Auriga departing England for Madeira!

We had a refreshing and productive stay on the South Coast. Using the experience gained during the "shake-down", we have made many small improvements that will make life at sea safer and more comfortable: we have sealed a small but annoying leak, added extra bolts to secure the forehatch, repaired the small #3 jib, replaced leaking faucets, and generally improved the ergonomics both on deck and down-below.

Further, the weather seems to have improved, too, and the long-range forecasts look promising.

Next stop - Madeira!

Ipswich to Portsmouth - the shakedown cruise

We left Fox’s early on Monday morning (waving to our shore party, who dutifully reported how fast and beautiful Auriga looks under sail). The Thames Estuary is familiar to Igor and me, but, following an inshore route to avoid the worst of the winds, it was the first time either of us took the opportunity to sail through an offshore wind farm, and we got the opportunity to introduce Auriga’s wind generator to her bigger sibling.

With everything going as planned, and luck seemingly in our favour we were hit by a squall off Ramsgate and tore the small number 3 jib. It is not clear if this sail is past its sell-by date, or it was a small pre-existing tear that spread. Either way, we have had the sail repaired this weekend. With the broken sail, and worsening conditions we decided to stop for the night, where we met one of the early retirees from the Round Britain and Ireland race, who, with their much more expensive racing yacht, prove we are not the only sailors to have given up that night.

Pushing the 50m exclusion zone a little
to get this photo...

Update from Auriga – Day 1 and 2

Day 1 – Monday 11^th August

Departure day has finally arrived! Alarms set at the sunrise, we get the boat ready in the first lights of a beautiful sunny morning. The forecast still predicts SW 6-8 but up the Orwell it’s not too windy. Igor and Matt slip the mooring lines at 7 am, and Elaine, Rob and I wave goodbye from the pontoon. We then run to the spit to see Auriga disappear down the Orwell, picking up speed quickly with the sails up. 

Ready to go!

Filling the fuel tank... magics of the jiggle pipe!

The last stages of preparation

After months of maintenance and a last few days of hectic provisioning and packing, Auriga finally left her berth at Fox's marina on Monday! More details on the first leg to follow very shortly in a dedicated post.

But let's go back of a couple of day, and let's see what we've been up to in the last few days before the big departure.

What shall we take with us?

Final Preparations - A Tour

Yacht Auriga and crew are ready to leave as soon as the weather moderates. You can follow our adventures on the live tracker, starting Monday morning!

Matt, Giulia and Igor

For now, enjoy a mini-tour of Auriga - in sailing condition for the first time since last summer!

Auriga goes sailing

Having finished most preparations, we used the last of the Saturday sunshine to go sailing!

Having spent all winter and, unfortunately, most of the summer, prepairing the boat for the grand voyage, it was a huge relief for all three of us to finally hoist the sails! With gale-force winds forecast for Sunday, we made it as far as the Orwell bridge before returning to Fox's Marina Yacht Club just in time for our final round of Fox's Deluxe Burgers.

The weather is forecast to moderate on Monday morning, whereupon we will set off for the South Coast.

Message from Yacht Auriga

The weather in Ipswich is rainy, so we are testing the satcomms!