be making the annual pilgrimage to the Excel Boat Show in London on the 13th January where the new winches will be purchased. The crew has refused to carry them back to the car so the delivery option will be used. The shopping list for the show is substantial and will include things like the new flares, yachting books, courtesy flags, a sea anchor, a storm sail and a bottle of blue stuff that has something to do with the heads.
One of the winter jobs that has caused much muttering and consternation was the replacement of anodes. The Kipper went to a local chandlery and suffered a near fatal coronary whilst in the process of paying for said anodes. £28 of your English pounds for one - yes one - pear-drop anode. After returning home and for some reson only then deciding to run a search on the Internet, he discovered that they can be purchased on-line from a wewbsite called zineticanodes.co.uk for something like £12. There is a moral to this story - you work it out.
I mentioned that The Kipper will be looking at storm sails whilst at the boat show - this is a work in progress and he is currently weighing up the pros and cons of having a removable inner stay fitted from which he can rig and fly the sortm sail. His other options are a sail that is on the market that rigs around the furled away genoa or simply having a storm sail that you rig the old fashioned way - by getting wet on the foredeck. This is a work in progress and we will keep you posted.
Other jobs to be completed include cleaning and polishing the hull, sanding and varnishing the woodwork, checking the bilges have been cleaned to my 'girl-clean' standards, a rig check, clean and polish the bottle screws (yes, clean and polish them), tighten the forestay and general housekeeping chores that need to be completed before the beginning of the season.
Whilst all that is in hand, the search has begun for the crew to assist The Kipper in relocating the yacht from Chatham to the final destination in Greece. The Kipper plans to leave the berth in Chatham in May and will then work his way along the south coast to Falmouth. Strangely, nobody has signed up for this bit yet. Weather permitting he plans to set sail for Gibraltar in June. At this point, I introduce crewman Bob D. who very quickly booked passage for this leg of the trip. I of course have volunteered my services for this one as has fellow crewman Steve E. I for one am very excited about the prospect of the long passage from Falmouth to Gibraltar - it will be fabulous to be back out in open water again. I probably won't be saying that if it's blowing 65 knots across the decks going through Biscay.
At this time, the plan is still in the early stages but one thing is certain: The Kipper will be sailing away from our southern shores to head south and it will happen this summer. His head is full of plans and excitement. His ultimate goal is to head for a place called Vlyho on Lefkus in Greece. What happens between Chatham and Lefkus remains to be seen.
The Kipper.
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