And now my thanks ...

Despite our Mercury problems and the resulting Lifeboat tow in the Irish Sea, we did have a great race.

A recalculation of the results based on our completed legs pace showed that without the problem and the two missed legs, for which we received a maximum time penalty, our race time would have been 27 hours 9 minutes.

This would have put us 2nd in RB4, and 15th overall. (Of course, this is a hypothesis and anyone can eliminate their problems in this way!)

Still it left us feeling that despite not having the speed of the 380hp Goldfish and some of the twin-engined race boats in our class, we weren't that far away given the mix of weather...

We didn't have a support crew or sponsors, so a few thanks are due to people and companies who helped:

Scorpion. A great boat and very capable in the seas. I didn't open the tool box all the way round and Ben and Jamie were quick to help us with a power socket and a few loose screws in Scotland.

A credit to the company that nothing broke nor needed attention. We'd also like like to thank Joy for looking after all our needs so well and Graham for his wise advice and commitment to high standards.

E P Barrus. We didn't buy our motor from E P Barrus but Mike Williams and Mark provided us with full support and advice. It was Mike who told us to look for the alternator/water pump belt when we broke down in the Irish Sea.

They didn't have an answer for the frothing oil, but they think there may be a special oil product which doesn't froth...

Henri Lloyd. We paid for our clothes/bags but felt they were very good. The Shadow Smocks with rubber necks, cuffs and waist, combined with the salopettes, worked very well in all the conditions we faced.

As we were carrying most of our clothes on board we particularly liked the waterproof bags.

Ullman Seats. Roger and I finished the race in good shape. I'm not sure that would have been the case without suspension seating. While I wouldn't describe our Ullman seats as comfortable, the combination of shock absorbing seats and toe straps worked well. I would use them again.

The Race Organisers. I am still not sure how Mike Lloyd's organisation works, but it is obviously an enormous project to pull off. We had particular help from John Moore, the Scrutineers, and the race office team under Annie Beakhurst.

And last but not least, our webmaster, Paul Rodgers, who competed against me in in the 1978 Round Britain Sailing Race. Paul managed to keep the information flowing - even after my Blackberry stopped working.

- Gavin, July 1st

Three Mercury problems

Many people want to know more about the problems with our new Mercury Optimax 300XS.

The most serious issue for me is that the three problem areas are known to the manufacturers. Fixes are already in place, I am told. Then why aren't the fixes in place on the engines they sell?

The three main problem areas are:

1. Frothing oil. Looks like Cappuccino but feeds progressively into the reserve tank on the engine until the alarm sounds. Hard core racers disconnect the alarm.
But we want to protect the engine. After circa 3 hours of running you have to remove the engine cowling and bleed the oil.
We didn't manage one long leg on the race without having to stop to do this.
2. Alternator Belt. Ours came off in the Irish Sea. We were towed into Fishguard.
I understand this is a known problem with a fix. And the answer involves a tensioner pulley with a lip rather than the smooth one supplied.
3. Gear box. It runs quite hot which might be why it is hard on its seals.
The main seal failed during running in. A replacement gearbox was provided. The replacement also leaked oil and filled with water. We caught it in time and fitted a replacement selector shaft seal assembly.

It is a good engine. I like it. But how very disappointing that Mercury haven't dealt with these known problems in the production unit.

- Gavin race +1

Lowestoft to Portsmouth

On each leg of the race you learn something. On the way to Edinburgh, we stood too far out to sea resulting in a painful (in every respect) run into the Firth of Forth, allowing some others to get in ahead by running along the beach.

From then on, we benefited from using the lee of the land, despite adding quite a lot to our overall mileage.

Ahead of each leg, Roger would plot the closest routes possible round the bays and we would make the call under way about whether we would straight-line the bays or go in.

With the prospect of a run into the wind up the English Channel, we put some weight into the bow in order to keep it level while pushing hard upwind. Its downside is that we took circa three knots off the speed coming down the East Coast. However, once round the corner, it started to pay and we were able to reel in the boats ahead.

Everything is relative, of course. While it feels that a head sea churned up by a F4-F5 breeze slows us considerably, the ability to race upwind at 36 to 40 knots in these conditions says a great deal for the design of modern ribs.

As usual, air bubbles filled the Optimax oil tank, triggering the alarm. We had to stop to bleed the system off Beachy Head. It allowed a boat we had worked hard to pass zoom by.

The run to the finish was uneventful, really. But there is a certain significance to me of leaving Portsmouth and turning West and then coming back nine days later from the East. I remember well feeling the same in Plymouth when we sailed round Britain. Not, though, in anything like nine days.

- Gavin race finish +1

Longest leg so far

Due to likely problems of getting through the last of the locks, competitors were required to be on our boats this morning at 6am. It was a thoughtlessly early time for people about to race.

Once we could get into the lock, we moored alongside Garmin. The crew were eating sponsored porridge and taking pictures. Fine for them, but we didn't start the race until 10am. For us, we had a long time to wait and that was frustrating.

