In the wake of Ellen

Karen Hodges makes it around Land's End

Karen Hodges from Milton Keynes has set on her singlehanded voyage around the UK emulating the trip Ellen MacArthur made on Iduna.

Hello, its been 3 weeks since my last confession, I mean log.

My last night in Holyhead was spent in the yacht club, we had a whip round and got £121.00 raised for Cancer Research. I left Holyhead with a five day forecast of variable 2-3s so I planned an overnight stop at Porth Nethen. I gently approached the bay as the variable wind became a fresh easterly and then a very fresh northerly, before I knew it the sea was picking me up and throwing me forward as I bounded towards the moorings. The bay was very exposed in a northerly and the swell was horrendous, I don't know how I picked up the mooring but I guess when you're determined to do something you find a little more in yourself than you thought you had.

The wind was howling and as I held the mooring line trying to get it around the cleat the boat would jump up and bash me, then it would disappear from under my feet before returning to bash me again. I strained against the mooring line as my 1 ton boat tried to break away for the shore, I wedged my body against the pulpit and in a trough managed to cleat the line off before a wave broke over the bow to drench me.

I felt this was a stupid place to stop but I had planned a peaceful overnight stop with a slight sea and faint breeze, I couldn't believe how wrong the forecast I had was. I knew I couldn't make it round to Bardsley Sound in these conditions and as there was nowhere else to run to I had to hope the mooring held as well as my cleats.

My boat was thrashing about as I made my way back to the cockpit. I clambered in to the cabin thinking if I could dry myself off and have something warm to eat then wedge myself in my bunk that I could wait it out.

As I made my way in to the cabin I did an Ellen and flew head first down the companionway and planted my face in to the floor. I had a bump but not as impressive as Ellen's egg [from the Europe 1 New Man STAR]. Before I had a chance to compose myself I was being shaken from side to side, I wedged myself between the nav table and the galley which in my boat is a gap of 2 feet. I was able in this position to open a can of spaghetti and light the hob. I heated the food successfully and managed a couple of mouthfuls before feeling too green to eat any more.

I lay down to hope my stomach would settle but I couldn't stay in my bunk as I kept getting thrown out. My patience then ended as my whole body met the coach roof before being reacquainted with the floor. In a fit of cabin fever I dashed out to the cockpit to get some air. I then franticly started pumping up the inflatable, again I don't know how but I did it, then followed the most stupid thing I have ever done, I cast my self adrift in breaking seas in a 6 foot inflatable!

I didn't need to row as the tide was flooding, I just had to cling on. In seconds I was near the shore and had capsized in 2ft of water. The next wave finished the job and I was washed up on the beach. I dragged my dinghy clear and went onto auto pilot deflating it and stashing the oars and pump. I then wondered around a bit coming to my senses, OK I'm on the beach with no way to get back to my boat. I had a bit of a Tom Hanks moment wondering how I would cope removing a tooth with an ice-state boot!

There was no one about so I wondered down the beach looking for the nearest town. I found 2 B+Bs but they had no vacancies. I was told to try the next town two miles away so I walked to the next town, No vacancies. Feeling a bit weepy and wishing I hadn't left the safely of Holyhead I asked in a shop for any other B+B's. Don't tell my dad but I then got in to a strange man's car and was driven back to the first town and thankfully to another B+B. I was in a terrible mood and felt that if he turned funny I could take him.

I was soaked through but luckily my wallet was OK, typical me, it will all be alright as long as I have my credit cards!

It was three days before I could make it back to my boat, I went to where I had left my dinghy to find the oars and pump gone. Of course they had been washed away by the sea, I felt too stupid to feel sorry for myself so I went and brought one of those toy inflatables. I pumped it up on the beach and as soon as I had I knew I wouldn't make it to my boat.

At this time a man was walking past, I asked him if he new of anyone how had a dingy I could borrow just to get my deflated dinghy to my boat. He had a boat and said he would take me. He came round with his boat and then held up a pump - "This yours?" he said. I couldn't believe it - he had found my oars and pump washed up on the other side of the bay. Sometimes I think someone upstairs is helping me out, I seem to have some strange luck sometimes.

Seven days after I left Holyhead I was able to round Bardsley Sound. The sea was unbearable lumpy and the wind hard on the nose, progress was painfully slow but I was making progress so I stuck at it. I left Nethen at 2pm and made it to New Quay Wales at 12pm.

From New Quay I went to Fishguard and then from Fishguard to Milford Haven. I had had the tide with me passing Ramsey but it ran out rounding Stomer so I was reduced to 1 knot. I tried to cut in close to the island as I thought it was still slack and I might be able to sneak through, but I was wrong! I stopped and then started making 5 knots backwards - very scary, I managed to turn my boat around and headed out to sea to try to find less tide. It worked but progress was slow and I didn't make it to the Milford approach until 10 when It was dark.

As I headed in the lights were everywhere it was difficult to pick out the leading lights but I found them. I was trying to stay in to avoid any traffic, constantly checking my depth, then it went off, as did my nav lights and radar reflector, fantastic. "I can't believe it, why now?" I decided to make for Dale as I had picked out the cardinal mark and from there if I headed east I should pass the point and hopefully find the pontoon. I did!

From Dale I crossed the Bristol Channel to Padstow. The crossing was amazing - I was bombarded by dolphins five times, It was amazing, fantastic, they would run at the side of my boat, dive under and then jump up the other side, I was gob smacked, They were all different sizes, Big and small. They stayed 10-15 minutes at a time before disappearing. The last visit was at 2am, when the wind had dropped and I was in silent darkness. First the boat started shaking then they stared diving over the bow, even more boisterous than before.

Entering Padstow at night was interesting but the tide was right so I went for it, followed the buoyage and got in no probs.

From Padstow I sailed to St Ives and then came the passage I had been dreading - around Land's End.

I spent the whole night before I planned to leave studying the chart, looking at the tidal atlas, and then again at the chart. It was the height of springs that day and the tide ran up to 4.5 knots. I didn't understand how I would make it round.

I left at 7.30. At this point the plan was - stay out to make best of the tide down to Longships then try to hug the coast to make use of an eddy that would turn in my favour three hours before the tide.

I left St Ives with a 30 ft motorsailor. We were both a little apprehensive about the passage so decided to stay together. Before long another boat had caught up and I was abandoned as the motor sailor decided to push ahead to keep up with the other boat in the hope that he knew what he was doing. I didn't care, I've got this far on my own.

As the tide turned against us the other boats where still in view, they headed out to try to lose the tide I guess, I tried to cut in to find this eddy. I thought I had made a mistake as with the engine on high revs and the sails full I was losing against the tide. I zigzagged and found after a while that I was making way east, my heart in my mouth and the tidal atlas in my hand I tried to make it to the cardinal mark, I was making a knot against the tide and when the wind blew 2 knots! The other two boats where a long way off by now.

Slowly but surely I passed the cardinal and was then making 3 knots bound for Penzance, I made it in by four that afternoon. Seven that evening I was sipping tea at a Quay side café when the motor sailor made it in. Little boats rule!

I'm sending my log from Penzance Sailing Club. Sipping tea and trying not to feel smug. But it's hard, and I'm not trying very hard!

Very Happy Hodges.