Friday, 4 July 2008
Wednesday, 2 July 2008
MIRANDA’S THOUGHTS ON THE ROUND BRITAIN POWERBOAT RACE 2008
When Sarah asked me to join her in the Round Britain Offshore Powerboat Race 2008, I leapt at the chance to take part. I had never done anything like it before but I felt it would be an amazing challenge and the experience of a lifetime. Having known Sarah since my teens I had complete faith in her abilities on the sea and felt that, were I to do this with anyone, it would have to be her.
The fear of having only light weather training was eased by the incredible boat (Rosy B) which we were lent. She gave me belief that we could get round, although at the time I had no understanding of just how uncomfortable it would be in high, lumpy seas!!
The build up to the start was an experience in itself. The press attention we were getting was somewhat dazzling. So much so that at one point I did seriously wonder what on earth I had let myself in for! After the initial press, TV and radio interviews, and the fantastic help and support from Hicky Gibbs, Sarah and I felt so much more at ease with having to deal with it all. In fact by the end of the Race – we were almost Pro’s (well almost).
The day of the start dawned and the nerves really kicked in. Our sponsors had provided so much help and support that I was terrified of letting them down. Being on the start line with so many incredibly powerful, fast powerboats was such an amazing experience – but having done so many yacht races before, I didn’t find it too daunting (at least you can stop a powerboat, you can’t stop a 70ft yacht!). The trip down the Solent in reasonably flat water gave us a false sense of security, waiting for us in Lyme Bay was a sea that, at best, should be described as … HORRIBLE! Having made it through, the thrill of the chequered flag was fantastic and almost made me forget how ghastly the previous 2 hours had been.
2 days later, back out on the start line and heading out of Milford Haven. We had been given an exclusion zone to go round which meant the first 20 miles was powering through a nasty head sea. With no experience of driving through this we found it difficult to keep up momentum and find any rhythm in the wave pattern. Heading north up the Irish Sea it started to get easier and after crossing to the Irish Coast we found calmer waters and more speed. 9th (out of 48) to cross the finish line at Bangor, Northern Ireland, was our best result. Sarah and I had been given a couple of extremely good weather and wave pattern websites to look at by a friend, Andrew Cape, who is an internationally renowned navigator on yachts. We studiously looked at these every night and morning to decide the best route to take for the following leg. I believe this was one of the reasons we did so well as none of the other competitors seemed to take weather or sea state seriously (fellow Lymington competitors excluded).
By the time we arrived in Oban, we both felt a lot more confident in our abilities, Sarah in driving the boat and dealing with various sea states, and me with the navigation, something I had not done for about 15 years!
The legs from Inverness to Edinburgh, Edinburgh to Newcastle and Newcastle to Lowestoft were amazing. We kept well into the coast and out of the higher seas further out. I had finally mastered the Garmin touch screen chartplotter and was able to navigate Sarah from rock to rock and we saw some of the most beautiful deserted coastline in Britain – although dodging lobster pots and guillimots kept us concentrating hard on the route ahead.
For the last leg from Lowestoft to Portsmouth, we really went for it. We had the most amazing start – after the last 6 starts, we knew what to do – watch the start boat from the moment the green 2 minute flag goes up and passes in front of the fleet from right to left. As it comes back to the right it starts to throttle on, at which point we also sped up so that by the time the flag was lowered we were almost at full speed and jostling with the fastest boats for the best clear water. Then, when the start boat peeled off, we were in the best position and going at full speed (50 knots). Sarah didn’t touch the throttles again until we passed the finishing line and were told we were the 10th boat to finish. We were ecstatic. We had completed the Round Britain Race. We had actually got the whole way round, in one piece! On top of this, we had done so incredibly well, exceeding all our expectations.
We had had such fun taking part in this Race. We met some amazing people and received wonderful encouragement, banter and comments about our bunny ears and angel wings from our fellow competitors! All in all it was an unforgettable experience, a genuine once in a lifetime.
I have to mention special thanks to our sponsors, without whom we would never made it to the start line. Also to the very amazing Richard and Gino who greeted us at every port with wonderful welcoming smiles; took our bags; drove us to hotels; somehow found sandwiches and coffee at six or seven in the morning; put up with us chatting on mobiles and fast asleep on the back seat; the absolutely fantastic massages Gino gave us every evening. They really were true heroes who utterly spoilt us and kept us going!!!
Lastly my thanks to Sarah for asking me to join her and trusting me to get us round without hitting anything. I realised quite early on that we had to have 100% faith in each other because our lives were in each others hands, especially if things started to go wrong. I had total faith in Sarah and I thank her for having the same in me. She was the most fantastic team mate that anyone could ask for; huge fun, always cheerful, extremely positive and above all, a brilliant driver. (I’m so glad she drove because I don’t think I would have kept going through some of those challenging seas!).
So, to sum up how I feel about completing the Round Britain Offshore Powerboat Race 2008; exhilarated, amazed and astounded that we managed to do so well … you could say brimming with pride!
The fear of having only light weather training was eased by the incredible boat (Rosy B) which we were lent. She gave me belief that we could get round, although at the time I had no understanding of just how uncomfortable it would be in high, lumpy seas!!
The build up to the start was an experience in itself. The press attention we were getting was somewhat dazzling. So much so that at one point I did seriously wonder what on earth I had let myself in for! After the initial press, TV and radio interviews, and the fantastic help and support from Hicky Gibbs, Sarah and I felt so much more at ease with having to deal with it all. In fact by the end of the Race – we were almost Pro’s (well almost).
The day of the start dawned and the nerves really kicked in. Our sponsors had provided so much help and support that I was terrified of letting them down. Being on the start line with so many incredibly powerful, fast powerboats was such an amazing experience – but having done so many yacht races before, I didn’t find it too daunting (at least you can stop a powerboat, you can’t stop a 70ft yacht!). The trip down the Solent in reasonably flat water gave us a false sense of security, waiting for us in Lyme Bay was a sea that, at best, should be described as … HORRIBLE! Having made it through, the thrill of the chequered flag was fantastic and almost made me forget how ghastly the previous 2 hours had been.
