REVELATIONS

Contents:

• Editorial
• News
• Tiger Moon
• And what is left?
• Bermuda to Charleston (TS2K)
• Charlestown to Boston (TS2K)
• Thought for the Quarter

EDITORIAL

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Welcome to the September issue of Revelations. Morning Star has completed her circumnavigation of the Atlantic and is once again back in the Medway. The season is not yet over and there are some places left on the remaining trips, so if you want to fit in a sail before the end of the season, read on.

As ever, thank you to those who have contributed to this issue. If you have any contributions (stories, pictures, thoughts, poems, etc.) for inclusion in Revelations, please send them in to the office. The deadline for the next issue is 1 December 2000.

Will

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News - Tim writes...

TS2K The rest of the story - Autumn vacancies - 2001 A Marine Odyssey - Annual conference and AGM - Funding

TS2K – The rest of the story

Last time I updated you on Morning Star's excellent performance in Tall Ships 2000 as far as Bermuda. Since then the rest of the race series has finished, and the news is that we have continued to do at least as well all the way round. I am still hoping to receive various accounts of what went on, so you can expect further viewpoints of it all in future issues.

Bermuda to Boston

Accounts of this leg are included further on, so let’s move straight on to:

Boston to Halifax

Although they were only on board for a week, this crew were a great success. The race began in fog and calm, but after a couple days, at long last the wind filled in. The fog did not immediately lift, and Steve described conditions as "exhilarating and scary". A good job the radar was rescued earlier by Mike Banner and myself! Morning Star performed her usual catching up act, but the calms left us too far adrift to manage better than fourth in class this time. Class winner was Brilliant, an American schooner that only joined the fleet in Boston. Jolie Brise and Jens Krogh were 2nd and 3rd, the only time in the series that JK were to beat us on handicap. However, we did have the satisfaction of beating them over the line after a close race in the final stages.

The welcome in Halifax was outstanding, and more than one in the crew reported they were thinking of moving to Canada. Once again nothing was too much trouble for our liaison officer. For some this was the climax to their time on board, but for a number of the crew including the skipper it was all just the prelude to:

Halifax to Amsterdam

Yes, you guessed it, the race began in light winds. But this certainly did not set the pattern for the race as a whole. After a frustrating few days the wind came in and built to force 6/7 on the nose. The crew coped with this, but unfortunately the jib tops'l got wrapped round the bobstay and was badly torn before being recovered. 24 hours later the wind increased still further, reaching force 9 or 10. At some point the anemometer cups gave up the struggle and blew off the top of the mast! However, by now we had rounded the first waypoint and could head off the wind. Thus it was mainly a question of reducing sail to almost nothing and screaming along at 8 knots or more. As the days passed the wind eased, but remained mostly around force 6 or 7, giving day after day of fast and exciting sailing. Steve speaks in glowing terms, both of the performance of the boat, and of the crew.

Towards the end, a real racing spirit built up as boats went neck and neck for the line. The crew were tough and experienced enough for Steve to be able to drive the boat really hard. It paid off. We came second in class (behind Brilliant), beating Jolie Brise at last. We also came third overall in this race (behind Brilliant and Kruzenstern) and, to cap it all, third overall for the whole series (behind Jolie Brise and Kruzenstern). Nor was our spiritual purpose forgotten and a good deal of thoughtful sharing went on. the way.

The Cadiz to Bermuda leg had been further, and had involved longer at sea. The Southampton to Cadiz leg encountered the worst conditions. But this final leg has to be Morning Star's greatest passage ever. They finished so fast that they were able to spend a happy week around the Ijselmeer before joining the fleet in Amsterdam. The Amsterdam event happens every five years and suffers from being too big and overcrowded, but this time our crew seems to have enjoyed it.

And finally, with a new crew, a relaxed cruise home to Chatham, where Morning Star arrived bang on time on September 2 in the berth she left on April 6. Well done Morning Star, well done all those involved, and thank you God for safety, excitement, and every experience of these amazing months.

Read the race log here.

Autumn vacancies

After all the excitements of Tall Ships 2000 it isn't easy to get one's feet back on the ground, but here we are now in the middle of our "normal" autumn programme with some six weeks remaining to the end of the season. In addition to group bookings most weekends, and the possibility of some more corporate training work, we still have spaces on the following individual activities:

• October weekend: October 13-15. Full price £76. Joly skippers this late season weekend in and around the Medway and Thames estuary.
• Half Term Residential: Designed for DofE gold residential requirement, but don't let that stop others from coming, all are welcome. Full price £138.

