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Paul Humphries (A real novice in never been sailing before) Reflects on The Fowey Royal Regatta race Fowey - Falmouth - Fowey Two day race

Our race ended quietly in much reduced wind but with some exciting tacks with yours truly showing off by this point leaping from one side of the boat to the other to provide balance ( who said BALLAST) in front of the large crowds gathered on the cliffs and shore in the early ours of the Monday Afternoon. This was after we had been experiencing high winds on the first day out FORCE 7 which is right on the edge of stay home in bed weather that forced a hoisting of our storm trisail in place of the mainsail later replaced with some tucks in the mainsail .

The crew and skipper had given so much to the point of exhaustion that everyone was drained by the time we reached the pontoon in Fowey and I had very sore knees from throwing myself about too much or maybe because I fell over the night before after too much champers lol. The champagne was uncorked ( well bottles of beer ),  but there was little feeling of triumph, particularly since a race official had informed us of a protest (later withdrawn) that could have cost us our position. I think the protest was that we carried too much weight and a member of the crew looked to elegant in all his new kit - yes guilty on both counts! I did not let this stop me heading for teh nearest pub down a busy Fowey high street in all me wet weather gear - gathering admiring glances from people who thought I must at least be skipper of the lifeboat - Hey now why disappoint them, so I posed for tourist pictures!

It had been noted that the class leader, Magnum and ourselves (with quite a few other boats) had mistakenly sailed inside the Eddytsone Rock when it should have been left to starboard. There had been little or no advantage in doing so but some argued that it was a technical infringement of the rules. Had the protest been maintained it may have come down to a ruling on whether the Eddystone is an outlying rock or not since its surface would be covered at high tide. You could say, at the time, that we felt we had been caught between a rock and a hard place.
Make no mistake, the seas around Cornwall can prove the hardest place for the competing crews, particularly those on the smaller yachts where the pounding of the waves is amplified when beating perpetually into the wind. Nothing would tempt me to repeat the experience well ok I am going out again next week as being so bloody scared was so exhilarating it was better than sex mmm  well nearly anyway.

For me, at least, I think I would prefer keeping any future sailing  for sunny days and light winds ideally with a pub rather than some race finish line as a goal. However I’m proud of what we achieved. As Richard the skipper said afterwards, this crew, which was far less experienced than many of those it bettered, should not have been capable of a podium position. Much of the credit for that should go to Richard and his will to succeed. But those who sailed with him signed up to the same challenge and sustained their commitment to the end.

Could we have won? It would have been interesting to see how we would have faired had we had a better start as we missed the gun ( mind you how we could miss a bloody great cannon shooting across you bows is tough to work out ! ) But others taking advantage had stolen a march on us around the starting Buoy which enabled them to build a big lead. In practice I believe they would still have beaten us. As some where a class act with a fine skipper and a crew drilled from years of sailing and competing. They were worthy winners.

For me the days started innocently enough waiting expectantly on the Quay in Fowey for my lift to SKY the Elan 31 boat I would be racing and staying in for the next two days. See picture left. I would be sharing the race and and an overnight stay on this boat with four other people I had not met before. I waited in my full regalia of wet weather jacket, over trousers, sea boots and self inflating life jacket. I must have cut quite a dash as i attracted many stares - On the other hand it was quite warm on the Quay with people in shorts so maybe that was it smile.

My lift arrived in what I can only describe as a very small dinghy which was smaller than the boot on my car. It dipped alarmingly when I got in - ok ok so I could lose some weight. My transfer to the boat herself was just as stylish with several false leaps and and inelegant slump into the cockpit followed by my overnight bag which was obviously too big to fit anywhere !

Now a quick once over the millions of ropes, sorry mainsheets and lanyards you landlubber,  lets get the terminology right and I was set my crew tasks Yes well seemed easy enough you lock the mainsheet traveller, pull on this rope ( mainsheet are you listening ?) as hard and fast as you can, loop clockwise around the winch and avoid having your arms pulled out their sockets whilst avoiding the boom accelerating with a poiseness venom past your ear hole at 90mph and tail it whilst setting it to the right trim (within millimeters whilst watching the "tell tales" ) well that seem clear enough, oh yes and avoid being thrown overboard as it delays the boat and you might lose the race. Of course in the harbour and being told is a bit different to doing it in a force  7 with a boat tipped at 70 degrees and the all the noise and bustle and people shouting at you in in in in  nooooo  out out out mmmmmm. My task after this was somewhat simpler, just sit down and balance the boat. What could be easier - SEE BELOW FOR WHERE YOU SIT - They kept that bit quiet until I was onboard or as you see almost overboard!

