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Crew arrival day, Skipper Alex, First mate Lionel, Crew Susi, Rod, Rob, Sarah and Ken. Slight luggage panic with Robs bag, KLM forgot to put on plane but it arrived the following morning ok. We sorted out berths and unpacked then chilled for a couple of hours. The Crew then went shopping bringing two shopping trolleys loads back to Oriole to be excellently stowed below by Alex and Lionel. We then had a below decks safety brief followed by an excellent roast chicken dinner, we ended the evening with a beer at a local bar.

Day 2 Sunday 1st Sept

Strong overnight winds up to 50 knots made the boat a bit rocky down below, Alex was on deck about 2.50 am checking mooring lines and fenders, while Lionel took the chance to do some laundry, rumours are he got excited after seeing the skipper in his underwear while securing the boat . After a rocky night, a lack of sleep crew were up about 7.30 am (ish) and after showers, we had cereals and bacon sandwiches for breakfast. The days weather was checked with winds forecast gusting up to 45 knots, so the decision was made to stay at the Berth today and take the opportunity to get to know the boat. Once breakfast was cleared away, a very detailed man over board recovery excercisie was conducted by Alex and Lionel with Susi volunteering to dress up in the immersion suit, photos to follow. We then had ham and cheese Quesadillas for lunch. After lunch we had a training excercise from Lionel on chartwork and passage planning . Tea break to rest the brains, then the crew did a passage plan for Monday . Dinner tonight is cod and chorizo stew. Ken

#oriole #rubicon3 #adventuresailing #sailtrainexplore #adventureholidays #sailing holidays

Game of Skills

#Starling #Sailingholidays #Sailingholidaysforsingles #learntosailhidays #adventuresailing

A few challenges and skilful accomplishments were the order of the day.

A few of us enjoyed a glorious early morning perched on some sunny rocks sipping coffee in this fantastic little spot. We met some delightful people and were encouraged to head to Jussaro by a gentleman with an amazing home built wooden trimaran.

After yet another culinary delight produced from the galley we prepared the boat for sea.

Nikki and Tracey prepared a masterpiece of a navigation route through hundreds of islands and some very narrow passes. The outside route was cast aside as there was little wind for sailing and the challenge of the narrow, islands route was also more scenic.

We did manage to accomplish some fun sailing in these confined waters with light winds gusting to at least 6knots and Erica helming the 60ft Starling along with great skill.

On arrival at Jussaro and a scrutiny of the dock with several boats already snugly moored Darren brought Starling forward with great skill and accuracy. With fenders set and crew at the ready with mooring lines and under Mike’s calm instruction we managed to bring her in bow to at the very end of the pontoon and also pick a stern mooring buoy without incident.

I’m not sure if it was with shock, horror or absolute delight that the already moored sailors watched a 60ft pink boat bearing down on them.

Jussaro is an interesting spot with

Remnants of a mining era, several nature trails, a cafe/bar and of course a sauna. The evening finished off with some refreshments and an exciting game of quoits and a mini Wimbledon.

Sue

Scrabble navigation

#Starling #Sailingholidays #Sailingholidaysforsingles #learntosailhidays #adventuresailing

After staying and exploring a beautiful anchorage, we followed the passage plan created by Steve, Karen, Marianne, Nikki and Sue. The intricacies of passage was carefully guided by our navigators in turn, as we made our way around amazing islands and narrow routes. Often guided by letters standing out on islands, to confirm the accuracy with the right island matching the chart. Letters identified were S.O.N.Z.C.E. Well we are truly stuck in the scrabble world what that creates, but our journey was fascinating whilst managing a bit of sailing along with remote property envy.

Arrival was at a quaint remote pontoon in Jakob Ramsjo. A bay that has a few wooden cabins along its edge, and offered shoreside facilities and a fascinating Gin bar. Undoubtedly these had to be tested in such a beautiful location. Absolute heaven!

Scooters, Culture, Shopping, Bar B Ques and Bored Games

#Starling #Sailingholidays #Sailingholidaysforsingles #learntosailhidays #adventuresailing

As soon as the lines were across in Helsinki, the last of the crew began arriving at the dock - it’s clearly difficult to sneak into a city in a 60ft pink sailing yacht.

Within 12 hours we were at full complement - welcome Tracey, Sue, Karen and Steve.

