I started my sailing World Odyssey on the 18 April leaving Conwy North wales via Brest to NW Spain.
I’ve been in Sada NW Spain over month now longer than originally intended but with boats when it comes to maintenance one thing leads to another.
I noticed on passage from Wales to Spain that the new foresail luff the front of the sail appeared too long for the roller forestay. Also it was hard to pull out and up the forestay as was the mainsail. It was also difficult to reef the foresail back around the roller furling system from in the cockpit.
I’d replaced both the old mainsail and foresail last year with local north wales sailmaker but I had planned to come to Sada knowing there a number things to sort out.
Gerardo the rigger told me in broken English the foresail luff was too long which I had altered by Cadenote the spray hood was repaired and he recommended having the mast off to replace the halyard plastic sheaves both at the bottom and at the top of the mast.
I had spoken with Velos insurance broker about blue water insurance they told me that the stainless steel wire mast rigging had to be replaced before they would insure me for blue water sailing ( ocean Sailing) . I thought since the mast is coming off I’ll get Cadenote to replace the standing rigging and rewire the electrical cables inside the mast navigational lights and replace anything else that might need addressing.
Now it’s nearly month from when I arrived in Sada. Today it’s 28 May. Hopefully everything will be finished mast goes back on Stella Polaris on Monday. I been looking at the weather and want northerly winds for my passage to the Mediterranean Sea. Hopefully it’s now 1 June I’ll be able to leave this weekend to get northerly winds for my sail from Sada to Gibraltar.
So why a “round the world odyssey” at nearly 71 years of age you might ask? I’ve felt on many occasions with my life as if there is a greater force propelling me along to undertake certain things or adventures. This is such a time.
There’s no time scale on the adventure I’m just going go with the flow and see where it takes me? I have rough idea and I don’t really want to transit man made shipping canals if possible but in life you never say never. Because things can change without you realising it.
I plan to go into the Mediterranean Sea first however that said I’m not big fan of the Mediterranean Sea sailing wise. Why? Because you’ve either get no wind or far too much wind. And mooring in marinas is expensive especially Italy. But if you time it right you can get good sailing winds.
Now the U.K. is a third country ( 90 day Stay in 180 days) outside of the European Union I’ll have play it by ear in regard to European waters. I can go to Tunisia and Morocco during my time in the Mediterranean Sea.
I have some personal belongings in Venice after sailing Barada out there 18 months ago. This was the main reason for entering the Mediterranean.
Where do I go after that? I will go back into the Atlantic Ocean and head south. Where I’m heading is actually unimportant but I’m going to experience something new somewhere I’ve never been to before. It Is and will be a pilgrimage. What actual is a pilgrimage?
A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation.
As I will spend lots time on my own during my nautical pilgrimage it will force me into a deeper understanding of myself and I know will experience spiritual solitude. One of the advantages of being alone you become much observant , especially of wildlife.
The cafe I called into each day in Sada for a “Cafe con Leche” called ZumoLandia which is close to the marina. They usually give me a small biscuit to have with my coffee. Across the road there are bushes with are frequented by either finches or sparrows.
Each day these cheeky small birds come down to scavenge some small titbits left on either the tables or on the floor out side the main interior cafe. I now break up the biscuit in my hand and drop the crumbs onto the pavement close to where I like to sit. Right away the little sparrows swoop down and enjoy my little gift for them each day.
They’re very sensitive to movement so I sit quite still and watch them devouring the crunched up biscuit. Most people are oblivious to this little ritual of mine each day.
Very rarely in our lives do we get the time to spend extended periods on our own with our own thoughts. This human separation doesn’t mean I’m imposing separation upon my existence. But the actual opposite it allows me to appreciate the oneness of and wonder of it all and my existence in the great whole of the universe. This is why what I’m doing in the twilight of my life is so important to me.
Really it’s about savouring my life with out distractions and using the winds oceans and seas as a medium to transport me along . I’m as close as possible to using natures energy to propel me along this voyage is of personal discovery; experientially, physically and spiritually.
On this pilgrimage I will meet people most time quite fleetingly, like Lewis the Spanish acoustic guitarist I spoke to for a while yesterday at the entrance to Rock of Gibralta and an ex British Paratrooper from 2 Para also in Gibralta who told me he jumped into Suez on the canal invasion operation of 1956.
Will it make me a better more wiser person who knows I’ll see? But what I do know is “my life” is a just fleeting existence on this amazing watery planet of ours.
I know so far I’ve had a kaleidoscope of positive and some times negative experiences in my life so far, but overall these various experiences have given me a deeper understanding of life, humanity and nature.
The foundation of existence and life is a foundation of knowing and of deeper meaning and understanding of one’s self. What I’m saying is life has given me my own interpretation of life and it’s meaning. Yes my own personal interpretation and no one else’s.
I have always felt “beware” of others who tell you they know the way or the meaning of life? Always remember it’s their interpretation and not yours! Self discovery is personal journey by “you and you alone”.
This journey is an ongoing process throughout your life some of us get to higher level of being and understanding. But again this is from ones own personal understanding and interpretation of life.
I’m sure during my journey of discovery I’ll encounter many surprises along the way that will change my perceptions of life and it’s meaning.
I’ve always felt life should be both a spiritual (non religious) intellectual and experiential journey. This pilgrimage of mine is to give me a much deeper understanding of myself and the universe that surrounds me. In fact to enhance that sense of oneness which is what I feel is the essence of one’s life.
