Katie has won the bluQube 1000 Solo race in her first major single-handed race on 'Hot Socks'. After a frustrating 36 hours of light airs leaving Santander on Wednesday the front runners finally made it into Camaret on Friday evening.

Katie said "The bluQube 1000 mile race has been an incredibly steep learning curve. Dealing with both extremes of weather combined with sleep and food management in an extreme and competitive environment has been a new and thrilling experience. To come out on top was unexpected but it definately rewards the work that Mark and I put into the endeavour. I loved every minute !"



At the prize giving ceremony in Camaret Katie was awarded the following :
    1st place overall - ANA Cup
    1st in Class 2
    1st Rookie - Saltire Quaiche Trophy
    bluQube Endeavour Trophy

As Katie and the remaining 9 other skippers set sail for Camaret on the final leg of the bluQube 1000 Solo race, here's an update from Katie on Leg 2...



"That 525 mile passage to Spain was probably the hardest thing I have ever done.

To begin with, the passage was heaven and represented the whole reason why we love sailing... favourable winds, beautiful weather, making fast progress.... perfection. And so it continued for the first day. I had decided to opt for the genoa (our biggest head sail) to begin with, and I knew I would have to change down to the Solent as the low pressure from across the Atlantic began to track across Biscay. I changed down at 2200 with the last light, and waited for the low to hit around midnight. I found Nick on Diablo J had done the same thing. Turns out we were in VHF range and would continue to be so for the rest of the trip. That is a fantastic moral boost knowing there is someone right behind you, and a definate kick up the backside when you realise that if you dont make haste, or sleep too much, he might overtake you!!

The low.... the worst 14hours of my life. To begin with it was darkness, so I couldnt see the terrifying waves, only hear Hot Socks fall off them and smash into the hole awaiting on the other side. I sat up on deck, deciding crazily that I was better to sit by the autopilot and check it,...just in case. After 2 hours I gave up, wet, cold, miserable, scared. I sat below on the bean bag (the only real source of comfort on board... so I owe you one Frank!) and was twice thrown from the high side to the low side. Shame I didn't learn the first time!! Wind had reached 30 knots by day break and I knew that I should put the reef in the solent. Hot Socks was managing fine with plenty of vang and backstay and a reef in the main and was making progress at 5 knots, if perpendicular to the course we wanted! That fact that she was managing fine, and that I was terrified to leave the cockpit into the mouth of the breaking waves and spray to fiddle with the genoa allowed me to retreat to the bean bag with some confidence. The noise.... resounding, the pounding ....like a hammer with malice. There was nothing to do. I couldnt sleep, I didnt want to eat nor was it really viable. The only remotely similar experience I had had to this was in Elektra on the Round Britian when we were caught in F6 and big seas.... I wondered if it would ever end.... Thankfully I knew it would. It was just a case of holding on. What would have made it comforting would have ben to blast a bit of Paramore from the stereo to overcome the screaming of the wind, but with the batteries so low, and an angle of heel that did not permit using the engine, it was a case of pondering my own thoughts.

Eventually, as always, the wind eased and veered. We could make a more direct course albiet not that comfy... the waves were still huge. All my clothes wet (although on a plus note the southerly wind was warm and the sea not that chilly) there was only one thing to do.... ring mom!

Feeling a lot better, we ploughed on, in the knowledge that we were third!! Diablo close behind... as we got withing 100 miles of Santander I looked forward to a midday arrival and Paella.... Then the unthinkable happened.... the wind died. 8 knots, downwind. Nick closing? I had to go spinnaker. Im not a fan of the spinnaker but it had to be done for the practise and to preserve my lead. It stayed up all day, we never did more than 5 knots, averaging 2.5. It was worse than a gale 8.... tedious, strength sapping. You couldnt sleep... I read and tweaked the sail, then read some more.... then wrapped the spinny around the forestay, along with the pole uphall. An hour later I got it down to find we were going faster without it! White sails it is!

The best thing about that day? DOLPHINS! So many, 4 differnt pods, different types, leaping out of the water vertically. Amazing. As we got closer the light house loomed, and the wind filled. At 22.19.23 BST we crossed the line! Third and FIRST IN CLASS! Qualified for the OSTAR too... happy happy days!!

And that low?....... it wasnt that bad!!"

Katie and 'Hot Socks' have finished the Kinsale to Santander leg of the bluQube Solo 1000 race in first place in Class 2 and 3rd place overall behind Nico Budel on his Open 40 'Hayai' and Rob Craigie on his J/122 'Jbellino'.

With 'Hot Socks' sailing under spinnaker towards the finish line at 9 o'clock this morning Katie was looking forward to tucking into a paella with a nice glass of chilled white wine.... glad to see the appetite is back ! Unfortunately the wind has progressively dropped as the day has worn on leaving a frustratingly slow slog to the finish. Katie & 'Hot Socks' finally arrived in Satander at 22:00.

Katie and 'Hot Socks' have been having a great race so far. They've pretty much held the lead in Class 2 since the start and are keeping up admirably with the two much larger boats in Class 1. Unfortunately some of the other skippers haven't been so lucky, with 10 boats retiring so far, diverting either to Camaret or back to Falmouth.

In a brief phone call to Mark tonight Katie was in good spirits and relieved that the worst of the weather is now behind her. The Bay of Biscay is not the most pleasant of places to be in rough weather and it appears to be living up to its reputation ! The new alternator is working fine although the batteries are still a cause for concern. Hopefully now the weather is improving Katie will be able to get some sleep as she's struggled to do so on this leg so far. If they carry on at this rate Katie and 'Hot Socks' will be in Santander after lunchtime on Saturday.

