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.

More than 3000 visitors in 2007

There were 3694 visitors to Renegaders.co.uk in 2007 and 4982 to UFO News.

Visitors came from all over the world including Mauritius, Tasmania, California, Israel and Poland.

Guests at Rye

Will and Margaret Rudd paid a visit to Renegade, well stuck in the mud in Rye harbour.

Avoiding steamers in fog on the Medway

A sure fire way of avoiding getting run down by something big when in fog, is to stay in shallow water, but Renegade's new radar proved to be invaluable when making our way up the Medway through the morning fog.

Radar reflections

The recent report on the sinking of the OUZO prompted an investigation into the effectiveness of radar reflectors, which makes disturbing reading. Follow this link to see the report and recommendations http://www.maib.gov.uk/cms_resources/Radar%20reflectors%20report.pdf
I have drawn the following conclusions from this report and that of the MAIB:
Radar reflectors perform badly when the boat is heeled and in rough water, beacause of "sea clutter".
Carrying AIS is not the answer, because commercial ships do not have to display AIS data on the radar screen.
Just because a ship alters course and appears to be giving way to you does not necessarily mean that you have been seen. (see MAIB report).
Gradual alterations of course can confuse observers on other vessels.
Having equipment which identifies a ship's AIS (including name, call sign and MMSI)might be of help, because a VHF call to the bridge is more likely to be answered.

Where's Renegade on 9th August?

Dennis reports the safe arrival of Renegade in Plymouth with Richard, Dennis and Mark aboard. The radar is now working and the rig has been professionally tuned.

The Yarn of the 'Nancy Bell'

The Yarn of the 'Nancy Bell'" first appeared in Fun 2 (3 March 1866): 238, and republished in the Bab Ballads, a series of humorous verses published in Fun and other periodicals between 1862 and 1871, with many illustrations by the author signed 'Bab' (Gilbert's nickname derived from his having been called "Baby" as a child). What distinguishes this particular poem is its having been rejected by the editor of Punch as "too cannibalistic for his readers' tastes" ("Preface" to Fifty Bab Ballads, p. vii). In its ballad metre, internal rhyme, and dual narrative voices, as well as its subject matter, it has often been compared to Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (1798).

'Twas on the shores that round our coast
From Deal to Ramsgate span,1
That I found alone on a piece of stone
An elderly naval man.

His hair was weedy, his beard was long,
And weedy and long was he,
And I heard this wight2 on the shore recite,
In a singular minor key:

"Oh, I am a cook and a captain bold,
And the mate of the Nancy brig,
And a bo'sun tight, and a midshipmite, 3
And the crew of the captain's gig."

And he shook his fists and he tore his hair,
Till I really felt afraid,
For I couldn't help thinking the man had been drinking,
And so I simply said:

"Oh, elderly man, it's little I know
Of the duties of men of the sea,
And I'll eat my hand if I understand
However you can be

'At once a cook, and a captain bold,
And the mate of the Nancy brig,
And a bo'sun tight, and a midshipmite,
And the crew of the captain's gig.'"4

Then he gave a hitch to his trousers, which
Is a trick all seamen larn,
And having got rid of a thumping quid,5
He spun this painful yarn:

"'Twas in the good ship Nancy Bell
That we sailed to the Indian Sea,
And there on a reef we come to grief,
Which has often occurred to me.

'And pretty nigh all the crew was drowned
(There was seventy-seven o' soul),
And only ten of the Nancy's men
Said 'Here!' to the muster-roll.

'There was me and the cook and the captain bold,
And the mate of the Nancy brig,
And the bo'sun tight, and a midshipmite,
And the crew of the captain's gig.

'For a month we'd neither wittles6 nor drink,
Till a-hungry we did feel,
So we drawed a lot, and, accordin' shot
The captain for our meal.

'The next lot fell to the Nancy's mate,
And a delicate dish he made;
Then our appetite with the midshipmite
We seven survivors stayed.

'And then we murdered the bo'sun tight,
And he much resembled pig;
Then we wittled free, did the cook and me,
On the crew of the captain's gig.

'Then only the cook and me was left,
And the delicate question,"Which
Of us two goes to the kettle" arose,
And we argued it out as sich.

'For I loved that cook as a brother, I did,
And the cook he worshipped me;
But we'd both be blowed if we'd either be stowed
In the other chap's hold,7you see.

"I'll be eat if you dines off me,"says TOM;
'Yes, that,' says I, 'you'll be, '
'I'm boiled if I die, my friend, ' quoth I;
And "Exactly so," quoth he.

'Says he,"Dear JAMES, to murder me
Were a foolish thing to do,
For don't you see that you can't cook me,
While I can and will cook you!"

'So he boils the water, and takes the salt
And the pepper in portions true
(Which he never forgot), and some chopped shalot.
And some sage and parsley too.

"Come here,"says he, with a proper pride,
Which his smiling features tell,
"'T will soothing be if I let you see
How extremely nice you'll smell."

'And he stirred it round and round and round,
And he sniffed at the foaming froth;
When I ups with his heels, and smothers his squeals
In the scum of the boiling broth.

'And I eat that cook in a week or less,
And as I eating be
The last of his chops, why, I almost drops,
For a wessel in sight I see!

* * * * * *

"And I never larf, and I never smile,
And I never lark nor play,
But I sit and croak, and a single joke
I have--which is to say:

"Oh, I am a cook and a captain bold,
And the mate of the Nancy brig,
And a bo'sun tight, and a midshipmite,
And the crew of the captain's gig!"

 
 
 
Here are some photos from Renegade's recent cruise from amongst the spritsail barges of the Orwell to Guernsey. Along the way we celebrated a birthday and a national day, visited some favourite places, ate and drank well and made some new friends. All in all a success, despite the weather.