Apologies that the blog has gone a bit quiet recently - activity will increase as the date of departure approaches.  We have been in Brittany for a few days over half-term – a regular visit to close the house up for the winter, and also an opportunity to check that our own little yacht is safely laid up in the boatyard over the winter months.  Sadly, at 24' ‘Exodus’ is a bit small to tackle the Atlantic – at least for a ocean novice like myself. 

 There is less than a month left before we set sail.  Between now and then I will have a full medical check-up and have reserved a place on an RYA ‘Sea Survival’ course (gulp!) for early November.  It’s prudent to update my understanding of offshore safety equipment, and to spend some time in the water gaining experience in using a liferaft.  Should be fun!  Knowledge I hope I shall never have to use, of course...  Will write up my experience in due course. 

Also look out for forthcoming posts about the charity - 'Horatio's Garden' and about the ARC...


 

Véronique and I drove to Stockbridge on Friday, for a very pleasant lunch with David and Sally Batten, the owners of Alcedo of Ryme.  Alcedo is the yacht I will be sailing during the 2013 Atlantic Rally for Cruisers.  It was great to see David and Sally again, and to sort out many practical details for the voyage: flights; customs clearance, sailing kit, watch rotas - even catering duties!  Time to check out the cookery books...

Alcedo is a truly lovely yacht.  She is newly built, 56 feet loa, cutter rigged.  Here she is, in Gibraltar last summer.

Alcedo is already in the Canaries, but currently out of the water.  David and Sally fly out to Gran Canaria early in November to provision the boat and prepare for the crossing. 

The last few days have also been devoted to setting up a myDonate page and adding the necessary links to this blog.  These should now be visible, and live.  We have had a great start to fundraising, with early offline donations (many, many thanks to Candida, Jan, Ellen, Jane, Linda, Ruth and the other 'DMG mums' who have made this possible).  Do please follow the link to Horatio's Garden www.horatiosgarden.org.uk   to see the great work that this charity is involved in.

RYA Powerboat qualification

Spent a very mild, 'Indian Summer' day at Bray Lake, near Maidenhead - taking my PowerBoat Level 2 course.



I passed!  Many thanks to Emma, my instructor for the day.

Not sure that this RYA course will have much bearing upon the Atlantic trip, but I need to have the powerboat qualification to help out with sailing at school from next term.  Always fun to be on the water....

This is my first post to keep family, friends, sponsors (hopefully) and anyone else who is interested up-to-date with planning, preparation and - eventually - progress of my first (and no doubt my last) Atlantic crossing under sail.

I am signed up for the ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers), leaving the Canary Islands on 24th November 2013 bound for St Lucia (http://www.worldcruising.com/arc/event.aspx). Depending upon wind strength and direction, the crossing should take between 16-21 days.  So if all goes well I should be home in good time for Christmas.  If not...

Why on earth am I doing this?  I am certainly no singlehanded ocean racer or intrepid adventurer - rather an enthusiastic coastal sailor, with limited offshore experience, so on more than one occasion I have asked myself the same thing.  There are several answers.

One is that the Atlantic, like Mount Everest, is there.  Crossing this ocean is always going to be a challenge, however well prepared any boat or crew may be.  For many, like me, who love the sea and relish sailing, an Atlantic crossing is a rite of passage.  Many consider it, many dream of it - but few have the chance to put the dream into practice.  This year, I am one of the lucky few.

I'm especially lucky because this opportunity does not come along often for me.  The demands of work keep me fully occupied at the relevant time each year - but in 2013 I am enjoying a sabbatical break from September to December (a huge 'thank you' here to my employers at Eton College).  This gap provided a chance - perhaps my only chance - to complete this Atlantic trip.  I'm equally fortunate to have been offered a berth on a lovely yacht capable of making the passage (more of this in future blogs).

However, MUCH more important than any of the above - I am crossing the Atlantic to raise funds for 'Horatio's Garden', a charity very close to my heart.  The charity is named in memory of Horatio Chapple, a very fine young man tragically killed by a polar bear while on expedition to northern Norway in 2011.  I was Horatio's housemaster, and today I am very proud to be a trustee of the excellent charity which commemorates his life.  I will write more about the charity in due course, but the relevant webpage can be accessed directly from my blog or via this link: www.horatiosgarden.org.uk This is a small charity, but one which has already had a really positive impact on the lives of patients coping with serious spinal injury.  I hope that readers will consider sponsoring me across the Atlantic to raise funds for this excellent cause.  Let's see how much we can raise!

Less than two months before the date of departure, I'm now well into preparations for the trip - including sorting out this blog (a special thank you to Jonathan, who helped his technically-challenged father to get started); organising fundraising, meeting my future crewmates on the crossing, learning more about the yacht, getting fitter (I hope), completing 'Ocean Safety' and 'Sea Survival' courses (gulp!) and of course drumming up interest in the crossing and the charity.  I will write more about all of these things as the crossing looms, and will hope to add pictures and up-to-date details once the great journey begins...

Over the next few weeks, I'll add more about the boat, and about preparations for the trip.

David