BLUEMOMENT

Due to injury of one crew member (on another boat in the Scottish Islands Peaks Race), I have a vacancy for a crew member on the Rathlin to St Kilda race on 14th June. (about 180 miles)
We will leave Gourock on Tuesday evening 12th for Rathlin, race 14th to 16th then on to Lochmaddy for the prizegiving (aka party) to collect our winning trophy (!ha ha), and then back to Gourock arriving back about Tues 19th.

Anyone interested? email me at Geoffrey.crowley@googlemail.com or phone 07770726759

Highly tempting but on 1st thoughts, no thank you. I am still recovering from the SIPR Sound of Jura experience and may never stray from Gourock again.

Your AIS track suggests you're doing exactly that - not leaving the mooring. Did you leave it on by mistake?

Thanks Geoff. I thought I had turned the batteries off as is my wont but obviously not. Memory suggests I may have gone from 2 to Both rather than 1 to Off. In which case I have had GPS, instruments, VHF all on since Monday and I better do something fast!

Sorry Geoff , can't help, we are doing the sprint (ha!) race on Ataraxia, but should see you about. Hope you get someone.

Race starts at 10.00 tomorrow(Thursday) from Rathlin. Armchair watchers can tune in to http://yb.tl/stkilda2018# to follow the boats. Contender, the Rival 32 owned by our own antipodean anchor maker and all-round good guy, is at present halfway 'tween Pladda and Sanda trogging along at 4.6kts. She must get to Rathlin (~30nm) by 18.00 tonight for a mandatory briefing but with southerly winds and 6 hours of north going tide should have nae probs.

Start forecast is WNW 45kts so a reef may be needed (even in a R32) then he has 46 hours for the 190nm to St Kilda with mostly SW winds followed by a sprint to Lochmaddy for 17.00 on Saturday to submit his times and join in the ceilidh.

I wish him and all the other runners and riders well, including Hannah, one of my irreguler racing crew who has absconded to Warrior.

Start has been postponed until 13.00 with the forecast dropped to a mere 30 gusting 38kts with 3m seas. Ideal R32 weather - go Geoff!

Looking forward to 'watching' this - thanks for the link.
I'm glad I didn't apply for Geoff's vacant crew position as my role would have been limited to lying on the saloon floor vomiting into a bucket.

Tough night by the look of it - only 5 (big) boats still heading for St.Kilda.

Wed night was challenging before leaving the marina. 50 kn measured by handheld on marina. Had dropped to 30 by 1500 when we started in the start window of 1300-1600. Huge seas, 2 reefs, 2 seasick crew, decided enough and followed a competitor to Port Ellen for some sleep. Big boats kept going. Might go north on inshore route

From flat calm the 1st year to a hoolie this year, this event hasn't had the luck it deserves. Maybe next time?
As smallest boat in the fleet you must have had the worst pasting - well done for persevering as long as you did. Enjoy your cruise and the ceilidh if you get to Lochmaddy.
Better luck with the Rival Rockall Rounding.

Would be interested in the passage race, or at least the sprint race, for 2020 - any suggestions were to charter a suitable boat? We regularly charter on the West Coast and would love to participate....

amphi