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The curtain falls on the 2023 season. Looking forward to 2024!

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We spent every weekend in October day sailing from RSrnYC in the Solent, testing the kit and learning some more about how it all works. We are by no means fluent yet, but we're getting there. At the very least we know where all the instruction manuals are now and almost how to get at everything! We also completed the formal registration of the boat which meant we could apply for our Blue Ensign Permit and once this had arrived we could order a new flag and dress Atom accordingly. She looks very smart wearing blue! The blue ensign was hoisted just in time for RSrnYC's Trafalgar night celebration which was accompanied by the most spectacular full moon...and much merriment that needs no further discussion! We had booked our lift for Thursday 2/11 and David stayed down to Hamble after our final weekend sailing to take the sails off and clear the boat in preparation. David and Jonathan delivered the sails to Elvstrom at HYS Monday afternoon but it also became clear that Storm ...
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Ellos - UK Leg 6: "She's coming home, she's coming home, Atom's coming home!". Den Helder - Hamble 29/9/23 306NM

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We pulled out of Den Helder at 1030 on Friday morning into the most horrendous slop with Donald and Judith driving, the boat being slammed every which way and David at the chart table trying to submit a UK Pleasure Craft Report customs declaration. After a few hours it all calmed down once we got to deeper water, so we hoisted sails and flew south towards Rotterdam and the Maas. The journey to the Maas was uneventful and very quick. In bright sunshine we bowled past Amsterdam mid afternoon, had nice VHF interraction with a Scottish skipper on MV Karver, a rig service vessel which we called up as he was heading straight at us out of a wind farm at 20kts, and many cups of tea. We knew Rotterdam would be busy, but none of us had been through there before. On leaving Den Helder, the entire coast is a TSS with a windfarm inshore of it, so you can either stay right inshore or go way out towards the UK coast on the other side of the lanes. With the wind we had, only the inshore route was ...
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Ellos - UK Leg 4: Kiel - Cuxhaven via the Kiel Canal 25/9/23 71NM

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We pulled out of Sporthafen Kiel at 0615, testing our thrusters as we moved Atom sideways against an on dock breeze from where we were buried beside the huge cat, and motored around to the entrance to the Kiel Canal at the earlest time yachts can enter. A quick chat with the canal control on the VHF and the small North Lock was opened for us. We moored to a floating raft that was no more than 6 inches above the waterline (the pilotage advice about weighted tyres is good advice if you have space for them, which we didn't!) and after a couple of other yachts had joined us we gently rose 40cm to the height of the canal. Once the gates had opened we stopped to pay the very modest 35 EUR canal fee (thankfully we had cash as the card system was broken!!!!) and then set off at the statutory 6.5kts on glassy water, counting down the kilometres from 92. But glassy water meant time for breakfast and a civilised lunch. It also allowed us to appreciate this extraordinary feat of engineerin...
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