YNOT Delivery Trip

Long passages – 60NM-plus – and overnight sailing were part of the planning for our 5KSC all-women crew delivering Ynot from Liverpool to Largs for the summer cruising season. In preparation for Yachtmaster exams later in the year, we most definitely wanted to challenge ourselves.

So you could say it was an added bonus in covering the exam syllabus when the engine misbehaved and we were obliged to rely on the amazing services of the RNLI, not once but twice. That was after two of our own crew had pinpointed the problem and applied a fix that worked on a temporary basis. We’d each spent weeks poring over charts, tide tables and weather forecasts, drawing up detailed passage plans and discussing the trip via Zoom calls. For this crew member, it was a head-hurting revision exercise (remember tidal curves??!) but one I welcomed and am now determined to practise more often. We decided to head for the Clyde estuary in Scotland via Conwy, the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, encompassing four of the five countries that make up 5KSC. This would offer opportunities for the required long passages and overnights needed for the Yachtmaster Offshore exams. The weather looked OK, not too windy nor too wind-less. From Liverpool, we headed north west to skirt round the massive wind farms in the Dee estuary – there’s a huge increase of these installations in the pipeline so that’ll be fun for sea-going vessels of all kinds. We arrived in Conwy around midnight and settled down to await the high lunchtime tide that would give enough depth to leave through the meandering channel out of the bay. All was fine with the engine checks, so we motored briefly up the river to take a peek at the glorious mediaeval castle before turning towards the open sea, destination Peel. But wait, smoke was visible from the exhaust, so we dropped the anchor outside the channel to take a look. We soon realised the problem was the water cooling system but a check on the impeller and the filter didn’t give us any answers. Handily, Llandudno RNLI happened to be passing so offered us a tow back to the marina, where Ruth and Amy successfully used a

hose to pump water through the cooling system and clear any air blocks. A friendly marine engineer confirmed the tactic. As thanks, we gave them some of our home-baked goodies. Unfortunately, this didn’t last and, having decided against the Isle Man stop-over, the engine packed up again during our ‘moderate – rough’ overnight crossing to Northern Ireland. Being more than half way there, with a lively following wind to speed us along, we kept going under sail and alerted the coastguard to our predicament as we approached Belfast Loch. This time, it was Bangor RNLI who came out and shadowed us until just outside the breakwater when the tow line was attached. One of the volunteer crew was especially interested in the source of our troubles as he was co-owner of another Oceanis 37, while yet another crew member was a former Olympic sailor. Awesome. Safely moored, more home-bakes were gratefully dispensed. We later spotted ourselves on the RNLI’s news page and next morning, their photographer even called to take an official photo …. could we even make it to TV’s Saving Lives at Sea?? This time, Mike the mechanic identified our water pump as the problem and expertly fitted the refurbished one we had on board, one of many vital spares the maintenance crew have stowed on Ynot. After that, it was plain sailing and we eventually arrived in Largs on the day we’d planned, exhausted but exhilarated. There were lots of firsts for crew members – including planning and skippering long passages, victualing a yacht, lassoing mooring bouys and working a watch system. What an adventure and what an opportunity to learn first-hand about potential engine problems. As for the RNLI, it’s possible we’ll be buying their T-shirts and Christmas cards for evermore. Multiple thanks also go to skipper Ruth who’s inspiring our crew of women sailors to tackle the Yachtmaster exam and who organised all the prep for our memorable trip. Crew: Ruth Ingram, Amy Barlow, Nerys Legg, Caroline Todd, Caroline Moscrop and Deborah Ward