Introduction
This is the account of a single objective, to sail to the Azores.
In 2017 I took part in the Jester Challenge to Baltimore in Ireland. Apart from the satisfaction and fun of completing the challenge there were three outcomes from this adventure:
1. I wanted to do more offshore sailing
2. The Jester Challenge was an ideal basis for this
3. Use a faster boat that could make progress against the wind and tide
With this in mind I decided to obtain and prepare a boat to be able to take part in the Azores challenge scheduled for 2020. I wouldn't be ready to take part in the North Atlantic event and the fact that 2018 was a Newport year for the challenge gave me a year away from the Jester. As a stepping stone my initial target is to take part in JBC 2019.
A chance conversation with a friend of mine at Lorna's cafe adjacent to Hoo Ness Yacht Club and Hoo Marina resulted in the marina security guard, Roger who is Lorna's other half, showing me a boat that was possibly for sale. An Achilles 24. I had previously rejected this type of boat due to its restricted headroom and lack of an engine. I was already aware of Mingming 2 and Roger Taylor's exploits in an Achilles 24. After some research I found out about Chris Butler's success in an Achilles 24 in the OSTAR and read some accounts of the boats' capabilities. My interest was definitely piqued. My budget is tight and I reckoned on spending less than £3,000 to the get on the water and ready for Ireland in 2019 including a liferaft and EIRPB. Luckily I have a 1999 Evinrude 5Hp 4 stroke outboard at home which hadn't seen action for almost 10 years so I set about getting it working. It was clogged up with salt and while it started, the cooling wasn't working. I stripped the engine down and cleaned it out with brick cleaner. After fitting a new impeller and thermostat then reassembling it it ran cool. So I had a working engine, albeit not ideal as it is too heavy. I made contact with the current owner and agreed to meet up with him and have a look round. I hadn't looked at any other boats except the usual internet google searches.
I didn't hold out much hope as she was clearly very neglected and hadn't been sailed for a considerable time. When I met the owner he showed me down below and it was like a different world. The cabin was as small as I had expected but nicely finished and, apart from some minor finishing touches, ready to use.
The boat had a reasonable main and strong furling genoa but the running rigging looked like it would need to be replaced along with much of the deck hardware. We agreed on his asking price which was fair and within my budget. Asking for a discount would have been rude and at £1,500 it was below market. So I had a boat that should go faster than Chantilly.
I considered the options for two boat ownership and using Chantilly as a donor for parts or selling Chantilly outright. After discussions at home it was agreed to keep Chantilly and sail her while I refitted the Achilles. I had toyed with the idea of changing her name from Mischief, which I felt was a bit naff. I like the idea of a greek god linked to Achilles but I am also a bit superstitious about changing a boat's name. My mind was made up by two factors. I met a couple of boat club members who both remembered Mischief from when she was owned by a club member and raced by him very successfully. Secondly, when I cleaned her the lettering survived so was going to be difficult to remove.
She came up very shiny and was like a different boat on the outside. The next major step was to see what she sailed like. I had a temporary mooring on the river and took her out for a few hours. I made good progress against wind and tide and control of sails and steering were more akin to a dinghy than a yacht. I was now quite concerned about her suitability for any serious offshore sailing. Could a boat this delicate really handle the North Atlantic? I read more and talked to people who know about these things. Reef early and she will be fine was the common message.
So I had a working boat that seemed to fit the bill and an engine. Let the work start.
By the way, the destination is Terciera, Azores and this 1,250 nautical miles of open ocean as the crow flies from Plymouth.
In 2017 I took part in the Jester Challenge to Baltimore in Ireland. Apart from the satisfaction and fun of completing the challenge there were three outcomes from this adventure:
1. I wanted to do more offshore sailing
2. The Jester Challenge was an ideal basis for this
3. Use a faster boat that could make progress against the wind and tide
With this in mind I decided to obtain and prepare a boat to be able to take part in the Azores challenge scheduled for 2020. I wouldn't be ready to take part in the North Atlantic event and the fact that 2018 was a Newport year for the challenge gave me a year away from the Jester. As a stepping stone my initial target is to take part in JBC 2019.
A chance conversation with a friend of mine at Lorna's cafe adjacent to Hoo Ness Yacht Club and Hoo Marina resulted in the marina security guard, Roger who is Lorna's other half, showing me a boat that was possibly for sale. An Achilles 24. I had previously rejected this type of boat due to its restricted headroom and lack of an engine. I was already aware of Mingming 2 and Roger Taylor's exploits in an Achilles 24. After some research I found out about Chris Butler's success in an Achilles 24 in the OSTAR and read some accounts of the boats' capabilities. My interest was definitely piqued. My budget is tight and I reckoned on spending less than £3,000 to the get on the water and ready for Ireland in 2019 including a liferaft and EIRPB. Luckily I have a 1999 Evinrude 5Hp 4 stroke outboard at home which hadn't seen action for almost 10 years so I set about getting it working. It was clogged up with salt and while it started, the cooling wasn't working. I stripped the engine down and cleaned it out with brick cleaner. After fitting a new impeller and thermostat then reassembling it it ran cool. So I had a working engine, albeit not ideal as it is too heavy. I made contact with the current owner and agreed to meet up with him and have a look round. I hadn't looked at any other boats except the usual internet google searches.
I didn't hold out much hope as she was clearly very neglected and hadn't been sailed for a considerable time. When I met the owner he showed me down below and it was like a different world. The cabin was as small as I had expected but nicely finished and, apart from some minor finishing touches, ready to use.
The boat had a reasonable main and strong furling genoa but the running rigging looked like it would need to be replaced along with much of the deck hardware. We agreed on his asking price which was fair and within my budget. Asking for a discount would have been rude and at £1,500 it was below market. So I had a boat that should go faster than Chantilly.
I considered the options for two boat ownership and using Chantilly as a donor for parts or selling Chantilly outright. After discussions at home it was agreed to keep Chantilly and sail her while I refitted the Achilles. I had toyed with the idea of changing her name from Mischief, which I felt was a bit naff. I like the idea of a greek god linked to Achilles but I am also a bit superstitious about changing a boat's name. My mind was made up by two factors. I met a couple of boat club members who both remembered Mischief from when she was owned by a club member and raced by him very successfully. Secondly, when I cleaned her the lettering survived so was going to be difficult to remove.
She came up very shiny and was like a different boat on the outside. The next major step was to see what she sailed like. I had a temporary mooring on the river and took her out for a few hours. I made good progress against wind and tide and control of sails and steering were more akin to a dinghy than a yacht. I was now quite concerned about her suitability for any serious offshore sailing. Could a boat this delicate really handle the North Atlantic? I read more and talked to people who know about these things. Reef early and she will be fine was the common message.
So I had a working boat that seemed to fit the bill and an engine. Let the work start.
By the way, the destination is Terciera, Azores and this 1,250 nautical miles of open ocean as the crow flies from Plymouth.
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