Contents:
EDITORIAL
Welcome to the June issue of Revelations. Morning Star has just left Chatham for Tall Ships 2001 - whilst it is not quite the same as last year Norway is still a long way to go! I look forward to being able to report from the summer in future Revelations.
Now that we are well into the sailing season, there is no excuse for lacking in inspiration for bits and pieces for Revelations (stories, poems, thoughts, pictures...) so please, please send in articles for inclusion in future issues.
As ever, thank you to those who have contributed to this issue. If you’re off sailing during the summer, happy sailing...
Will
Contents
NEWS
Tim writes...
Season off to a great start - All Change for Eagles Wings - Norwegian Summer - Fenland foray - Volunteers, present and ? future - Personal notes
Season off to a great start
2000 was hardly a standard year for us, with Morning Star leaving in early April for Tall Ships 2000, so it is two years since we had a "normal" programme. How would it go? Would all our regular crews have forgotten us? I am glad to report that if the Easter period is anything to go by, all is very well.
We started with a new style team training event. The success of this can be judged by the fact that many of those present have now sailed at least once as second mate on Morning Star. It was a particularly encouraging time in terms of the future of the work and the supply of new leadership coming up as some of us approach retirement age!
Another highlight of the Easter period was the individuals cruise. Steve Morgan drove the boat quite hard and took her across the Channel and back in tough conditions. The crew rose to the challenge and gained a great deal from the experience. Mike Maconochie sailed as mate, and took charge of the spiritual programme with a series of thoughts connected by the theme of the Easter story. Again this seems to have been appreciated, Steve and Mike themselves were most encouraged.
Meanwhile we had two weeks charter of Tiger Moon out of Plymouth. Tim Smith hoped to accomplish Yachtmaster qualifying passages, but in the event the weather did not allow. However, he and his friends had an excellent time. Before that I took her with part of the current group from Oundle school who are doing DofE Award gold expedition with us. A night passage (to wind-ward in F6 initially) from Salcombe to Plymouth was particularly memorable for being freezing cold, for the big seas as we came out of Salcombe, and for the sense of achievement among the crew.
Since then life has been quieter, with Morning Star mainly out only at weekends, but we are coming up now to the main summer period which looks like picking up where Easter left off.
 All Change for Eagles Wings
Meanwhile, Eagles Wings has had a rather Cinderella existence. Richard and others did a great job to get her back in the water on time, but when our surveyor came along to check compliance with the Code of Practice, he found a very long list of deficient items. A letter from him to our board raised fundamental questions of safety. I am actually glad of this as it makes the point that our small staff cannot really cope with Eagles Wings as well as Morning Star. As a result of this, various things have happened:
- Those taking EW out have to complete a full check list for safety and Code of Practice compliance. This also now applies to Morning Star, as recent weekend skippers have found out.
- Eagles Wings is to be moved away from Chatham and for the next year will be based in Ipswich, where she will be looked after and managed by Steve and Jemma Morgan. They will match the way she is used to the time and money resources they are able to give her. One plus is that the whole East coast cruising ground will be on the doorstep. Those who can use EW, make the most of it, it is likely to be for one year only.
- If this works well, in a year’s time we may look at selling EW and buying a more modern and slightly larger boat, to fit in especially with our plans to expand DofE award expedition work.
Norwegian Summer
Morning Star leaves Chatham on July 2 with her Tall Ships crew in the capable hands of Adrian, Tim Smith and Brandon. First call is Antwerp where the Tall Ships fleet gathers – with a record number of large square riggers involved, the class A start should be quite something. From there they rave to Aalesund, in Norway, some 650 miles, so they will be at sea for several days at least. After that, and a partial crew change, Colin, Sara and Jamie take her for week's cruise through the incredible fjords and islands to Bergen, second city of Norway. Then, with the same team, a final race to Esbjerg in Denmark. Tall Ships finishes there, but a two week cruise with Mike Ling in charge brings her back to UK via the Friesian islands and Holland.
It is great to be able to report that all these activities filled in good time with what look like excellent crews. Back at base we shall get news by phone and Inmarsat, and will aim to post it on our website. During the races you can also follow our progress daily (twice daily updates) on the ISTA website.
