A unique opportunity has arisen for someone to buy a piece of living history.

West Country sailor and adventurer Pete Goss MBE is selling Spirit of Mystery, the little wooden boat that took him and three family members to Australia in a recreation of the voyage made by seven Cornishman in the smallest migrant vessel ever to make it ‘down under’ more than a century and a half ago.

The 37-foot long Mounts Bay lugger weighs 16 tonnes and has history literally built into her – Pete sourced a piece of oak from Nelson’s Victory to make up the chart table, teak from the Cutty Sark forms part of the saloon table and an original rivet from the SS Great Britain is a cupboard handle.  She featured in the BBC series ‘Coast’.

With four main berths, a pilot berth, toilet, gas cooker and wood-burning stove, Spirit of Mystery makes a supremely comfortable cruiser and yet one that can take very heavy weather – she has watertight bulkheads and survived a knock-down by a massive freak wave in the Southern Ocean that left one crew member with a broken leg. But Spirit of Mystery just rolled back up and carried on sailing, which is testament to the strong construction of Cornish oak and larch used by local boat-builder Chris Rees, who built her in 2008.

Pete will be sad to see her go, but feels the time is right: “I always thought that ‘Spirit’ would be the boat I grew old with when I gave up major adventures – one that Tracey and I would take cruising when we retire.  But with a new adventure in the pipeline and no time to use her, it is time for her to go to a new home. Hopefully it will be to an owner that loves and cherishes her as I have done and if it is also one that keeps the story alive then so much the better.”

You can find out more about Spirit of Mystery by visiting the website at: http://www.petegoss.com/mystery/

Spirit of Mystery is lying in Plymouth and is for sale for £80,000 (tax paid) – Pete will even throw in a sailing lesson.

If you are interested in buying her, please contact us through the website by using the contact form at: http://www.petegoss.com/contact.php.

If you know anyone else who may be interested, please feel free to forward this email to them.

Thanks for your interest and support; please keep visiting the website for news of a new adventure coming soon….

 

Share on Facebook

 

 

With the second stop for the America’s Cup World Series in Plymouth reaching a thrilling conclusion on Sunday, with ORACLE Racing Spithill’s Fleet Racing Championship win punctuated by capsizes and collisions, attention now shifts to the next event in San Diego, November 12-20.

© 2011 ACEA/Gilles Martin-Raget     © 2011 ACEA/Gilles Martin-Raget

Pack-up started in the Race Village on Sunday night and continues throughout the week, with the cargo ship HR Constitution being loaded with the lifeblood of the America’s Cup World Series, including the AC45 race boats, 102 shipping containers, 20 support boats, and one of the cranes used to hoist the AC45s into the water. The ship is scheduled to depart Plymouth Sound on Sunday and to arrive in San Diego by October 24, approximately three weeks ahead of the first race day.   “Each time we cycle through the pack-up and unloading, we’re able to find efficiencies and improvements,” said Peter Ansell, director of on-shore operations. “Logistically, it’s a complex exercise, especially with the tight deadlines between venues. We plan to be up and running in San Diego by the end of October, and ready for the teams to go sailing by November 8.”   As in Plymouth, where officials estimate over 115,000 took in the race action from up on the Hoe, racing in San Diego will be tucked in close to shore, allowing for a ‘stadium sailing’ experience for the race crews and spectators alike.   “San Diego is going to be a fantastic place, a harbor laid out perfectly like Plymouth,” said ORACLE Racing skipper Russell Coutts, who won the America’s Cup in the Californian city in 1995. “When San Diego hosted the America’s Cup (1988, 1992, 1995), the racing was a long way out to sea. That won’t be the case this time. This is going to be a great event.”   Official practice racing is scheduled to begin November 12-13, with the San Diego Match Racing Championship running from November 16-19 and the climax event, the Fleet Racing Championship on Sunday November 20. The always exciting Speed Trials will be held on the first day of the Match Racing Championship as well as the final Sunday. Live coverage of racing will start on Wednesday November 16.   Heading into the AC World Series – San Diego, Emirates Team New Zealand is the leader in the combined overall standings after two World Series events. The Kiwis hold a four point lead over ORACLE Racing Spithill, with ORACLE Racing Coutts and Artemis Racing on equal points in the battle for the third podium slot. Following a strong performance in Plymouth, Team Korea is just two points further back.   America’s Cup World Series Championship   OVERALL STANDINGS   Place Team Match Points Fleet Points TOTAL POINTS     1 Emirates Team New Zealand 19 19 38   2 ORACLE Racing Spithill 16 18 34   3T ORACLE Racing Coutts 13 15 28   3T Artemis Racing 16 12 28   5 Team Korea 16 10 26   6T Aleph 6 12 18   6T Energy Team 10 8 18   8 Green Comm Racing 8 9 17   9 China Team 6 7 13

 

A wrap up of Plymouth in photos of America’s Cup Championship Series action courtesy of  Photographer James Avery.

