Wakefield Cathedral's Canon Precentor, Andi Hofbauer and Assistant Organist, Simon Earl have done it!
They have sailed round Lake Windermere in the good ship Windaloo to raise funds for the next phase of Wakefield Cathedral's redevelopment programme, Project 2015.
This is their report from their final day:
Wednesday:
We've done it! What a great day! What a sense of achievement!!
We rejoined Windaloo at Fellfoot, where it was busy with holidaymakers visiting and going in the steamer cruises.
A bit of bailing, stowing the kit, hoisting the sails and off to adventure part two!
We had nice southwesterly winds with a steady 7-15mph and few gusts, so where we had been battling and struggling yesterday for hours trying to make any headway in long uncomfortable tacks, we were today running and reaching with the wind behind us on an even keel.
We reached Bowness in record time and decided to crack on. Again, what a difference: where yesterday the blowy southernly called for constant swift tacks between island and harbour wall, rocks and moored yachts, we today negotiated the passage on text book jibes, noting again that any of the bigger yachts drop their sails and motor through here...tsk!
After a weird moment of total becalmed-ness, where conflicting winds running off the mountains brought us to a standstill, the northern half of the lake presented us with a steady 15-20mph northwesterly wind, with few gusts, what fun! We made tremendous headway on a speedy closehaul, the foot straps again coming into frequent use for us to hang over the side to stabilise Windy on our course. We reached Waterhead in an amazing three hours sail and once moored up, what a sense of achievement!
We've done it, folks, sailed Windermere on Windy for Project 2015!
A special thank you to our shore party, Liz & Richard Earl; the Lake Wardens at Windermere; the team at Pugneys Watersports Centre, especially Steve and Andy; to Jane and Rich for the publicity; all well-wishers; all who have sponsored us - and it is not too late to do so still!! - and a trusty Windaloo who is such a great little boat to see us safely thru!
The Cathedral Chapter needs £2.2 million to renew the East End of the Cathedral and have applied to the Heritage Lottery Fund and hope to hear if they have been successful later this Autumn.
Project 2015 will see the East End of the Grade 1 listed building shine again, with clean walls, new lighting and electrics, a level floor, a renewed St Mark’s Chapel and the creation of a quiet area for those who want to simply sit or light a candle.The music area below in the vestry – the engine room of the Cathedral’s world-renowned choir – will also be renewed as part of this project.
Andi and Simon want to raise more than £2,000 - and you can still help them. Anyone wanting to donate can contact the Cathedral Office on 01924 373923 or donate directly at www.virginmoneygiving.com/team/sailingwindyroundwindermere