2 days later, back out on the start line and heading out of Milford Haven. We had been given an exclusion zone to go round which meant the first 20 miles was powering through a nasty head sea. With no experience of driving through this we found it difficult to keep up momentum and find any rhythm in the wave pattern. Heading north up the Irish Sea it started to get easier and after crossing to the Irish Coast we found calmer waters and more speed. 9th (out of 48) to cross the finish line at Bangor, Northern Ireland, was our best result. Sarah and I had been given a couple of extremely good weather and wave pattern websites to look at by a friend, Andrew Cape, who is an internationally renowned navigator on yachts. We studiously looked at these every night and morning to decide the best route to take for the following leg. I believe this was one of the reasons we did so well as none of the other competitors seemed to take weather or sea state seriously (fellow Lymington competitors excluded).
By the time we arrived in Oban, we both felt a lot more confident in our abilities, Sarah in driving the boat and dealing with various sea states, and me with the navigation, something I had not done for about 15 years!
The legs from Inverness to Edinburgh, Edinburgh to Newcastle and Newcastle to Lowestoft were amazing. We kept well into the coast and out of the higher seas further out. I had finally mastered the Garmin touch screen chartplotter and was able to navigate Sarah from rock to rock and we saw some of the most beautiful deserted coastline in Britain – although dodging lobster pots and guillimots kept us concentrating hard on the route ahead.
For the last leg from Lowestoft to Portsmouth, we really went for it. We had the most amazing start – after the last 6 starts, we knew what to do – watch the start boat from the moment the green 2 minute flag goes up and passes in front of the fleet from right to left. As it comes back to the right it starts to throttle on, at which point we also sped up so that by the time the flag was lowered we were almost at full speed and jostling with the fastest boats for the best clear water. Then, when the start boat peeled off, we were in the best position and going at full speed (50 knots). Sarah didn’t touch the throttles again until we passed the finishing line and were told we were the 10th boat to finish. We were ecstatic. We had completed the Round Britain Race. We had actually got the whole way round, in one piece! On top of this, we had done so incredibly well, exceeding all our expectations.
We had had such fun taking part in this Race. We met some amazing people and received wonderful encouragement, banter and comments about our bunny ears and angel wings from our fellow competitors! All in all it was an unforgettable experience, a genuine once in a lifetime.
I have to mention special thanks to our sponsors, without whom we would never made it to the start line. Also to the very amazing Richard and Gino who greeted us at every port with wonderful welcoming smiles; took our bags; drove us to hotels; somehow found sandwiches and coffee at six or seven in the morning; put up with us chatting on mobiles and fast asleep on the back seat; the absolutely fantastic massages Gino gave us every evening. They really were true heroes who utterly spoilt us and kept us going!!!
Lastly my thanks to Sarah for asking me to join her and trusting me to get us round without hitting anything. I realised quite early on that we had to have 100% faith in each other because our lives were in each others hands, especially if things started to go wrong. I had total faith in Sarah and I thank her for having the same in me. She was the most fantastic team mate that anyone could ask for; huge fun, always cheerful, extremely positive and above all, a brilliant driver. (I’m so glad she drove because I don’t think I would have kept going through some of those challenging seas!).
So, to sum up how I feel about completing the Round Britain Offshore Powerboat Race 2008; exhilarated, amazed and astounded that we managed to do so well … you could say brimming with pride!
Scorpion Welcome Back
A wonderful welcome home from all the guys at Scorpion. We are SO grateful to have been lent this wonderful RIB that safely (and quickly) got us the whole way around Britain without any hitches. Even through rough waters off the Mull of Kintyre and in the Forth of Firth, we always felt safe.
Special thanks to Patrick (for lending us the boat), to Graham (for designing the boat), to Bruce, Joy and Sara (for offering huge amounts of encouragement) and to Ben and Jamie (who came up to Scotland and serviced the engines, checked all the systems and spent hours driving around Britain). They are a great team. THANK YOU xxx
Big kiss to the Greek boys racing in their Scorpion RIB and fantastic to have brought your RIB all the way from Greece for this event. Good fun going through the Caledonian Canal with you. Congratulations to Mike and his team in Hot Lemon for coming 5th overall and 3rd in class, to Chris and his team in SeaHound for coming 10th overall and 3rd in class, John and his team in Mystic Dragon, Jeremy and Tim in Tequila for coming 13th overall (Have you got any bottles left?) and Gavin and Roger in Black Gold. A great honour to race against you gentlemen.
Tuesday, 1 July 2008
Duncan Hamilton Team Support
Duncan Hamilton & Co are sponsors and looked after land logistics.
Gino - Fabulous sports masseuse and essential after a bashing on the seas. Thank you Gino for working your magic.
Richard - Driver and "on the spot" land logistics. Richard was brilliant at getting the boat loaded onto the lorry at Plymouth and did all the behind the scenes administration. Thanks to Richard we were one of the first boats to get to Milford Haven. In fact we probably won that leg! As well as liaising the lifting, loading and re-launch, he also took brought beers on arrival at each leg (much needed!), drove us to and from our hotels and restaurants and was wonderfully supportive. He drove 3,000 miles following us around! Thank you SO much
Hammy - Mission Control. (AKA ATD) Hammy, thank you for organising and financing all the land logistics for us. We could not have done this without you and you spoilt us rotton. We were getting seriously used to having a massage and driver on tap. Life will never be the same!
Thank you xxx
Lowestoft to Portsmouth - A day to remember!
Neither Miranda or I got much sleep as we were both really excited about the last leg home. We had planned our tactics the night before and we decided we were really going to push the boat and ourselves hard. Conditions looked good enough to straightline it across all the way from Lowestoft to Margate.
Our start was exciting and we had a good position. Full throttle and lots of trim, we were stomping along at 52 knots. We had both decided to take the bumps and pain for good boat speed. This paid off as we lost the other two stings, Mystic Dragon and Sea Hound within an hour. We could see quite a lot of the boats going inland but we knew they had a longer distance to cover and therefore we would lose them too. Very exciting going across the Thames Estuary with shallow sand banks and shipping. With Margate in sight and then the white cliffs of Dover we were flying. Slightly bumpy around the headlands but we pushed on without throttling back. We both have the bruises to show for it! Overtook a couple of ribs that found it tough going in the chop and soon we had the fort and spinaker tower in sight. Lots of spectator boats near the Fort and as were haven't done any sharp turns at 50 knots, we left the fort with about 30' to spare. Slight panic as we tried to spot the next orange mark which was out of sight behind the specator boats. Soon spotted it and headed for the finish line. Huge cheers as we crossed the line - we made it!
