This recent series of paintings are entwined with my sailing interest and experience. Deploying admiralty charts as backgrounds, I have introduced images relating to weather, sea conditions, position fixing, buoys and actual events to the paintings, conveying a sense of first hand experience and involvement of sailing. Using Kevlar sail material as my canvas, applying acrylic paint with a mixture of precision and freedom that reflects the nature of sailing.
Hand Deeps buoy, a few miles west of the Eddystone lighthouse, is the rounding mark for the R.W Y.C charity yacht race in mid July. The weather for the race in 2009 was 'lively'. 20 knots or so, which made for a bouncy, stimulating ride.
Skerries Bank north east of Start Point, leave to port as you approach Dartmouth. Sometimes features as a mark of the course during regatta week.
Sailing round from Torbay to Dartmouth, West Rock buoy leads on from Mewstone buoy as you approach the mouth of the Dart
A sailing friend took part in the ARC cruising race from the Canaries to St. Lucia in the Carribean. He had framed an Atlantic chart, showing his daily noon-time position,and displayed it in his entrance hall. I was quite taken with the image and decided to use it as the basis for a painting. One bright and sunny day, about this time, whilst crossing the River Plym we were suddenly enshrouded in a thick sea mist. It was possible to see the surface of the water close to or the blue sky directly up above, but nothing at eye level beyond 30 yards. All seemed eeriely quiet and isolating, lost in an expanse of water, almost like being in the middle of the Atlantic on a deceptively hushed mid-day.
Following on from using the Atlantic chart I noted that the 'Arc' voyage had passed through six defined lat. long. boxes from the coast of Africa to the West indies and decided to use each one as a means of recording the epic sea journey in relation to the boat position and either weather conditions or significant events experienced at the time. Leaving the Canaries in warm sunshine and the glow of the setting sun all seemed set fair for a great adventure.
About one week into the passage, a significant problem emerged, with the discovery that the prop had broken or fallen off from the shaft, leaving the boat without any auxiliary power. A detour southward to the Azores for repairs was seen as the safest option. Happily the sun kept shining, the breeze held up and mechanical concerns were overcome.
Stretching away into the Atlantic in solitary peace it came as a surprise one morning to pass close by with a merchantman, container ship ploughing his way across to the African shipping lanes. The relative size and scale of the encounter was impressive and memorable.
As the voyage pushed closer to the Caribbean, clouds gathered and darkened. The wind grew and the ocean swell rose. Ahead the waves climbed and fell in mounting succession as the distance between the noontime position fixes lengthened.
Surging down the rolling crests the sea broke white behind and still the nautical miles powered away into the distance.
The latter days sped by as the boat cut its way through a deeper blue sea with a friendlier breeze to chase her on her way towards the final berthing of the voyage in St. Lucia, washed in the exhilaration of having crossed the great divide.
