michael's round the world adventure

After a great stopover in Kinsale and then in Cork, we have set off towards Ijmuiden in the Netherlands for race 13 of the Clipper 09-10 round the world yacht race. I must continue to extend my thanks to the Mayor of Kinsale, Michael Frawley, and to the Lord Mayor of Cork, Michael O'Connell, and to all involved in the stopover. It was great to be the object of the famous Irish welcome!

The start of race 13 was just off Roche's Point, at the entrance to Cork Harbour. The start was well organised by the Royal Cork Yacht Club - as you would expect from a club with close to 300 years experience starting yacht races! As usual, it was a closely contested start, with some exciting close calls (for which we acted only as spectators...), as the fleet raced towards the first mark about five miles due south of Cork Harbour. We were fairly pleased to still be holding some of the Clipper 68's off at that stage, and rounded the mark in 7th place. After that, it was an upwind slog for the first 18 hours or so, as we beat into 25 knots of breeze towards Lands' End. There was, unsurprisingly, a fair amount of seasickness during the first night, the bouncy conditions really not helping people re-learn the motion of the boat. I was fortunate, once more, to miss out on that pleasure - but with sail changes and mainsail reefs to deal with, it was a busy night for those of us who were running on full charge!

After rounding Lands' End, we have been treated to some great sailing. All three spinnakers have been flying, as the wind has steadily dropped. But with flat seas and sunshine, it has been a real treat. We have been getting good speeds, and holding our own against the 68's. It has been interesting too - with plenty of shipping, fishing vesssels, and pleasure boats to avoid, we have had ample opportunity to hone our navigation light identification and radar use skills...

We have also passed a couple of major milestones earlier today... Firstly, we crossed the Greenwich Meridian for the final time on our voyage. So we are back in easterly longitudes until race finish. And secondly, we have closed the loop by crossing our outbound route, just south of Beachy Head. We had to confirm this through screen dumps that I happened to have saved on my hard drive, as we don't have an outbound route on this boat... But, we are certain that we have crossed the route that we sailed almost 10 months ago. It was a strange feeling seeing a navigation buoy close to the spot, which I remember seeing all that time ago. It makes one think about all that has happened in the intervening time. Too much to go through now, but certainly more than I could have ever imagined... Some bad times, but many, many more good times. There are memories and friendships that will last forever, and so much that makes me glad to have had the opportunity to take part in this adventure - particularly aboard Cork, and for a time on Edinburgh.

Anyway, enough of that, the glamour of sailing awaits - there are bilges to be emptied, and then I need to get some rest for a busy night of gybing our way up the English Channel, dodging traffic separation schemes, shoals, fishing boats, and some of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Giddy Up Cork!

Slan.