Yes you do sit over the side and then guess what its time to tack so it all starts over again. The first time I was too slow and ended up hanging over the side with my boots in the water until we changed tack again. Oh how I laughed - strangely enough there is no photographic record of this event as everyone was panicking with bow dipping below the waves too. 

Anyway I got though it and the interesting night on board. Weeing over the side at 4am is always interesting especially when you can speak to a number of other " sailors" at the same time. No swimming in the sea for me again I can tell you ! 

However on a serious note, and I don't have many of those far too tiring, It’s hard to appreciate such things at the time, but sharing adversity is a powerful experience for any group of individuals. There’s no hiding place on a small boat, neither physically, nor emotionally. Sometimes the only outlet is the work itself. Better to scream at the sea than each other. You can do that on the foredeck. It brought out levels of aggression, levels of satisfaction too, that I would not have known existed.

“It must have been brilliant,” said a work friend afterwards. No it wasn’t. Words such as “enjoyment” cannot convey such experiences that make a far deeper impression on the character.

So why do I do these things? Motivation is a complex issue. I think for me there may have been a point to prove, if only to myself. your never too old to do anything you really want to do. That man Apsley Cherry-Garrard described exploration – and endurance events like one are close bedfellows – as “the physical expression of an intellectual passion”.

A lot of it, I believe, comes down to extending self-knowledge. Cherry-Garrard said this: “Some will tell you that you are mad, and nearly all will say, “What’s the use? For we are a nation of shopkeepers……and so you will sledge nearly alone, but those with whom you sledge will not be shopkeepers: that is worth a good deal.” The same goes for those with whom you sail. It’s worth a good deal.

Latest news we set sail again on the 14th October 2006 for the next instalment of "Herges adventures of Humphries" Well my dog is not called snowy as he is a black and tan daschund but you get the idea. 

Next time out on the 14th it was very wild and blustery day. (Oh Joy I was pleased) We set sail abound 2pm and flashed over the  start line like a dog who just had his balls caught in the door, healing over in the very strong wind at quite an angle. I thought this will be interesting with about three hours of round the buoys racing, in and just outside Fowey harbour and incorporating legs along the Cornish coast . 

It was about this time the skipper ( bless him and such a sense of humour) politely asked if I would mind toddling up to the prow to raise the Spinnaker. Well not quite like that and " move your arse" "landlubber" and "its not that rough you know" may have passed his lips but the wind drowned it out. It was about this time I started to re-evaluate my keen desire to become and "old Salt" Or in some other terms "ello Sailor" type! Now then reader, this may have been down to my constant need to think about my life and make changes for the better to experience all of life's rich tapestry or it could have been the fact that I was hanging over the prow with my feet in the sea trying to untangle a lanyard, with one hand, trying to hang onto a rather frail looking safety line with the other and wondering how on earth I was going find a third hand somewhere to raise the bloody thing. Of course that's it you calmly walk along the deck in a rough sea, lurching for a handhold that you know is out of reach and carefully avoid the mainsail trying, as if it was possessed of evil, to knock your block off. Proudly I announced "Spinnaker Raised Skipper" with a rosy face slowly turning green I robustly and with not much dignity fell in a heap on the port side. Phew!  Well the skipper with his profound sense of fair play and humour now changed his mind and we where changing tack "Spinnaker Down"  bugger!

 Now it was at this point things took a turn for the worse. We lost a shroud which may not sound much to you dear reader but it can mean the mast bends over and takes the boat with it. I soon caught on this needed urgent attention, well I am quick like that you know. We made for port which unfortunately meant the dock and not pass the port which was a pity as I could have done with a snifter let me tell you by this time. Anyway, once in port a volunteer was needed to shin up the 50 foot mast and replace the shroud so quick as a flash and without any thought of my own personal; safety I offered to hold the rope while someone did the deed. Well there are times when you have to stand up and be counted after all. 

Well to cut a long story short the winter has caught up with us here in Cornwall so "SKY" is now resting on the dock side waiting to be let loose next year on the poor unsuspecting sea. As for me, my thoughts now turn to log fires in the local with a nice pint of HSD Bitter beer and early starts in the St Mellion Golf and Country Club gym to ready myself for another season of sailing in 2007 and if my knee holds up Cricket too. 

By the way if you look closely at the picture left, that's me holding the mast up - well I knew my weight would come in handy for something one day

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Copyright © 2006 P S Humphries
Last modified: November 10, 2006