Provident! The Brixham trawler has been part of my nautical memory for decades. I first came across her in Yachting Monthly – Des Sleightholme was once Provident’s skipper – and fell in love with the beauty of her under full sail with topsails and flying jib set. When the opportunity came to sail her, I didn’t hesitate.
At that time she was run by the charity Trinity Sailing Foundation, which has since had to put Provident up for sale due to funding problems.
We joined the wooden trawler in Brixham for a cruise to the Channel Islands and North Brittany. There were eight guest crew as well as the permanent skipper Ben, mate Jo, boatswain Ida and cook Daisy.
Following a safety briefing, we threw off Provident’s lines and after Ben expertly used the mizzen to turn the boat within the confines of Brixham harbour, we motored in very light airs to Dartmouth.
We were awoken at 0500 the next day for a departure at 0630. Just outside the harbour, sails were raised by the old method of sweating and tailing. The mainsail required two teams of three to sweat it up, one for the throat halyard and one for the peak halyard; the mizzen sail was hoisted similarly. The staysail was hoisted direct from the deck but the jib was hoisted in stoppers, run out along the bowsprit and broken out when aloft. To hoist in stoppers, the jib is first laid out along the deck, then tightly folded along its length and tied at about one-metre intervals with light natural cordage that will break with a good pull on the sheets once aloft.
This story is from the July 2020 edition of Yachting Monthly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July 2020 edition of Yachting Monthly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
TECHNICAL 'OUR BOAT WAS FULL OF WATER'
After an afternoon away, Roger Hughes had to act quickly when he found his schooner-rigged yacht sinking at its Florida marina mooring
HOW IT WORKS OPTIMISING SAIL TRIM
It is difficult to describe ‘correct’ sail shape, but the three most important things to consider are: sail draft (the fullness of the sail), draft position, and twist (controlled by the kicker /vang and leech tension).
HEBRIDEAN HIDEAWAYS
There are some incredible hidden harbours along the west coast of Scotland, many offering 360° shelter, although some may be rather challenging to enter
Mark lines to save miscommunication
This year, I spent my holidays working in the French Figaro class. My role was to be a préparateur – the French name for someone whose job it is to prepare and fix boats before and after races.
It's time for Deliveroo by canoe
Can we agree that it’s an old myth that sailors survive entirely on Fray Bentos pies and ‘pot mess’? Certainly on Skylax mealtimes are something to look forward to as both Rod and I love cooking.
Freak waves are lurking closer than you think
Salvage tug captain Nick Sloane can claim a library of feats of derring-do.
£33m government funding to develop green technologies for ports and ships
Maritime Minister Lord Davies has announced the winners of £33 million of government funding to develop green technologies for ports and ships as part of the decarbonisation of the sector.
Eight bells for C&N yacht designer Raymond Wall
Yacht designer Raymond Wall passed away in November at the age of 91 after a long and illustrious career.
OGR IRC leader returns with severe damage
Translated 9, the leading IRC yacht in the Ocean Globe Race was forced to divert to the Falkland Islands after discovering two cracks on the hull, one of which was big enough to sink the boat in heavy weather.
Celebrating 200 years of the RNLI
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) officially celebrates its 200th birthday on 4 March.