Considered one of the toughest races of the year, the Pornichet Select 6.50 is a 300 mile solo race starting from Pornichet, rounding Belle Ille before heading down to Les Sables d'Olonne, then going back up to Ille de Groix before the final stretch home to Pornichet. Considering the large amount of coastline encountered (hopefully not literally!) during the race, there is little time for sleeping, and a lot of VHF check-ins and time noting around marks to be made.
I was really excited having made it to the start line; this was going to be my first solo race and longest solo navigation to date. I had been apprehensive about it a few weeks before, having read horror stories of boats hitting rocks, people getting lost and gusty wind conditions- but the double handed race the weekend before had calmed my neves- at least I had been around the Islands before!
I was pretty busy in the week leading up to the race, catching up on admin - mostly tackling the mountain of invoices I had gathered- and also planning some fundraising events for the season with my Title sponsor. Hudson Wight. It was good also to touch base with Sta-Lok, English Braids, Solo Sails and Dimension Polyant, who I can't thank enough for their support this season.
I made it back down to Pornichet on Thursday morning, managing to pass the security checks very easily, and soon enough I had the race documents- in English and French! I took some time to have a French working lunch (free wine included), catching up with Hudson Wight via Skype, for our weekly call.
It took some time to read and digest the race instructions, and there were a lot more official waypoints than usual forming the course. I spent the next remaining hours before the race laminating all the important information, finalising the navigation and cleaning up the big list of waypoints in my GPS. There were numerous briefings and two dinners to go to, hosted at the Petite Mousse (The little cabin boy) - thanks to Caroline from Classe Mini for the translations, which made getting organised for the race a bit easier!
Start day came and we were greeted with a light breeze, off the dock at 10am with the start at 1300. Mum, Dad, my Sister and boyfriend had all come over to see me off, which was really lovely- they would spend a few days together on a family break which is difficult to fit in during these busy times.
We had a downwind start, with a short course to race around the Bay of Pouligen before heading out to open sea. I was in the first group of four to cross the line, reaching the first mark in 6th place- losing my nerve, I dropped my kite to soon and lost a few places, but how exciting to be in the top
group!
It was then a reach to the next mark before a beat out of the bay,
Wednesday 16 April 2014
Thursday 20 March 2014
Allez Lizzy....ALLEZ!
It's really started!
I'm so pleased to have been able to spend the past two weeks sailing the Mini solo, training with the group here at Lorient Grand Large. We are a group of 5-7 series boats, from France, Switzerland and England; I'm the only English person and the only girl in the Mini group.
A typical day starts with a briefing at 09.30 on the pontoon, and from then on its go go go... usually Tanguy has us getting into the first exercise while sailing out the river, so you have to be quick getting your sails up, fenders in and mooring lines off. On top of that there is the traffic to look out for (quick ferries and fishing boats) and a large number of rocks to avoid, as well as your fellow Mini sailors!
Training usually follows the same pattern of speed testing, sail changes, a short tacking exercise and then VMG sailing. There is no time to eat and barely time to get a sip of water, so the training really is pretty intense. The end of the session is wrapped up with a race back to the harbour, where I get to park next to Banque Populaire - with three very racy hulls to potentially hit this manoeuvre has to be pretty slick!
Once parked, we have 10 minutes to pack up the boats ahead of the debrief, which sometimes lasts as long as 1 1/2 hrs. Most of the session is held in French, which took a few days to get used to; but luckily the main points of the debrief get translated.
I think the highlight over the past two weeks has been seeing a definite improvement in my sailing; I can be quite quick upwind (in light airs at least), have just about got the hang of gybing (it is definitely easier in 5 knots than in 25!) and have somehow managed to tune my rig properly. The number of elementary mistakes I make is also gradually reducing, but I've still got loads to learn to get the sail cross-over right and to trim the autopilot properly. Unfortunately a lot of things keep breaking on the boat, so I've just got to keep it all together for another week before I put the boat into the yard for a small refit ahead of the race season.
The scariest moment of this week was probably when I was heading towards a large crop of rocks, with the big kite up in 25 knots and the halyard twisted around the forestay. One particular French word came to mind at the time, and the coach was soon shouting ''luff Lizzy, Lizzy....LUFF!!!''.
There are a few more dangers here than in the Solent!
Around all of the sailing I still have a lot of 'admin' work to do - there are always phone calls to make, emails to write and things to plan and organise until bed time every day. I'm still getting items repaired - this week I tore my solent along the foot, ripped the bolt rope in the mainsail, broke my NKE anemo and busted the cleat for the pole downhaul! When will it end?!
Luckily on the 10th March my title sponsorship with Hudson Wight Performance Sailwear was announced, which is a big help towards my campaign costs. This week has been a particularly busy one as I have been getting quotes for branding the boat and sails - which takes quite a bit of organisation with two races coming up and a delivery to the UK! To have the support of Hudson Wight is really fantastic, as it had started to be make or break for the campaign without any additional funding beyond my life savings. I'm really grateful for their support and to be an ambassador for the Hudson Wight clothing range; I've worn my set of HW1s everyday on the Mini and I haven't been let down.
