Dazzler the DazCat 15

Entrant in the Royal Ocean Racing Club Criterion round Britain and Ireland race.

We won !
By about 1 hour 20 minutes.
More anon
Harvey

31st August Update:

Hello again,

Dazzler is in the lead for sure !!!

We passed Dover about four hours ago with sailthatdream.com 4 miles astern.

By trimming constantly we have opened the lead to nearly 6 miles and the wind is still holding.

If the wind holds easterly we will be in about 4am tomorrow. BUT it will probably drop in the night and sailthatdream.com will have the advantage and could easily pip us to the line.

Now we are off Beachy Head and doing 10 to 14 knots as we work the waves and trim the spinnaker.

Every one is pumped up like a bunch of dingy sailors. Ann decided to do some sewing to calm her nerves.

Tomorrow will bring the result.

Till then,

Harvey

30th August Update:

Hello Mother, Hello Father,
Here I am on, Dazcat Dazzler.
It is very, entertaining,
And they say it's really fun
When it's capsizing.

We are now up, in the North Sea,
And as far as, I can ever see,
It's the same as, every other sea,
Because all you see is sea,
And more and more sea.

What I now find, is really frightening,
Is how little, is in their cranium.
They seam to think that,
When we are sailing,
Flying a hull up in the air,
Is entertaining.

A Helicopter.
Would you now please send,
Before they drive me,
Completely round the  bend
If you do not, I'll jump overboard,
Because drowning is preferable
To life on board.

We left the Solent,
Full of good intent.
To be the first boat,
Round Muckle Flugga,
But we were beaten,
by another,
You should have heard the crew,
Cry oh bugger
bugger bugger.

The food is really,
quite sublime,
Chili con carni
All the time,
It is very, regurgitating,
And the smell from in the loo,
Is quite intimidating.

The skippers name is,
Michael Butterfield,
His reputation
has travelled far afield.
It is such that
he is known as
the Mad Mike
Or else it's Barmy Butterfield.

The boat is painted
red and yellow,
Makes me feel like
It's the yellow peril
If I stay here, any longer
It will make me go insane,
just like a sailor.

But what is really,
disconcerting,
Is the way they con
centrate on winning.
And if that fails
For lack of trimming
on the honourable alternative
of sinking.

With apologise to all poets and song writers.

We are now off the Anglian coast and 250 miles to go. 30 miles behind sailthatdream.com ( wetdream.org) and 15 miles in front of Incisor of Wight  ( gnasher of widget).

Eating and drinking to lighten the load and go faster. All are happy on board and now dry after two days of no rain.

Any one of us could win and we are going for it.

Harvey

Ann and Mike eating.

28th August Update:

Hello again,

At 09.34 on Saturday the 26th we went around the top mark of the course.

Muckle Flugga, what a name and what a place. Fearsome reputation for breaking boats as the North Atlantic crosses the continental shelf past the Shetland Islands.  Waves taller than our mast and winds of hurricane strength on bad days. We went round in force 6 with little waves and all very tame.

We had Incisor of Wight ( Gnasher of  Widget ) in view astern as we rounded and left them for dead when they got too close. However, winds are light again and in their favour so think they are in front again now but we have heard rumours that Sail that Dream is east of us and level pegging. Despite modern technology we have little real idea of exactly where they are. All we have are sporadic reports from friends ashore giving details of web sites that are already 12 hours old.

RAIN and more rain for the last two days, or was it weeks. Time seems to have changed from days into watches and a chance to get some sleep before the next call to deck in the down poor. Thank god for Gortex. We are wet but not absolutely all over and not absolutely every where. Thank god for Polartec fleece as well. Ann and I dress in the stuff all the time and have great thick pyjamas in which we cuddle in our aft cabin.

Went up the mast three days ago to check over and found the staysail halyard chaffed nearly through. Interesting experience and terrifying to think of doing it in a big swell.

last night we broke the screecher for the second time.  Trying to repair it now as we will need it if we are going to have any chance of winning.

Winning is still possible if we get beam winds. So pray for westerly or easterly force five.

Right now, Sunday 4pm we are N 57 36   W 01 33  or about 2 inches to the right of the top right hand corner of mainland Scotland.

Every one on board happy and content. Feeding like gourmets and putting on weight.

Cheerio for now

Harvey

23rd August Update:

Hello Sailors and friends,

According to conflicting reports we are lying third or first off the southern coast of Ireland.

Alistair hit 25.3 knots surfing along with trysail and three reefs in the main.

Ann is doing her watches but suffering the sea sickness in the galley.

Gale force 7 occasional 8 between Scillies and S.W. Ireland. Luckily from behind so downwind sailing so far. Very little damage, just one pin from the connection between the second mainsail batten and the slider. Lots of reefs in so taken one off the bottom and transferred it up.

Food is fantastic. Living on fresh frozen stew from Richard's Dartmoor cows.

More anon

Harvey

21st August Update:

Hello everyone,

We have started the race.  With very little wind we crossed the Royal Yacht Squadron start line off Cowes towards the East to clear the Isle of White. Two hours on we are just passing the forts off Portsmouth with only 1758 miles to go !

After clearing the Isle of White we head west to go around Lands End and then out into the Atlantic to go around Ireland.

We have enough food for 8 hungry crew for 12 days and our transoms are very deep in the water.

All aboard are happy

Mollymawk. This is our competition and is a very fast little trimaran.

Ross Hobson built a new mast out of plywood and polystyrene in two weeks and rigged it yesterday.

Will he last the race ?

More anon

Harvey

18th July Update:

Hello fellow sailors and friends,

Dazzler went out for sail trials last Saturday and we had a chance to get some pictures of the boat sailing.

Here they are.

Lots of things to sort out.

We completed the St Malo race and were third over the line. OK for a first trip and sailing very conservatively to check the gear.
Nothing broke so all is well.

Next week we hope to cruise her then she is up to the Hamble to prepare for the round Britain Race starting August 20th.

Cheers for now.

7th July Update:

Hello everyone,

Here we are at sea on our maiden voyage. Some pictures from around the boat tell the story. 18 knots on the log so far. Spinnaker up and heading SW for St Malo.

Amazing.

Harvey

The Crew

Ann and Mike

July 1st was launch date for Dazzler, the new Dazcat 15.

Built to Mike Butterfield's design for the anniversary race around Britain in August by the Royal Ocean Racing Club.

She will undergo sea trials this week and compete in the Cowes - St Malo race this coming Friday 7th July.

50 feet overall she has accommodation for up to eight in four double cabins. Two heads to please the ladies and enough sail area and winches to please the men.

She goes along on twin engines with no wake at 7 knots to please the ladies and is designed to sail on one hull at 20 knots plus to please the men.

The colour scheme matches her name and even Darren Newton the builder has finally succumbed to her brash charm.

Harvey

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