.

.

.

 

.

.

.

.

.
 

 

Share on Facebook

Lighter breezes brought more players to the front of the fleet on day one of the Plymouth Match Racing Championship, with Artemis Racing winning two of today’s three fleet races. With the sun beaming down on Plymouth Sound, the crowd on the Hoe was treated to a day of upsets, passing moves, and come-from-behind wins on the waters below.

The fast-learning challenger teams showed they can mix it with the best when the game moves away from the strong wind boathandling of last weekend to the more subtle, tactical game of today’s lighter and trickier breezes. And Terry Hutchinson’s team on Artemis Racing were the class act of the day, with individual displays of brilliance from a number of the newer teams.

“We’re getting more confident in our starting and putting our boat in some good spots,” said Hutchinson following racing. “All in all it was just a good day. Boat speed is a good thing and it looks like we’re going pretty fast.”

Energy Team led for a good portion of the first race before losing out to Artemis Racing just towards the finish. In the second race it was Team Korea’s time to shine, moving through the fleet and past Emirates Team New Zealand for a morale-boosting victory.

“We had a good sequence with the wind shifts,” Team Korea skipper Chris Draper said. “With the course boundary, if you get out of sequence it’s hard to get back into it.”

Emirates Team New Zealand blotted their copy book at the final start, crossing the line too early along with Aleph, with both the Kiwis and French forced to go back and play catch-up. Whereas Bertrand Pacé’s French team could make little impact, Dean Barker’s New Zealand crew found some great gusts and wind shifts to haul themselves right back up the fleet into second place at the finish behind Artemis Racing, in one of the more impressive performances of the day.

Surprisingly, both ORACLE Racing teams struggled on the day and sit in fifth and six place on the leaderboard. James Spithill and crew led for part of the first race but fell to finish third, in what would be their best result of the day.

The two teams who spent most of last night making various repairs to their boats ahead of today’s racing – China Team and Green Comm Racing – trail the leaderboard.

“We were happy to be back on the water after yesterday’s nasty capsize and we worked as hard as we could,” said China Team skipper Charlie Ogletree. “We were a little slow today. Condition today were much different (from the weekend) and the other teams figured out better tactics to handle it.”

Also taking in the racing today was HRH Prince Michael of Kent, who observed the action from on board the Race Committee boat for the afternoon.

The seeding races for the Plymouth Match Racing Championship continue on Thursday, with three fleet races scheduled. Racing begins at 14:10 local time (GMT+1).

All racing can be seen live on www.youtube.com/americascup.

Results – Wednesday seeding races in Plymouth Match Racing Championship

Place	Team	RACE #1		RACE #2		RACE #3		TOTAL POINTS
		Place	Points	Place	Points	Place	Points
1	Artemis Racing	1	10	4	7	1	10	27
2	Emirates Team New Zealand	4	7	2	9	2	9	25
3	Team Korea	6	5	1	10	3	8	23
4	Energy Team	2	9	7	4	4	7	20
5	ORACLE Racing Coutts	5	6	3	8	5	6	20
6	ORACLE Racing Spithill	3	8	5	6	6	5	19
7	Aleph	7	4	6	5	9	3	12
8	China Team	8	3	8	3	8	3	9
9	Green Comm Racing	DSQ	0	9	3	7	4	7

Share on Facebook

Pushing hard at the start (Photo by Colin Merry)

Three capsizes tell the story of an epic final race in the Plymouth AC Preliminaries with winds gusting close to 30 knots (35 mph; 55 kph) across Plymouth Sound. The race course was pushed up close to The Hoe, and once again, the crowds on the hill were rewarded with thrilling racing just meters from shore.