If you would be interested in either of these opportunities, contact us at the office, or use the booking form enclosed with your brochure.

2001 A marine Odyssey

I hereby promise not to attempt that joke again in any way shape or form. In reality the Odyssey was this year, but that does not mean to say next year will not have plenty to offer in all directions. Our brochure for 2001 will be out later in the autumn (failing all else in time for Christmas). In the meantime, as the programme develops you can see what is on offer so far by visiting www.morningstar.org.uk and going to the 2001 provisional programme page, which will also explain early booking opportunities for individuals and groups as they become available.

Here is a summary of what lies ahead. I hope it will arouse your interest to come sailing with us next year:

Tall ships 2001: Our crew will join at Chatham, probably on July 2. Thence to Antwerp where the fleet gathers for the first race to Aalesund (Norway, north of Bergen). On 21 July the fleet leaves Aalesund for a cruise through the fjords and islands to Bergen, Norway's second city. A final race to Esbjerg (Denmark) starts on July 30, with our crew travelling home when the event finishes, probably on August 6. We will offer partial crew changes in Aalesund and/or Bergen for those who prefer not to book for the whole series.

The venue for Tall Ships means that, for the first time for some years, Morning Star will not leave the North Sea, and will be based at Chatham except for the actual period of the Tall Ships event. This will give the opportunity for both groups and individuals to cruise once again in our favourite cruising grounds in the southern part of Holland, we expect to make this round trip a number of times in May, June and August/early September.

Meanwhile we shall be returning to Tiger Moon for more West Country Cruising, probably mainly in July while Morning Star is away on Tall Ships.

There are exciting plans afoot for Eagles Wings to spend the summer cruising north to Scotland, to be precise to the Clyde, where she will remain, under Colin Rettie's competent control, until at least the next summer, maybe longer.

Annual conference and AGM

Once again this November the skippers, mates and other centrally involved members of the Morning Star Trust will be meeting over a weekend at Dovedale House in the glorious Peak District. In the nature of what we do, this is often the only moment in the year when some of us meet each other. We shall be giving thanks for the success of TS2K and discussing various issues, also we shall have our AGM at which the committee for the next year is elected. If you, as an MSA member, would genuinely like to join us there and become more committed and involved, please contact me at the office. Places will be limited, so speak to me sooner rather than later!

Funding

I mentioned last time that we need to increase our regular gift income if we are to continue our policy of paying salaries only out of regular giving. This is just a reminder!

From the start of 2001, we expect to receive extra funding through the legacy of Ralph Hammond Innes to the Association for Sea Training Organisations. This will not make a huge difference as it will largely take the place of the bursary funding that has been available through ASTO for many years. However, some of it will be available for training costs for our team members. Greater flexibility in the use of the rest will allow us to spread the benefit of the bursary scheme more widely, probably through restructuring our prices, ie increasing them but applying discounts to our target areas of crew. Again, see our brochure when published, or keep an eye on the website over the next months.

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Tiger Moon

A short piece received by email from Holly Sievwright

Yes I had a brilliant time on Tiger Moon. The sailing was great and everyone on the boat got on really, really well. we were all so different that we just kinda clicked to make the holiday the best fun I'd had in ages. I was the baby of the crew which I think made it even better, I don't know.

I drove down with Lucy, another member of the crew, to Plymouth from where we set off on Sunday to Salcombe (bit choppy that day - 3 people seasick inc. me and Steve. After that I was fine, incidentally!) Then we went to Dartmouth then up the River Dart to Totnes which was a little more what I'm used to. Next we went out to sea until we were out of sight of land (liked that a lot) to the River Yealm, then finally back to Plymouth. As is so often the case the holiday felt about 6 months too short!

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And what is left?

by Mike Maconochie

So, Tall Ships 2000 is all over.
Even the shouting, and there was plenty of that.
Royal receptions. Streets thronging with cheering crowds. Euphoric prize givings. Fireworks and parties. And then, the triumphal welcome home.
"Heroes return from the sea!" So one paper said.
Things of the past already.
Now, the crews have dispersed.
The fleeting glory lingers for a moment, like the after-taste of a good meal.
"Where did you come?" "Third over all." "Oh, that's nice..."
Life has resumed its more ordered flow.
And what is left?

