About time we updated the website and our followers on everything that’s been happening on Kealoha over the last few months.
Myself (Jay Faulkner) and my wife Bev took over running Kealoha at the beginning of September from our predecessors Anton & Clementine. The boat was in Palma, Mallorca and we immediately entered into a hectic period of yard work interspersed with some weeks spent cruising with David and family and also racing in the Oyster Palma Regatta. Our main focus however was tidying up the boat both cosmetically and mechanically – and of course finding where everything was stowed. Oyster are very very good at fitting a lot of stowage in a boat – so much so I’m not yet convinced I’ve found everything!
Finally at the beginning of November we were ready to bid farewell to the shipyard in Palma and to embark on our Atlantic crossing. Our crew compromised Bev and myself, David, Jar, James and Chris – aka “The Admiral”. As is normal at this time of year the 1st leg to Gibraltar was wet, cold and vaguely reminiscent of sailing in UK waters – and then we were greeted in Gibraltar with an evening of torrential rain which seemed a bit unfair! We soon put that behind us and tackled the next leg of our passage to Las Palmas in Gran Canaria – again mainly upwind and a lot of engine time was used but we could hear the call of the sun and were eager to get that leg out of the way aswell. Finally Gran Canaria hove into view and after some DIY sail repairs which we had to do on anchor we headed into the Marina and enjoyed some time ashore. Unfortunately fate reared her ugly head just as we about to leave and a short circuit in the engine wiring meant we had to get the engine completely rewired. As always the Oyster Aftersales team sprang into action and after an entire day on the phone we managed to locate a new wiring loom in the UK and get it collected by car and delivered to an engineer who then flew out to rewire the engine. Unbelievably we were ready to depart in 3 days so after some final purchases by our ace provisioning team of Bev and Chris we cast off and headed out into the Atlantic towards the Caribbean.
Our crossing was blessed with steady trade winds that enabled us to pole out the genoa and “white sail” most of the way with occasional appearances by our spinnaker to liven things up. We also managed to land several fish along the way to supplement Bev’s stocks. We soon settled into an easy routine – with so many crew everyone had plenty of time between watches to rest and read and of course eat. In fact the focal point of each day became based around whatever delights Bev would serve up from the galley. Though there was one almost mutiny when the freezer lid attempted to break Bev’s arms and while she was incapacitated I managed to turn a shepherd’s pie into some sort of brown soup. After that my galley duties were restricted to washing up!
After an uneventful crossing we pulled into Falmouth Harbour Marina, Antigua on the 23rd November having covered 3978 miles and in plenty of time to meet our next objectives – being ready for the Antigua Charter Show and equally importantly getting David back to the UK in time to watch England play at Twickenham (which turned out to be a historic victory over the All Blacks). After a couple of days relaxing work started again in earnest to ready Kealoha for participation in the Charter show – a first for the boat and for us. Jar & Chris sadly had to leave us to fly back to the frozen UK but James stayed behind hoping to find work in the yachting industry and he and his girlfriend Iona joined Bev and I in a frenzied whirlwind of cleaning, polishing and detailing to take the boat from “delivery” mode back to “charter” condition. When we arrived there were only half a dozen other boats in the marina but over the ensuing days this soon changed as other boats came in and started doing much the same as us. Each arrival being greeted by hoards of local Antiguan suppliers and casual workers all looking to cash in on the big event. Finally a week later we ready to entertain a steady stream of charter brokers all wishing to familiarise themselves with the boats that their clients would be looking to book for the winter and also keen to plan ahead for the 2013 summer season. Everyone was very complimentary about the boat and were very excited to hear of our plans to cruise Croatia next summer. Even Yachting Worlds journalists visited us and are planning to include us in an article to be published next spring. The high point of the week for us was entertaining our central broker, Molly Marston of Oyster Charter and her selected guests for lunch onboard which everyone enjoyed immensely. We were kept busy doing tours during the day and then enjoying the various “networking” events that are always a key part of these shows. Eventually after 5 days the show came to a close and we were able to close the hatches and take a well-earned rest for a couple of days.

As we race West at an average of 8 knots plus, we are often joined by pods of dolphins, up to 70 at a time. After an aerial display of leaping out of the water, which none of us have yet managed to catch on camera, they “play” in the water by the bow of the boat, a wonderful sight.

The winds have been kind and our last two “24 hour runs” have been 198 and 201 miles. Those of you with Porsche 911’s may think “well I could do that in an hour and a half”, but the 911 does not fare so well on water. No comments please from “motor yachts” (aka stink pots).

The results issued this morning show us at 4th of 19 in class and 17th overall of 250 boats. This is not entirely reliable as some boat positions are taken at midnight and some at 4 am, which sounds insignificant but in one period last night we covered 38 miles in four hours.

