CONTESSA 32 STORY             

Preface

Ray Elliott is a retired helicopter instructor. He has spent the last twenty years teaching basic helicopter flying to Army Air Corps pilots at the Army Air Corps Centre at Middle Wallop in Hampshire.

During those years he ran three charter yachts, one of which was an Ex-Army Contessa 32, "Fluter of Hornet".

The following article was written for the Army Air Corps journal as Appreciation for the support members of the Army Air Corps gave to his fund Raising exercise for the Andover War memorial Hospital.

The weather was slow to clear and the flying state "hover only" as we sat in the Basic Rotary crew-room, "putting the world to rights". The conversation took a turn to projects or ambitions unfulfilled and the subjects ranged from high speed motorcycling to walking holidays in Nepal. It came to my turn to speak and I realised that the one thing that I had hoped to complete in many years of sailing was a Trans Atlantic crossing.

Tony Collins said "Come on then Ray, what would you like to do?", and I found myself saying "The single handed Trans Atlantic race". Whereupon Jim Bartlett said

"Can I come?" and the place erupted.

With retirement looming I realised that the next single-handed race was in the year 2000 which at that time was two and a half years away. Ample time to put together a yacht in fighting trim for the race.

For those that are not familiar with the single handed Trans Atlantic, here is something of its history.

In 1960, Blondie Haslar (of Cockleshell Heroes fame), a retired Colonel in the Royal Marines, challenged Francis Chichester to a race across the Atlantic. The race was from Plymouth to New York and the original bet was for half a crown. Three other yachtsmen, Val Howells, David Lewis and Jean Lacombe also took part. Francis Chichester won the race in 40 days and it was to be the only trans-Atlantic race where all the starters actually finished.

Under the auspices of the Royal Western Yacht Club and the sponsorship of the Observer newspaper the race became the "OSTAR" and every four years grew in size to breed the many races of today such as the Round Britain race, the Route de Rhum, the BOC round the world race and the Vendee Globe.

The year 2000 produced a great number of French entries with the 50 and 60 foot classes using it as a qualifying event for the Vendee Globe. This year also saw the upper limit length reduced to 60 feet and the minimum length increased to 30 feet.

Blondie Haslar's junk rigged Folkboat "Jester" sailed in the original race and a replica, now sailed by Michael Ritchie, was given dispensation to start just behind Class V. This would be Michael Ritchie's 90' Transat. A remarkable achievement, especially at the age of 83! I own and race a Folkboat and cannot imagine sailing it across the Atlantic. My own choice of yacht was a Contessa 32.

The Contessa 32 is the ultimate safe sailing yacht, with wonderful sea keeping qualities. Following the notorious 1979 Fastnet race, the Contessa 32 became the yardstick measurement for stability. There is no way you can do a "Bullimore" in a Contessa 32.

In 1990 I purchased "Fluter of Hornet", an Army Contessa 32, which was being auctioned to be replaced by a Victoria 34. "Fluter" was chartered to all and sundry and when not on charter was raced in Solent and Service regattas manned by

"Volunteer" students currently passing through Basic Rotary. "Fluter" however, had a Service layout with 6 single berths and was not set up for single-handed sailing. A new Contessa 32, specifically designed for single-handed sailing was my first choice and, to that end, I asked Jeremy Rogers to build me a hull and deck with bulkheads and hatches, engine and stern-gear and basic electrics. The cockpit would have two gas lockers and two cockpit lockers and the chart table would be a stand up table with instruments and radios/radars on three sides with locker space beneath. The forward bulkhead was strengthened to take a watertight hatch.

Over the next two years "Spirit of Amport", as she was to be called, gradually took shape. The first winter in the Elephant boat yard saw the completion of the rough woodwork interior and the fitting of masts/spars, pusphpit/pulpit, guard rails etc. Heavy-duty batteries were installed and most of the radio and instrumentation completed. An inner forestay was fitted to carry the storm sails and all running rigging was led aft to the cockpit via clutches. Eight Lewmar self tailing winches, a purpose built stainless steel gantry to take the radar and wind generator and a Monitor self steering wind vane completed the inventory.