Fenland foray
When Mike Maconochie brings Morning Star home from the Oundle school trip on September 1, he will take her, not to Chatham, but across the shallow waters of the Wash, into the winding channel that leads into the river Nene and several miles inland (via the opening bridge at Sutton Bridge) to the port of Wisbech. From here he is only a few miles from Oundle itself. However, the reason for this is that the Fens Youth Trust are taking the boat for a week, cruising to the Humber and back. They are recruiting local young people who will only have to find £50 themselves. Colin will skipper this unusual trip, which might become a regular feature if it goes well.
Volunteers, present and ? future
Tim Smith leaves us at the end of August having made the most of his year here. The yachtmaster passages he failed to make in Tiger Moon he was able to accomplish last week in Eagles Wings, by sailing to Ipswich and back. Now he just needs the exam and he will be on the way to being a Morning Star skipper. Like most volunteers he has left his mark on the boat, the new floor, door and wall on the forward heads are all his work. Today he has arrived in his newly acquired Suzuki Jeep (bought with the bounty of being a prospective teacher in a shortage subject) and shot off in it to Cambridge to meet with the rest of the TS1 leadership team!
In his place from September we have – no one! Actually, we do now have a strong possible in the pipeline. If you pray for us, do pray for the right person for this vital and not particularly easy job.
Personal notes
Congratulations to Clive and Sandra, who marry in Canterbury on October 13. We have already had one Morning Star wedding this year when Anna Dexter became Anna Carter by marrying Stuart in Coniston.
Calling any Inland Waterway enthusiasts: Sara and I are getting steadily more involved in the rivers and canals and plan to fit out a narrow boat shell and explore the system as a long term retirement project. Combining both worlds, I recently spent a night at sea in the Wash helping take a narrow boat from Boston to Denver Sluice, which is up the Great Ouse above Kings Lynn. We are very generously lent this same nb by her Christian owner, and are getting to know the inland waterways while working towards our own eventual boat. In July we shall take her from Gayton junction via the GU, South Oxford and Thames, to Marlow. If all this rings bells with any other IW folk out there, why not get in touch?
Adventurers of a Tiger Thing
1st – 6th April 2001 By Catherine Bertrand
It had all been a bit of a blur, getting off Morning Star after the rather intense team-training week, then shooting off almost immediately with Tim to Plymouth with barely a breath in between. And now here we were at the quay of Sutton Yacht Harbour with our rather dazed crew of Oundle-ites and a wheelbarrow full of food. However, we were soon onboard Tiger Moon, (who was not half as exotic as her name suggests) and my 2nd mate training kicked in as I attempted to learn names and get the rather sorry amount of supplies stowed.
It was a balmy evening, so without further ado we had cast off and set off out of the marina. Despite the previous intensive week of boating skills, I still fumbled with my bowlines as we got into the loch, but nevermind, no harm was done as unlike Morning Star, you could almost hold TM stationary! There was very little wind, so we motored out into the harbour, but could not resist putting up the main, and having a play with the (boring) self-furling jib. I extolled the virtues of bowsprits, and Tim sighed wearily. ;-)
The crew had all done their Shorebased Dayskipper course thanks to Mike Mac, and so were extremely competent when it came to navigating. Far more so than me, who kept my head down in the galley preparing supper! We ended up spending the night briefly in Cornwall up the Lynher River near Jupiter Point, the moon smiling down on us, and the gas lamp twinkling in the saloon.
The next day greeted us with mizzly rain and a distinct change in the weather. We donned our oilies, started the engine and motored out, past the huge navy boats to just behind the breakwater where we raised the sails. Unfortunately as we rounded the breakwater, we got our first taste of lumpy seas, accompanied by the beginnings of green-ness in crew and mate. Quick action was called for! So we launched into a burst of "Joseph and His Technicolour Dreamcoat," before banishing seasickness completely with extracts from the "Lion King" as Tim beat a hasty retreat below.
As we approached the mouth of the Yealm there was some consternation over what leading marks were – our crew obviously not having swotted up on Swallows and Amazons before sailing, but despite this we were soon practising motor manoeuvres outside Newton Ferris and settling down under the brilliant stars. We were becoming a little worried at the constant weather reports of a big gale that was forecast "Soon."
However, the next day dawned bright and cheerful despite gale warnings, with a moderate breeze and enthusiastic grins from the girls who were eager to prove and practise their sailing skills. A perfect day then, for a blistering sail down the coast to Salcombe, which was exactly what we did. However, signs of bad weather were beginning to appear as there was a halo around the sun and a massing of rather dark and shifty looking clouds on the horizon.