Fantastic to see Ed, Honor and Minna on Hush on the finish line with a wonderful banner welcoming us back. We were greeted in Gun Wharf Quay by our familes and friends and huge cheers from the crowds. It looked as though we were 8th boat in which was amazing. Pushing hard really paid off. Lots of balloons, champagne and kisses all round. Interviews with BBC, Meridian and lots of radio interviews. We were probably talking complete gobbledegoops we were on such a high.
Huge cheers as boats came in all afternoon and lots of congratulations all round. Certainly a day to remember!
Sunday, 29 June 2008
Your messages
Thank you so much for your support. Miranda and I love reading your comments. Keep them rolling in!
Newcastle to Lowestoff
What a cracking day! This is a photo of our start and we are the boat at the bottom of the picture. You can see the wash of the start boat going across the line just before we all head off. We had a good start with clear water and we stayed in close to the land pretty much the whole way to Lowestoff to keep out of the chop. Boats that took a straight line hit 3 metre waves and found it tough going. We in contrast probably did an additional 15 miles but maintained a good speed of 50 to 52 knots all the way apart from going across the Wash which was lumpy. We feel all the better for it now. A really interesting coastline and amazing wind farms out at sea and dotted along the coast.
Wildlife today - we saw puffins!
We had an excellent race against the 2 other Scorpion RIBs in our class SeaHound and Mystic Dragon - neck and neck all the way! At the finish, there was 20 seconds between the three boats. Unfortunately, we were pipped to the post but it was a great race. Looks like we came in 16th today and our overall position is still 12. Not bad for a couple of novices!
Scrutineering and re-fuelling went well and we had a jolly party at the Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club with our fellow competitors and race organisers. It feels very strange that tomorrow evening it will all be over.
There is a good regatta atmosphere here. We are always greeted by a huge smile from Peter who runs the re-fuelling, the girls at race control are so positive and full of encouragement and the race officer has been very helpful at showing us the ropes.
We are really looking forward to tomorrow. The wind is dropping to 10 knots from the West going around to South West so should be fine all the way to Dover and then might be a bit of a bump on the final leg to Portsmouth. The wave hights across the Thames estuary are less than 0.5metres so we will take a straight line at full pelt! We are only 20 minutes behind the boat in front so it would be great to catch up.
Can't wait to see my family and looking forward to a glass of Bollinger on arrival at Portsmouth! (Hint hint!)
Saturday, 28 June 2008
Edinburgh to Newcastle
This was a short leg and with an offshore wind, the sea was flat - at least that's what we were hoping for. Instead, we had a horrible following sea out of Edinburgh with a strong tide against us. WE HATE FOLLOWING SEAS!!!! We battled for about 45 minutes until we could get around the corner and start heading South. I have a bruised rib so every hard landing, really hurts. We later heard that 4 boats turned back! Going down the coast of Scotland was really beautiful and really felt like a race as boats all bunched up at the headlands. We were right in close to the beach and Miranda was brilliant at navigating us through some very narrow channels between rocks at 52 knots! (Just as well you weren't onboard Patrick!)
We had a very exciting finish against another Scorpion RIB, Black Gold and just managed to beat them by 20 seconds. We have found out that our overall position is 12 out of 48 which is amazing and we are 4th in class. We never expected to do this well and were just hoping to get around. We have 2 very long legs left. Tomorrow we go to Lowestoff and have to cross the Wash which has nasty sand banks, tides and can be quite rough and on Monday we cross the Thames Estuary which is very tidal. The good news is that the wind is dying so less bumps. WE HATE BUMPS!!!
We have seen lots of wildlife on the way round. Miranda saw a whale in the Irish Sea, we saw lots of dolphins coming out of Milford Haven and today we saw a seal.
We could not have done this race without the fantastic support of Team Scorpion Dubois. With us we have Richard who is our driver (car not boat) who not only gets us from A to B, sorts out our accommodation but also was fantastic at arrangine the lorry to get the boat from Plymouth to Milford Haven. He brings us refreshments on arrival, sorts out supplies for onboard, liaises with the Scorpion guys and is generally brilliant. We also have Gino who is trained at sports massages. He works his magic and brings us back to life. I had no idea that we would get so bashed around so Gino is a Godsend. Ben and Jamie are the Scorpion boys who check the boat out and fix anything that needs tweaking. They gave the engines a good service when we were in Inverness and checked all the systems. The boat is amazing. We feel totally safe all the time and feel we could go through any sea - perhaps not at 50 knots!
Miranda is the perfect team mate. We have lots of laughs and we are very similar in many ways. She is an excellent navigator and keeps her cool in tricky moments. She doesn't even complain when I completely mis-judge a wave and smash the boat into the next wave. She has a great competative spirit and is game on for anything. Thank you Miranda.
We are feeling very upbeat about the next couple of days. We are gaining confidence at the starts and understand the form better. Consistancy and reliability are pushing us up the results table and we just have to keep steady.
Unfortunately, the ipod still doesn't work but Terry Wogan gives us lots of inspiration on the way to the start line. We love those oldies!
I can't believe that this great adventure will all be over in 2 days. It is the most amazing thing to have done. There is great comraderie with our fellow competitors and a very special bond with them.
I can't believe that this great adventure will all be over in 2 days. It is the most amazing thing to have done. There is great comraderie with our fellow competitors and a very special bond with them.
Nearly Midnight and we are up at 6 with a long day ahead so that's it for now.
Friday, 27 June 2008
Tim's comment
Hi Tim
Good to hear from you and thank you for your tips on how to cope in a following sea. We are learning the hard way and looks like we ought to buy some "brave" pills to get over that hurdle again. Most unpleasant! The boat has trim on the legs and trim tabs. We use the trim on the legs all the time and the trim tabs for cross winds to balance the boat. We are on such a steep learning curve and every day we learn more. Great to feel we are going South!!
