Voyage overview
- Year: 2009
- Destination: St Malo, North West France, Channel Islands
- Boat: Ilyanak
- Vessel type: Ovni 45
- Distance sailed: 260 nautical miles
- Skipper: Mark Daniel
- Crew: Chris Robson (“Domaine Controllée”), Andrew Wagstaff (“LeGrandeWaggé”), Mark Wells (“Ou Est”), Simon Tyler (“Le Petit Visité”), Warren Creates (“La Garçon Guerre”), Boris Ulehla (“Boryanak”), David Ashfield (“Le Tiret”)
Logbook notes
A voyage notable for its limitations — and laughter.
Chartered on a “force four” restriction clause that kept us largely in port, Ilyanak’s retractable keel was an intriguing novelty, more engineering curiosity than sailing triumph, but did allow access to shallow harbours.
Simon joined only for the first few days, for the largely ‘stuck in St Malo’ stage. He then left the others to explore the coasts and cafés of North France and the Channel Islands after the enforced calm. Despite the Force Four Freeze, the crew still managed hefty sail days, clocking up 260nm travelling criss-crossing notional water borne international boundaries.
It was less a sailing trip than a seminar in patience and sombre historical tourism.
