Page 1 - January 2012 Newsletter
Page 2 - Earlier News
Northern Child January 2012 Newsletter
- ARC 2011 sees Northern Child with a new Skipper
- Highlights from Summer in the Solent
- Racing Opportunites this Winter in the Caribbean
- Passage and Transatlantic Sailing
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that 2012 has started positively
ARC 2011
This years ARC saw 2 pleasant changes from last year. Firstly, the Trade Winds were back which made for a faster and more direct route across the Atlantic. Secondly, this year saw a change to a much better looking Skipper - Lucy Reynolds. Northern Child also had a new full-time First Mate, Chris Watts who joined Northern Child in the Summer to get to grips with her before the Caribbean season.
In the usual fashion, the crew arrived over the course of a couple of days in the run up to the start and once again, we felt lucky to have such a good line up of talented and interesting people. With an age range of 18 to 64 and everything from Pre-University to Sales Director, Business Owners and Enterpreneurs the conversations were buzzing even before setting sail. The wave of party after party ensued and there were a few casualties of the continental measure but come time to leave everyone were on top form and ready for the off. It is a wonderful feeling in Las Palmas on the run up to the ARC, a nervous excitement that almost gives you a sense of what those early pioneers felt as they were about to travel into the unknown. All the preparations were made over the 3 weeks before the ARC with many trips to Corte Inlges and the local fresh produce market. Having done the drill several times before makes life so much easier; you know where to go to buy what, the quantities needed, how to store, stow and make the whole operation as simple as possible.
The forecast from Chris Tibbs was for a fairly favourable Trade Wind most of the way to St Lucia with a potential light patch the other side, but as forecasts go, pretty good. On the morning of Sunday 20th November, the tension was as always electric. From the few running around to do last minute things, to those thoroughly prepared, enjoying their last double choc latte, the scene was surreal for anyone not involved. On Northern Child, life was quietly confident, with most crew tinkering with their belongings, tucking them into cupboards, lockers and bunk pockets. Finally it was time for the off and I reluctantly threw the bow line from the dock across to Chris the First Mate, while the crew cast off the other lines and Lucy motored out of Las Palmas Marina. I hopped onto Mojomo a Priveledge 495 Catamaran owned by a friend Matt and was lucky enough to motor out to watch the start. An amazing sight, some 200 yachts, all laiden and about to sail the 2700nm to St Lucia.
Just as the forecast suggested, the Trade winds were back and the sailing was sparkling. Several 200nm + days followed and the miles clocked up before as usual the end was close by. Dolhpins and Whale sightings this year and some fresh fish for Sushi and Sashimi treats, the crew were given the full experience of life at sea. The only real frustration on the whole passage was the forecasted light winds the other side of the Atlantic, so close to St Lucia but so far. Lucy and crew looked at one stage that they would arrive after 15.5 days, but ended up taking just 3 minutes of 17 days when they struggled with the light winds. They did finish a very respectable in racing division and beat all the usual competition, coming 2nd charter yacht and Lucy winning the prize for the youngest Skipper on the ARC and .
The full passage log can be found at by clicking here.
We are now starting to take bookings for ARC 2012!
Summer in the Solent - Wind and More Wind!
Round the Island Race
This year marked the 80th Anniversary of the RTIR with 1908 boats registered. One of our regular crew, Louise chartered the boat with a group of friends who had all sailed previously together. We started the race in 20 - 25 knots from the South West with one reef in the main the number 3 genoa up. We beat our way up towards the Needles trying to keep in the strongest flow of tide. As we bore away around the Needles we kept our course a little high of St Catherines Point so we could hoist the new spinaker. Once up, the spinnaker boosted our speed and we were surfing down the the steep waves. With the whole crew as far back in the yacht as possible to attempt to keep the bow up, we hit a new speed record of 19knots - truly amazing for a Northern Child. We had an excellent race in challenging conditions, and Northern Child posting her fastest Round the Island time at 6:59:46 That evening the team enjoyed some fun ashore in Cowes after an exhilerating day's racing and we celebrated finishing 20th in class out of 52 and 184th overall.
