Sail training

As Ann & Alex didn't get to see the delights of sailing, Sam the instructor brought them along today for a sail in Poole harbour. I stayed below cooking pizza, while the arguments of "There's a buoy!! - yes yes I can see it!! - Why didn't you tell me we were that close to that buoy!!!" went on outside. Everyone had a good time really.

We met Sam & Ann later on the town quay (our doorstep) where there were live bands & fireworks.

Cherbourg here we come

After a few hours sleep & a prawn sandwich - thanks Sam (for both), we the crew (Me, Mayuri, Sam, Ann (Sams wife) and Alex (Ann's sister)) set off from Poole at 2355.

The weather was calm, but forcast for a F7 later. I didn't want to set off, but I hadn't wanted to leave Plymouth the day before either which would have turned out to be the wrong decision, so I went with it. Everyone went to bed except me & Sam.

As we came out of Poole harbour and into the English channel, the wind increased in small steps until we were at 20kts with our first reef in. The sea wasn't very big but quite confused. I dont think we could point within 50 degrees of Cherbourg. 15 miles out at 0440 with the wind at 30kts, we turned back. Sam was dissapointed and said if it was just me & him we would have carried on - I was pleased there were girls on board!

I was sick of sailing and boats by now, and as the conditions sailing downwind with just genoa were nice, I went to bed leaving poor Sam to sail singlehanded back to Poole.

When I awoke at about 0700 that morning, mr die hard was still sailing through Poole harbour, bleary eyed but still refusing to put the engine on. I don't even want to think about his account of the overfalls at Handfast point that he negotiated while we all slept. I called up Poole quay yachthaven for a berth and was suprised that he didn't actually want to sail onto the marina pontoon!

We walked back to his house to fetch the car and wondered if the girls would be suprised how much Cherbourg looked like Poole when they awoke.

Thanks Sam :-)

Gone!

Sam came down by bus to help us break our chains from Plymouth and get across Lyme bay. We slipped at 1915 and headed out into a big swell from a few days of high winds. As we came out of the sound and turned left for the mewstone, the wind was behind us and we made good progress as far as bolt head, hand steering with the big waves. Then the tide turned and we started to crawl. I didn't realise at the time but I think mr die hard sailor, Sam, was horrified that I put the engine on - but it was a good decision (by luck) making good progress in that section and carrying a fair tide past Portland bill, where we would have been going backwards otherwise. The engine stayed on for the rest of the 21 hour trip, at 2000rpm, helping us against the tide & increasing our average speed when fair. It was a really nice sail (motorsail!) and I stayed up the whole night, taking over when the autopilot struggled with the waves. The sea was a lot smoother the next morning and we just enjoyed the sail, even breaking out the cruising shute for a while. We sailed into Poole harbour on Tuesday afternoon and as we all gawped at another cat moored up, I ran aground - but blamed Sams navigation ;-) , and finally moored up at Sams work and went back to his house for a few hours sleep before the attempt at France!

Still here!

Another week in Hooe lake. While scrubbing the boat this week, I noticed the nylock nut loose on the bolt that holds the port side rudder on. Further inspection revealed the bolt had corroded away due to galvanic action to leave only half a bolt. All replaced for a fiver. Hoping to set off for Poole tommorow.

Where we lived this week

After our barbi on Thursday 3rd with Sam & his mate Paul at Barnpool, we dropped them off at Mayflower and did our first sailing at night, which was quite an event finding & picking up a mooring buoy in pitch dark with a spring tide. We sailed up to Cawsand the next day and anchored next to our old neighbours Rod & Margaret who came across for a tea. Saturday morning we went ashore to buy eggs & sausages for a fryup and again later for the rest of the afternoon for the photos and to laze on the beach in the sun with the crowds (Mayuri being the accountant counted 65 boats anchored at dinner time!) We bumped into Martyn & Anne as we dingied back to Janix, and then John, Wendy & their freinds came aboard too. We went across to UFO later that night for drinks with Martyn & Anne, but as I forgot to turn on the anchor light before we left, it seemed a long dark trip into nowhere motoring the dingy back later. We left early the next morning to catch the tide into Hooe lake where we've being anchored until today (Fri), sheltering from the bad weather. We became proper liveaboard sailers on Thursday when we took the dingy up river to do the shopping at Morrisons, and beat the record time for getting out of the dingy and onto the boat on Wednesday night as I rowed back to the boat after dropping Sam off ashore. Just as I got to the boat, a big black head came out of the water. I think now it was a Sealion or maybe a dolphin, but at the time I didn't know what it was and didn't want to be in a rubber dingy next to it!