The Log of Trilleen – a regular account of Ian’s experience as a disabled sailor with Sailing Trilleen
Trilleen has completed her multi season Round Britain and Ireland sail in aid of the Andrew Cassell Foundation, the unique charity which helps disabled sailors race on equal terms with and against abled people, and which will in just a few days be entering not the usual three but four Sonar Keelboats at Cowes Week. … Read more
For the first time in many months Trilleen is making westing, heading down the South coast to the finish line in the Solent. This penultimate leg took us round three great channel headlands: Dungeness, Beachy Head, and Selsey Bill and saw me consign two diversions to the bin before anchoring in Chichester Harbour. Lacking wind … Read more
The struggles I’ve had with the rebuilt engine since Lowestoft have made me think about engines in a completely new way. I’ve come to a view that there are two options. One, the engine works and is reliable; or two, you’re better off without an engine. Because I’m not brave enough, or probably sufficiently skilled, … Read more
Trilleen and I slipped out of Humber Cruising Associations marina at 2300 into the dark chaos of the Humber Estuary with ships of all sizes issuing from the river at up to three times the speed Trilleen is capable of on her best day. Fortunately we were able to escape the lanes soon enough cutting … Read more
Disabled water users are an under recognised part of the water activity and sailing community despite recognising as much as 20% of the participating population. Helping disabled participants enter and remain in the sport is important to the sector’s health and commercial welfare. Ensuring disability access can improve income generation by reducing early exit from … Read more
I sailed from Peterhead into the darkness of the North Sea night, already so much darker than the nights in Shetland, knowing that perhaps the most testing part of the whole cruise was about to begin. The southern North Sea is littered with wind farms, oil platforms, pipelines, and a density of traffic which should … Read more
Trilleen and I sailed from Wick for Peterhead, crossing the Moray Firth and negotiating the first of the many many wind farms on the east coast. I sailed late in the evening a long afternoon snooze and sailing into the night trying to catch the front of a tiny kink in the air stream which … Read more
Trilleen spent what felt like a long time alongside in Lerwick, due to severe weather which detained even yachts three times Trilleen’s length, and also to allow my lovely mum to visit. I was also able to repair the navigation lights which had been ‘eaten’ by the pier at Baltasound and attend to a few … Read more
A brief kink in a front offered a chance to escape the dubious shelter of Baltasound, which despite the wonderful hospitality of Unst Boating Club I was very excited to escape. Trilleen and I had a storming passage upwind in 20+ knots to Lerwick, shaving the edge of Fetlar and navigating the narrow passages in … Read more
Trilleen is finally free from Stornoway, and as I write this I’m waiting in Westray, the westernmost island in the northern group of the Orkney Islands. I’m loving being back on the water and I think the boat is loving it too. The sailing has been amazing, even if I’m still debugging some of the … Read more