In order to take part in the Royal Western Yacht Clubs' single handed race one has to complete a qualifying 500 mile non-stop voyage in the yacht that you intend to compete in. "Spirit" was launched in June of 1999 and the intention was to take part in the Joint Services Offshore Regatta in July, which was a race from Gosport to Cherbourg and then to leave Cherbourg ; sail West to 10 degrees West then North East to Cork. Charlie Pickup agreed to crew with me on the Gosport/Cherbourg leg then ferry post haste back to UK as wife Helen was expecting their first baby. The race was uneventful and despite being short handed we were not last. The radar was christened as our entry into Cherbourg was in dense fog and I steered Charlie through the Eastern entrance with instructions passed from below.

The first day out From Cherbourg on my single handed qualifying voyage was blue water sailing but involved crossing two shipping lanes. One of the problems with single-handed sailing is maintaining an adequate lookout and also getting enough sleep. The technique is a series of power naps of 10-20 minutes duration and when clear of shipping lanes one can indulge in longer periods of sleep using either a radar detection device or setting a guard zone on the radar.

The radar uses a lot of battery power and cannot be left on for long periods so one tends to rely on the radar detection device which consumes low current and emits a noise signal when it detects another ships radar. One has to presume, however, that ships have their radar on continuously for this to be effective.

lndulging in my second catnap in the cockpit just south of the Scillies I was rudely awakened by the noise of engines and propellers and emerging around the side of the spray hood was the bow of a Japanese cargo container ship. It was only 75 yards away steaming a parallel course in the opposite direction. I looked at the three radar aerials on the upper deck, but not one of them was rotating. The incident frightened the life out of me and I didn't sleep again for 32 hours. It is amazing what a rush of adrenaline can do. By the third afternoon I was so shattered I put the radar alarm on and turned in for 5 hours, woke up, turned that evening at 10 deg. West and headed for Cork, arriving in Kinsale the following evening having covered 590 miles in 5 days.

The qualifying sail over I cruised back to the Hamble via the Scillies and laid the boat up again in the Elephant Boat Yard. Averaging four days a week working on the yacht over the winter and spring, the inside was furnished to a good standard and then equipped with the full race inventory to RORC standards.

The start of the race was June 4^th. and one of the race requirements was for all yachts to be in Plymouth seven days before the start so that inspection teams could ensure that all the yachts complied with the rules.

At 32 feet "Spirit of Amport" was the second smallest yacht in the race, the smallest being ANA 4, a one off design of ultra lightweight construction with moveable water ballast. The skipper was Jason Baggeley, a young man exactly half my age at 3I years who intended to be at sea for a maximum of 23 days, live in a dry suit and sleep in 4 inches of water. In the round Britain race, which was two handed, they had managed to light the single burner stove only 4 times. These were not the conditions I intended to sail under and I wished him the very best of luck.

The 60 foot fleet was enormous with heavy sponsorship, professional skippers and beautifully equipped yachts. Ellen Macarthur’s' "Kingfisher" was fitted with five computers, fax, E-mail, satellite- telephone, web-site, etc. etc.

The race rules required a daily position report and as Portishead radio is now closed, HF is near to useless. Inmarsaat G was fitted to 14 of the smaller yachts, which when "polled" from ashore transmits via satellite a position in Lat and Long, a heading and speed and battery voltage. This gives the race organisers some idea of the conditions on board each yacht. Thus, if a yacht is stationary for a long period another yacht or ship can be directed to that position to investigate.

75 yachts were due to hit the start line. made up of the following:

In the event 71 yachts made the start line just off the Plymouth breakwater. The start was divided into two. Classes 1 and 2 would start at 1210 and classes 3.4 and 5 at 1240. The course was not too difficult to remember. Start Iine - Eddystone lighthouse to Starboard, Nantucket Island to Starboard -finish line at Newport, Rhode Island.

I must admit I was not looking forward to the start. The enormous number of spectator boats had caused problems in previous events. After two years preparation, to be wiped out by an exuberant spectator boat was to be avoided at all costs. As it turned out the start was uneventful. A French minesweeper was the committee boat and Val Howells, one of the original competitors in the 1960 race, fired the start gun. ANA 4 shot past me on the start line as if I was standing still, as did the Italian 35ft "Excite". That was the last I saw of them.

The wind was light, the sun was shining and Eddystone appeared and faded as we all tacked inshore to the Cornish coast to get out of the tide. Slow progress past the Scillies until the third night, when the weather deteriorated.

