To the Azores and Back

Miles Ashley recalls just how he has got himself involed with raising such an astonishing amout of money for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign.

It all started with a simple New Year’s Eve resolution to go and do some ocean sailing rather than just reading about it, and just perhaps, I could raise some charity contributions along the way. First target I decided was the Royal Cornwall’s famous race to the Azores and back- or the “AZAB”. Laudably (I suppose), the carefree days of unregulated seafaring adventure are nearing their end and to enter this organised event you need to qualify not only the boat but also yourself and your crew. This has proved to be quite an adventure in itself.

As part of this qualification process, and much to my surprise, I’ve managed to cross the Channel a couple of times on my own, sailed single handed on a 500 mile course around Fastnet Rock, and on another 500 mile qualifier last month woken to find myself in 50 knot winds with an electrical fire. Of course, as long as you’re harnessed on and don’t fall off, sailing is one of those fabulous activities that sometimes feels much more life threatening than the statistically safe pastime it actually is. Close to the edge perhaps …but not too close!

It’s certainly not all ‘Shackletonesque’ discomfort. Along the way I’ve been lucky enough to discover a passion for sailing and adventure in my family as well as witnessing astonishing seascapes, sunsets and even moonbows. Whilst you may not have seen another yacht for a day or two you’re also occasionally met with the rather joyous sight of dolphins using the surging hull of your boat as their own adventure playground, sometimes for up to half an hour or more, as you drift through your ‘everyman’s’ version of space.

The AZAB is a four yearly short handed race (about 15 of the 70 boats will be single handed) of 2,500 nautical miles in two legs, and it starts on 2nd June from Falmouth. I’m sailing the boat there by myself, and back with my brother in law, Brian Treneman. We’re hoping to raise some money for Muscular Dystrophy Campaign after the death of a friend, Nick Seaton, last year- and if you’d like to contribute, more details on this can be found at www.justgiving.com/stormrunner. Please also give me a call if you know of any charitable trust who may wish to support us- or indeed want to put the company name on the sail or hull of the boat for a reasonable contribution…

All the donations are going direct to the charity as we’ve covered all the associated costs. Entering such a race, as I’ve discovered, is an expensive business, and in order to get my 19 year old 33ft Westerly Storm to class requirements I’ve crawled into just about every last corner of her to spend yet another £1,000 fitting some essential piece of kit! We think, although we daren’t calculate, that it’s cost roughly the price of the boat again. My fellow competitors, thankfully, are also remarkably charitable about me entering my old cruiser, and moored amongst the forest of carbon fibre masts we look like a Morris Traveller on the grid of a formula 1 race, but we’re still welcomed in the bar on arrival…eventually.

We’ve just heard from The RCYC that we are now qualified. There is still a massive amount of work to do on the boat, but optimistically the Atlantic routing chart is out for June showing nothing but favourable wind for our trip to San Miguel- as they say though….prevailing winds, rarely prevail……

For more information or to support Miles amazing adventure, please visit www.stormrunner.co.uk or www.justgiving.com/stormrunner