Thanks for your support.
LOL Sarah
Good to hear from you and thank you for your tips on how to cope in a following sea. We are learning the hard way and looks like we ought to buy some "brave" pills to get over that hurdle again. Most unpleasant! The boat has trim on the legs and trim tabs. We use the trim on the legs all the time and the trim tabs for cross winds to balance the boat. We are on such a steep learning curve and every day we learn more. Great to feel we are going South!!
Thanks for your support.
LOL Sarah
Inverness to Edinburgh
Miranda and I are beginning to take a more competative approach to the race. We were delighted to have made it half way and have gained lots of experience on the way up but now we feel the race is beginning. We checked the forecast, tides and wave heights and decided we were really going to go for it today. Despite yet another 5.30 am start, we were well prepared. Our tactic to stay in close to the coast, out of the tide and in the lee of the land really paid off and we managed to maintain 50 knots most of the way to Edinburgh (210 miles!). We were dead chuffed to have finished the race in 4 hours 3 minutes and well ahead of several of our direct competitors.
There were parts of the race where we took a real hammering and both Miranda and I are shattered. The slamming takes its toll on our ankles, back, shoulders and neck and despite a fantastic massage and hot bath, we can hardly move. God knows how we are going to move tomorrow. That Red Bull and Neurofen cocktail might come in handy!
Toooo tired to write, speak or move!
Thursday, 26 June 2008
CLIC Sargent in Inverness
At last, a lie-in, well, at least until 8.00 am. The highlight of our day was taking out a really great bunch of kids from CLIC Sargent. None of them had been on a racing powerboat and we took them off for a spin in the basin in Inverness. They were amazing and 8 year old Sarah (Front row, second from left) had undergone surgery only 2 days ago - what a plucky kid. A very humbling experience for Miranda and I who have 7 children between us. BBC Scotland were filmed us and hopefully we got lots of publicity for the charity. If you want to donate, you can online at www.justgiving.com/sarahfraser
Oban to Inverness
A horrendous early start to the day. Alarm at 4 and on the boat at 4.30. Grey and drizzle was not a good start.
A quick whizz to Fort William where we joined Neptune's Ladder which is a flight of 9 locks. We were second batch to go through and by the end of the day we had got to know the other 8 boats pretty well as we went through the lock system together. The canals were really slow and we weren't allowed to go over 5 knots but the Lochs were flat out. Had it been a lovely sunny day, it would have been fantastic but as it was really cold and raining, it was very miserable. Our first experience of rain hitting our faces at 52 knots was not a pleasant one. On the positive side, it could be good for our complexion and cheaper than a face massage!
We were joined by a friendly duck who really enjoyed a rest onboard our boat. See picture.
We didn't get to Inverness until 7pm so were tired, cold, hungry and fed up. Both a bit ratty by the end of the day and in need of a good night's sleep.
Tuesday, 24 June 2008
CLIC Sargent
Miranda and I have raised just over £10,000.00 for CLIC Sargent. If you would like to make a donation please go to either www.justgiving.com/sarahfraser or www.justgiving.com/mirandaknowles
Our target is £50,000.00 so please spread the news to your friends.
Thank you.
Our target is £50,000.00 so please spread the news to your friends.
Thank you.
Thank you bloggers!
Miranda and I love getting your messages. A real treat when we get back on land feeling shattered and it's nice to know you are bothering to read it! Send more......please.
Bangor to Oban
We made it to Oban so half way there! Yippee.
A very dramatic start as both fleets set off together. Flatish seas so full pelt at 52 knots. Great to be in the running with some of the big boys and up to Mull of Kintyre were alongside Neil McGrigor and Tony Jenvey. This didn't last for long when we hit a huge sea and plunged into very large waves which knocked the radar off it's support 2' above our heads. A good soaking followed by lots of unmentionable words. It was a very difficult leg for us as we just haven't had enough experience in following seas and as you fly off the top of a big wave, we just headed straight into the one infront. We tried to keep up our speed but ended up only managing about 40 knots. The sea improved as soon as we went through the stretch of water between Jura and Islay, then it was 52 knots all the way to the finish.
We made a big tactical error staying too far away from the rocks. All the other boats went in close and were out of the large seas and took a more straight line approach. Still, we had a good blast, past lots of beautiful scenery, really stunning and great to be in Oban in time for a late lunch.
No flying pigs today!
Really looking forward to our trip through the Caladonian Canal tomorrow and a day off in Inverness - we really need it!!
A very dramatic start as both fleets set off together. Flatish seas so full pelt at 52 knots. Great to be in the running with some of the big boys and up to Mull of Kintyre were alongside Neil McGrigor and Tony Jenvey. This didn't last for long when we hit a huge sea and plunged into very large waves which knocked the radar off it's support 2' above our heads. A good soaking followed by lots of unmentionable words. It was a very difficult leg for us as we just haven't had enough experience in following seas and as you fly off the top of a big wave, we just headed straight into the one infront. We tried to keep up our speed but ended up only managing about 40 knots. The sea improved as soon as we went through the stretch of water between Jura and Islay, then it was 52 knots all the way to the finish.
We made a big tactical error staying too far away from the rocks. All the other boats went in close and were out of the large seas and took a more straight line approach. Still, we had a good blast, past lots of beautiful scenery, really stunning and great to be in Oban in time for a late lunch.
No flying pigs today!
Really looking forward to our trip through the Caladonian Canal tomorrow and a day off in Inverness - we really need it!!
Monday, 23 June 2008
Milford Haven to Bangor
What an exhilarating day.
An early start with Declan Curry on BBC Breakfast TV at 6.15 meant we were up at 5.00. Glad I don't have his job! Spoke a bit about how our first race was and also about how we managed to get the boat and ourselves to Milford Haven before anyone else. All down to "Mission Control".
At the race briefing we were told that we had to go outside the exclusion zones which had endangered species of birds and other wildlife. A bit of a pain as it is a lot longer round. Disqualification for anyone who didn't do so and of course with the Marine Track, you are easily seen. Miranda got to work getting the waypoints in and we planned our route. We felt there was still going to be a big swell in the middle of the Irish Sea so in order to maintain a fast speed, we decided we would head across to Ireland near Wicklow and then head up North in the lee of Ireland.