Eventually the race started. We decided to begin at the back of the fleet so we could get a better idea about the way the slower boats performed. But we were impatient to get going properly, yet once we did, the motion on Black Gold became really awkward.

Usually against the wind but downhill, the ride on Black Gold is quite good. Yet this morning, she is lurching about. It's worrying when right at the start things go badly. You wonder what's about to happen - on top of the very discomforting motion throwing you about.

However, once round the corner, the sea became much calmer and our jolting passage eased. The sea adopted a large swell and then, as we approached Edinburgh, a more traditional chop.

We saw a few boats struggling in that moody sea. Swipewipes, so effective in the Irish Sea, and Team Jersey, were travelling mysteriously very slowly. And from RB3 class, John Caulcutt in Carbon Neutral, was having our Optimax problems.

There must be a fundamental design error which causes the oil level to go down in the engine-mounted reserve oil tank. So like Carbon Neutral, we stopped and removed the housing and bled it through ourselves.

Considering that Mark from E P Barrus had kindly checked it only yesterday, this can't be right.

Bothered by the quirkiness, perhaps, we made a slight navigation error just before the finish which left us fighting both wind and sea to get into the Firth. Boats which ran along the shore enjoyed calm water and less upwind work.

Five hours racing a small and light Rib can be very hard work. It's hard to imagine how challenging it is if you haven't experienced it. Even drinking from a water bottle is almost impossible.

So Roger and I arrived in Edinburgh a little worn ... but after an hour with the Sports Physio we returned to good shape, ready for our run down to Newcastle tomorrow.

The results put us 3rd in our class today. Nothing like that sort of news for toning up enthusiasm for the next leg.

- Gavin

Mercury problems

Many people have been asking what's happening with our engine following problems on both legs of the race that we've run so far. I thought that I'd first describe why I made the engine choice and then explain the problems so far...

Why another Optimax? Our 225hp was faultless
It's built strong for racing. It has a fast Speed Master underwater unit with 1.62 drive.
It's lightweight. Because it is two-stroke, it has less moving parts so less parts liable to fail. And it is proven in the US on Bass boats.

What's happened so far?
1. Prop shaft seal on gearbox fails - meaning gearbox damage in month.
2. Replacement gearbox with damaged selector seal due to dealer modification which fails in month ...
3. there's seawater in the gearbox again.
4. Low oil alarm in Lyme Bay due to air in oil reserve tank it has been running for only an hour and a half.
5.Alternator belt comes off in middle of Irish sea. This is due to poor design. (I am told that you can get a tensioner pulley with a groove which stops this happening. (So this problem was known about.)

So instead of buying the best, I have ended up with the worst. Worst in terms of fitness for purpose.

And every time each of these issues happens, Mercury say this is a known fault with some kind of a fix!

I still like the engine, the concept. But it has so many faults. It has ruined our race chances despite enormous attention by expert engineers at Dave Crawford Marine and E P Barrus.

I write this in Inverness with half the race still to do. I sincerely hope that we aren't challenged again before the finish.

- Gavin 26th June

Double blow when engine dies

Gavin and Roger and Black Gold are spending the night at Fishguard after engine problems put them out of today's race.

They were unable to find the cause of the engine failure, and motored towards Wales with the emergency outboard. After they reported into Race HQ, the Fishguard lifeboat came out to them, and towed them in.

The failure of the brand new engine was a double blow to Gavin as Black Gold was lying fourth in the fleet.

Gavin and Roger are staying at the Hope and Anchor Inn, Fishguard, for the night. The engine was repaired tonight and they will cruise to Scotland tomorrow to catch up with the race at Oban.

Latest details are on Gavin's rib racers website, www.rib-racers.com
- paul

A new challenge

A look at the shipping forecast last night showed that the race would be cancelled today. The usual maximum for a powerboat race is Force 6. The forecasters were predicting Force 7 gusts.

I expected Thursday to become a race day rather than a lay day and that the race legs would be moved back one day. But the organisers didn't want to change the schedule. So at the 9.30 delayed briefing, we were asked to deliver our boats by road.

Getting the right transport within hours on Sunday morning to deliver the whole fleet to Milford Haven was a considerable challenge. We struck lucky and the second name in the yellow pages produced a flat-bed articulated truck.

Too big, of course, but it was transport and we had found it for the boat. So within a short while, Black Gold was loaded and Roger and I were on our way in the truck cab.

At Milford Haven, high winds stopped the crane from working so we couldn't launch Black Gold. The driver had a night in the car park to look forward to, and the crew went off to the mayor's reception - a rather sparse do as most of the teams were still on the road.

Then came needed luxury. Roger and I had our first physio session, part of an effort to recover from yesterday's hard work.

Despite our Ullman suspension seats and body belts and back support, we still take a terrible pounding. So we have physio in each stop.

One of the longest legs is set for tomorrow - up to Bangor in Northern Ireland. First we have to get Black Gold off the lorry and into the water, and boat and crew up to the start line.

News from Bangor tomorrow.

- Gavin June 22nd