Syndicate share for sale

Shares in the Renegade Syndicate are for sale. See: http://www.yours2share.com/cgi-bin/mojoClassified.cgi?id=8199&action=view&type=ad

Eric looks the other way as the crane takes the strain

HW at Norwich

To find the approximate time of high water at Norwich, find the time of low water and add 5hrs 15mins.
LW at Norwich occurs 3hrs 30mins after LW Yarmouth Yacht station.
LW Yarmouth Yacht Station occurs 60mins after LW Gorleston.
LW Gorleston occurs 30mins before LW Lowestoft (Standard Port)

Alternatively follow the link to Broads Tide table: http://www.broads-authority.gov.uk/boating/navigating/tide-tables.html

New Skipper

Jersey to Weymouth

Every day the weather forecast from Jersey Met Office, which was posted at the St Helier Marina office read "NE 5 to 6 occasionally 7" . So, on Saturday afternoon, the 24 hour forecast of "NE 4 to 5 occasionally 6. Sea state moderate, but locally rough." made us decide to seize the opportunity to get Renegade back to England.
At 0600hrs on Sunday morning we motored out of St Helier onto a windless sea and turned west to round La Corbiere Point before the wind picked up. Renegade's best course to windward lay toward Sark. After a couple of hours we passed the rocky southern tip of the island and into the Big Russel. Close hauled on starboard tack we skirted the small island of Brecqhou, with it's preposterous modern castle. With the white sand of Herm's Shell Beach to leward Renegade was making good speed with almost 3 knots of tide in her favour.
We left the Big Russel through a narrow channel leaving the Grande Amfroque islet, with its twin white beacons, to starboard and shaped a course for the Ortac Passage between Alderney and The Casquets.
As forecast the wind was blowing force 4 with occasional gusts of 5. In bright sunshine we left the channel islands behind and entered the English Channel, where we encountered the locally rough sea which had also been forecast. A line of breaking waves spread across the northern horizon. Aries, the trusty self steering gear, held Renegade's course and we were soon amongst the breaking water. One wave decided to fill Renegade's cockpit and for good measure soaked Dennis and me, despite our oilskins, with enough to spare for the charts, which were on the navigation desk.
Before sunset we had passed throught the shipping lanes and as it grew dark we could see the double flash of Portland Bill lighthouse.
The wind freshened and came from a more northerly direction. This combined with the change in the tide prevented Renegade from sailing to the East of The Bill on starboard tack, so the final 4 hours of the crossing were spent motoring to windward.
By 0200 on Monday morning Renegade was rafted up to another yacht on the pontoon in Weymouth Harbour. Our arrival had not gone unnoticed by our neighbours, but they were most understanding when we made our apologies in the morning.
Adrian

7 days in St Helier

Soon after Renegade's visit to The Minkies, the strong wind warning was hoisted over Fort Regent , where it has remained. The daily weather forecast from Jersey Met. Office has hardly changed for almost a week; NE5-6, occasionally 7, sea moderate to rough.
This enforced time in port has allowed the crew to explore Jersey and to attend the Jersey Air Show on Battle of Britain Day.
We have become experts at the excellent bus system, which we have used to take us to historic sites, prehistoric sites and stunning coastal scenery.
We have also learned that Jersey proclaimed Charles 2nd King on the execution of his father and 11 years before his coronation in England.
We are still waiting for better weather, so may have to report later on another week in Jersey.
Adrian

Renegade visits Les Minquiers

Ready to take Renegade to every last nook and cranny we decided that yesterday was ideal for visiting Les Minquiers aka The Minkies. We left St Helier in the late morning in bright sunshine and with the wind SW2. There was barely a ripple on the sea, but we made steady, if not rapid progress. As we approached The Minkies we could see the extent of the plateau of jagged rocks, which occupied the horizon between south and west. The east going tide was pulling at the green buoy, which marks the only route in to Maitresse Ile anchorage, but passing the buoy there were still three miles to go. Following a series of leading lines and transits lead to the final approach to the anchorage, but there was insufficient water for Renegade to enter. We waited an hour until there should have been more than 3m above chart datum, but we were still unable to get in. Regretting that we had been unable to set foot "ashore"we turned Renegade's bow back toward Jersey and arrived at St Helier just after sunset

ready for the beef stew which Dennis had been preparing in the galley.

Adrian

Paimpol to St Helier

S 3 and sunshine was just the right weather for the 35 mile crossing from Brittany to Jersey. After some minor adjustments the Aries self steering gear performed without a hitch and the 7 hour crossing was a relaxing experience. The spring tide had carried us well to the north west of the direct route, but as Renegade entered the Western Passage, the tide turned in our favour. With only a short wait for enough water over the St Helier Marina sill, we were alongside and ready for a run ashore.

Perfect timing; fresh croissants for breakfast in Paimpol and dinner in Jersey.

Adrian

Brittany in September

Dennis and I joined Renegade in St Quay on 2nd September and spent the next 24 hours sheltering from the weather. Although the journey from UK was somewhat complicated; train, plane, train and bus, St Quay made a good place to change crews, being accessable at all states of the tide.