“Boat was excellent, Christian, Lucy & Camden were perfect charterers and the weather was just about right!!” Gary
Fastnet Campaign - Morgan Cup Race to Cherbourg
The forecast for the Morgan Cup was for 40 knots in the channel with many boats deciding not to compete.The Northern Child crew were eager to start to see how Northern Child would stand up to to the conditions. Prior to the start the lull before the storm was a little misleading. As we sailed out East towards Ouers and outside of the protection of the Island the conditions deteriated quickly. Reef 1 in then 30 minutes later reef 2 in and by 0100 we saw 48knots true wind across the deck and decided to turn away from the wind and sail back to Hamble. Christian decided that there was no gain in bashing through 40 knots all night just to sail back in a gale the following day. Although we did not finish the race, the crew worked very well together as a team and everyone agreed that it was excellent preparation and a confidence builder in Northern Child for the Fastnet race!
"Great sailing overnight Friday. With hindsight, I think the experience of sailing in those challenging conditions, with the boat and crew working so well together, was better preparation for the Fastnet than completing a race in lighter conditions. I certainly feel much more confident in myself. Thanks!" Joe
Cowes Dinard Race
This was another challenging race with the forecast was for the wind to decrease and veer to the West. The 177 boat fleet headed out of the Solent to the East in a steady 25 - 30knot breeze. When the fleet started to head West around the back of the island they were met by a rough sea state as the wind and tide battled against each other. Northern Child decided to head West along the Dorset coastline to get West before the wind shifted. At about midnight we tacked by Weymouth to start heading South, the wind was starting to decrease and we changed up to the number 2 headsail and slowly the wind started to veer around. When dawn broke we were sailing past Guernsey, making good time towards St Malo but by late morning the wind was becoming increasingly fickle and we hoisted the reaching spinaker followed by the running spinaker as the wind slowly disappeared and the tide changed against us. The crew perservered and managed to maintain Northern Child moving slowly forward towards St Malo with our ETA in St Malo slipping away. Northern Child finally finished at 00:37 on Sunday morning. Too late for dinner ashore but a great test once again with the crew feeling ready for the Fastnet having experienced everything from no wind to Force 9 gales.
Fastnet Race 2011
For the first time this summer the weather forecast was benign, with bright sunshine and a pleasant 15knots blowing from the South West. The start was exhilarating with Northern Child finding a good space on the start line on starboard tack heading towards Egypt Point with fair tide under us. We tacked up the solent with the wind strengthening off Yarmouth and by the Bridge Buoy the crew was summoned for its first peel of sails from the No. 2 to the No.3. As we cleared the needles we started heading offshore as the tide was slackening and we wanted to avoid the adverse tide off Portland. The wind veered North West lifting our course towards Lizard. When we went rounded lands end in to the Irish Sea the wind picked up to 25-30knots. We kept west of the rhumb line as the wind was forecast to continue round to the North. Northern Child was on a close reach and making fantastic speed towards the Fastnet Rock. During the hours of darkness a keen watch had to be kept for yachts returning from the Rock heading in the opposite direction. Many calls from kevin were heard of “SHIP SHIP”
As Tuesday progressed the crew were given a spectacular display by hundreds of dolphins coming from all directions - an wonderful sight. By the evening the wind had dropped off again and had veered around to the North and Northern Child was beating again for the final 30 miles towards the Rock. Slowly the Rock appeared and other yachts started to appear on all horizons as we converged towards the Rock. We round the Rock just before the light disappeared and with a beautiful sunset. We hoisted the Spinnaker as we headed to Pantaenius Buoy 7 miles South West of the Rock, from there we headed to Bishops Rock lighthouse to the West of the Scilly Isles. As the night progressed the wind increased and the reach became increasingly shy until we had to drop the Spinnaker and continue under 2 sails. We rounded Bishops Rock light house on Wednesday evening, with the wind becoming increasingly fickle again overnight. Our passage past Lizard Point was frustratingly slow with adverse tide against us but we kept on going. We tacked inshore around St Anthony’s Head to make the most of a shift but the wind was disappearing quickly. By 1500 the wind had gone, we were 9 miles from the finish just East of Eddystone Rock drifting sideways with tide. The finish line was in sight; we tried every sail configuration possible and slowly crept towards Plymouth. Finally a gentle breeze developed and we sailed gently towards Plymouth with the Spinnaker up and Aslan carefully trimming it. There was a clear line on the water at the edge of Plymouth sound and we carefully timed our Spinnaker drop as the wind came on to the nose and we tacked our final mile in towards the finish line. Harry our youngest member of crew sailed us across the finish line at 19:21:51, 4 days and 7 hours later. We finished 148th out of 300 entries.
The Caribbean Racing Season
RORC Carribean 600 - 2nd in Class!!
