Friday 27th May 2006
Josefine’s now ready for guests. Since 2004 the 66ft traditional Wooden Sailing boat’s gone through a set of rigorous tests and officially conforms to the M.C.A. codes of practice category 2, for up to 60 miles offshore. Josefine has been professionaly restored to the highest standard over the last two years.She is now has new saftey and life saving equipment.
Skipper and owner Charles who’s had many years of boating experience passed a gruelling twelve hour long exam to become a commercially endorsed yacht master. He’s also spent many hours tending to Josefine paying much attention to detail making sure she is ready to offer the opportunity to those who would like to experience sailing in this classic 1931 Danish Kotter.
The crewmembers have also achieved their competent crew certificates and are looking to move up through the RYA syllabus while working aboard Josefine. Josefine’s now available for group charters, seafaring festivals, artists’ days, sail training, corporate management team building, receptions and more.
There are many opportunities for you to charter Josefine especially in and around the many festivals and events she’ll be attending.Her first trip will be to the Seafair Haven (Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire) on June 24th for a week. Charles is very keen to spot rabbits on Skomer Island, just off Southwest Wales as he informs us the creatures were first bought there before they came to the UK from Normandy many moons ago.
Following that, it’s a trip back along our 2004 voyage around to Mousehole in Cornwall for the Sea Salt and Sail Festival before we head on to the Plymouth Classic Boat Rally on July 28th. Here classic boats will come from all across the globe in a spectacular weekend of events. With little time to rest and put our feet up, we’re sailing right back along the south coast to the Fowey Classics from August 1st to August 4th and the ‘Henri-Lloyd’ Falmouth week immediately after.
There we’ll be able to enjoy a week of live music and celebrations at the famous maritime harbour – interestingly, the deepest harbour in the UK. We’ll arrive in Falmouth on August 5th before returning along the coast to Poole for its Traditional and Wooden Boat Meet a week later on the 20th and 21st August.
In between all this we’ll have charters and trips for more people to experience sailing aboard Josefine. There are still a few slots free that we’re looking to fill if you’re interested – use the contact page to let us know your requirements and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.
We’ll also be running a competition to win a day sailing with us – come back soon for more details.
Friday, 3rd September 2004 - GRAHAM JENKINS (Crew)
We're up at an outrageous 0300 with tea in the dew damp dark morning, uncoupling Josefine from her morning, and get underway with the Harty point light flashing over to starboard, and the lights of Lundy behind, cooking and scoffing hot porridge on the move, we, all being quiet, half asleep, reflective, and not very talkative in companionable silence.
There is no wind, again, save for the cold draft that our wake makes. As I've got a long drive ahead of me, everyone agrees that I can stand down and sleep for a couple of hours – a strange kind of restless, half asleep sort of sleep, with the gentle motion of the boat, the creaks, the sound of the wash singing in a kind of sadness. I don't want to go home.
When I wake it is full daylight, & I'm much refreshed. The water has changed from Lands End blue to a kind of muddy brown as we head up into the Bristol Channel. Almost the kind of Essex muddy water I know so well.
Way over in the smudgy South Wales coastline I can see the Industrial chimneys of Cardiff, and the sun shines on the coves and creeks of Devon to starboard. We run into a region of floating debris – plastic pots, oil drums, floating branches, attendant seaweed, and I sit lookout at the bow peering into the sun, trying to spot them and signalling to Charles to steer to avoid the biggest bits.
"Watchet is behind that headland with the radio masts on it", says Charles. What radio masts, I can't see them, at least not without binoculars. Ah, what it is to have good eyesight.
A ferry appears out of Minehead, and looks as if he's not going to give way (Us being the stand on craft). I don't like it because he is much bigger than us, but he turns off eventually and we give him a wave.
At 09.30 we have the last few miles to go. The Watchet harbourmaster is expecting us, Charles having discussed moorings to him on the phone a few weeks ago, and given our ETA even more recently. So he's there when we call on the VHF. We're steering now 130 degrees towards the entrance, looking for a yellow buoy, which I think I see, but which is actually a pretty little wooden cutter who has come to welcome us and guide us in.
And the pier heads look ever so narrow in front, and we, the crew are busy arranging warps and fenders, and digging out the heaving line. Just as we pass the entrance a small yacht pops out from the inner harbour on the port side, giving us all palpitations, to the delight of the few tourist onlookers and pier head fishermen. But Charles is cool and in control and knows exactly what he is doing, going hard to port towards the inner harbour, reversing and manoeuvring to get round the tight narrow entrance.
I'm feeling too warm now in my cold morning weather-gear, and there are the pontoons ahead. With couple of jiggles to make, we head down to the end pontoon. The harbourmaster and his assistants are there to greet us and take lines. The monkey’s fist of the heaving line hits the pontoon, (hurrah, I managed to do that perfectly for once, without the Boggart getting the lines in a muddle). Neatly picked up by the shore crew, the mooring warp is pulled out and flipped onto the cleat -I adjust the bowline.
Sylvia & Liz sort out the stern lines, and suddenly there's nothing to do in a hurry anymore, & the dockside crew are all smiling and welcoming & we're tidying up lines and setting the spring lines.
The trip's over.
[To read more of Graham’s logbook entries from the 2004 voyage, please CLICK HERE]
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