The blustery conditions pushed the crews and the boats to their limits, and in some cases beyond. \Three teams capsized; the French Aleph, Team Korea and just meters from the finish, Spain’sGreen Comm Racing. In each case, the crews escaped unscathed, the boats, with minor damage to their wings.During the race, the ORACLE Racing Spithill crew had many near misses and was lucky not to capsize as they passed the first mark with the lead. Other boats challenged them for their early advantage, with first Artemis Racing, then Emirates Team New Zealand taking their turn at the head of the fleet. But it was a game of least mistakes, a war of attrition that eventually went back in favor of James Spithill and his slick ORACLE team.France’s Energy Team sailed a strong race to finish fourth, after battling around the course with Russell Coutts for a podium spot. China Team too, sailed well in the conditions to finish in fifth place. Artemis Racing, meanwhile, was forced to retire, moments after relinquishing the lead on the second lap of the course, with equipment problems. Aleph was the first to capsize, nose-diving right in front of the crowds gathered along Plymouth seafront, early in the race. Team Korea (Photo by Colin Merry)   Nose Dive (Photo by Colin Merry) Team Korea digging in (Photo by Colin Merry)

 

 

nose-diving right in front of the crowds gathered along Plymouth seafront, early in the race. Then, at the top of
the course Team Korea speared their bows into the waves and flipped over.

And tantalizingly close to the finish, Green Comm Racing was toppled by a gust on
the final leg of the race. Luca Devoti, sports director from Green Comm
commented later: “Nobody has been hurt and the wing has been damaged; we’ll need
two days to fix it.”

All day, the sailors and the boats were racing at
their very limits, unless a nonchalant James Spithill was to be believed after
the race. “It was great racing for sure, not even at the limit of the boats; still a way to go.” Brave words after a race that had spectators gasping with disbelief.

 While Spithill won the race, his rival Dean Barker’s second place was sufficient to give victory to the Kiwis in the Plymouth AC  Preliminaries.

In Sunday’s AC500 Speed Trials, it looked like the Kiwis had it in the bag with two great runs while others were spinning off the race track. James Spithill’s words nearly came back to haunt him as the ORACLE AC45 flipped right on to its edge – there were a few moments of doubt as to whether it would capsize – before it slapped back down on its floats.

With Spithill out of contention in the speed trials, it was up to the
remaining teams – and ORACLE Racing Coutts in particular – to take the fight to
the Kiwis. Once again Russell Coutts had the bit between his teeth and turned in
a scorching final run to post a winning time of 37:48 seconds.

Monday and Tuesday are off days at the America’s Cup World Series – Plymouth allowing the teams a chance to rest and repair both man and machine. Racing resumes on Wednesday with qualifying races for the Plymouth AC Match Race Championship.

 Results – Plymouth AC Preliminaries

Place	Team	RACE #1		RACE #2		RACE #3		RACE #4		TOTAL POINTS
		Place	Points	Place	Points	Place	Points	Place	Points
1	Emirates Team New Zealand	1	10	3	8	1	10	2	9	37
2	ORACLE Racing Spithill	2	9	1	10	4	7	1	10	36
3	Artemis Racing	3	8	2	9	2	9	DNF	3	29
4	ORACLE Racing Coutts	OCS	3	4	7	3	8	3	8	26
5	China Team	6	5	5	6	6	5	5	6	22
6	Aleph	4	7	7	4	5	6	DNF	3	20
7	Energy Team	8	3	6	5	7	4	4	7	19
8	Team Korea	5	6	DNF	3	8	3	6	5	17
9	Green Comm Racing	7	4	8	3	9	3	DNF	3	13

 

Plymouth AC500 Speed
Trials – Sunday

Place	Team	Speed (km/h)
1	ORACLE Racing Coutts	48.00
2	Emirates Team New Zealand	47.36
3	China Team	44.12
4	Energy Team	34.34
	ORACLE Racing Spithill	DNF
	Artemis Racing	DNS
	Team Korea	DNS
	Green Comm Racing	DNS
	Aleph	DNS

Share on Facebook

 

Big crowds in excess of 10,000 turned out to watch the first day of racing at the AC World Series – Plymouth, and they were treated to a display of excellent racing in challenging conditions.

Emirates Team New Zealand won two of three fleet races to open the event. Not to be outdone, Russell Coutts and his ORACLE Racing crew set the pace in the AC500 Speed Trials, posting the fastest time over the 500 meter runway.

The race course was set up in the Sound, just meters offshore from the Plymouth Hoe, making day one of the event pure ‘stadium sailing’.

“It was pretty awesome to see a crowd like that supporting the sport,” said Artemis Racing skipper Terry Hutchinson. “There were a lot of public on the Plymouth Hoe and around the course. I don’t think anyone expected something like that. Imagine what could happen with a sunny day.”

With the wind blowing in excess of 20 knots at times, boat handling was the key skill today, combined with brave starting. Dean Barker and the Kiwis took the first race with their big rivals from Cascais, Portugal. ORACLE Racing Spithill, in hot pursuit. James Spithill’s colleagues on ORACLE Racing Coutts were disqualified for being over too early on the start line.

