coming home!

i spent a miserable few days aboard the boat after the lads went home,there was nowhere to shower,my clothes were filthy and the boat damp and cold,but i wasnt going home without her again.i'd changed the fuel filters and was running the engine off the second fuel tank which had cleaner diesel.i'd also ripped out half of the old bunks from the cabin with the help of a large crow bar,a sledge hammer 2 bottles of wine and some loud music.whilst taking his second boat north to be scrapped,hugh had run into trouble the same night as us and been towed into another harbour,we'd both made the local papers apparently,but he'd agreed to come back down and help get my one back to cornwall.it was flat calm when we set off again,just me and hugh.i was glad to see the back of howth but wouldnt have been surprised to be tied up there again in the morning.however this time we made it past the kish bank and headed south.running down the irish sea inside all the banks,the lights on the mainland were a comfort that if anything else went wrong we werent too far off land.my ears at this stage had become finely tuned to the noise of the engine and any beat it missed and sure enough,whilst passing arklow i sensed she was slowing down slightly.hugh didnt think so but when he pushed the throttle down hard nothing happened,she was definitely slowing up.here we go again i thought! hugh headed down to the engine room and i took the wheel,the only small measure of satisfaction now was that we were far enough south that we'd have to go into arklow,and jo martin lived there,a top engineer, at least we'd get her sorted one way or another.but then suddenly the revs went up,flat out!she was full speed ahead and bound for lands end once again.hugh came up from the engineroom,wiping his hands,it had been an emergency fuel shut off,used to isolate fuel in case of a fire.it had been knocked half shut and was starving the engine,but now the blockage was clear we were off again.we travelled on through the night,passing various towns until we reached rosslaire and the south eastern point of ireland.from here it was open water all the way to lands end,if we got into trouble after this point we were in serious trouble.normally heading out into deep water in a small boat wouldnt mean much to me,good lord the last tuna trip we did we were 250 miles from any coast for 10 days and it never bothered me but this time i was a bag of nerves.my confidence in the boat had been shaken and for the next 16 hours of the crossing i never slept a wink,just taking it in turns on the wheel and lying on the galley seat listening to the engine.it stayed calm for the entire crossing,and eventually the lights of north cornwall hove into view.i steered her down the familiar route through the shipping lanes past the longships lighthouse and up towards the runnelstone buoy.we were talking a bit now,our confidence in the boat restored a bit and even if we did break down now,they'd hardly tow us back to howth from here.no we were home at last,my family,friends and girlfriend were down on the quay to see us into newlyn and if we didnt spend too long tying her up we might even make the last pint in the swordy,it was all looking rosy.as we passed low lee buoy and lined up for the harbour,i suggested to hugh that maybe we should check that she'd go astern alright before we go in."ah she'll be alright"came hugh's reply.no bugger that i thought,we'll check her.so outside the harbour i eased her back and slipped her from ahead to astern.nothing!the dirty cow did nothing,just kept gliding forwards.back down the engineroom goes hugh to sort it out as we slowly crept to a stop outside the harbour mouth,in full gaze of my curious onlooking wellwishers.the morse cable was damaged and there was no fixing it now,well we werent going to try anyway,the pub was still open and it was flat calm,so we'd just have to ease her in gently.we came in through the gaps at about 1 mile an hour,an embarassing entrance for my new pride and joy,but a safe one.thank god i'd checked her before we came in,what a proud spectacle that would have made for my father,his son smashing up newlyn harbour with his new boat.still we crept up alongside a trawler and threw out the ropes,no damage,job done.what a way to spend my birthday!now a drink!!!

coming home?

getting her home was going to prove more of a trial than i'd hoped.christmas was coming up and i wanted her back beforehand,but we had to have a good window of weather.although a fairly sound boat,being tied up in howth so long she was bound to be leaky from drying out and with a 30 hour steam ahead i wasnt taking any chances.our first problems came while the owner hugh was moving her around the harbour.it was late evening and we were putting her back in tier after having the bottom checked.she wouldnt go ahead,only astern,and as we drifted down between the moored yachts i heard him calling the lifeboat out even though we were still in the harbour and i could see it only 200 yards away.luckily the propellor fowled a mooring and stopped us drifting onto the break water.a man on the quay was shouting to see if we needed help but we'd half solved the problem by then and limped her back into tier,busting out of the mooring and cancelling the lifeboat as we went.i flew home.
on the first attempt to get her home,my mate julian flew over with me ,we met with hugh and went for a few pints to settle the nerves.didnt help that the song'into the danger zone'came on twice while we had our first pint.we set off in the evening after getting some grub for the trip,but we didnt get far,the revs wouldnt go up on the engine,there was a problem with the fuel pump and it would take us forever to get home,so we turned back had a weekend on the beer in temple bar and flew home again
christmas came and went and it wasnt till the end of january that the weather let up for another go.my then bosses,spencer and dinks came for the ride,hugh wouldnt be coming as he was bringing his other boat north to be scrapped at the same time,so it was just us.
i'll never forget that night,neither will spencer and dinks.we broke down 20 miles or so off,it was the most sickening feeling.the weather had turned out to be much worst than forecast,and as the engine faded and died 5 mile northeast of the kish bank we knew it wasnt going to start again.we'd rolled all the way out,rolled like a pig, at one stage a tub of flares broke loose and the 2 lads unable to stop themselves sliding around the wheelhouse floor were joined by 30 flares rolling about with their lids coming off.the toilet door fell off too.
but when we broke down apart from the wind and sea,it just went quiet.the lads tried their damndest to clear the fuel filters below,but they were choked and even with fresh ones on, the batteries were too weak to get her going again,so i called the lifeboat.we were on a lee shore now,an unfamiliar shore in an unfamiliar boat and unsure of how fast we were drifting.needless to say when i saw the lifeboats flashing blue and white light an hour later,my heart lifted a bit.they towed us back to howth ,doing a great job even when the tow rope parted coming in through the harbour gaps,the coxwain,with his big spitfire pilot moustache,had little time to spare and shot back reconnecting the tow and dragging us into the busom of howth harbour and safety.it was about 2 in the morning now,the lads were soaked from head to foot in diesel,the boat was a mess,we were fed up cold,and somewhat shaken up so we turned in on the wheelhouse floor to try and sleep.at 6 the next morning they got up,went to the airport and flew home,i dont blame them.