The night was spent hiding out in "The Bag" – a series of small boat moorings up river, where we lay moored firmly to a pontoon. The gale hurled itself at the Devonshire coastline with all its strength, while we sat almost conspiratively in the saloon lit only by the swinging gas lantern, occasionally leaping up to check what the anemometer was reading if the boat shook with particular vigour! (36mph was probably the top gust)
Despite the bashing of the night though, the next day dawned bright and brilliant once again, so we spent the day mooching around Salcombe and preparing for our planned night sail back to Plymouth. At 7pm we set off down-river, togged up to the nines with every layer it was possible to get on as a long night was ahead. The sea, still excitable after the gale of the previous evening, confronted us with some rather large waves, and set the boat at a very exciting angle. This was a sailing experience unlike anything I had encountered on bigger, heavier, Morning Star, as the waves were only inches away, and we all watched the leeward rail with some trepidation as the water creamed past us.
The angle made it almost impossible to stay below without green-ness setting in, so we flew along in the dark, all on deck, singing every song we could think of under the ever present moon and stars. By midnight two of the crew had retired to bed, and sea-sickness had finally conquered me, but the two remaining girls were still going strong, and brought us into Plymouth safely and competently with Tim keeping a watchful eye on them. By 2am we were safely back "Home" in the marina and fell gladly into bed, all safe and happy at our adventures.
Our final full day consisted of an extremely lazy morning, recovering from the night before. "Lets go to this sheltered bay," said Tim, pointing at a cove on the chart. "And have a relaxing time practising manoeuvres, just to finish things off."
It was blowing pretty hard, but of we set with full reefed main and jib, and discovered that the sheltered bay was not actually very sheltered after all. Tiger Moon sailed with her leeward rails almost in the water, we all struggled to remain upright, and whooped as waves crashed over the deck. After heaving-to (in a boat that actually stops!) Tim decided that the wind was just too silly and we turned back. But the weather had not yet finished with us, and a huge gust smacked down off the headland onto the sails, submerging the leeward rails and causing a brief moment of panic as Liz, one of our crew, had been leaning on them and was thoroughly dunked!
The only casualty was Hat Overboard.
"It has great sentimental value." Said Liz tearfully, non the worse for her submergence, so Tim gritted his teeth and we chased the errant hat across the bay until it was firmly caught and brought back on board.
We then turned and ran for the marina, had a leisurely dinner, and good nights rest and then a frenzied morning of cleaning before dashing off to Tiverton Parkway where we went our separate ways. There were some very encouraging spiritual things going on during the trip not least for me, and I look back on that week fondly as, despite the gales, it was a port in stormy seas. And despite her lack of bowsprit, and self furling jib, Tiger Moon is a pretty fun boat to sail on. I'm booking my place for the summer!
The DOs and DON’Ts of a Gold DofE Sailing Expedition
by Emily Coventry, Olivia Heal, Harry Kinmonth,
Stu Whiting and Ross Lavery
As the talk of walking expeditions hit the scenes, ideas were flung about – wanting to do something new and different. So a group of 5 of us decided to sail, knowing that it would be a new challenge and an opportunity to see new places. Over a period of 3 weeks (including a week training) we managed to sail around Cornwall and Devon, the Channel Islands and the Isles of Scilly. It was one of the most fun and exciting things we've ever done, and an amazing opportunity. However it takes planning, dedication and commitment. You must be prepared to put up with anything and anyone, it is not for the light-hearted, and you must be able to work as a team.
Hence we've listed the dos and don'ts that we learned from our experience.
Do...
- Pay attention to Mr Maconochie's navigation lessons – all will become clear.
- Plan you route allowing for time off at ports with good facilities – don't try and be brave and take the wild non-stop mid-ocean trek – showers become luxuries.
- Make your shopping list before you hit the supermarkets, if possible bring ready cooked food from home for the first night – it is more difficult than it sounds cooking for big numbers.
- Fill in the log book regularly, at least every hour and more in dodgy areas, you don't want to find out about the hidden rocks when you're stuck on top of them.
- Linked to this, make sure everyone is confident in filling in the log book, using the GPS etc. Help each other with this.
- Use the GPS, although not viable on the day-skipper course, it's more accurate in the long run than 3 point fixes.