It’s to hone or sharpen my awareness of the beauty of my existence and all life that multitude of life that surrounds me , It will be like basking in the rays of the sun. Feeling it’s warmth radiating across me and through me into core of my being and essence.
But what I’m undertaking is my passion which gives me great joy and in turn it gives me a sense of fulfilment and happiness. That comes through my deep connection with nature and the challenge of sailing on a changing dynamic environment.
I’m interested in meditation connected to consciousness and two individuals for me have a special spiritual resonance are Pete Russell and Rupert Spira. I have listen to Peter for number of years he was a contemporary and PHD student of Steven Hawkins the famous Astro physicist . Peter drifted into the consciousness non duality world through his mathematical physics world. Robert I only came across recently through YouTube videos and his talks on non duality are fascinating.
Peter and Robert talk about the whole essence of the universe and how we sense it through evolutionary development. We think there’s a separation from outside world they say there isn’t we are all one element of the universal creation.
Meditation is an important element of oneness. Mediation is to help rest one’s mind from the constant chatter and thoughts we have each hour of each day.
Shared being, peace, love and happiness from Rupert Spira he talks really about suffering in fact it’s our own internal suffering that causes us to be unhappy and discontented.
Why? Because it’s the nature of our surroundings that creates this suffering. What I mean by that is western culture which can be invasive making us feel dissatisfied. This external world of intrusion we have to guard ourselves from. Happiness is about the our internal world of being It’s about knowing one’s self clearly that’s the essence of our being. It’s a clear self knowledge of one’s self. Know thy self is the essence of the spiritual path. Being and experience are intimately linked interwoven throughout one’s life.
I left Sada NW Spain in Saturday 4 June at about 8am. To be fair the night before I had knot in my stomach because I hadn’t soloed since last year 2021 when I brought Stella Polaris back from Sweden via Inverness and the Caledonian canal.
Heading up the Rio Betanzos to starboard was Ferrol and off to Port in the distance was the city of La Coruna. As made towards La Coruna I could clearly see the iconic Faro or lighthouse of the Tower of Hercules.
Unfortunately I had only light winds and had to do some motor sailing. I much prefer to sail with out the auxiliary Diesel engine on but sometimes winds are either dead on the nose or not strong enough to propel the boat along other than at very low speeds 1.5/2.0knots.
However once I reached Lisbon I had good northerly winds and lively seas all the way to Cape Saint Vincent once I rounded the Cape I was more or less still running down wind all the way to main narrow straits of Gibraltar.
Many of my friends and family ask how I cope on my own solo sailing. Secret is having a routine. That said close to land you have to be vigilant but once you get more offshore to 1000metre line you don’t encounter as much shipping or fishing boats however you have be more vigilant when negotiating shipping Traffic Separation Schemes. One off was Lisbon/Sintra prior to that I had watch for the Berlengas islands.
I have to be up on deck on those occasions same as the one TSS off Cape Vincent. I keep either on the outer edge of them which is fine as big ships stay inside those imaginary traffic ways. I can always identify big ships due to the two mast light bow one is always lower than the stern one.
Fishing boats are always an issue because they move slowly and are all over the place laying pots or trawling or laying Seine nets. There have a number of navigation fishing lights on. But they’re unpredictable in their movements.
Sleep patterns obviously are disruptive with regular power naps. I sleep or nap during the night and the day. At night I don’t usually lay down but seat on my bunk with pillow supporting my back. I keep a red light on in the saloon and always wear headlight when on deck usually again in red not to effect my night vision.
Many a time I listen to a pod cast on my iPhone whilst sitting in the saloon relaxing and can drop off. But it can’t be helped because you’re always tired. Stella Polaris has both an tiller electrical autohelm and Aries self steering windvane rudder called Gustav. I use electrical autohelm whilst under engine and Gustav when I’m not motor sailing which saves battery power as Gustav doesn’t require any electrics to steer the boat automatically.
Before I arrived at the narrow part of straits of Gibraltar the wind shifted which was dead against me the sea became rough and the wind got up to 27 knots. It was exceptionally rough at the Tarifa lighthouse it took me ages to battle my way up to the bay of Algeciras.
I worked my way across the Algeciras bay to Gibralta had watch out for all the large moored vessels and moving ships it was about 2.0am in the morning when I did a recce of the marinas, no good all full by then I thought I’ll head to the Spanish side at La Linea to Alcaidesa marina. I arrived tired but moored safely on a hammer head pontoon at 3.30am for well deserved sleep.
On passage I had problems with the new mainsail which I had made in Wales last year. You get what you pays for being the old adage. The battens had all worked loose I even lost one above the third reefing point and the reefing lines all frayed through. It was turning into wind to reef the sail when you do that the “mainsail” flaps so you can drop it down to ”reduce canvas” for the relative wind conditions. I thought this won’t do when I’m in south Atlantic everything needs to be utterly bomb proof.
Now I’m having to get a Local sail maker to look at and rectifying the problem, the two new sails weren’t made properly.. I noticed as well the stitching wasn’t finished off correctly with lots of Irish pennants. Shoddy workmanship. I remember when I bought Black Swan I had French sail maker make new tri-radial mainsail it wasn’t cheap but it such a beautiful sail.
Where to now after I leave Gibraltar? As I’m doing a around the world odyssey I thought why not do a full circumnavigation of the Mediterranean Sea? Spain, Corsica mainland Italy Croatia, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Israel, Egypt, Crete, Sardinia, Tunisia and Morocco before heading into the Atlantic next year and on to the south Atlantic Ocean.
