I have had a major clear out of the boat and made a containing screen so more kit can be carried in the cabin. Sorry Steve but one of your barrels has had to find a new home in Spain, the third barrel took up too much room. As I?ve got lots of water/fuel containers the room is more help. Tomorrow I hope to get to Vigo on the border with Portugal, or may be Bayona. The problem is the vast number of Lobster pots, fish traps and floating mussel rafts which make night sailing difficult and dangerous so I will only day sail in Portugal. The weather is great and I?ve had enough boat cleaning for a few days so with luck I should have some more stories in a couple of days time.
Tony

Bought a new outboard motor at La Coruna. Spain is quite a bit cheaper than the U.K. a 3.3 h.p. Mercury engine (made in belgium)cost me 407 pounds in Bristol a 3.3 Mariner (made in Vietnam) was 460 pounds. I moved 45miles west yesterday to the small town of Camarinus. great sail down racing with a bigger Kent based boat which I beat by staying in shore where the northerly wind of about 12 knots was compressed against the cliffs and high ground raising it?s speed to 20 knots on my sturn. the other boat went out to sea hoping for stronger wind as in the UK but it didn?t happen. This bit of rivalry was great as the crew set up my SSB radio for me so I can now recieve short wave radio weather information and hear how other yahtsmen and women are doing world wide.
Camarinus looks promissing it?s a beautiful but windy place way out in the west only a couple of miles from Cape Finnistare. A british motor sailing boat (flying a blue ensign) came in this afternoon with main sail and jib blown out and in shreads.
Thank you all for the messages I wish I had time to reply to them individualy but my typing is so slow that it?s not possible at the moment.
Tony

Well I have made it across the Bay of Biscay and am now in La Coruna (no the King of Spain does not now have a beard so I ain`t going to singe it).
It was a long trip starting at St. Agnes in the Isles of Scilly on Saturday morning at 11am, the wind was a light westerly and the promise of a north-westerly for several days. Saturday night was a bit hard with vertualy no sleep and having had 2 windy nights at anchor in the Scilly?s adding to the fatigue.
Realy good day Sunday with over 100 miles in the day but by evening I was into the shipping lanes which were to dog me for the next 2 days and the wind had turned south-south-westerly (the worst possible for me) by 2pm on Tuesday the wind was up to 32 kts and Cariad was deep reefed, but quite likes the long Atlantic swells so long as I stear round any bad white horses. The waves were only about 3 to 4 metres high so no problems. By 3 in the morning I was about done only the dolphins leaping out of the water and snorting was keeping me awake.
So I got out of the shipping lanes hove too and wen?t to sleep for 2 to 3 hours and woke up raring to go and spent Wednesday seeing only 2 fishing boats and some welcome sunshine. Hove to early as the wind had died eat well? the joy?s of Happy shopper tinned curry (which was Heather Browns choice at the cash and carry). Up at 5.15 and as I was hanging off the back of the boat holding my transistor radio as high as possible so as to hear the shipping forcast when a killer Whale (Auker) about 25 feet long came passed the sturn I asked if it wanted a cup tea but it didn?t want to speak English. Quiet day wind turning slowly more eastely but very light.Sleeped on deck watching for fishing boats as the wind was insuficient to night sail.
On the Thursday sailed into La Coruna at 1 pm tired but happy. The phone which was nearly thrown in the sea when it didn?t work at the Scill?s had also started to accept signals.
Well that?s all for now I have to find a quiet Spannish fishing village to commplete work on the boat. Cameramus will be my first try.
Tony

The weather is still not right for crossing the Bay of Biscay but may be to-morrow? So I have had a day round Tresco. Probably the prettiest of the British Isles but a bit twee. With lots of exotic plants and little castles.
Thank you all for your messages they are a a link with the old world, with me now being on the edge of the first big step.
1) Martin get some photos on the picture page (if you need money see Steve Williams.
2} Matt good to hear you are sortig out the skiing, hope the house is going O.K.
3} Don you may have noticed the phne doesn't work, or then again you may still be on a majic carpet ride with the Vigin Erickson rep?
Well must get back to the boat for the next shipping forcast.
Tony

Well I'm finally away. Cariad left the Welsh port of Newport on Sunday 11^th July 2004 at midday. It was a great send off and many thanks to all especially David Cox of NUSC who put out the decorations and got Mitzi to play the accordian. Having boats sail out to wish me well is somthing I've only seen on telly [but it was very nice].
Then came the serious part with the weather forcast north-westerly turing out to be westerly making it difficult to sail the last bit out of the Bristol Channel [around Bull Point],but by 2.00 in the morning I was round Hartland Point and into the Atlantic, so the wind got up to 30 knots raising an uncomfortable sea. Dawn came up with some low cloud and the wind dropped to 25 kts, so shook [Jamie why is there no spell checker] out a reef and put on some speed. By 10 the sun came out and the day ended with my dropping anchor at Hugh Town in the Scilly Isles as planned [150 miles into the voyage].
I will now wait for a good forcast to cross the Bay of Biscay [I'm a bit of a coward when it comes to gales]. There's a mass of work to do on the boat and quite a lot of improvement needed in the stowing of gear. So I won't be idle. Sorry the mobile doesn't work in the Scilly's, they must be on a different net. The phone boxes do work and the internet is free so I'm not complaining and looking forward to the next leg.
Tony

Tony has now left on his voyage. He received a good send-off from Uskmouth Sailing Club this morning, and even had a 'squeeze-box' playing for him. He ffinally made it away from the shore (with a bit of a push from the spectators to get him out of the mud) at 12 noon. His first point of call will be the Scilly Isles. We wait to hear from him and look forward to seeing him in Alagna in 2007!

"CARIAD" is now in Bristol Marina (300 metres south-west of the "S.S. Great Britain"). I am living aboard and finding it much easier to get work done as there is no travelling, Bristol has all the gear I need to finish the fitting out. The chart table area has just starting to get civilized. My brother Keith has worked very hard installing radar a decent radio, new aerials depth sounder and masses of wiring has been tidied up. Some old friends have been to see me and many are helping with the thousands of jobs that need doing.
There seems to be no reason why 11 am on 11/7/04 cannot be achieved, so I hope to see you as I sail off into the sunset with 30,000 or more miles of sea to overcome.
For the technicaly minded Jim Forsythe has set me up an iPAQ with pocket stars to help reduce my sun sights etc. and hopfully it will do a lot more including log keeping.
We had a great party last night with Simon Banks on piano Kevin Grenfell on trombone both on top form (simon played at least 4 amazingly fast boogie woogie numbers). Many thanks to Heather for setting up a lovley send off.
Jill and Peter Kirby prisented me with a very large Christmas cake which has a special location in the big food cabinet which Peter has built for me over the water tank.
Time presses on and I must get back to the boat.

Love to you all
Tony

My aircraft B-BSVH has been sold to Chris from Southport and Keith Nichols will fly it up to Ashcroft Farm near Manchester this weekend weather permiting and provided I can fix the high oil temperature problem.
This helps with the finances, but I am very sad to part with this great aicraft built from parts left over from World War 2 and sold on D day plus 60 years. It was on 8^th June 1944 that the first L4 Cub (the milatary Cub) was assembled in Normandy and started spotting for the US army aircorps. So life moves on.

The stainless steel frame which I have designed to transfer the load from the inner shrouds (the inner wire ropes that hold the mast up) directley to the keel. Has been made by Grails at Cinderford and is now fitted in the cabin ready for bolting up.
This will overcome a known weakness in the boats rigging and give me confidence when the stormy winds blow.
So it,s all on course for launching at the end of June.
Tony