There are five possible routes to sail from East to West across the Atlantic. The northern route, 3,200mls. The Great Circle route, 2,810rnls. The Rhumb line route, 2,920 miles. The Azores route, 3,500 miles.,and the Trade wind route, 4,200 miles. The larger, faster yachts took the Northern or Great Circle routes and with weatherfax information, the skippers positioned them to take advantage of the frontal wind changes. Prior to the start I had elected to take the Azores route. My game plan was to avoid the intensity of the Northern gales and enjoy warmer weather coupled with a final entry direction to Newport from the Southeast, avoiding the fog and the icebergs off Newfoundland and cutting across the Gulf Stream at an angle. In the event I experienced as many gales as the bigger yachts, but not all to the same intensity.

The third night provided the first gale but with a deep reefed main and a fraction of genoa the yacht coped well. Heard on the radio that "MonHegan" a 45 footer had hit a trawler and reduced the length of his boat by two feet, also removing his forestay. He spent the next two days repairing the damage and finished in a very creditable 24 days.

Two more gales followed in succession causing chaos in the fleet. 3 Trimarans were dis-masted,1 capsized,1 60ft monohull dismasted and retirements started to mount. By the 13^th. June, 7 yachts were out for various reason. On the 14^th June ANA 4 had 700 miles to go and I had 1400 left. Jason was sailing twice as fast as I was and was up there with the 50 footers.

That night I had a major problem with the Harken roller reefing. With the wind blowing 7 to 8, as I reduced sail the inhaul line on the roller jumped the drum with half the genoa still out. Seas were breaking over the yacht and on crawling forward I found that the inhaul line was a third way up the sail. This presented a major problem. I couldn't let the sail out, pull it in or take it down. It was too much sail for the conditions but if the wind strength remained the same I could ride the conditions. If it rose, I would have to cut the inhaul, let the sail flog and haul it down. Fortunately the wind slowly abated during the night but inspection the following morning revealed the roller furling track was bent and had a crack 2/3rds around the foil. I rigged the inner forestay and lowered the genoa and stowed it below. The main problem with the 150% genoa on the roller is that it is extremely difficult to raise or lower the sail in the foil. Once it is up and the wind rises you have to roll it. Trying to get it down with wind in the sail needs several pairs of hands or more strength than I possess.

For the next three days I sailed on the staysail rig with an old 120% genoa and made steady progress westwards. I had 3 options: go to the Azores and repair the roller reefing (this would lead to disqualification); sail on under staysail rig (which would be very slow), or somehow repair the roller reefing.

The answer to repairing the foil was to straighten it and then brace it where it was cracked. I rummaged through the spares box and the repair kits and came across a stainless steel fid used for splicing ropes. This was roughly the shape of the foil and with some strategic hammering and sawing it fitted around the foil. Knocking the handle off a flat file produced the other side of the brace and 3 hose clips would clamp them together. I fitted it all to the foil and wrapped amalgamated tape round and round the outside to prevent sail chafe. A new guide block for the inhaul line was lashed between the stanchions of the pulpit and the system tested with no sail. It worked. The sail was raised and off we went, the roller reefing working well. In the event it lasted for a further 3400 miles.

On the 16^th June I heard on the radio that ANA 4 was out of the race. Apparently caught in severe conditions Jason Baggeley was unable to transfer the water ballast and was knocked down twice, lost the rig and capsized. Fortunately he was picked up by a Swedish vessel within 5 hours and was safe and well.

With ANA 4 gone, "Spirit of Amport" was now the smallest boat in the race and this gave me added incentive to finish and qualify for the "Jester" medal.

The next three days saw varied conditions from thick fog, to long calms, to light wind spinnaker runs, eventually leading to a best days run of 164 miles.