Even in these big breezes, getting a great start was proving critical, and this time Spithill managed to control the Kiwis, keeping his rivals slow while he shot away to an early lead that grew as the race continued. In a big pile-up at the downwind gate, just meters away from the spectators on the sea wall, French team Aleph was forced to bail out to avoid a collision. With the breeze at its highest, some teams were really struggling with controlling the high-speed cats, and Artemis Racing narrowly avoided a capsize at one mark rounding. Team Korea meanwhile was forced to retire from this race with equipment problems.

Dean Barker learned his lesson from the previous start and this time had a great launch from the downwind end of the line to lead around the first mark, narrowly in front of Artemis Racing and Spithill. The American defender kept up the pressure until he got caught up in an altercation with a local sailor watching the proceedings from his small cruising yacht. Spithill was forced to bring his catamaran to a grinding halt while he waited for the yacht to motor clear of the course.

By the time ORACLE Racing Spithill was up and running again, the Kiwis were long gone. Now the race was with the other ORACLE boat, and they were shown no mercy by Russell Coutts who closed them out and sailed in front. Meanwhile Artemis had pounced on the ORACLE mishap to move into second place.

Emirates Team New Zealand’s two race wins on the day gave them the lead in the fleet racing, and Dean Barker did a fly-by for the crowds as he waved his appreciation to the people of Plymouth who had come to watch. Artemis finished the day on equal points with Spithill.

Immediately afterwards the nine teams lined up for the AC500 Speed Trial, and Russell Coutts and his experienced crew showed the younger teams how to get maximum speed out of an AC45 in a straight line. Coutts scored a time of 39.69 seconds, with a top speed of 28.18 mph, 1.48 seconds faster than second-placed Emirates Team New Zealand.

 

All Images Copyright Colin Merry

 (Click on image to enlarge)

Share on Facebook

 

Once again a multitude of of yachts are gathering in Plymouth prior to the start of the ”Round Britain and Ireland ”race. Taking place every four years this race has always attracted a large following, and this year is no exception. With over sixty entrants this is a new record. The race starts and finishes at Plymouth, and stops at Kinsale (Ireland), Barra,(Scotland), Lerwick(Shetland isles) Lowestoft,(England) are compulsory.
 
It’s a very tough race and the weather can and often does throw everything at the participants. The stops are a welcome break where boats and bodies can be repaired!

 Chris Tibbs on his newly acquired J105 ‘Taika’ should have an advantage as he is a meteorologist and author of the RYAWeather handbook. In between tackling the many last minute jobs he said that he and co-skipper Kim Vasey do not have a game plan that is solid but will get out there and see what the weather throws up! I would think that they weren’t telling me everything with the weather knowledge they have on board!

 

Looking around at the gathered yachts it was a scene of quiet but fairly intense activity as last minute jobs both small and large were being undertaken. It was a contrast to see the two guys on ‘Kindness’ an Oyster 47′ seemingly with everything under control chilling out.  Nick  Booth and Johnathon Shingleton are doing the race in order to raise funds for Prostate cancer UK. An interesting story on why the boat is named ‘Kindness’. In 2002 John was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He was diagnosed and treated by a doctor called Dr Hugh Kindness! Hence the name of the boat. John and Nick did the ARC in 2005 and have been sailing together since. They are taking donations for this very worth while cause through justgiving.com/kindnessroundbritain

 

Starting this Sunday 6th June the race can be followed as it unfolds as every boat is now required to have a tracker. The start line is within Plymouth sound and the midday starting gun will be fired from HMS Iron Duke.

 

You Can Track The Fleet’s Progress HERE

Share on Facebook

 

The Jester Challenge is a single-handed trans-atlantic event for boats 20-30 ft from Plymouth to Newport, Rhode Island. One of the aims of The Jester Challenge is to conduct a modern experiment in old-fashioned self-reliance, self-sufficiency and personal responsibility and, in doing so, The Jester Challenge has attracted a quorum of, in the main, hugely experienced, small-yacht, ocean voyagers. In practice, another aim is to replace the Jester Class that once formed the smallest class in the OSTAR (to give that race the most recognisable of its many titles) but which has now been removed from the entry list. This year’s Jester Challenge is a celebrates the 50th anniversary of Blondie Hasler’s original Observer Single-handed Trans-Atlantic Race. There are over 20 entries from as far afield as Russia, Australia, Switzerland and Kenya. Currently this is the only single-handed trans-Atlantic event programmed to commemorate the beginning of modern single and short-handed ocean voyaging.

