“Salt” took part in the North Sea Yacht Race, commonly called the Banff race in Stavanger, summer of 2006. We did well, even though we didn’t win. We were beaten by 3 much larger yachts, which is a consolation.
Solid sea
It started out as badly as any adventure can start. Wednesday the week before the race, it is a one-way race and this summer it started in Scotland, we sailed out of Stavanger bound for McDuff, Scotland. As I was crossing the North Sea by aeroplane the day before, I could see the big seas and large ships rolling heavily. It 
was even worse than feared. A hard northerly had wipped the ocean for a week and seas was huge. As soon as we passed Kvitsøy a heavy rolling started, tight sheets, with a cold gail down our neck and sheets of rain down the hatch.
Definitely stupid
As Kvitsøy dissapeared my 1.mate and “comrade in arms on hazardous adventours”, Odd, and I said in harmony -On a range from one to ten, how stupid are we to do this? The crew of four completely agreed on nine. If any of us had suggested 10 on the scale, I guess he would have been give a full house of votes.
However, it was to late to turn around. What do you tell your friends after announcing for weeks that you are going to participate in an ocean race, and then quit the very first night? That would surly have put the Salt-crew on the mark 10 for chickens. Besides, it would have been an eight-hour run to Eigersund for shelter. To turn and crash home towards a northerly gale would have been even worse. So, Scotland next.
OK, anyway
After we had fed the crabs, fed our selves and some of us given a fair share of sleep – it turned out OK. Fine sailing and the Scottish coast turned up ever so beautiful in sunshine 40 hours later. In no wind at all, and only diesel fumes left in the tank – we motored the last few miles to McDuff. The race is named from the village of Banff, but the harbour has been out of commission for years, so the yachts assemble in McDuff – a mere 20 minutes walking from Banff. The harbour is a hot spot for commercial fishing, but the scotts are incredibly friendly and makes a lot of fuzz for us yachties, even though they could use the entire port for their fishboats.
Not as planned
The race started badly. The wind left us just as we were crossing the starting line. We barely crept over the line, while boats just a few meters ahead got a miraculous little breeze pushing them along. “Salt” – you can say a lot of good things about “Salt”, but she needs wind to move – was left behind with her fuming skipper. The rest of the crew was flabbergasted of how frustrated I can get when my carefully planned starts totally flopps.
Soon I worked in what I lost. A steady North-Westerly made “Salt” pick up her speed. With eased Genoa 1 and a flattened main we just cruised along doing the best we could. The angel towards the wind was to steep to set the spinnaker, and the weather-forecast promised more westerly and more wind. So it was just steady going on layline towards the one and only buoy and turning-point – an oilplattform in the middle of the ocean.
40 foot challenge
A large yacht disappeared in front of us along with “Lovinda” 39 during the first night and some smaller competitors was coming up from behind. A Dehler 40 tried to set her spinnaker, but did not make any progress.
“Salt” was heavy on the tiller, and I should have reefed the main and eased the Genoa accordingly. Even though that would have been all the trim she needed, it was never done. Which is why we missed a few seconds to become third of all the racers. A few seconds missed on a 280 mile long oceanrace is stupid. But we became second in our class LYS 4 and 5. Which is more than ok. We did well, and all in all it was fun.
Over again?
On a scale from 1 to 10, where 10 is most unlikely, do you think I plan to participate in next years North Sea Yacht Race?
10? Nope. Sure, I have forgotten the cold and the fatigue – so I am planning to participate in the new two-hand class. I mean, how stupid can I get? I already acknowledged that I probably would end up around 9 or 10 on the scale. However, it is a challenge to find someone hardheaded enough to come along.
007 From Norway
Summer of 2007 the race will start in Skudeneshavn – a couple of hours north of Stavanger. A quaint, small fishing village, well suited for a weekend of beer drinking and bragging about last year race – before the the real thing starts. McDuff or Banff are both good starting points towards a cruise further North to the Orkneys and Shetlands, or trough the Caledonian Canal towards the Hebrides or Ireland.
