Sandra Clayton - A Thousand Miles from Anywhere: The Claytons Cross the Atlantic and Sail the Caribbean on the Third Leg of Their Voyage

Published by Adlard Coles Nautical
an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
50 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3DP
www.adlardcoles.com

This electronic edition published in 2013 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Copyright Sandra Clayton 2013

First edition published 2013

ePub ISBN 978-1-4081-9447-8

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Note: while all reasonable care has been taken in the publication of this book, the publisher takes no responsibility for the use of the methods or products described in the book.

In Britain, and much of Europe, wind and vessel speeds are described in knots. One knot equals a nautical mile covered in one hour and is roughly equivalent to 1.15mph.

Also used is the Beaufort Wind Force Scale. This was created in 1805 by Sir Francis Beaufort, a British naval officer and hydrographer, before instruments were available and it was subsequently adapted for non-naval use.

When accurate wind measuring instruments became available it was decided to retain the scale and this accounts for the idiosyncratic speeds, eg Force 5 is 1721 knots, not 1520 as one might expect. Under numbered headings representing wind force, this scale also provides the sea conditions typically associated with them, although these can be affected by the direction from which the wind is coming.

The scale is reproduced on the opposite page.

Voyagers crew would like to express its gratitude for the following:

Admiralty Charts

Cruising Association

Herb Hilgenberg

Imray Cruising Guides and Charts

The late David Jones

Radio France Internationale

Reeds Nautical Almanac: North American East Coast

Royal Yachting Association

The Atlantic Crossing Guide published by Adlard Coles

Nautical, its 4th edition revised and updated by Anne

Hammick and Gavin McLaren

The Big Fish Net

World Cruising Routes by Jimmy Cornell, published

by Adlard Coles Nautical

We should also like to thank the publisher Orion for permission to use the extract from Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas in the English language throughout the world, excluding the US, in our print and eBook editions. And for US permission to use the excerpt from Under Milk Wood, copyright 1952 by Dylan Thomas. Reprinted by permission of New Directions Publishing Corp.

Voyager is a heavy cruising catamaran that was built by Solaris Yachts at Southampton. They built strong, comfortable boats but ceased trading after a disastrous fire spread from a neighbouring yard. Voyager is their Sunstream model, 40ft long x 16ft wide with twin 27hp diesel engines.

She is a typical British catamaran in that she has a small mainsail and a large genoa which is her main source of power. She is cutter rigged and therefore has a small staysail as well as the other two sails.

Her two hulls are connected by a bridge deck with a cabin on it which provides the main living area, or saloon. It contains a large sofa, a coffee table, a dining table and a chart table. Opposite the chart table, and overlooking the galley, the starboard dining seating quickly converts to a breakfast bar which also makes an ideal dining area for any meal on a bouncy sea as there is less potential for loose objects to move about.

From the saloon, you enter the starboard or right-hand hull down three steps. Immediately in front of you is the galley. Turn right and there is an additional food preparation area, storage for cutlery and crockery and a large chest freezer. In the stern is a double bunk, a wardrobe, dressing table and clothing cupboards. Underneath the bunk is one of Voyagers engines. At the bow end of this hull there is a head containing a toilet, wash basin and a bath.

The port hull contains in its stern an identical suite to the one in the starboard hull plus a shower, toilet and vanity. There is a further cabin in the bow of this hull but for the voyage we converted it into a storage space with a small workbench and vice.

Out on deck Voyager has a deep, well-protected cockpit and all her sails can be handled from within it.

Looking back on my life, there was never a time when I envisaged crossing the Atlantic two-handed on a forty-foot boat. Yet here I am. Testimony to the sublime unpredictability of human existence and the dangers inherent in uttering those immortal words, Oh, alright then.