The start was pretty dramatic with all the boats close on the start line and the lead boat heading off at quite a pace. The seas were still very rough and very confused and we stayed back and kept clear. Boats were really struggling in these conditions and we were slamming continuously. There was no pattern to the waves and just when you thought you got it, a monster wave appeared from nowhere. We were quite bashed around at this point to took it at our own pace.
Having rounded the Smalls, which is a rocky outcrop off Milford Haven, we set of across the Irish Sea and conditions improved. We were able to get up to about 40/45 knots at times and the felt comfortable. As soon as were were near Ireland, the sea levelled out comletely and we just went flat out at 50/52 knots all the way to the finish. The sun came out and the only thing missing was our ipod.
We saw dolphins on our way out and luckily they were not too near to the boat. Later on I got hit by a seagull on the head. The bird had just taken off infront of the boat and only just cleared the foredeck but unfortunately my head was in the way. If I hadn't had my helmet on, it would have probably knocked me out! I'm not sure what happened to the seagull.
Miranda has decided not to point out other boats or land as I have an extraordinary tendancy to steer towards them. At one point another boat crossed behind us quite closely and it is amazing how you suddenly want to really push the boat. It is really hard to focus on anything other than straight ahead, looking out for waves and lobster pots in the water.
Trying to have a drink of water is a hoot. It is virtually impossible to drink at 50 knots and water goes everywhere. The boat is shaking so vigourously that you cannot lift your hand. Eating is even more difficult. We knew that we could do quite well on this leg so we were reluctant to slow down.
As we rounded the corner into Bangor we saw several other boats and had a fantastic run in with them. We managed to pip them to the post as they hadn't plotted the finish on their GPS (Miranda had) so they didn't know where to go. Follow us boys! Anyhow, it looks as though we are 9th overall and 3rd in class at the moment which we are really pleased with.
We quickly refuelled and had to fix the anchor locker which had become loose. The nuts that hold the hinge had come undone and so we fixed this.
Just had a lovely hot bath - bliss. Neck and shoulders are very, very stiff. Glass of wine next.
An early start with Declan Curry on BBC Breakfast TV at 6.15 meant we were up at 5.00. Glad I don't have his job! Spoke a bit about how our first race was and also about how we managed to get the boat and ourselves to Milford Haven before anyone else. All down to "Mission Control".
At the race briefing we were told that we had to go outside the exclusion zones which had endangered species of birds and other wildlife. A bit of a pain as it is a lot longer round. Disqualification for anyone who didn't do so and of course with the Marine Track, you are easily seen. Miranda got to work getting the waypoints in and we planned our route. We felt there was still going to be a big swell in the middle of the Irish Sea so in order to maintain a fast speed, we decided we would head across to Ireland near Wicklow and then head up North in the lee of Ireland.
The start was pretty dramatic with all the boats close on the start line and the lead boat heading off at quite a pace. The seas were still very rough and very confused and we stayed back and kept clear. Boats were really struggling in these conditions and we were slamming continuously. There was no pattern to the waves and just when you thought you got it, a monster wave appeared from nowhere. We were quite bashed around at this point to took it at our own pace.
Having rounded the Smalls, which is a rocky outcrop off Milford Haven, we set of across the Irish Sea and conditions improved. We were able to get up to about 40/45 knots at times and the felt comfortable. As soon as were were near Ireland, the sea levelled out comletely and we just went flat out at 50/52 knots all the way to the finish. The sun came out and the only thing missing was our ipod.
We saw dolphins on our way out and luckily they were not too near to the boat. Later on I got hit by a seagull on the head. The bird had just taken off infront of the boat and only just cleared the foredeck but unfortunately my head was in the way. If I hadn't had my helmet on, it would have probably knocked me out! I'm not sure what happened to the seagull.
Miranda has decided not to point out other boats or land as I have an extraordinary tendancy to steer towards them. At one point another boat crossed behind us quite closely and it is amazing how you suddenly want to really push the boat. It is really hard to focus on anything other than straight ahead, looking out for waves and lobster pots in the water.
Trying to have a drink of water is a hoot. It is virtually impossible to drink at 50 knots and water goes everywhere. The boat is shaking so vigourously that you cannot lift your hand. Eating is even more difficult. We knew that we could do quite well on this leg so we were reluctant to slow down.
As we rounded the corner into Bangor we saw several other boats and had a fantastic run in with them. We managed to pip them to the post as they hadn't plotted the finish on their GPS (Miranda had) so they didn't know where to go. Follow us boys! Anyhow, it looks as though we are 9th overall and 3rd in class at the moment which we are really pleased with.
We quickly refuelled and had to fix the anchor locker which had become loose. The nuts that hold the hinge had come undone and so we fixed this.
Just had a lovely hot bath - bliss. Neck and shoulders are very, very stiff. Glass of wine next.
Sunday, 22 June 2008
Race 2 Plymouth to Milford Haven
At 6 am Miranda and I checked the weather conditions - seriously rough and probably dangerous. We decided we would not race. Quick on the phone to get the lorry organised and staight into Plan B.
At the briefing we all told that because of the bad weather, the race committee was going to wait 2 hours and then make a decision whether to race or not. They were not going to use a lay day and if we weren't going to race, then it was up to us to get our boats to Milford Haven by land ready to start the following day. 2 hours later the race had been cancelled followed by a comletely mad scrum to find trucks, trailers and cars to get boats, people and kit to Milford Haven. Luckily Hammy at "Mission Control" had a head start and we were almost first boat with a lorry and were out of the yard within an hour or so. Most boats won't be getting to Milford Haven until the early hours of tomorrow morning. We have since found out that our lorry driver has been phoned by 20 other boats! Looks like we might win the race to Milford Haven! THANK YOU HAMMY!!!