Next week I have another three days training with Lorient Grand Large and an offshore race on Wednesday night (this week's was cancelled due to thick fog and a lack of wind) before getting the boat out of the water to go to the yard. I've got some reading to do to remember all of the main points from the past two weeks' training, and can't wait to get out on the water again!
I'm so pleased to have been able to spend the past two weeks sailing the Mini solo, training with the group here at Lorient Grand Large. We are a group of 5-7 series boats, from France, Switzerland and England; I'm the only English person and the only girl in the Mini group.
A typical day starts with a briefing at 09.30 on the pontoon, and from then on its go go go... usually Tanguy has us getting into the first exercise while sailing out the river, so you have to be quick getting your sails up, fenders in and mooring lines off. On top of that there is the traffic to look out for (quick ferries and fishing boats) and a large number of rocks to avoid, as well as your fellow Mini sailors!
 |
| Up the rig again- fixing the NKE anemo |
Once parked, we have 10 minutes to pack up the boats ahead of the debrief, which sometimes lasts as long as 1 1/2 hrs. Most of the session is held in French, which took a few days to get used to; but luckily the main points of the debrief get translated.
I think the highlight over the past two weeks has been seeing a definite improvement in my sailing; I can be quite quick upwind (in light airs at least), have just about got the hang of gybing (it is definitely easier in 5 knots than in 25!) and have somehow managed to tune my rig properly. The number of elementary mistakes I make is also gradually reducing, but I've still got loads to learn to get the sail cross-over right and to trim the autopilot properly. Unfortunately a lot of things keep breaking on the boat, so I've just got to keep it all together for another week before I put the boat into the yard for a small refit ahead of the race season.
 |
| Tanguy (5th series in 2013 Mini Transat) measuring the mast rake |
There are a few more dangers here than in the Solent!
Around all of the sailing I still have a lot of 'admin' work to do - there are always phone calls to make, emails to write and things to plan and organise until bed time every day. I'm still getting items repaired - this week I tore my solent along the foot, ripped the bolt rope in the mainsail, broke my NKE anemo and busted the cleat for the pole downhaul! When will it end?!
 |
| Being towed out for the day |
Next week I have another three days training with Lorient Grand Large and an offshore race on Wednesday night (this week's was cancelled due to thick fog and a lack of wind) before getting the boat out of the water to go to the yard. I've got some reading to do to remember all of the main points from the past two weeks' training, and can't wait to get out on the water again!
Monday 3 March 2014
Ma vie en France
It has taken a while to get going since having first arrived in Lorient back in January, but I'm pleased to say I've finally made it out onto the water.
My first two weeks involved unloading the boat and mast off the cargo ship, putting items in for repair, various bits of boat work and getting used to the training centre, Lorient Grand Large.
Unfortunately it rained heavily almost everyday during this time, making the tedious and repetitive jobs even harder, particularly without a second pair of hands constantly on standby!
However it was good to start to get to know the boat inside out, and I now have a plan for doing a proper refit later in the season (when I have all the resources, time and money).
I enjoyed living out of my van at a local campsite, despite the lack of hot water and getting stuck in the mud more than once (luckily to be rescued by the campsite Chief and his land Rover).
Thanks to the support from Kiravans, it was toasty inside the van and roomy too, with the swivel base for the passenger seat turning into a perfect desk / seat / cooking area!
Week 3 came and it was time to go back to England for 3 days, to continue some sponsorship talks & collect some kit. Once back in France I had the boat checked over by Nauty Mor (once I'd broken in, having left the boat key in England), but couldn't get out on the water as France then took a pasting from storm Petra; I'm sure you will remember the 80 mph winds & massive floods that hit England leaving thousands of homes without power. I decided then that this was the best time to get some hours in at the Solo Sails loft in Newlyn, Cornwall.
I spent two weeks in the loft, making a code 5 and A2 under the guidance of Woody, a Mini Transat sailor himself, who competed in the 2007 & 2009 editions on a Rogers designed proto, number 500.
I'm really grateful to Woody and Dimension Polyant for their support this season; allowing me to get to grips with the sewing machine on some very good sail cloth means I can have the new sail wardrobe I wouldn't have otherwise been able to budget for!
I gathered that to make a spinnaker, you basically follow these 11 steps-
1) order your cloth
2) have each section of the sail 'nested', to reduce waste during the cutting process
3) cut each section of cloth using an air hockey table (aka cutting machine)
4) pin your bits of cloth to the floor and stick together using sticky tape
5) sew!
6) Sew, again
7) unpick the 35 seams you have just sewn together very badly
7) Repeat step 6
8) add coloured patches, rings & webbing to the head, clew & tack
9) add the tapes
10) seize the corners
11) bag it up
12) hoist it!
I also soon had a very long list of trouble-shooting tips for the sewing machine, which mostly revolved around the bobbin (the reel of cotton thread) & needle. If you ever have any trouble, ask yourself these basic questions:
1) Is the bobbin running clockwise?
