Day 1

An early start to get provisions and load them on board and stowed away. Then we head over to The Chain Locker pub for a couple of meetings about the week.We have a skipper meeting to get to know the other skippers, and to discuss the fleet's plans and timings for the week, along with notes about safety and a chance to raise any questions.
Next is the skippers' VI awareness training, an invaluable meeting to help understand the needs of  VI crew members, along with practical exercises, all taught and hosted by an experienced VI sailor.
Back for a bit of lunch on board and we await the arrival of our crews.

After everyone has arrived we get them settled in with a good tour around the boat, both above and below decks, to get familiar with the layout. We have a chat about their expectations for the week and find out what they are most looking forward to in the week's sailing.

Then up to the marina showers to spruce up, ready to head off to the RCYC for the evening welcome reception, and a social get-together with the rest of the fleet and a lovely meal. This is a great evening for everyone to catch up and meet new fellow sailors.

Day 2

After breakfast we have a good safety briefing and check the weather report again. We slip our lines and have a gentle sail around Falmouth harbour, to familiarise us all with the handling of the boat at all points of sail before practicing a MOB (Man Overboard) drill, so we all know how to perform safely.

After a tranquil lunch at anchor by Carricknath point we head into Mylor and our less-experienced V.I. sailor helms us in through the channel and slowly onto our berth successfully. A great boost for us all as our team bonds after our 1^st day.

Day 3

The weather today is ideal for us, so after the skippers' meeting we set off out past Black Rock and set our course to Plymouth. The weather is unbelievable this year, with warm sun, blue seas and a steady 12-15 kts north-north-east wind.

Michael, one of the VI crew, is keen to use his Audio compass, and sets this up with our best course to wind heading. He then takes the helm, steering an accurate course, while the sighted crew keep a good look out for lobster pots and other traffic. Shortly we see a pod of around 20 dolphins passing a few cables to our port beam, and this brings us all great smiles and joy. Radio reports and text message pictures of this soon flood through our fleet from the others.
An easy lunch on board and then we swap round on the helm so that everyone who wants to can have a turn. After a lovely sail we moor in QAB marina and go ashore for dinner, and to mingle with the rest of the fleet to exchange our stories from the day's sailing

Day 4

As usual we start with a skippers' meeting to discuss the weather and plan for the day. It’s not looking ideal with predictions of Force 4-5, occasionally 6 north-east to east and rain, so despite our original plan to head to Dartmouth, we decide to stay in the marina, although one boat decides to head round to Salcombe, as they are all experienced hands.
We have a wander through town, but can not buy a pastie anywhere as they are all pre-booked for when they came out of the ovens! So we have ice creams instead, and get a large bag of assorted fudge which we take back to the boat to play “Fudge roulette.”
After dinner we meet with the rest of the fleet on board the largest boat in the fleet. We bring along some snacks to share that some of the V.I. crew have prepared: rice cakes with hummus, avocado and tomato with an optional dash of hot sauce, crackers with cream cheese and frankfurters. There are no refusals from the fleet!

Day 5

The weather is looking better today, with south-easterly force 4, so after discussing with the others we get back to our plan, and set course for Fowey. Another great sail, and we are overtaken by one of the others with a huge Cruising Shute. My first mate had been a keen racer and is now constantly trimming the sails to make chase, guided by the V.I. crew setting a perfect course with the audio compass. 

Arriving in beautiful Fowey we raft on the outer pontoon and head ashore for a walk up past the village to stretch our legs. We take in a refreshment before having a quick shower ashore and returning for dinner on board.

After dinner the fleet leader pops by to catch up on our day and discuss the morning plan, to save having a skippers' meeting the next morning. A suggestion is to head round to Charlestown to check out the old historic dock and tall ship which is received well by the crew, who are now all singing together at loud volume and laughing. It seems we have great camaraderie on board now, and everyone is comfortable and relaxed.

Day 6

We pump up the tender after breakfast to make things easier later.

After a great upwind sail around the headland, we anchor in the bay and ferry all ashore to the harbour in 3 trips. It's an absolute scorcher today, and after a good look around the tall ship we are now overheating. So after a couple of hours (and welcome ice creams) we head back out to the boat and all have a swim to cool off, keeping a fender on a rope streaming off the stern, something for us to grab on to for a rest in between laps round the boat.

A nice goose-wing run back to Fowey for another night on the outer pontoons, and then we all go for dinner in a pub for a good catch up and exchange of stories between crews. One of our VI crew members, Michael, has been nominated to speak for our fleet at the closing dinner tomorrow evening at the RCYC, to which he readily agrees.

Day 7

It’s a north-west to north force 4 today, with sunny blue skies – perfect for our run back to Falmouth, and we have a great time dodging in between old traditional gaff rig boats, racing on the way into Falmouth with a fun set of tacks as we head back to our berth in the marina.

As luck would have it we manage to get some fresh pasties after we tie up and have a late lunch before showers and hopping into our best (or least-creased) clothes for the farewell dinner at the RCYC.

It's another glorious evening. We soon all gather on the Yacht Club lawn overlooking the harbour for trays of refreshments, and we catch up with the whole fleet to hear the stories of their week's adventures, tales of dolphins in the Scilly isles and similar wonderful experiences.

The week now comes to a close, and after the speeches, we retire to the back rooms to hear live traditional sea shanties sung by a group of long time Blind Week crews - it goes down a treat.

Day 8

After breakfast aboard we prepare pack lunches for our crew, and wave them a fond farewell on their journeys home; it always feels to me a parting of such sweet sorrow after such a rewarding and fun week of adventure, and learning many new skills. Not just sailing ones!