At the briefing we all told that because of the bad weather, the race committee was going to wait 2 hours and then make a decision whether to race or not. They were not going to use a lay day and if we weren't going to race, then it was up to us to get our boats to Milford Haven by land ready to start the following day. 2 hours later the race had been cancelled followed by a comletely mad scrum to find trucks, trailers and cars to get boats, people and kit to Milford Haven. Luckily Hammy at "Mission Control" had a head start and we were almost first boat with a lorry and were out of the yard within an hour or so. Most boats won't be getting to Milford Haven until the early hours of tomorrow morning. We have since found out that our lorry driver has been phoned by 20 other boats! Looks like we might win the race to Milford Haven! THANK YOU HAMMY!!!
First Race Portsmouth to Plymouth
What an amazing day.
Didn't sleep at all well - thinking about the start, how the weather was going to be and how we were going to cope in a big sea. The atmosphere in the pits was buzzing with all the boats there and their engines roaring so that you could hardly hear. Complete strangers coming up to us and wishing us luck.
We were scheduled to go on BBC Breakfast TV at 7.20 followed at 7.30 by the drivers briefing. It all went well and I hope my children have managed to record it for me!
Our start was at 9.30 and we were in our dry suits, thermals, lifejackets, helmets ready to go in good time. EPIRBs, personal flares all attached to us ready for the worst possible event! Once we were out of Gun Wharf Quay, we both relaxed and started to have fun. What a great adventure and it was just about to take off.
We had decided earlier on that as we were first timers, we would let the fast boats get clear of us and then tuck in behind them. We didn't fancy being too close on our first race. The start boat crossed the line a couple of times and then we all proceeded at about 30 know while the yellow flag was up. As soon as this dropped and the green flag went up, we were off. Up to 50 knots bombing down the Solent. Passing through several gates, it only took 30 minutes to get to the Needles. This is where it all changed. The sea was very lumpy and we quickly reduced our speed to 30 knots. Even then we took some hard landings! Very quickly the boats dispersed and we were on our own. We had fixed our course to go 5 miles south of Portland Bill. Both of us have sailed through the race off Portland and knew how rough it can be. We wanted to keep our speed up in hopefully flatter seas. Lyme Bay was really grim - the sea was very choppy with no pattern to the waves. At times we could get up to 40 knots and then we hit a couple of surprise waves and drop down to 18 knots. Half way across we were both pretty exhausted to we came off the plane and had a drink and a quick snack. This was enought to recharge our batteries. It was at this point that we understood why it was an endurance race! Seeing sight of land was a great boost. I don't know why but you feel like you are really making progress. Conditions improved as we rounded Prawle Point and we were able to pick up speed.
About a mile from the finish line, Miranda looked around and saw another boat catching us up. We didn't fancy being overtaken at this point so we pushed the boat and had the most exciting private race and flew into Plymouth Ssound at 50 knots. Fantastic - what an amazing feeling to have got there in one piece.
Later we found out that our average speed was just under 30 knots and it took us about 4 hours 15 minutes. Of the 48 boats entered in the race, we were 24th. There were lots of casualties along the way. The German team sank their boat in the middle of Lyme Bay. They came off a wave and probably split the hull on landing. All the bilge alarms went off and within 20 minutes the boat had gone down. They all got into the liferaft and took as much kit as they could with them. At least they were safe. ne of the Greeks ended up in Hospital with a very sore back, several boats had engine failure, a couple hit things in the water.
When you finish a race you have no idea what your position is and who has already made it back. Boats that you think you might have been ahead of have been in for ages and others are still our there. Everyone has a story to tell.
After refuelling, we were taken to the hotel for a wonderful and very necessary massage. We were both aching all over. Our backs seem to be fine but our shoulders and necks were pretty painful. This is due to the wieght of the helmets when you get thrown around. We joined the evening party for a quick drink but were shattered and needed an early night. The weather conditions for the following day looked grim so I put "Shore Control" on standby for a flat bed lorry to drive the boat to Milford Haven. Miranda and I didn't think we had had enough training to cope with force 7, waves of 7 metres off Land's End in a following sea. Our aim is to get around in one piece and we didn't want to risk damaging ourselves or the boat on the second leg.
This was certainly a day to remember.
Didn't sleep at all well - thinking about the start, how the weather was going to be and how we were going to cope in a big sea. The atmosphere in the pits was buzzing with all the boats there and their engines roaring so that you could hardly hear. Complete strangers coming up to us and wishing us luck.
We were scheduled to go on BBC Breakfast TV at 7.20 followed at 7.30 by the drivers briefing. It all went well and I hope my children have managed to record it for me!
Our start was at 9.30 and we were in our dry suits, thermals, lifejackets, helmets ready to go in good time. EPIRBs, personal flares all attached to us ready for the worst possible event! Once we were out of Gun Wharf Quay, we both relaxed and started to have fun. What a great adventure and it was just about to take off.
We had decided earlier on that as we were first timers, we would let the fast boats get clear of us and then tuck in behind them. We didn't fancy being too close on our first race. The start boat crossed the line a couple of times and then we all proceeded at about 30 know while the yellow flag was up. As soon as this dropped and the green flag went up, we were off. Up to 50 knots bombing down the Solent. Passing through several gates, it only took 30 minutes to get to the Needles. This is where it all changed. The sea was very lumpy and we quickly reduced our speed to 30 knots. Even then we took some hard landings! Very quickly the boats dispersed and we were on our own. We had fixed our course to go 5 miles south of Portland Bill. Both of us have sailed through the race off Portland and knew how rough it can be. We wanted to keep our speed up in hopefully flatter seas. Lyme Bay was really grim - the sea was very choppy with no pattern to the waves. At times we could get up to 40 knots and then we hit a couple of surprise waves and drop down to 18 knots. Half way across we were both pretty exhausted to we came off the plane and had a drink and a quick snack. This was enought to recharge our batteries. It was at this point that we understood why it was an endurance race! Seeing sight of land was a great boost. I don't know why but you feel like you are really making progress. Conditions improved as we rounded Prawle Point and we were able to pick up speed.
About a mile from the finish line, Miranda looked around and saw another boat catching us up. We didn't fancy being overtaken at this point so we pushed the boat and had the most exciting private race and flew into Plymouth Ssound at 50 knots. Fantastic - what an amazing feeling to have got there in one piece.