- When sailing by night organise shifts – i.e. 2 hours on 3 hours off – always have 2+ people on deck 1 can steer whilst the other pukes.
 Visit the Channel Islands – import cheap goods back to England.- Visit the Isles of Scilly – although not quite the Caribbean, in summer the white sands and turquoise seas make you forget you're in Great Britain.
- Pop into all pubs – you can find some real treasures when cut off from real civilisation. We recommend the waterside pub on the beautiful Helford River – Du Maurier Land – very "Frenchman’s Creek" like and magical sunsets.
- When on civilised land opt for a chippy – no cooking required, good, hot food and no washing up.
- Use the showers at Falmouth – the best ones we found on our expedition – no paying, open all year round. Brilliant compared to some of the squalid "showers" we were shown to.
- Use the Alderney water taxi – call it up on VHF, and avoid the inevitable disaster of trying to blow up the dingy in adverse conditions.
- Ponce about in the yacht clubs if you get a mo.
- Get a book on each port you visit – so you know what the facilities are and read up on each harbour before arrival, because any difficulties will be outlined.
- Make sure you know what should be checked before voyages (water, oil etc) and check it.
- Take Stugeron – effective prevention of travel sickness.
- Play ladi-dah…
Don't...
- Have a large spag-bol supper after a 5 hour train journey from London and before an overnight sail in force 7/8. We recommend a short sail after time on land to find your "sea-legs," a light supper and lots of snacks to sustain you through the night.
- Enter a separation zone – completely unaware – whilst navigating by the moon. Oil tankers take several miles to stop and tend to be on auto-pilot at night meaning they are also unaware of your presence.
- Take mobile phones. Sadly reception only goes a mile offshore and batteries run out soon after. However, they do have the advantage of acting as alarm clocks.
- Rely wholeheartedly on the blow up dingy – it takes a lot of pumping, for which there is little room on the boar, the oars are feeble and the engine tends to die id anything gets too tricky.
- Rely on the boat hook for picking up mooring buoys, especially when the tides are strong. We left at least 2 floating around in Alderney waters.
- Risk going out with the full mainsail, in gale force winds and treacherous conditions, in the middle of the night. This means harnesses, wrench trouble in pouring rain, and pitch black, standing on the front of a tipping boat, whilst trying to reed the sail. Often constitutes, also the loss of a hat or glove. Be prepared for bad weather by listening carefully to the forecasts.
- Forget any medication.
- Go with out kitchen roll – it's certainly invaluable.
Financial plug...
The Morning Star Trust's finances are currently in quite good shape. By the time you read this we hope to have paid off the final £4000 debt left over from the difficult period in 1994 when our grand expansion plans came to nothing. This will be a real milestone, and will see us free of debt. You could argue that this is for the first time ever, as even before 1994 there was some of Tim's own money put in when the Trust was set up, this was repaid last year.
However, it does not mean we can be complacent. We want to keep to the rule that only pays salaries out of regular committed giving, but this is seriously under strain as the Management Committee bring salaries up to a slightly more realistic level.
We know this is a regular plug, but if you could give a small amount regularly and are not already doing so, it would be a very real help. Once a standing order is set up, it all works automatically - for details contact the office.
And finally, if you are a tax-payer the Trust can recover the tax paid on the donation through Gift Aid by you filling in of one form obtainable from the office.
Thank you.
The work of Morning Star Trust
It is no secret that the Morning Star Trust is a Christian organisation. Those who make up the leadership teams on board are committed Christians, and give their time and energy as part of their service to God, who has made life so much more meaningful for them. As I always say, this does not mean we are in the business of ramming Christianity down the throats of a captive audience. Indeed, you will look almost in vain for evidence of our faith elsewhere in this edition of Revelations. What we want to try and do is show that life in Christ is fulfilling and exciting, in contrast to what many think as they look at the "dead" church in this country.
It isn't at all easy to maintain a living faith on board while attending to all the demands of running a complex sailing vessel, and in recent years we may have been guilty of not giving as distinctive a spiritual lead as we would want. The Trust's committee has been working on this, plus there is a new desire to be open about our faith among the leadership teams. I hope this does not mean we shall be more "bouncy" or threatening than before, rather that our life and words on board will present a clear and attractive picture of life lived with Christ at its centre. We remain human and fallible, but we rely on God's strength to encourage others who are Christians and to show something of life as a real Christian to those who have yet to find it for themselves.
TJM
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