For this years RORC Caribbean 600 there were 35 entries with boats ranging from 40.7s up to Rambler a 100ft IRC optimised racing machine. The forecast was for 15 to 25 knots which Northern Child revels in.
The course sent us around the leeward islands of the Caribbean giving the crew lots to do with different sail configurations on each watch. Northern Child was sailing like a dream slicing through the chop and rolly seas of the Caribbean. We finished the race at 00:23:47 on Friday the 25th February after 84 hours 53 minutes claiming 2nd in class. The crew departed with fabulous memories of a stunning course and exhilerating racing!
St Thomas Rolex Regatta 2011
The St Thomas Rolex Regatta marked it's 38th anniversay and Northern Child partnered with Safe Passage Sailing, hosting an all female crew that included sailing coach Suzette Smith, a member of the first and only all women's America's Cup Team. The week included two practice days and three days of racing. Conditions represented the very best in Caribbean racing. Steady breezes building from 12 knots to the high teens throughout the event, sunny afternoons, a varied and highly competitive fleet, excellent race committee work and parties that were neither too big nor too small, but just right: delivering a great sailing experience on and off the water.
40th BVI Spring Regatta 2011
The 40th Anniversary BVI Spring Regatta was full of fun on and off the water, with 122 yachts competing. Over the 3 days, the competitors were treated to spectacular course in the Sir Frances Drake Channel, using the Islands for marks. Tactics and navigation were key; to make the best of any current, avoid wind shadows and test the nerves of the skipper on how close he dare go to the islands.
Northern Child was racing in Performance Cruising and enjoyed the start to the regatta in 15 -22 knots laying 2nd in class on Sunday. On the final day all was to play for, however the wind decided it was going to play tricks on all the competitors. Northern Child had an excellent start dominating the first beat toward Dead Chest Island. On rounding the island the spinnaker went up only for the wind to diminish and the back of the fleet creep up on us. Down the coast of Peter Island the rain came down and the wind swung through 180 degrees several times. Northern Child crept away slowly and achieved a respectable 3rd in the final race securing our 2nd in class for the regatta.
Antigua Sailing Week 2011
Antigua Week was the windiest regatta of the Caribbean with wind steadily building from 20 knots to almost 30knots with 3 meter waves by the end of the week. At the half way point race 4; everything was to play for with 4 points seperating 1st from 4th, with excellent close racing. Unfortunately on day 4, our large white downwind asymetric blew out which cost us in the following races with only reaching spinnakers left for the final races. Despite no downwind kite, we managed to maintain a solid performance, finishing 4th in class and also collecting prizes for 1st yacht over 15 years old, 2nd Swan overall and 2nd charter yacht overall.
"Survived another race week – more breeze, bigger waves and great sailing. Thank you so much. It is amazing what you achieve with a scratch crew - time and again. It has been a privilege to race with you two." Julie
Passages and Transatlantics
TransAtlantic: Antigua to Portsmouth via the Azores
The crew joined Northern Child in Antigua to help prepare her for the passage. Eva had previously completed the ARC, however for the rest of the crew this would be their first Transatlantic Passage. Marcus, Nikolaus and Franz had sailed extensively in the Med, John had his Yacht Master Offshore, and David sails in the UK and had chartered bareboats for family vacations. The trip consisted of 2 legs. Antigua to the Azores and Azores to Portsmouth. We started our 2400nm leg from English Harbour on the 6th of May. We headed north for the first few days with light winds, allowing for morning yoga and afternoon scrabble activites on deck. At the halfway point to the Azores the wind picked up and the rain started to pour, for 3 days living became a challenge as the boat heeled over and life had to continue down below at an angle making even the simplist tasks tricky. The wind moderated and the sailing was once again a joy. Upon arrival in Horta, the crew enjoyed several days ashore. Cleaning up from the first leg, prepping for the second and some time to explore the Azores and have several delicious meals ashore not to mention a beverage or two at Pete's Bar. John departed and Lucy joined the team for the second leg. Conditions for the remainig 1600 nm varied from extremely light winds to challenging winds and seas with numerous late night equipement changes. Northern Child sailed into the Solent in on June 4th in brilliant sunshine and a fantastic 15 knot breeze a wonderful end to the transatlantic adventure. The crew enjoyed celebrations ashore at Gunwharf with Champagne and strawberries before saying their goodbyes an heading in different directions. To read the passage log click here.
If you are interested in more information about sailing onboard Northern Child please email christian@northernchid.com.