Later we found out that our average speed was just under 30 knots and it took us about 4 hours 15 minutes. Of the 48 boats entered in the race, we were 24th. There were lots of casualties along the way. The German team sank their boat in the middle of Lyme Bay. They came off a wave and probably split the hull on landing. All the bilge alarms went off and within 20 minutes the boat had gone down. They all got into the liferaft and took as much kit as they could with them. At least they were safe. ne of the Greeks ended up in Hospital with a very sore back, several boats had engine failure, a couple hit things in the water.
When you finish a race you have no idea what your position is and who has already made it back. Boats that you think you might have been ahead of have been in for ages and others are still our there. Everyone has a story to tell.
After refuelling, we were taken to the hotel for a wonderful and very necessary massage. We were both aching all over. Our backs seem to be fine but our shoulders and necks were pretty painful. This is due to the wieght of the helmets when you get thrown around. We joined the evening party for a quick drink but were shattered and needed an early night. The weather conditions for the following day looked grim so I put "Shore Control" on standby for a flat bed lorry to drive the boat to Milford Haven. Miranda and I didn't think we had had enough training to cope with force 7, waves of 7 metres off Land's End in a following sea. Our aim is to get around in one piece and we didn't want to risk damaging ourselves or the boat on the second leg.
This was certainly a day to remember.
Friday, 20 June 2008
Weather
Two great weather websites that we use
http://www.xcweather.co.uk/
http://www.windguru.com/int/index.php?sc=47894
http://www.xcweather.co.uk/
http://www.windguru.com/int/index.php?sc=47894
Thursday, 19 June 2008
Portsmouth
We arrived in Portsmouth after a very exhilarating trip. Very choppy seas in the Solent with a strong wind against tide. All was going very well until I completely misjudged a wave and went through it instead of over it! We could see the wave coming towards us over the foredeck but with no where to hide, we got the full brunt of it. We were soaked from top to toe. Lesson 1 - Always wear a drysuit.
Portsmouth was buzzing with activity. Race control was highly organised and we had millions of bits of paper to sign, ID wrist bands to wear for 9 days incase we are pulled from the sea, passes, scrutineering etc.
Lots of teams from all over Europe and great to meet some of the other competitors. Everyone very friendly. The guys from Garmin gave us some top tips on how to tweak the GPS Map and showed us how to simplify inputting the routes. Miranda is a mastermind at this - thank goodness, as I'm not.
After a relaxing coffee away from the boats, we couldn't resist a bit of retail therapy. Silly not to while in Gun Wharf Quay except that we were almost the last team to get to the briefing - slightly embarrassing!
Jeremy Bennett and Tim Kary also got hit by a big wave which damaged their console and a bit of the perspex flew off and pierced a section of one of the tubes. Must have been the same wave that we got! Anyhow, poor things have got their work cut out repairing it all ready for Saturday. Lucky it happened now rather than in the middle of the Irish Sea. We got a lift back to Lymington in Tony Jenvey's RIB and escorted Jeremy and Tim in theirs.
An amazing day and can't wait to get going. Weather looking good for first leg - whew!
Portsmouth was buzzing with activity. Race control was highly organised and we had millions of bits of paper to sign, ID wrist bands to wear for 9 days incase we are pulled from the sea, passes, scrutineering etc.
Lots of teams from all over Europe and great to meet some of the other competitors. Everyone very friendly. The guys from Garmin gave us some top tips on how to tweak the GPS Map and showed us how to simplify inputting the routes. Miranda is a mastermind at this - thank goodness, as I'm not.
After a relaxing coffee away from the boats, we couldn't resist a bit of retail therapy. Silly not to while in Gun Wharf Quay except that we were almost the last team to get to the briefing - slightly embarrassing!
Jeremy Bennett and Tim Kary also got hit by a big wave which damaged their console and a bit of the perspex flew off and pierced a section of one of the tubes. Must have been the same wave that we got! Anyhow, poor things have got their work cut out repairing it all ready for Saturday. Lucky it happened now rather than in the middle of the Irish Sea. We got a lift back to Lymington in Tony Jenvey's RIB and escorted Jeremy and Tim in theirs.
An amazing day and can't wait to get going. Weather looking good for first leg - whew!
CLIC Sargent
Miranda and I have so far raised £8,500.00 for CLIC Sargent thanks to the generosity of our friends and family. We are well on our way to reaching our target of £50,000.00 and the race hasn't started. Thank you so much to all of you who have very kindly supported CLIC Sargent.
CLIC Sargent is a wonderful children's cancer charity which offers very practical help to families who have children undergoing treatment. If you would like to make a donation, you can on www.justgiving.com/sarahfraser
CLIC Sargent is a wonderful children's cancer charity which offers very practical help to families who have children undergoing treatment. If you would like to make a donation, you can on www.justgiving.com/sarahfraser
Off to Portsmouth today - Yippee!
Lots going on today. We are having the compass swung at 10.00 am and then we are off to Gun Wharf Quay, Portsmouth. We have all our kit together for the boat and ourselves and ready to be scrutineered at 2.00 pm. It's really exciting to know that we are leaving Lymington and this evening we will meet all the other competitors at the briefing.
I've finished work, got the children all organised so feel really ready and prepared for the off.
I've finished work, got the children all organised so feel really ready and prepared for the off.
Rough weather
At last we had a chance to go out in rough weather. The boat handles like a dream. Miranda and I feel really confident that the boat will be able to get through the worst of conditions. Not so good for the Meridian film crew who came out to film us training. They were in a smaller RIB and were soaked to the bone! I doubt they will ever want to step foot on a boat again.
More Navigation!!!
A HUGE thank you to Sir Malcolm Edge for double checking and offering advice on our navigation. As past Deputy Master of Trinity House (Lighthouses and Nav marks) we couldn't ask for better help!!
Tuesday, 17 June 2008
Navigation
We made a start on the navigation last night and by midnight we had only got as far as Bangor!!! What a huge task - didn't expect it to be such a slog. We are plotting every waypoint for every leg as well as calculating tidal flows, conditions off headlands etc. We both know that we have to put in the hours now. On the boat we have a Garmin GPS map with integrated radar and we have a handheld GPS backup. We have to manually put the waypoints into both - aaahhhh!!! So guess what we are doing tonight and tomorrow night?