Kealoha8 is as ever performing beautifully. Last night in winds of 28 knots (32 miles per hour) she glided along gracefully at 10 knots plus in great style. She remains intact with no damage or breakdowns, for which we are very grateful as there are few repair facilities mid Atlantic.

With so many Yorkshire men on board such a gracious yacht we also need to eat in style and so we called upon Williams Farm Kitchens of Hornsea, owned by David’s son in law, to provision us. Their dry cured back bacon and homemade pork sausages are to die for.

Our prizewinner yesterday was young Tim who has been incredibly enthusiastic, a key member of the foredeck team and cheerfully undertaken all that has been asked of him.

Fortunately we remain isolated from the news. It is probably reasonable to guess that the politicians are still focussing on votes rather than finding a sustainable solution to the profligate mountain of debt in Europe. We could tune into the World Service on our SSB, but do we really want to spoil and excellent piece of sailing with news of incompetent politicians and avaricious bankers?

Onto happier subjects all is well on Kealoha8 with no kit damaged despite the huge loads, no injuries apart from a few tiny plasters on Billy and all in good spirits.

All good wishes from all on Kealoha 8

Please click Golf May 2011 pdf blog to down load our latest news on two fabulous weeks sailing and playing golf on the Turkish coast.

For our April 2011 sea trials blog pleaseK8_april_sea_trials

For a blog about our re-fit wrap up 2010 & 11 pleaseK8_refit_wrap_up click here

To down load the PDF for more adventures in September and October on K8, please Kealoha click here

Ahoy,

Here are some tales about what Kealoha 8 got up to in september and October 2010

To see more Kealoha Blog2011p12

A final Blue Cruise

It felt like a final “Blue Cruise” as we sailed from Bodrum last month, August, but it is not really as we will be returning shortly from Sardinia.

It has been a great season so far, our most recent trip was especially exciting, sailing approximately 250 miles from Bodrum to Crete, keeping in front of the howling Meltemi winds as they chased us from Kos, Kalimnos, Astipalaia and Thira to our destination. The winds caught up with us as we approached the Island of Crete and kept us tucked in our bay for a few days as the waves foamed around us and we thanked our lucky stars we were not bouncing about for the final 60 mile crossing in the force 9 beyond the shore.

The departure itself was a challenge as the Turkish officials in Bodrum decided that we suddenly did not have the right paperwork to leave the country – even though K8 has been sailing here since late 2009….and we were delayed another day before the appointed agent managed to find a mutually convenient solution.

But once we got going the beauty of the islands we visited soon dispelled the initial concerns and the warm welcome in Kos was a breath of fresh air.

The conditions were optimal, during the trip we managed to have a few refreshing dips in the clear blue seas, peek into some breath taking anchorages, get Kealoha up and charging along at 10.8 knots and still enjoy some tasty dining aboard and ashore.

We had the pleasure of welcoming all the Hislop family on board which was particularly special for me as Victoria Hislops book, The Island, is set on Crete and we sailed all together to Spinalonghi and sheltered from the wind for a lunch at anchor.

Kealohas’ biggest fan reunited

From Crete we traveled to Corfu where K8 had some TLC and met up with K8s biggest fan – David. From Corfu the days flew by and before we knew it we had arrived in Sardinia and prepared for the Oyster Regatta.

Sardinia 2010, The 25^th Oyster Regatta

Over 30 Oyster yachts joined together to celebrate the 25^th Oyster Yacht Regatta in Sardinia at the Costa Smeralda Yach Club on the North East coast. A special occasion and a special location. The yacht club and old port ooze sophistication and underline the quality that Oyster put into their boats and into their overall organization which has been awe inspiring.

The racing has been exhilarating and it has been wonderful to meet new crews and see the variety of Oyster yachts. The K8 crew of Phil, James, Tim, Richard, Colin, Ben and Kate worked very hard for Helmsman and owner David, they donated some sweat and blood and Kealoha sailed proudly in her class with some exciting tactics, a close rock encounter and sadly a ripped spinnaker. The after race entertainment has been second to none and the signature spacious cockpits on many Oyster boats have been well proven very apt for multiple impromptu drinks gatherings. Whatever the results of the racing, the event has been a complete success from Kealohas’ perspective as we have all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

June Blog 2010

Waves, wind and Sun

It is official, the summer is here, as if the weatherman were in control of the season, somebody hit a switch and the temperatures soared in to the 40s. Punctuated with heat influenced thunder storms, we enjoy mostly clear blue skies, sunny days with nice calm winds in the mornings and brisk winds in the afternoon. Perfect for a morning swim, some water sports if you feel active, lunch and an exhilarating sail to another destination waiting to be explored. The afternoon gusts keep the cabins cooler and the insects at bay (most of the time). They also offer our guests on board a real feel for Kealohas’ love for getting going. Give her 10 knots of wind and she is begging to flaunt her sails and try to dip her toe rail into the cool blue sea.