A well earned break following our 36 hour dash left us with the delightful quandary - What to do in Helsinki in the middle of Summer... well culture and walking come high on the list, so a few of us followed Karens example and joined a ‘Red Umbrella’ walking tour around the city. Run by students, this picks up the key cultural highlights accompanied by witty and we hope reasonable accurate commentary. The advantage of a local guide is of course local knowledge, particularly the best and cheapest restaurants. In a city which has a reputation for being one of the most expensive in the world some of us were delighted to dine on the finest salmon bisque for literally only a few euros - bargains can be found everywhere - just ask a student.

The less culturally inclined decided that electric scooters, which can be hired using a natty smart phone app, were order of the day. Helsinki is a walking and cycling city so the mode of transport is ideal and crew were soon zipping between monuments at 20 km/hr. We even used the souped up toys to go and get the yachts victuals .... perhaps we should get some for all the boats (What d’ya think Bruce?)

Tempted by the fresh meats and wurst available in the supermarket, Bar B Que was the decision for our first full complement crew meal. Firing up the flames in the centre of a European Capital is a surreal experience, but as always dining alfresco was a delight and Steve proved to be a skilled chef on the coals!

Saturday brought an early start, breakfast followed by the obligatry Man Overboard Drill. We fuelled and watered before departing Finland’s Capital and heading West again. Our destination was an Island renamed Derick - for ease of pronunciation.

Light head winds frustrated us , but a few hours motor sailing enabled the crew to brush up on pilotage skills and immerse themselves in the challenging navigational environment that the inland routes around the Finnish coast provide.

The boat is settled at anchor for the night, we have had the dinghy ashore for afternoon perambulation and are relaxing with an apparently ‘enjoyable’ board game (again thank you Steve....... I think)

After a lovely 3 days taking in the breathtaking sights of St Petersburg, I joined Starling just in time to assist in the challenging task of victualling at a Russian supermarket - largely guesswork as to the contents described in Cyrillic alphabet!

The rest of the crew joined and we set about making plans for a prompt departure in the morning, to compensate for the stop at the fortified border control island - Russian customs’ officers won’t be rushed, but as it turned out they were efficiently swift and we were entertained by a group of officials engaging in their morning musical aerobics session while we waited.

Motor sailing at a brisk 8.5 knots, we set off, bound for the Finnish capital of Helsinki, some 185nm to the north west. The time passed quickly through our 3 watch system, punctuated by a ingenious twist on spaghetti bolognese curtesy of Nicky. A Russian submarine was sighted, but appeared to be friendly as it glided past. Even the usual ‘short straw’ dog watch in the wee hours was a pleasure under a perpetual twilight as the sun slipped below the horizon for a few short hours before making an early appearance at 3am.

The Finnish passport control were ready and waiting at our berth when we arrived and were delighted to welcome us to their beautiful city.

We’re looking forward to a day ashore tomorrow to explore the historic sights and varied elaborate architecture of this previously much contested Baltic land...

Erika

#Starling #Sailingholidays #Sailingholidaysforsingles #learntosailhidays #adventuresailing

#Starling

Gimbled emotions

The journey has ended. The journey is likely to continue for many of us. We bonded. There was not a single argument during our trip. It was a 24hr / day of the sailing tutoring at a highest level supplemented by tea and cookies during our watch hours. In spite of persistent heeling, our spirits stayed “gimbled”. Our skippers found ways to the most amazing locations, we docked in front of one of the biggest glaciers in Europe, had a barbeque on a remote island and watched the rainbow burning through the blue haze of the fjord. The end of vacation. Yes. The end of adventure. Most likely not, thanks to Mike and Alex.

#oriole

Starling arrives in Germany for her Baltic debut

If you’re happy, time passes fast. We can tell you that the previous ten days have gone without noticing. The Kiel Canal: it’s just a perfect way to chill out and reflect. We had an early start with the sunrise and a lovely English Breakfast with some tunes rapidly brought us to the Baltic Sea where our final destination was waiting for us in Düstenbrook Marina! Everything has to end sometime, but here are some stats about our journey: 11 brave people, 10 days, 5 countries, 2 seas, 1 channel and 1 canal, 7 marinas, 550 nautical miles, 2 days of 24h nonstop sailing, over 1000 knots knotted, 3 mine sweepers, 500 cups of tea and coffee, almost 100 log entries, 10kg of freshly baked bread and pastry, 300 gigabyte of pictures and videos created, and the one and only 60ft long Starling! Our motto was to sail, sleep, eat, repeat. To sign up a holiday like this, you need to be able to go out from your comfort zone, but this is where the flow begins. Long live the silent fox. Thank you Darren. Thank you Neal. Thank you Rubicon 3!

