Over the course of the summer, legendary yachting journalist Barry Pickthall will be venturing north, taking his Rhodes 6-Tonner, Sea Jay, from her home in Chichester to the Western Isles in Scotland.
Writing on behalf of Sailing Today, former yachting correspondent for The Times newspaper and Yachts & Yachting magazine, Barry's blogs promises to bare all from his detailed cruise planning to stopovers (both planned and unplanned), food reviews and stories along the way.
In part 2, Barry and his crew overlay at Plymouth Yacht Haven while storm Noa passes through, have a minor incident when their roller furled genoa comes loose, before continuing round Newlyn to Pembrokeshire.
Read the extract below or head to Sailing Today to read the full blog entry.
Blog Extract
Photo: SY Sea Jay (c) David Harding/PPL Photo Agency
While storm-bound in Plymouth (Plymouth Yacht Haven), I met up with two bearded Robinson Crusoe characters sheltering in the bar of The Bridge Restaurant; boatbuilder John Owles and Josh Dick, owner of the newly purchased classic Laurent Giles designed 28ft Peter Duck motorsailer HELVALUA built by Porter & Haylett in Wroxham.
After a few bevvies, I found that we were both heading for the Scottish Western isles. After a few more, we decided to do so in company.
Continues...
Sheltering from Storm Noa
...the huge gusts – one was clocked at 76 mph – caught the masts and had all the yachts rocking and rolling in their berths. One of these blasts pulled out the top of SEA JAY’s roller furled genoa. Luckily, I was onboard and no sooner had I donned my jacket and clambered on deck, then two members of the (Plymouth Yacht Haven) Haven staff had run out of the office and down to my dock and alongside. They had been monitoring the marina with binoculars from the office windows. The three of us could not dowse the flogging sail, but a quick call over the radio brought two more employees rushing down, and between us, we got the sail down and folded on deck without any damage sustained. Brilliant service!
Photo: Barry and Sheila Pickthall aboard Sea Jay