2) Is the bobbin in the machine properly?
3) Does the bobbin have thread on it?
4) Is the needle the right way round?
5) Is the needle threaded?
After making some pretty elementary mistakes I did eventually get the two spinnakers made, and will be heading back to the loft over the season to make the remaining solent, medium spinnaker, genneker and mainsail. Luckily Woody is very patient, but I shall be owing him a fair amount of cheese pasties and cups of tea by the end!
I've now been back in France for just over a week, and am pleased to say I've finally made it onto the water! I had an excellent two days training with Tanguy Leglatin sailing double-handed in 15-28 knots of winds. After only two days I was covered in bruises and pretty tired; feeling pretty rusty, tacking solo in high winds wasn't easy, particularly as it was really my first attempt!
The week ended with a good course on navigation techniques, spending Sunday solely doing boat work as the sailing had highlighted the systems that need upgrading. This morning we focused on rig tuning and planning for the season, while tomorrow will see the beginning of the solo training, and my second attempt at sailing the mini on my own...I am a little nervous (will I be able to keep up with these French guys?), tired (the briefings & sessions are in French with some English translation, but you need to be on your toes) but excited about the prospect.
It is just one month now until the start of the first race of the season; a 115 nm double handed race from Lorient to Pornichet, followed shortly by my first ever solo offshore race and my longest solo navigation to date; a 300 nautical mile race, with a lot of tricky coast line to navigate. I've got a lot on to be ready!
My first two weeks involved unloading the boat and mast off the cargo ship, putting items in for repair, various bits of boat work and getting used to the training centre, Lorient Grand Large.
Unfortunately it rained heavily almost everyday during this time, making the tedious and repetitive jobs even harder, particularly without a second pair of hands constantly on standby!
 |
| Boats on the cargo ship |
I enjoyed living out of my van at a local campsite, despite the lack of hot water and getting stuck in the mud more than once (luckily to be rescued by the campsite Chief and his land Rover).
Thanks to the support from Kiravans, it was toasty inside the van and roomy too, with the swivel base for the passenger seat turning into a perfect desk / seat / cooking area!
 |
| Typical dinner and dim light in the van |
 |
| Brittany battered by waves |
I'm really grateful to Woody and Dimension Polyant for their support this season; allowing me to get to grips with the sewing machine on some very good sail cloth means I can have the new sail wardrobe I wouldn't have otherwise been able to budget for!
Woody's 2007 promo video
Spending time in the loft really highlighted the skill and dedication required to make sail after sail. I gathered that to make a spinnaker, you basically follow these 11 steps-
1) order your cloth
2) have each section of the sail 'nested', to reduce waste during the cutting process
3) cut each section of cloth using an air hockey table (aka cutting machine)
4) pin your bits of cloth to the floor and stick together using sticky tape
5) sew!
6) Sew, again
7) unpick the 35 seams you have just sewn together very badly
7) Repeat step 6
8) add coloured patches, rings & webbing to the head, clew & tack
9) add the tapes
10) seize the corners
11) bag it up
12) hoist it!
I also soon had a very long list of trouble-shooting tips for the sewing machine, which mostly revolved around the bobbin (the reel of cotton thread) & needle. If you ever have any trouble, ask yourself these basic questions:
1) Is the bobbin running clockwise?
2) Is the bobbin in the machine properly?
3) Does the bobbin have thread on it?
4) Is the needle the right way round?
5) Is the needle threaded?
After making some pretty elementary mistakes I did eventually get the two spinnakers made, and will be heading back to the loft over the season to make the remaining solent, medium spinnaker, genneker and mainsail. Luckily Woody is very patient, but I shall be owing him a fair amount of cheese pasties and cups of tea by the end!
In
between the two weeks in the loft, I fitted in a fly-by visit to the Isle of
Wight to help with a promotional shoot for Hudson Wight and their new range of
kit, suitable for both inshore and offshore racing. In terms
of 'working the camera' I got as far as standing there and giggling until
I got used to it. The shoot was 'art
directed' by Peta Stuart-Hunt, Hudson Wight's Marketing Director and it was her
birthday, which made for a fun day regardless and I was pleased to pick up
a new set of HW1's too. Thanks also go to Spinlock for the brilliant lifejacket
and new clutches which I'm looking forward to using.
 |
| HW1's: perfect for sailing in rainy Brittany |
The week ended with a good course on navigation techniques, spending Sunday solely doing boat work as the sailing had highlighted the systems that need upgrading. This morning we focused on rig tuning and planning for the season, while tomorrow will see the beginning of the solo training, and my second attempt at sailing the mini on my own...I am a little nervous (will I be able to keep up with these French guys?), tired (the briefings & sessions are in French with some English translation, but you need to be on your toes) but excited about the prospect.
It is just one month now until the start of the first race of the season; a 115 nm double handed race from Lorient to Pornichet, followed shortly by my first ever solo offshore race and my longest solo navigation to date; a 300 nautical mile race, with a lot of tricky coast line to navigate. I've got a lot on to be ready!
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