Morning Star Trust

For more general information on the Tall Ships Race, including final results, see the official website.

Read previous race logs.

Entries are in reverse date order. Click here for the first entry and then scroll upwards.

16/8/04 09:07

Arrived in Cuxhaven lunchtime Sunday. Moored in a fish dock next to Stina Marie, the winner of our class, so we will have to help them celebrate. Not as pretty as Stavanger dock, but showers are very close and that's important after week at sea! The crew plan to take part in the beach sports today as well as their duties such as washing tea towels, cleaning and restocking the boat. Once all that's done there's still the crew parade and crew party. Kind regards, Steve.

14/8/04 10:05

Morning Star was 4th in class yesterday but has slipped to 6th* this morning after a night becalmed. Race finish is 13.30 today (Saturday), hope to gain a place or two before then. After the race we will motor to Helgoland for the night, then carry on to Cuxhaven tomorrow. Enjoying great sunshine but the wind a bit light now. Regards, Steve

*Latest information: According to the official website at 09:00 Monday 16th, Morning Star's final race position was 4th in class and 22nd out of 49 boats that finished the race.

13/8/04 11:22

Morning Star has had lots of wind in night as well as this morning. Race position this morning has improved again to 4th in class and 12th out of 53 overall. [Come on Morning Star!!] Top speed this trip was recorded by Denver and Clair's watch of 8.01knots. Emily and Juan have been baking bread for everyone. Looking good, Steve.

12/8/04 10:22

The wind filled in at 22:00 last night and gave us some good sailing until 07:00 this morning. Now it's almost calm again and our speed is a mere 1.7 Knots. We are, however, still 5th in class and 15th out of 53 overall, an improvement from yesterday. Crew all well. Regards, Steve.

11/8/04 09:11

Morning Star, overtaking several of the big square-riggers, crossed the start line first in our class yesterday! Soon after this good start MS once again experienced very light to no wind overnight. This morning our race position is currently 5th in class and 25th overall. The class leaders Jens Krogh and Wyvern, however, are in sight; lets hope we can catch them. Crew spotted their first whale alongside early this morning. Regards, Steve.

10/8/04 15:58

There was a very busy parade of sail today with lots of small local boats joining in the spectacle. Weather is still very hot. The water bombs the crew prepared in port came in useful as we were in close proximity with the other vessels. Morning Star is currently motor-sailing towards the start line as there is not a lot of wind at the moment. Crew currently enjoying Emily's birthday cake.
We have one of three TV camera crews aboard today making film of race for the organisers Sail Training International; should be some good promotional footage for us when it's edited. Regards, Steve.

9/8/04 14:48

Greetings from a very sunny Stavanger (32°C). The crews' sporting activities yesterday consisted of canoeing, two-man go-karts and a rowing regatta in which we came 3rd. The crew then enjoyed some excellent sea-food at the party that followed. This afternoon everyone took part in the traditional 'crew parade' in which all the competing crews march through the town with banners displaying the name of their boats making lots of noise. Tonight the crew are looking forward to a rock concert, all laid on next to our mooring, followed by a fireworks display.
Morning Star will leave for the start of race 2 at 11:00 tomorrow. Official start 17:30 BST. Weather is forecast to be easterly force 3-4. Regards, Steve.

7/8/04 13:37

Morning Star is now safely alongside in Stavanger. They spent some time sailing down-wind on Friday and Saturday, which enabled them to practice using the Mizzen Staysail. Weather is currently very hot. Lots going on in port; there is a brass band playing on the quay side and crowds of people flocking to see the boats and their colourful displays of pennants and flags. Crew have gone off to the free swimming baths to cool off whilst I go into town for fresh supplies. Sunday will see lots of sporting events laid on where the various crews can enter into some friendly competition. The crew are generally well with a few having caught too much sun. Race 2 starts on Tuesday. Regards, Steve (skipper).

5/8/04 12:40

Morning Star has been experiencing favourable, but light, conditions allowing her to set full sail, maintaining around 5.5knots. The crew have been enjoying the sun, chilling out on deck, not what you would call hard sailing! The boat left the port of Mondal Thursday am to embark on a 24hour sail to Lysefjord, some 10miles beyond Stavanger. There they will remain for Friday night before heading for Stavanger and the start of race 2. Regards, Steve.

4/8/04 13:23

Morning Star enjoyed an excellent sail yesterday to get to Lillesand to join the rest of the fleet. Today they are sailing in a convoy of 12 other boats, via a rocky inshore passage, en-route to Mandal where activities are being laid on tonight. The crew have settled in well together, and there have been no volunteers for a crew swap with another boat as all are happy to be on MS. As extra gas bottles have been stored on the aft deck, the smokers have had to brave the spray on foredeck yesterday, a good discouragement we thought!