#starling

Tuesday 28th: What a difference a day makes!

After battling the sleet squalls of the last few days we?ve finally had a break in the weather and are ghosting along in beautiful evening light and a gentle breeze. Everyone has become proficient at down wind helming with several people surfing at 11 knots under a poled out Yankee and triple reefed mainsail. How Sara and John rustled up a delicious risotto last night whilst we were regularly being thrown around on four metre waves I dont know! Ciara then followed up with pear and summer fruits stewed with an oat crumb (not quite enough topping to be a fully fledged crumble) so there has been no shortage of good eating on board. They say that you judge a crew by how they pull together in a crisis, but I would say that the mark of a truly happy crew is how they cope with a toilet blockage. I am glad to say that our very own flush gate scandal was quickly resolved and with much hilarity all round. With any luck we will be firmly in sight of Norway by the morning, and making a detour to the Svartisen glacier. Rachael

#bluejay

We've been making great progress towards Norway in the last 24 hours. The wind has started to back to the NW and we're now zooming along on a good course, dodging squalls and the occasional hail shower! Mette has clearly annoyed the weather gods because it seems that every time she takes the wheel the heavens open. I'm sure there's a spa somewhere which charges good money for having your face exfoliated with ice pellets but I definitely won't be signing up! The weather this year is unusually cold, but everyone is in great spirits as we inch closer and closer to the Arctic Circle. Sara is looking very smug with her recently purchased hot water bottle and all but two of the crew (Mark and Alan) have now succumbed to the lure of the toasty Fladen suits. We haven't seen Oriole since yesterday morning but no doubt the orange peril is out there close by. We're navigating without GPS so relying on Dead Reckoning and Bennys stonking merpass from yesterday which was wishing 4nm! Rachael

#bluejay

Starling responds to a Mayday call - and meets a minesweeper!

The Mayday call in the early hours of the morning shocked us into high alert. The call was from a vessel in distress just four miles away - and the coastguard asked Starling to stand by to assist if needed. We started the engine, mate Neal (off watch) was woken and joined skipper Darren on deck. We didn't have a clear message - either the vessel was taking on water or there was someone in the water - but with shallows off the Frisian islands, this is always a dangerous spot. The sails were quickly brought down, Starling altered course and began heading towards the vessel's position. At this point we were told to stand down, and the coastguard thanked us for our help. We hope this story had a good ending; skipper Darren will try to find out more later. But this was an eventful night all round. There was already a NATO warship patrolling the area (or us?) and then we identified some unusual lights: three greens in a triangle. A minesweeper! This was mate Neal's first ever encounter with a minesweeper, and he courageously negotiated with the captain by radio to ensure us a safe passage. In fact, the message was that there would soon by a controlled explosion and we should be out of the area within 20 minutes. The announcement later came over the radio that the explosion was imminent. We waited with bated breath. Would there be a blast out of the water? A huge surge? We felt nothing (anticlimax), but maybe that's for the best. But even without Maydays and minesweepers, an overnight sea passage on Starling is so much more than watch, eat, sleep, repeat. From freshly baked bread on board (thanks, Johannes!) to nighttime cups of tea, or passage planning on-the-fly, then scanning the horizon for the next marker (is that the light we're aiming for?), time passes quickly, enjoyably and - as we've seen - there's excitement too. Because we made such good time sailing overnight, despite the Mayday, we are bypassing Cuxhaven and heading straight for Brunsbüttel at the start of the Kiel canal. Then there's time for a well-earned deutsches Bier and dinner before Starling takes a trip inland tomorrow through the Kiel Canal. Hannah

#starling

Starling arrives in the Dutch Frisan Islands

Tuesday on the good ship Starling and it's off to an early start! Slipping from our berth at Ljmuiden for a twelve-hour stretch heading north to the Fresian Islands and, specifically, the island of Vlieland - reputed to be the jewel of the Frisians! We settled into the watch system and Johannes, our Star Baker and Master Chef Wizard, made a bonanza of cappuccinos, fresh bread, homemade pizza and banana splits to stop any burly sailor from missing land! We made landfall in time to have a beverage ashore and watch the sun fall across the beautiful marina of Vlieland. Ben

#starling

Oriole close to (Norwegian) home!

