During The Transat Joe will be sending reports on a regular basis to Sail Magazine's website. They will be different from those posted here so you are urged to check them out at www.sailmag.com. Look under News. Meanwhile, because the first 36-hours have been exhausting, Joe's first report will be posted on both websites. Here is his take on the start and first day at sea. (with typo's and unforced errors caused by a bouncing keyboard removed!)
"The start was quite exciting. After weeks of preparation amidst beautiful (uncharacteristic) weather in Plymouth, the day of the start dawned rainy and cold. We (my shore team of Brian Harris and Laurent) and I got off the dock about 11:00 and went out to so some sailing before the start. It was blowing 20 to 25 knots so we went with two reefs and the staysail. Lumpy and wet. All good until we were coming back inside the breakwater and the hydraulic keel control stopped functioning. A breaker was tripped and we reset it and got it working but it wasn't good for the nerves. It has already happened again so I don't think the problem is yet understood. Anyway, lots of milling and action with the 37 boat fleet - 15 Open 50 monohulls, four Open 50 monohulls (including me), 12 ORMA 60 trimarans, and six 50' trimarans.
Quite a scene with all the support crew in RIB's and the spectator fleet, which was reduced by the lousy weather. So with 30 minutes to the mass start, Josh Hall of Around Alone and Vendee Globe fame picked up Laurent and Brian and I waved a final good-bye to my teammates, as well as to my wife, mother and uncle who were aboard a fishing trawler charted by Kip Stone on Artforms. I suddenly felt very alone and very nervous. I crabbed my way up towards the navy destroyer that was mid-line of a long start line with three gates for the classes. It was a port tack start as the first leg to Eddystone Light could be fetched on port so everyone ended up at the destroyer jockeying for final position like it was the Farr 40's start at Key West. As the gun went off I found myself right on the line amidst all the Open 60"s and all the skippers I have been reading about for years. Around Alone winner Bernard Stamm, Nick Maloney on Skandia (ex-Kingfisher), Dominique Wavre, Mike Golding on the brand new Merf Owen designed Ecover, Marl Thiercelin, Jean Pierre Dick on his brand new Virbac, and Mike Sanderson on Pindar, ex Hexagon. It was like a "who's who" of Open class racing and there I was right in the thick of it, well ahead of my 50 classmates. Kinda lucky and kinda bold but definitely a good start I think although I was worried I was over early or out of my gate as four boats were. But I called the race committee on the vhf and they told me I was clear, And we were off to the races in what was now 30 knots of wind , lumpy seas and a tight reach for 9 miles to Eddystone. Drag racing at 10 to 13 knots I was hanging with the big dogs, ahead of four 60's! Wow. Made the turn at Eddystone and we got headed bad and the wind went light for the 40 mile dead beat to Lizard Point. Took a while. Lots of sail changes. Reef in, reef out, Solent to staysail to solent. Quite a work out. I sweated through my Patagonia inner layer and had to make a change as I was soaked and got cold. fog rolled in and things got a little weird when I failed to come all the way through a tack and the boat went into irons and began to sail backward. Luckily I had been to this movie before and got going again pretty quick but I was pissed at myself. I don't think Mike Golding pulled one of those! Tacking in to shore then back out to fetch the waypoint 5 miles south of the lizard we had to leave to port. It was an exhausting beat but we rounded The Lizard at about 2200 with a favorable slingshot assist from the tide and turned for Lands End, 30 miles ahead. Moving at about 10 knots now slightly cracked off I just passed Land End at about midnight and am poking up into the Celtic Sea trying to get some Northing in as the wind is clocking into the NW- more on the nose- better get used to it.
Big Day. About 90 miles covered to windward in the first 12 hours. I'm wiped but have been taking 5 minute naps and about four of them seems to have got me going again. And I have made the first of my favorite night watch beverage- instant coffee, cocoa, Parmelat milk and a splash Of Jameson's Irish Whiskey to buck me up to go on deck in the dark and cold and rain. All in all a pretty good start I think but I really have no info so I'll be curious to learn was going on.
A few special thanks - to my wife Kim for coming over to support me - to Brian Harris for preparing the boat so well - and a belated thanks to Jeff Earl at Doyle Sails for coordinating a beautiful new set of sails. I am a lucky guy to be pulling this off - its pretty cool even though the weather kind of sucks out here right now and may suck for most of the trip! Where is that Caribbean finish? All for now."
- Joe Harris (joe@gryphonsolo.com)