Serious planning
If I really decide to go – and not only do armchair sailing – but actually do it again, this tim short crewed and double-handed, I will have to make some changes. First of all I need a windpilot to keep the boat going. So far I have not experienced any electric autopilot which can handle the North Sea or “Salt” on a powerreach particularly in the North Sea sort of waves.
Secondly I need a heavy Genoa 2.
Third – I need money to pay for it all.
If I can’t come up with the courage and the money to pay for new stuff – this plan smells like another armchair adventure.
4 comments
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Wednesday, May 16, 2007 at 10:02 am
Geir Olav Løken
Hei Espen!
Thale snakket om at du evt trenger mannskap/skipper til transporten opp til Bergen i forkant av Shetland Race (?). Jeg stiller gjerne og kan også ta båten opp alene hvis du har smått med tid. Dog hadde det jo selvsagt vært kjekkest å seile sammen med deg og lære Salt og kjenne. Lurte også på om du trenger mannskap til selve regattaen (doble handed ville heller ikke være noe problem; litt eventyr må man jo ha). Jeg tar meg friheten å spørre direkte, ikke for å være usensitiv, men fordi det er andre som maser på meg om å seile. Uansett, regatta eller bare transport opp til Bergen stiller jeg gjerne ombord på Salt!
Beste hilsen,
Geir Olav
Wednesday, May 16, 2007 at 10:24 am
Espen
Geir Olav – så flott!
Altså – det som er bort i mot temmelig sikkert er at jeg seiler til Bergen søndag 17 eller mandag 18 juni. Da er du mer enn velkommen til å bli med. Tanken er da at jeg låner en stor kassebil og henter Thale i Bergen fredag og lørdag 15 + 16. juni. Jeg aner ikke hvor lang tid det tar å pakke henne ned i bilen – men det bør gå i løpet av lørdagen – så setter vi kurs for stavanger – da bør det være plass til deg i bilen om du har lyst. Hvis ikke får vi fikse en båt/buss/fly-billett.
Så må greiene ut av bilen og plasseres ett eller annet sted i kjelleren – det bør vi kunne gjøre søndag på noen timer – da er vi klar til avgang Bergen.
Shetland Race – i utgangspunktet har jeg en avtale med Odd, som har seilt med meg siden tidenes morgen. Jeg treffer ham i kveld for onsdagsregatta. Dersom han ikke er tennt og lysten for alvor, men bare full av vind og prat – så tar jeg kontakt med deg ASAP med tanke på at vi to tar to-hånds til Shetland.
Høres det ut som en plan? Uansett ville det være kjempehyggelig å seile med deg – og jeg tror at vi to kunne være et veldig godt team for Shetland Race.
Neste onsdag drar jeg til Montreal for å hente vindroret. Jeg regner med å montere det uka deretter og prøve det ut på to-hånds Ryfylkerundtregatta litt seinere i måneden. Videre test til Bergen – før alvoret begynner.
Hilsen Espen Reiss Mathiesen
Wednesday, May 16, 2007 at 10:55 am
Geir Olav Løken
God plan! Det høres kjempebra ut uansett! Da sier vi det sånn at vi seiler sammen oppover 17. eller 18. I utgangspunktet kan jeg gjerne hjelpe dere å flytte med det samme, det er jo bare kjekt. Fint da om du sender meg en sms eller noe så snart du har snakket Odd om hvordan det blir med Shetland. Det er en annen båt som ville ha svar i løpet av i dag.
Blir sikkert veldig spennede å hente vindroret. Jeg ville selv “blitt barn” igjen hvis jeg hadde fått kjøpt en sånn sak til båten min. Ser absolutt vitsen med tanke på regattaseiling over lengre strekk. Å styre er jo ikke så veldig gøy i lengda..
Vi talast!
G O
Monday, February 11, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Yachts
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