There are memories, of course:

• of anxieties in anticipation of the event, with three-and-a-half thousand as yet uncovered miles stretching into the unknown; a week of calms off Madeira, resources dwindling, and that ocean of miles still before us.
• Happier memories too, of Trade Wind sailing, of balmy north easterlies speeding us gently over the great foothills of the sea; of flying fish, flocking in wheeling aerobatic display with unseen predators in hot pursuit; of dolphins, now playfully riding the pressured foam of our tumbling bow, now purposefully leaping through waves, intent on the hunt. And those night skies! Stars unnumbered, as light-polluted eyes have never seen. Moon shadows on the deck. Sunsets of unrivalled grandeur. ("Another cracker!") The deep unfathomed blue of the ocean. The iridescent turquoise of Bermudan seas.
• And people, unreasonably hospitable, kind beyond all convention.

Such memories are in themselves enormously enriching. They have become part of what we are. Perhaps more importantly, many will have learned not to let their fears get in the way of their dreams; to live life perhaps less safely, but more adventurously; to feel all the stress of the enormity of an undertaking, and still go. That surely is a formula for a life worth living.

The call to follow Him, requires no less.

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Bermuda to Charleston

Or, Does America Exist?

by Lucy Gross

I arrived in Bermuda 2 days before the official crew change, so had a bit of time to look around this beautiful island. My first impression was that it looks like Legoland, all the lawns are manicured to perfection, and the houses are pastel pink blue green, with white roofs. It's a shame that the others were only in Bermuda for 9 hours, and so did not get to see the pink beaches. A bit of a sore point was the 17 dollars we had to pay to get into the country (some people had to be escorted to the bank machine to be able to pay this.) However, I think even the short time we spent here made a good impression.

On Monday morning we sailed out with the rest of the fleet for the parade of sail – the colour of the water is holiday brochure unbelievable, and I have never seen so many boats all in one place in my life. We had to shoo them out the way to avoid any crashes.

In the afternoon the race to Charleston started. Only about 8 boats took part in this, the rest having decided to head straight for America as fast as possible. In the event I think we were the last boat that made it to the mainland, but we had fun doing it.

The race started, and the wind stopped. There was hardly a breeze. The start went so slowly that Libertad (the Argentinian Navy 3-master) decided to retire after 10 minutes, possibly the fastest capitulation in tall ships race history. The rest of us decided to stick it out for a while. Several boats drifted close together at sunset, and Toby off Jolie Brise went to collect some people in the Zodiac. I got to steer JB for half an hour, and did my best to sabotage their race by going the wrong way. Oops!

After that first day, they all merge into one. This is what I imagine the Atlantic crossing must have been like – we were never bored, but ask me on any given day what I did all day long, I couldn't tell you. The main impression was that it was unbelievably hot – even though there should be 4 people on nightwatch, there were always about 7 because no one could sleep. Our nightwatches were characterised by deep and meaningful (?) conversations about trees, the motivation for the wind, flying fish and Scottish politics – an odd mixture but it kept us amused. Especially the flying fish, but I will not cite our wonderful poem here.

On day 3 (I think) all the remaining boats in the race agreed to retire at the same time, so no one would win. This meant that we could switch the engine on, which was good because we finally moved somewhere, but bad because it is a constant grind on the nerves. We continued under engine until almost the last day. However, once a day we switched the engine off for an hour to go swimming, as it was otherwise too hot. A tent was rigged on the aft deck out of the old mizzen staysail, and we all huddled under that. The crew got very close (literally) after having to huddle together, 6 people in a space the size of Twinkle.

Days and days and days of motoring – never getting anywhere. Rumours started to grow: America does not exist, it is all made up by TV companies... We are getting very close to the waterfall at the edge of the world... If I had been Columbus, this is the time at which I would have given up and gone back home. But then... land ho!

Or at least we thought it was land. As we came closer we had fears that our 'publicity stunt' theory was correct, because if this was America it looked suspiciously like a very large dredger. Which it turned out to be. We got very close to it, and then an absolutely enormous nuclear submarine got uncomfortably close to us. Phew, just passed us by, but still no land in sight. That was enough excitement for one day.

Finally, on day 8 out of Bermuda, we see what really is land. A lovely breeze has set in, and we sail into Charleston in style. Frank our liaison officer must have read our minds – he arrives at the boat with 10 boxes of finest American pizza – our dreams come true.