Midday on the I9th produced rising winds and huge seas. "Spirit" was about 80 miles north of Flores in the Azores and in retrospect the conditions appeared to be a localised effect as the seas bore no relation to the strength of the wind. Depth of water had gone from 3000 meters to 700 meters. The wind was averaging 33 knots but the seas were huge and breaking. The wind vane appeared to be coping so I set about cooking some lunch. Suddenly the yacht was lifted up and dropped on its side and lunch flew from the cooker to the chart table. I scrambled into a harness and out into the cockpit to watch as another wave knocked "Spirit " down again. I put the washboards in and closed the hatch and started to uncouple the self steering. A wave then broke over the yacht and filled the cockpit, rapidly followed by another. I now had control of the tiller and started to steer the yacht up the waves hoping each time to reach the crest before they broke. The act of climbing the waves and wínd surfing down the other side was exhilarating but absolutely frightening. For 6 hours I have to admit to being scared "Fartless" and had I been wearing underpants instead of swimming trunks, would have changed several pairs. It was daylight. I was coping with the conditions, which appeared stable but I just could not decide the best course of action should conditions get worse. I couldn’t steer indefinitely. I would be exhausted. I either had to Iie to a sea anchor and accept waves breaking over the bow or run before the wind streaming warps and risk being pitch poled. Fortunately, I didn't have to make a decision as by 2000 hrs the waves had subsided and by 2300 hrs the wind had disappeared altogether.

The 24th June saw the halfway mark in terms of longitude, if not distance. The last few days had produced some very magic moments. Wonderful sunrises and unsets. Dolphins abounded as did turtles and flying fish. Sea birds of various species provided fantastic flying displays. "Low fliers" eat your heart out. These birds skim between the waves with inches to spare!

The weatherfax on the 30^th June showed two highs ahead and I figured it was time to head Northwest to climb back to 40 deg N in order to find more wind. A couple of good days saw "Spirit" pass the 2/3 waypoint, but there appeared to be a storm right on track and there was nothing that could be done to avoid it.

The night of the 5^th July heralded the front and winds quickly rose to 30- 35knts. "Spirit" was ready with storm jib and trysail and coped with conditions very well. That night with winds around 38knts I curled up in the cabin with a stiff whisky and tried to share the atmosphere of the party at the Newport yacht club. It was the second prize giving for those yachts that had finished and I naturally wished I was there. By morning, winds were up to 45knts and the storm jib was thrashing itself to death. I crawled forward and lashed it to the shroud. With just a trysail and winds now gusting to 48knts "Spirit" was making about 3knts under self steering to the west. The centre of the storm was fascinating. No wind. Flat seas. Rain coming down vertically by the bucket-load. Lightning flashes and thunder all around. Soon the waves started to build and again the wind increased. By mid-afternoon "Spirit" cleared the storm and it was soon possible to raise more sail and increase speed.

The 10^th July started in beautiful conditions. With 175mls to Newport the first lobster pots and trawlers were spotted. I had been warned of the intense fishing activity off the coast of America but the number of lobster pots is amazing. Easily wrapped around the keel or rudder, a continual lookout is necessary resulting in 30 minutes sleep in two days. The two remaining nights of the l2th and l3th July were of good visibility and it was possible to work through the minefield.

Those fishermen really earn their living!

A pleasant force 4 wind with sunny spells saw the land loom and VHF contact was made with Newport Coastguard. "Spirit" crossed the line at 1615 local time, completing the crossing in 39days I0 hrs and l5 minutes.

The yacht was unscathed, but I had lost one and a half stone in bodyweight and resembled "Ben Gunn" in Treasure Island. This situation was soon remedied with lots of steaks and Guinness and a super barber called Jason who gave me the best haircut and shave I have ever experienced.

I learned that "Spirit" was 4^th in Class V, the other 9 yachts having retired, and that we had won the "Jester" medal for the smallest yacht to finish in the qualifying time.

Five weeks cruising followed. Up and down the coast to Cape Cod, Plymouth, Boston, Martha’s' Vineyard and New York The yacht was then stored ashore in Newport

On returning to UK my local postman put the whole thing in perspective. After a week with no comment I said to him "You haven't asked me about the race?"

"Well, I didn't like to" he replied ."I started watching it on the Internet but I gave up because you were so bloody slow".

"Come on" I said, "I did it in 39 days and even Francis Chichester took 40". "Yes" he said. "But you had a better boat!"

Footnote

Ray is flying back to Newport on May 20th to prepare "Spirit" for the return voyage.

Plan A is to sail to Boston by June 1^st to collect Julie (The lady in the picture), cruise the coast of Maine to Halifax ,arriving by July 4^th. Julie flies back to UK and a retired doctor friend, Tony Bateman flies in to cruise to the Azores, then Portugal and a French port hopping exercise back to Falmouth by October.

Hopefully, the AZAB in 2003.