The weather forecast was not encouraging, but a brief lull in the strong westerly winds provided an opportunity for Renegade to get back to sea. In W 4-5, with the occasional stronger gust we beat north to L'Ile Brehat. Then motored to windward through the Ferlasas Channel, to moor at Lezardrieux.

Dinner aboard was provided by the local traiteur and accompanied by Breton cider and bread from the boulangerie.

Next morning an early visit to the same boulangerie supplied croissants for the crew's breakfast.

Friday is market day in Lezardrieux, so we spent the morning stall gazing and adding to our supplies of essential items and some luxuries. We spent the afternoon investigating a malfunction in the bilge pump, so our time was not wholely given to pleasure.

We took the evening tide between deserted wooded banks up the Trieux river to Pontrieux, arriving just in time to pass through the lock into the yacht station.

As well as being a commercial port for sand barges, Pontrieux appears to provide moorings for superannuated ocean cruisers, and a few visitors like us. The town had a definite "out of season" air and we eventually found a creperie, which, unlike the other restaurants in the town, had decided that there was just enough trade for it to stay open.

To lift our spirits we stopped at the quayside bar for a coffee etc., where there was a group of youngsters in celebratery mood. We didn't discover what it was that they were celebrating despite their attempts to explain. And so to bed. In the few moments between our nightcap and bed we decided, contrary to our original plan, to leave Ponrieux on the morning tide and to investigate the Ile de Brehat.

So barely 12 hours after Renegade's arrival in Pontrieux we were passing through the lock in the other direction. Perhaps it was the proximity of so many yachts in an advanced state of decay, but we felt no desire to linger.

The Trieux looked, if anything, more deserted in the morning light. The same sand dredger, which had caused us to take evasive action the evening before, had another go, but this time on it's way to sea.

Passing our previous mooring on the pontoon at Pontrieux, we ghosted under genoa alone toward the open sea. Near the entrance to the Ferlas Channel we were hailed by an English yacht on her way to Harwich. She turned to starboard into the channel, but Renegade quietly took the northern route to the west of the Ile de Brehat.

We picked up a visitors mooring, but abandoned it when we calculated that Renegade would be well and truely aground at low water.

At this moment two French yachts sailed past us into the narrow drying Kerpont Passage between the islands. We decided to follow and , punching into a fierce tide, we sailed after them, eventually arriving in the Ferlas Channel, which presented a much calmer picture than when we had arrived only two days before. We found an anchorage out of the wind and tide and this time with sufficient depth. After lunch we joined the trippers ashore, who had crossed over to the island by ferry. There are no cars on the island, which is criss-crossed by narrow tracks, which link the settlements . Many of the houses are built of granite blocks, some are inscribed with 17th century dates and many stand in luxuriant gardens.

The sun shone, but the air was cool as the afternoon advanced. When the tide had risen sufficiently, we took La Trinite channel to Paimpol. I'm sure that you could have walked most of the route when the tide was out, but the depth sounder never registered less than 4.5 metres.

Paimpol harbour was crowded, but we just managed to squeeze in beside a sparkling new motor yacht.

Dennis and I rounded off another memorable Renegade day in a dockside restaurant.

Adrian

Gone West.

Tonight Renegade is at l'Aber-Wrac'h after a channel crossing complicated by a fishing net around the prop. Dennis and Derek retrieved the offending item and landed it in Alderney before it could cause any more mischief.

Vital spark?

On our first trip this year we found that the "house" battery was not charging. Shorting between the two red connections with a screwdriver appeared to solve the problem.

4021 visitors to Renegade website in 2008

There were 4021 "unique" visits to the Renegade website last year and 4013 visits to UFO News. Of course many of the visitors were commercial organisations but there were real people too. This is where they came from:


Netherlands 105
United Kingdom 87
Poland 64
Australia 45
Czech Republic 44
Switzerland 27
Denmark 24
Portugal 15
Germany 11
Belgium 10
France 6
Norway 6
US military 4
Sweden 4
Italy 3
Cyprus 2
Spain 2
New Zealand 2
Turkey 2
United Arab Emirates1
Argentine Republic 1
Canada 1
Finland 1
Croatia 1
India 1
Japan 1
Korea 1
Taiwan 1

New compasses

Renegade now sports a pair of Plastimo compasses, which have replaced the original Sestrels. We find the Plastimos easier to read, particularly at night. This may be more to do with the age of the crew than that of the compasses.

So, lot 1, a pair of Sestrel bulkhead compasses. Any offers to Renegade News.

2008; what a wash out.

So much for up to the minute news about Renegade! Where did she go in 2008? Almost nowhere. But, this is a new year with the possibility of good weather and we have plans. Of course we had plans last year and they were ambitious, but that was then and this is now.

So this is my prediction for 2009. The rest of the winter will be mild, with suitable weather for getting Renegade into better shape than she has been for years. An early spring will be accompanied by warm weather and Renegade will cruise the east coast and visit London before heading for the channel and Brittany, where the crew will spend several blissful weeks in perfect weather. Favourable winds will make the passage home a delight. Oh yes, and the pound will strengthen against the Euro or we will be eating aboard every night.