Sceptre is an ex Americas Cup Challenger it was built in 1958 to the Twelve Metre class rules. It is 66 feet long overall, and it displaces 38 tonnes, it has a 93-foot tall mast and carries 2,300 square feet of sail area. Its hull is of wood construction.
My
adventure started on Tuesday evening 13th of August when I boarded
the overnight sleeper to Glasgow on Euston station at 23:40
Day
one Wednesday 14th August; I arrive at Glasgow Central at 07:30 I
then have to transfer to Queen Street Station where I catch the 08:40 service to
Oban.
After
about an hour of settling in and finding out where everything was, the two
skippers Tom and Jim arrived. We then slipped the moorings and motored over to
the quay where we moored again. Then
a short while later the rest of the group arrived, they all stowed their kit
onboard. After
introductions our first task was to go shopping for supplies. We began lowering
our 30 or so Tesco bags to the boat from the top of the harbour wall, to make
life more interesting we encountered a spot of torrential rain whilst carrying
out this task. We all then prepared for an early start tomorrow.
Day
two Thursday 15th
Wind:
SSW 25kts gusting 35kts
Weather:
sunny with some showers
Start
from: Oban
Destination:
Tayvallich 17:30
Our
first journey in Sceptre and this morning we faced a constant force six. The
wind direction meant we would have to beat all the way out of the Firth of
Lorne, and through the Sound of Jura. After a lunch break we continued our
arduous beat until we reached the mouth of Loch Sween were we turned off the
wind to run down to our destination Tayvallich. Our retreat for the evening was
the local sailing club (which doubles as the local pub).
Day
three Friday 16th
Wind:
SW 3-6kts
Weather:
sunny with a light haze.
Start
from: Tayvallich 10:30
Destination:
Port Ellen 16:30
After
a late start we motored across the Sound of Jura followed very closely by
several dolphins. The tame weather
conditions left us with a chance to relax and take in some of the breathtaking
scenery. Once across Jura we arrived at port Ellen on Islay, a small island with
more than its fair share of whiskey distilleries.
Day
four Saturday 17th
Wind:
Force 7-8
No
sailing!
Unfortunately
the Skipper decided that it is too windy, and so other arrangements were made.
We hired a few very old bikes and made our way to the Ardbeg distillery where we
all went on a tour and had a tasting session. The evening was spent attempting
the karaoke machine in the local pub
Day
five Sunday 18th
Wind:
SSW 13-5kts
Weather:
heavy cloud + light rain
Start
from: port Ellen
Destination:
Bangor Northern Ireland
We
left port Ellen at 09:30 with only a gentle breeze, crossing the Irish Channel
was interesting. Fishing vessels were storming towards us from the distant fog,
as visibility was only a mile or so. But later on the sun came out and it became
a pleasant day, as there was not a lot of wind I decided to try out the foot
holds that lead to the first set of spreaders to find an amazing view.
Today it is my turn to navigate the boat into the marina. I thought I had
worked out my plan but this was made difficult because I could not see the
entrance until we were about 900 yards from it, fortunately the skipper was
familiar with the marina.
Day
six Monday 19th
Wind:
N 10-13
Weather:
sunny
Start
from Bangor
Destination:
Cambelltown
We
motored most of the way as once again the wind had deserted us. The highlight of
the day was watching one member of our crew swing from one end of the boat to
the other using the boson’s chair connected to the topping lift! On the second
attempt the skipper released the topping lift and we all watched as he dropped
into the sea and was dragged behind the boat. Apparently the water was quite
cold despite being the height of summer!
Day
seven Tuesday 20th
Wind:
NW 0-13kts
Weather:
sunny
Start
from: Cambelltown
Destination:
Tarbert
No
wind in the morning meant we had to motor most of the way to Tarbert.
Mackerel lines were trailed astern, but absolutely nothing was caught,
such a surprise! A gentle breeze picked up later on in the afternoon, which
meant for some good sailing. Tarbert has a tricky entrance to its harbor but
nevertheless we were successful in our attempt, and berthed neatly at the quay
Day
eight Wednesday 21st
Wind:
NW backing West 2-8kts
Weather:
sunny
Start
from Tarbert
Destination:
Troon
The
last day of sailing and as usual there was very little wind. We took a very
obscure route to Troon; we sailed up a very tiny creek, which involves sailing
through the Kyles of Bute. These are two rocks very close to each other and very
difficult to pass. We successfully found our way through and once on the other
side all our begging paid off. We were allowed to fly the spinnaker! So we
prepared to hoist the 3000 square foot parabolic spinnaker. What an amazing
experience, then as we rounded Kames Hill the whole thing gybed; even in 5kts of
breeze a spinnaker of that size is near impossible to control, but then all
control is lost as the sheet is released and the spinnaker disappeared over the
mast. The spinnaker was finally retrieved undamaged from the water at the stern
of the boat to everyone’s relief. The
final comment from our skipper was “at least it wasn’t the big spinnaker!”
(That’s 5,500sq foot).
The
last night aboard Sceptre is spent outside under the stars. The next morning we
all said our farewells and set off for home. The end of a most amazing week. All
that remains is to thank all those who nominated me for the president’s cup.
Mike
Payne.