To follow Katie's progress click here to go to the Race Viewer...

Three countries, 4 ferry crossings and a round trip of 830 miles later and 'Hot Socks' has her new alternator. We're still a bit concerned about the state of the batteries, but with a full tank of diesel the decision has been made to go for it.

The race re-started at 11:00 with 20 boats heading for Santander, 525 miles away. For those entering the OSTAR next year, like Katie, this is the most important leg of the race as it's the official qualifier for the single-handed Transatlantic race.

The weather at the start is pleasant with broken clouds, sunshine and a F4/5 although the competitors will have to make the most of this as the forecast for Friday looks pretty grim with the wind potentially rising to a F8 as they attempt to cross the Bay of Biscay !

Katie and 'Hot Socks' are currently leading the fleet on this, the second leg of the bluQube Solo 1000 race to Santander.

To follow Katie's progress click here to go to the Race Viewer...

Right now, sitting on Hot Socks in Kinsale at 0150 in the morning, I feel exhilarated.

Its just over nine and a half hours to the start of the next leg of the BluQube 1000 miles race, and in normal circumstances I would be tucked up in bed trying to get a good last nights sleep before the big race tomorrow. But sailing a race boat single handed would not be considered normal circumstances to most people anyway!



The leg from Falmouth to Kinsale was a very steep learning curve. My first extended solo passage, and that was in a race environment too. Hot Socks and I got a good start, fourth over the line, if at the pin end and the most leeward boat. Our speed allowed us to pull away with the front runners of the 19 strong fleet, but I found that we could not point as high as our competitors as we beat to windward to the Lizard and on to Lands End. As such, we fell slightly behind, which was rather demoralising since I knew I was sailing a fast boat. I tried a lot of tweaking, since I am still learning how to sail the boat, but this was to no avail until we passed Land’s End and sailed the lay line to Kinsale. As the wind back to the SW we slowly picked up speed, reaching 9 knots in 18knots breeze at times. Very satisfying! It was further satisfying to watch the boats behind disappear and we ate up the miles on those in front.

As darkness fell, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset and the promise of an even more beautiful starry night sky. I had caught up with two of the J-Boats, but couldn’t help regretting our poor performance at the start of the race……. There were too many “if onlys”!

As we progressed along 318 degrees to Kinsale, I suddenly saw what I thought were stars in the sea! It took me a while to realise that this was the first phosperence I had seen! I then looked up to observe the stars, since it is not often you get to see them so clear… four shooting stars later I was feeling very lucky…. It is not often you see nature at its best.

Dinner was not my most successful… opting for left over Chinese takeaway from the night before courtesy of the parents…. Needless to say a lot of it fed the fishes and I stuck to familiar “Rocky” bar!

Sailing the course was pretty simple and fast and I checked the sail trim at every opportunity. The wind was still backing but would never back enough to fly the spinnaker. As such the night passed quickly, possibly because I slept for a period longer than I should have as I forgot to switch the “on” button for the alarm! But all was well.

However, as I came to turn on the engine to charge the batteries I was very alarmed to see that the battey voltage did not increase as the alternator kicked in. There didn’t appear to be anything wrong with it at a glance, but there was definitely no charge. Worried by now, with 50 miles to go and not enough power to keep all systems running. I shut down the VHF, chartplotter, Sea-Me etc, and kept the autopilot on as I tried to see if there was a simple solution…. Nothing. A short Iridium phone call later, and Mark was trying to source a new one at home while I concentrated on getting the boat over the finish line.

At 14.19.17 BST we crossed the line in fourth place in class. Not bad considering our appalling start. It was a fantastic sail and I loved every minute of it. It was my longest solo passage to date and only fired me up for the Santander leg.

But my work wasn’t over. As I dreamed of showers and a social beverage in the YC with the rest of the fleet (thanks to Rod though for handing over such a beverage as I tied up!), I found my self levering off corroded nuts and bolts to remove the alternator. Everyone has been a fantastic help lending tools (thanks for the socket set Chris), helping me find a man that can (Paul at the marina and one Mr Peggs) and everyone that offered a kind word or some advice (the whole fleet!!). It really emphasises the family feel of a solo fleet, and everyone is keen to get all the other competitors to the start line.



Magic Mark found an alternator and picked it up in Southampton on the Tuesday morning….. 425 miles, 2 ferries later he is sitting with me onboard and we are fitting the new shiny alternator. We finished at 0130….. normally when I’d be asleep! The moment before I turned the engine on (not to sabotage my competitors sleep!) was a tense one and I whooped with joy when then battery voltage leaped up suggesting it was charging! We left the mains charger on all night, in the hope of salvaging the batteries. They are our main worry now. I hope I didn’t destroy them by letting them discharge so low on the way over. But it looks like Santander is on. The wind is light, on the beam and pretty favourable for the first few days. The faster we get south the better as a low comes across Biscay bringing 25-30knot headwinds! They will prove an interesting test!

Here’s to the batteries!!

Katie

The results are in for Leg 1 of the bluQube Solo 1000 race - Katie and 'Hot Socks' finished 4th in Class 2 and 6th overall - not a bad start for their first big single-handed race !

Meanwhile, after some frantic phone calls, Mark has picked up the replacement alternator and is on a ferry crossing the Irish Sea at the moment. It's going to be a long day....

To follow Katie's progress click here to go to the Race Viewer...