With 60 NM to run until the skerries of the Norwegian coast, the good ship Oriole ploughs onwards through blistering sunshine. The skipper and mate have even taken off their thermals.... for now. Bluejay hove in sight this morning and disappeared on the port tack whilst we took a slower but potentially more direct starboard tack. As the wind continued to back and the direct course to destination became achievable, will the gamble pay off? We?ll find out when we get to the destination. We cant beat the clipper 60 on pace, but can we do it with an early tactical decision? Who knows? Its not a race anyway. Its about the beautiful sailing, the crew bonding, the camaraderie of standing a watch helming whilst the Arctic snow piles up against your windward side, the miles of serene open ocean, the solitude, the friendships formed whilst trying to cook in a tiny galley at 30 degrees of heel and watching all of the chopped onions fly to starboard as the yacht drops of a wave and other perceived hardships laughed off because the experience is a once in a lifetime journey, or is it? Would we all do it again? In a heartbeat!

#oriole

Oriole close to Norway

#oriole

Bluejay nears the coast of Norway

What a difference a day makes! After battling the sleet squalls of the last few days we?ve finally had a break in the weather and are ghosting along in beautiful evening light and a gentle breeze. Everyone has become proficient at down wind helming with several people surfing at 11 knots under a poled out Yankee and triple reefed mainsail. How Sara and John rustled up a delicious risotto last night whilst we were regularly being thrown around on four metre waves I dont know! Ciara then followed up with pear and summer fruits stewed with an oat crumb (not quite enough topping to be a fully fledged crumble) so there has been no shortage of good eating on board. They say that you judge a crew by how they pull together in a crisis, but I would say that the mark of a truly happy crew is how they cope with a toilet blockage. I am glad to say that our very own flush gate scandal was quickly resolved and with much hilarity all round

#bluejay

Starling in Amsterdam

Well then! Five days in and we have reached Ijmuiden, the gateway to Amsterdam. Our day started at Den Haag with our Bristol-born skipper Darren teaching us MOB drills with all sorts of curious gear to winch and hoist an unfortunate Matlow from the briney ogin. With this new found knowledge it was time to let go the lines and head north for some good sailing to Ijmuiden. With the boat ship-shape and Bristol fashion an evening in Amsterdam lay ahead for those hearty sailors wanting to experience this fine city and all it’s wonders! Oh, for a life on the rolling sea! Ben

#starling

Starling sails into The Hague

We set off from Eastbourne at 10 am with the aim of sailing overnight to Ostend in Belgium. My team was not on first watch so in spite of the fact we were only awake a few hours, we went to our bunks to get as much sleep in advance of the long sail ahead. By the time we were up again, the white cliffs of Dover were in sight looking very impressive running along the coast. Before long, we took the plunge and turned into the English Channel to head to mainland Europe. The shipping lanes were busy so every one was on high alert for other vessels. The winds and tides were in our favour so we made excellent time. At the start of the day we were planning to reach Ostend, but given our speed we were going to reach there by 1 am. Keen to do an overnight sail, we decided to keep going and changed course to The Hague in the Netherlands. At the start of the overnight trip the sky was clear and the stars were beautiful. The passage was eventful, passing a huge windfarm, other sailing yachts and boats laying cables on the seabed. In spite of the long hours, the time flew by and before we knew it we were arriving in The Hague, tired but happy. It was a long day, but it was incredibly satisfying; 26 hours of sailing and over 100 miles covered! After a quick shower, we were by the marina having beers and coffees. The evening was spent exploring The Hague and having dinner together onshore.l

#starling

Oriole surged north to the Arctic!

It is now over 24 hours since the good ship Oriole waved goodbye to the Faroes and started pointing her bow towards the Norwegian coast.

Having previously looked at the weather forecast we knew the first day or two would be on a close reach, so meals were prepped before-hand so life would be easier once at sea.

Life onboard has seen all of the crew settling into a 3 watch system, which gives everyone plenty of rest.

The sun has finally decided to settle in with us too, giving everybody a boost to try and get a sun tan before getting to Norway, though light flurries of snow and sleet hit us occasionally.

Our first Orcas have just made an appearance and we press on NE, waiting for the wind to back so we can ease the sails, have a following swell and let Oriole fly towards her destination.

#oriole

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