The Jester Challenge fills a gap – satisfies a desire – and exists on the understanding that everyone has the right to sail across an ocean single-handed and ‘in company’ without submitting themselves to rules – other than those governing common sense and good seamanship – and extortionate entrance fees that, to a Corinthian, is money better spent on the vessel. The Jester Challenge has no organising committee while no one has a duty of care to the competitors other than the skippers to themselves, their dependants and other seafarers.

No skipper is likely to enlist on-shore navigational and meteorological help and there is no time limit. Without inspections the Jester Challengers will sail against each other on an individual basis and – in a parody of Blondie’s views – are not expected to give a fig about level playing fields but are expected to ‘behave like gentlemen’ over numbers on board and the use of an engine. The skippers will be happy once again, I trust, simply to reach their destination side safely, take their own finishing times and then compare rigs, routes, equipment, clothing and diets.

In the early days some suggested we insisted on oil lamps, towed logs and sextants but while the Jester Challenge is for small vessels, some of whom may well have been built in pre-GPS days, there is nothing Luddite about it. Satellite navigation will continue to predominate as will, un-surprisingly, wind-vanes. With no regulations, Jester Challengers can carry – or not carry – what safety equipment they like, based on personal experience: we rely on the maturity of the skippers.

The Jester Challenge - a continuing experiment in old-fashioned self-reliance, self-sufficiency and personal responsibility – encourages oceanic passages in small boats sailed by independent yachtsmen, exercising their individual freedoms at sea. It replaces no existing race, remains complementary to the OSTAR and is increasing in popularity so fast that even those remaining, sceptical, yachting journalists have had to take note – probably much against their wishes – that the Jester Challenge in its two guises ( Newport and the Azores ) is here to stay.

The begrudgers might note, too, that the Jester Challenge continues to fill a gap demanded by traditional and proper seamen who would otherwise be denied the opportunity to pit their wits against both the oceans and other like-minded seafarers.

Entries

Altamira
Amadeus
Argus
Astro
Belgean
China Blue
Ella Trout III
Fason
Fluffy
Gerda
Glayva
Grettal
Jasabe
Jester
Just Right
Lizzie-G
Marta
Mingming
Red Admiral
Sixpence
The Grand
Triple Venture
Vaquero

Share on Facebook

 

This year’s Shetland Round Britain and Ireland Race is going to be a real family affair as four father and son teams  have signed up to take part in the epic adventure which happens every 4 years.

The number of entrants for this year’s race is the biggest for over twenty years with a line-up of 57 boats including six multihulls. The entry list will be closed at 60 or the boats will not fit into some of the harbours which are a feature of this classic event. The race starts in just over three months on June 6th from Plymouth Sound

There are prizes for all classes as well as a special one, the Hasler Trophy, for the first family crew to reach Plymouth on corrected time. The father and son teams are:

William and Ned Mumford who will be sailing Flair 11, an MG 335. William is a regular contender in the Shetland Round Britain and Ireland, having taken part three times. He is the MD of Plymouth motor dealership Mumfords. Ned is a student who has been watching his father sail away since he was very small. 

Civil airline pilots, mountaineers and sport sailors, Tony and Sam White will be sailing Comedy of Errors, a HOD 35.

Summerbird, a Warrior 40, will be sailed by David and Sebastian Southwood. David is a retired City Chairman and Race Director of OSTAR 2009 and his son Sebastian a deep sea diver turned  construction manager.

Suroma, a Starlight 35, will be sailed by Bill and Robin Graham. Bill is a retired jumbo jet captain, and Robin a man of many talents:  pharmacologist, lawyer, and now a civil airline pilot.

“The Hasler Trophy will provide an interesting race within a race,” said Peter Taylor, race director of Shetland Round Britain and Ireland 2010. “It will see these four father and son teams racing against each other and of course only one boat can win. Already, excitement is mounting in many boatyards all over the UK as keen two-handers prepare their boats.  A few have already launched and two have completed their qualifying cruises since Christmas.”

Douglas Irvine, business development manager for Shetland Islands Council, commented: “We are thrilled that there are four father and son teams taking part in this year’s race. With their own trophy to race for we should be guaranteed an exhilarating event all round. “

“Lerwick is our largest and most popular yachting port, surrounded by shops and restaurants. We will ensure every sailor receives a warm welcome as they berth. It is a tough race and I am sure they will welcome the break as they reach the half way point.”

Share on Facebook