Monday, 16 June 2008
Training
We've had training with Neil Holmes, 7 times World Offshore Powerboat Champion and our time with him has been very useful both in the classroom and on the water. Unfortunately no big seas to practice in!
What was very useful was discussing the starts which sound terrifying. Getting a good position is very important and sticking to it even more so. Neil is going to advise us each day where we should be in relation to the start boat and the other competitors.
Sponsors and CLIC Sargent
We are very lucky to have terrific sponsors. Dubois Naval Architects http://www.duboisyachts.com/ are our main sponsor and we are extremely grateful to them for their huge financial support. Scorpion RIBs http://www.scorpionribs.com/ have been very generous in lending us their flagship RIB, the Sting and giving us full engineering support both before the race and on our way around Britain. Adrian Hamilton of Duncan Hamilton & Co http://www.duncanhamilton.com/ have given us full shore based support and have organised all land logistics. They are sending a car and driver around to each port to assist us.
Knowing that we are fully sponsored has enabled us to raise funds and awareness for a very special charity - CLIC Sargent. Ed and Honor Dubois have been very impressed by the work of CLIC Sargent because of personal experience with one of their own children and have seen at first hand how many families struggle to cope often over many years when a child is going through treatment. CLIC Sargent can make a difference between families surviving this ordeal or not, by offering support both in hospital and at home. You can donate through Justgiving which is quick, easy and totally secure. www.justgiving.com/sarahfraser
We hope you will help us raise £50,000.00 for CLIC Sargent.
Bye for now.
Sarah
Knowing that we are fully sponsored has enabled us to raise funds and awareness for a very special charity - CLIC Sargent. Ed and Honor Dubois have been very impressed by the work of CLIC Sargent because of personal experience with one of their own children and have seen at first hand how many families struggle to cope often over many years when a child is going through treatment. CLIC Sargent can make a difference between families surviving this ordeal or not, by offering support both in hospital and at home. You can donate through Justgiving which is quick, easy and totally secure. www.justgiving.com/sarahfraser
We hope you will help us raise £50,000.00 for CLIC Sargent.
Bye for now.
Sarah
Two weeks to go! How it all started.
We have less than two weeks to go before the start of the big race! There is still much to do but we do seem to be making progress day by day. Lists are posted everywhere and then yet more lists appear.
The idea of entering the “Round Britain Powerboat Race 2008” came about back in February over dinner with friends, Tony Jenvey and Tim Kary who had both entered their boats in the race and after a few bottles of wine, it seemed like a good idea to enter too. My good friend, Yoyo Schepers and her husband have an 8.5 metre RIB and before the end of the evening Yoyo and I had shaken hands on doing the race together. Not knowing much about it, I looked at the website the following morning and with a slightly hung-over haze saw to my horror what this race entailed. 9 days a sea, bouncing through rough seas in a small RIB – sounded like hell.
Originally we thought we should do just a few legs but we were promptly told by the boys that this was extremely wimpy and if we were going to do it, we should do it properly. It was at this point that Yoyo’s husband went off the idea of letting us use their RIB. I then began my search for another RIB and a few days later Patrick Byrne of Scorpion RIBs made contact with me. His email “if you have not got anything yet, it may be worth a chat” prompted an immediate visit to the yard. A couple of days later we had a fantastic RIB.
Yoyo had been training for the Polar Challenge for the past 4 months and she was soon off on her amazing race to the North Pole. Thoughts of racing RIBs around Britain were in the back of her mind and she couldn’t commit to anything until she was back from her race. I needed another girl to come along and Miranda was the obvious choice. We have known each other since we were about 16, both at school in London and both from sailing families. Our weekends and holidays were always spent on the water either cruising or racing. In our late teens and early twenties, we did lots of offshore yacht racing and were often at the same regattas. Miranda became a professional yachty and skippered boats in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. We both moved to Lymington about 10 years ago with our families and are still good mates. I’m sure we will have huge fun doing this race but most importantly, we trust each other with our boat handling and navigation skills. Yoyo is now back from the North Pole have very successfully completed the race and will be our reserve.
The idea of entering the “Round Britain Powerboat Race 2008” came about back in February over dinner with friends, Tony Jenvey and Tim Kary who had both entered their boats in the race and after a few bottles of wine, it seemed like a good idea to enter too. My good friend, Yoyo Schepers and her husband have an 8.5 metre RIB and before the end of the evening Yoyo and I had shaken hands on doing the race together. Not knowing much about it, I looked at the website the following morning and with a slightly hung-over haze saw to my horror what this race entailed. 9 days a sea, bouncing through rough seas in a small RIB – sounded like hell.
Originally we thought we should do just a few legs but we were promptly told by the boys that this was extremely wimpy and if we were going to do it, we should do it properly. It was at this point that Yoyo’s husband went off the idea of letting us use their RIB. I then began my search for another RIB and a few days later Patrick Byrne of Scorpion RIBs made contact with me. His email “if you have not got anything yet, it may be worth a chat” prompted an immediate visit to the yard. A couple of days later we had a fantastic RIB.
Yoyo had been training for the Polar Challenge for the past 4 months and she was soon off on her amazing race to the North Pole. Thoughts of racing RIBs around Britain were in the back of her mind and she couldn’t commit to anything until she was back from her race. I needed another girl to come along and Miranda was the obvious choice. We have known each other since we were about 16, both at school in London and both from sailing families. Our weekends and holidays were always spent on the water either cruising or racing. In our late teens and early twenties, we did lots of offshore yacht racing and were often at the same regattas. Miranda became a professional yachty and skippered boats in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. We both moved to Lymington about 10 years ago with our families and are still good mates. I’m sure we will have huge fun doing this race but most importantly, we trust each other with our boat handling and navigation skills. Yoyo is now back from the North Pole have very successfully completed the race and will be our reserve.
Bye for now
Sarah
Round Britain Powerboat Race 2008
Dear Friend
This is the place to hear about our entry in the Round Britain Power Boat Race 2008. Miranda and I will try to keep it up to date to tell you of our experiences.
That's all for now.
Sarah
This is the place to hear about our entry in the Round Britain Power Boat Race 2008. Miranda and I will try to keep it up to date to tell you of our experiences.
That's all for now.
Sarah
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