Read the race log here.

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Charlestown to Boston

by Tim

Charlestown

We wondered whether the long flog under power to reach the "deep south" port of Charleston, South Carolina, was worth it, but in the event it most certainly was. Despite turning up and also staying on later than planned, nothing was too much trouble for Frank, our liaison officer. High points of the visit included taking part in the regular mid week evening racing at the yacht club – we didn't do very well, but it was fun and we overtook some local boats on the reaching leg, and being invited into Frank and Cynthia's lovely old colonial home for a barbecue.

Charleston to New York

Again, much motoring in hot calms was the order of the day, but we did have 36 hours splendid sailing past Cape Hatteras and right up into Chesapeake Bay. The day finished at anchor in a beautiful wooded creek that we had sought out ourselves. Next day on to the small port of Solomon's Island, where we rendezvoused with Arethusa and Rona 2. Here we experienced our only real thunder squall, anchoring in the lee of a mud bank just in time to avoid the worst of it. On again (still in Chesapeake Bay) to a longer stop at Annapolis, where we were berthed in the Maryland State dock, alongside the Governor's yacht! Annapolis is near the head of Chesapeake Bay. To avoid going all the way back down the bay we cut through the Chesapeake and Delaware canal. These canals have no locks and are strongly tidal, so you have to do it when the tide is going your way. Emerging into the Delaware River we motored through the night back down to the Atlantic, the morning saw us off the New Jersey coast and another 24 hours brought us to New York.

New York

The high point of the trip for many on board. Approaching the Ambrose light at first light I recalled that this mark was the finishing line for the Ocean liners in the days of the Blue Riband. Up the Ambrose Channel and under the Narrows Bridge into New York Harbour. From the water we had an extremely close look at the Statue of Liberty and went a short way up the Hudson River admiring the Manhattan skyline from that side before returning to go up the East River and through to Long Island Sound. We carried on to Glen Cove, a town on Long Island, and stayed three nights. The crew commuted into New York on both days, the second of which was July 4, finishing with unbelievable fireworks that evening.

New York to Boston

This passage started again under power, but during the night a good breeze set in, actually necessitating several tacks, something the crew had not so far heard of. The next afternoon we arrived in Martha's Vineyard after a quiet sail up Vineyard Sound.

From Martha's Vineyard we made our way though the islands (in one narrow sound the tide ran at 5 knots against us) and via the Cape Cod canal to Boston. Boston harbour is more like an archipelago, which we explored for a couple of days before finally entering the port as part of the official parade of sail. The day before this we were beating up the harbour against a force four with all sail set, and the lee rail came close to going under once or twice. It is a measure of how little real sailing the previous weeks had involved that some of the crew were made a little nervous by this!

Boston, of course, is another big city. With free travel on the subway and ferries, the crew made the most of the time to visit and explore. Before finally, some of us left to catch the plane home to cold, grey England and jet lag.

America and the Americans were great. They stick to the rules but have a pleasant informal approach. For me it was the places and the people that were memorable, rather than the sailing.

Read the race log here.

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Thought for the quarter

By Tim, based on a story from Steve

Towards the end of the final race this summer, one form taken by the friendly rivalry between Morning Star and Jolie Brise was an email from Steve to Toby. "We are praying for force 6 for us and force 2 for you". As so often happens, when praying at sea about the wind at sea, they got exactly what they asked for! Of course, Morning Star gave thanks to God (at least I hope they did), but Toby did not quite see it the same way. On arrival in port (Morning Star having beaten Jolie Brise), Toby announced his intention to protest Morning Star on the grounds of "Outside Assistance". This more normally applies to such obvious things as accepting a tow, and it is certainly interesting to ponder whether help from God could be classed as "unfair" in the context of a yacht race. Steve pointed out that the same source of help is freely available to all, but this did not stop Toby raising it with the race committee, to whom it was announced in all seriousness by the chairman. There, however, it must have stopped. I gather that the chairman refused to give Toby the necessary protest form!

It all depends how you look at it. When God answers prayer, is that as Toby would see it, an interference in affairs that are purely human, an unfair assisting of favoured individuals at the expense of others? Or is it more that those who do not seek God are voluntarily denying themselves, not only a source of outside assistance in their lives, but a way of living life that was designed for them by their Creator. A way of life which has to be the best because it meets the design specification.

I wonder what would happen if all the boats in the race were led by praying Christians?

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