Jamie and Denver have proved useful members of watches and even volunteered to cook on the 1st night. The crew members that joined us from Spain and Germany are fitting in well with the added bonus of crew member Jody being a Spanish speaker. Jon Cramp celebrated his birthday today with cards and singing at 00:05. Emily Browse is leading a watch for the first time today. Regards, Steve (skipper).

3/8/04 07:53

Morning Star is currently en-route the port of Mandal on the southernmost tip of Norway (Eta: Wed pm). They plan to rendezvous with Concordia there and sail on together. All the crew are fairing well after their first night at sea with a constant force 4 - wind at last! Regards, Steve (skipper).

1/8/04 13:40

Morning Star's crew change went without a hitch and all the new crew members are safely aboard. On Sunday evening the crew have been invited aboard Ocean Scout for a Viking theme party. Monday afternoon will see them leave port in a magnificent parade of sail. Once at sea they will cruise in the company other vessels as they make their way from Alborg to Stavanger in Norway for the start of race 2. Regards, Steve (skipper).

30/7/04 16:45

All well. Morning Star arrived in the port of Alborg around 14:00 today. Now safely alongside. Crew have gone off for showers and some relaxation. Tomorrow they will clean and sort out the boat in readiness for the crew change. Mike and Steve will attend a special Tall Ships captains' dinner tonight.

28/7/04

Morning Star is finally sailing again after 17 hours of motoring due to a lack of wind. They expect to arrive at Thyboren on their new course early Thursday. All well on board. The crew are looking forward to reaching land again for hot showers and a rest. Steve (1st mate).

Mike Banner has kindly produced a map showing the positions of the Class B fleet at 07:00.

27/7/04 14:01

Morning Star has continued to be becalmed and so they have made the decision to start their engine and retire from the race. As they have to be in Alborg by the weekend it was important to get moving or risk being late for the crew change. Plan B is to head for Thyboron, Denmark, ETA Thursday am. From there they plan to sail an interesting alternative inland route to Alborg that will get them there in time. The crew are disappointed but philosophical. They also expect the race to be called off this afternoon.
All of the crew are interacting well with no outsiders. Shane is having the time of his life joining in the swim over the side last night. Steve's knee continues to improve. Regards, Mike.

26/7/04 17:05

All of the crew are well and in good shape. Steve's knee is much better. Currently have no wind so they are stationary and waiting for some weather. Crew are entertaining themselves and swimming off the boat. There is talk of pumping up dinghy in order to row to the finish line, they'll get there some how! Best wishes from all aboard, Mike (Skipper).

25/7/04 10:46

Morning Star crossed the start line for Race One this morning just 30 seconds after the gun. Having sailed for seven hours from port, beating all the way into a force 3, this was a tremendous effort!
Crew all well. Steve's knee is now improving after medical treatment in Antwerp. He wants to thank everyone for their prayers, particularly those who were ready to stand in for him if had needed to drop out.

22/7/04 09:23

Morning Star is now safely alongside in Antwerp. Crew and boat fine. The plan now is to engage in Tall Ships port activities for the next few days. MS will then leave on Saturday in time for Race One to Alborg, starting on Sunday 25th and finishing Friday 30th.

21/7/04 14:02

Currently en-route to Antwerp. ETA 15:00 BST Wednesday. The crew are all in good spirits despite the lack of wind and a day of motoring.

19/7/04

Morning Star spent Saturday night at anchor near the Isle of Sheppey. This was to give the crew a chance to settle in and receive further instruction before heading to sea first thing Sunday. Message was received from the boat 09:00 Sunday 18th to say that all was well and that they were now on their way to Middleburg, Holland, en-route to Antwerp. They expect to arrive in Middleburg by lunchtime on Monday 19th when they will call again.

17/7/04

All crew members arrived safely around 11:00 on Saturday morning. Their first task was to find a bunk and stow their gear below, then it was up on deck for a familiarisation walk around and safety briefing from the Skipper (Mike Maconochie). Weather was bright at first but thunder clouds quickly gathered and sent friends and family running to their cars for cover as the heavens opened. We were hoping for some press coverage of the departure, however, we were amazed when both BBC and ITV Meridian camera crews turned up. They were particularly interested to report on the young people who were joining from Kent. Dodging the showers they were able to interview the young people individually. All this media attention only added to the excitement they we already feeling and made the send off that much more special. At around 13:30 Morning Star left her mooring and slipped gracefully away with all aboard smiling and waving.