Sailing adventures come in many shapes and sizes and one that is proving very popular with our clients ins the voyage to Norway and back.
It has just the right mixture of elements: from testing your sailing skills across the North Sea to a destination that is breathtakingly beautiful and refreshingly invigorating.
You return with quality sea miles under your belt and a much better understanding of your abilities as a sailor. Currently, we have a crew aboard Challenger 2 and they have just reached Stavanger in Norway and below is their summary of the voyage so far…
2nd June (Saturday) Departing Portsmouth
Challenger 2 slipped Gun Wharf Quay at 1845 for dinner at sea. Our plan is to head south-east, for the eastbound TSS, as the wind looks set to die overnight.
The wind is then forecast to fill in from the north through Sunday night and into Monday so we should be able to make some progress under sail before it all changes again.
3th June Putting the S in Sailing
Today on Challenger 2 we have had a very quiet beginning to our trip north. I do apologize for any odd wording/pelling but the key in between A & D in’t working.
We are currently motoring in flat water with 4 kt of true wind from the NNW. Mother watch has begun and Challenger 2 is wafting a very clean fragrance across the channel.
4th June (Monday) It’s A Gas!
After a cold, damp and foggy night the visibility has improved from poor to moderate. The wind strength and direction are still insufficient to allow us to dispense with the very noisy engine and get some sails up, so we are currently working our way through the numerous gas fields that have a variety of great old names: Indefatigable, Brigantine and Barque etc.
We will continue North throughout the day heading towards the western edge of the Dogger Bank in the hope that we will manage to catch some of the wind before it fizzles out completely later in the week.
5th June – We’re Yankee Doodle Dandy
Breeze at last! The wind filled in from the NNW through yesterday afternoon and we were gradually able to reduce revs, finally turning the engine off at 1900.
It was an exciting sail through the night for those accustomed to helming in flat seas under engine, the mate, however, seems to be attracting a little too much excitement in the form of recalcitrant yankee sheets.
Order was swiftly restored and this morning sees us making a reasonable course NE, averaging 6kts. The wind is set to die off this afternoon and go round to the east, I think today’s mothers will be thankful and have delayed heads cleaning until they can achieve success at a sensible angle. All are in good spirits, although there are one or two greenies and many lost hats, pairs of gloves etc.
Skipper Sue Reports:
Yesterday evening saw us actually sailing, with the engine off at 1900 and the yankee 1, staysail and full main giving us up to a top speed of 8kts. As the North Sea swell built, conditions down below became quite tough for the mother watch and so they retired to bed, exhausted, but having made and cleared up a very tasty and much appreciated dinner of pasta, pesto, chorizo and roasted red peppers.
Overnight the wind built to give us 20 – 25kts apparent and we dropped the staysail and put in a reef to make helming in the growing swell a bit easier. There were numerous incidents involving yankee sheets, fishing boats and an enormous vessel aptly named Ocean Giant, passing rather close astern of us, but Challenger 2 and her crew came through unscathed with only a small amount of vomit and more or less on the course we wanted.
The watches have settled well and are working fantastically, helming is pretty good on both watches and the watch changes have become a thing of efficiency, impressive to watch.
I think most people enjoyed the challenge of helming at night (such as it is in the North Sea at this time of year – the sky was starting to lighten at 0100 this morning, but that could have been an alien spaceship beyond the clouds) and under sail.
I think all are now looking forward to showers and a cold beer in Stavanger, which we hope to reach by tomorrow evening, DTF being 175nm.
6th June (Wednesday) In The Groove
Having started our 23:00 to 03:00 hrs watch motoring through the numerous gas fields, guard boats and fishing fleets we were relieved when the wind picked up and the sea cleared enough to hoist the Yankie 1, leaving the boat perfectly trimmed and in the groove.
Helming became very much easier for our novice helmspeople and the reduction in the long slow North Sea swell helped reduce the appearance of the green meanie.
We awoke to bright sunshine clear blue skies and champagne sailing. A full set of sails: Yankie 1, Stay and Full Main helping to maintain 7 to 8 kts.
Unfortunately as predicted the wind has eased to 8knts apparent and we have had to resort to the noisy option again. The crew are all well in high spirits and contemplating the arrival in Stavanger and the prospect of a cold very expensive beer. (Nick The Mate)
Have Your Own North Sea Adventure
If you would like to join the next crew to Norway give the office a call on 0203 006 3717 or check out the details here for what you can expect.