Our guests and friends aboard have all loved putting K8 through her paces and the smiles crack into wide grins as soon as they grasp the helm and feel how responsive the boat is and how she enjoys the wind.

Travels along the Turkish Mediterranean coast

Everyday blesses us with another experience and together with all aboard we often wonder if it can get any better….

Be it people, places or just seeing something in an exceptional light all contribute to our satisfaction.

The romantic sunsets over the hills in Marmaris bay are stunning.

The charm of the waiter in Selimye called “Golden Teeth” who just helps out with your mooring lines to make that important first connection and perhaps persuade you to stop in his establishment and drink a homemade lemonade with the fruits from the tree behind his home. In the same bay, the ship building yard is open to view where the skeletons of future gullets lie and the local workers skilfully lay planks on the frames of thick hard wood pausing only for the imams call to pray.

In Bozubuku a young guy greeted us in a small tender as we lay the anchor and offered to take our line ashore. The next morning, he brought us fresh warm home baked peasants loaf of bread laden with olives. This bay has no electricity, the settlements on the shore line nestle between Byzantine ruins and only have power supplied by generators. You wake to the bray of donkeys and the jangle of goats bells.

Cooking up a storm

Inspired by the freshness of the local ingredients and the variety of spices, cooking aboard Kealoha has been a delightful experience. We have enjoyed the fresh wild sea bass, the calamari and octopus and the local lamb. We would like to hope that our friends and guests have left us satisfied and there have been plenty of requests for recipes for “cooking on K8”.

One of the more unusual requests was for fresh sea urchin eggs, so we clambered into the dinghy and methodically combed the coast line seeking the urchins. We opened them our selves carefully and scooped out the eggs for a delicious aperitif with a dash of lemon. Had we had a little more time before the sun set, we could have collected enough for sea urchin linguini

St Tropez of Turkey

The most Northerly point of our cruises so far has been Bodrum. What a contrast between the other towns and villages we have visited so far. The guests enjoyed breakfast the other morning under the shadow of St Peters Castle before alighting to visit the St Tropez of Turkey. Sharing the streets with the crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s wife, you can browse the designer shops and savour international cuisine on a shady esplanade. But keep walking too far on the esplanade and you come to the largest outdoor discotheque in the world. It boasts the biggest speakers pointing directly at the yachts in the anchorage. On a sliding scale, the later into the night it is, the louder the noise from the club. In case you do not get the full effect and this has not shaken all your fillings out, the club sends a strobe lit, floating disco out into the bay among the yachts and to quote a guest aboard who “slept” in the cockpit, he thought they were actually dancing next to him.

Starting the season

Despite the volcanic ash cloud which disrupted some of K8’s plans, Visits flowed in steadily. We were eager to blow away the dust from the yard, and concentrate on exploring the blue cruise coast line which we had heard so much about. The photos in the literature do not do it justice, as it is all about the experience too which can not be portrayed in a still image.

Provisioning

Provisioning alone is an experience to behold – the market runs every Sunday and Thursday in the centre of Marmarais town. Farmers from neighbouring villages set up stands with their wears and tout for business as potential customers wander about. You can buy the freshest fruit and veg, but only the local produce that is in season, there are spices piled in colourful sacks and wicker baskets of dried fruits and nuts. You can taste all the local goat, cow and sheep cheeses and gorge yourself on a million different olives. Some of the vegetable were new for me and a stand holder took me under his wing and cooked a wonderful stew on a gas camping burner right there as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Friendships were forged over a quest for understanding the Turkish for coriander and a place to buy some.

Visitors

Our visitor are arriving and sadly leaving, but all I hope are taking a little bit of Turkey and the magical Kealoha experience with them. As we visit different places we are making new friends. The coast line seems an endless discovery of little bays and historical ruins. The people we meet are so full of knowledge and very proud of their history. We have got to know a number of Turkish Gullet Captains and International Cruisers in their own boats who are eager to share their knowledge of the coast line with us so that we can get the most out of it together with our guests aboard.

None the less, nothing replaces your own experience of each special place. A few weeks ago we went to Gocek town for the evening; a friendly waiter served the guests with drinks on the quay side and upon learning that they were cruising the coast on a yacht, insisted they take freshly made stone oven bread with them free of charge. We devoured it with some home made Hummus and salad for a light lunch. Last week we went to a restaurant with guests in Selimiye and some German Crew kindly entertained all the diners with a jamming session on a banjo and saxophone. A few days later while crossing the bay of Marmarais in the tender, we were joined by a curious loggerhead turtle, which swam with us for a few meters before departing to the depths of the bay. He must have been 1.5m large, I wonder how old he is and what he has seen in his life?