Merlin summer...

Late afternoon (quick) trip as the tides were very early and late over the weekend, but after last weekends washout (wind, rain and Grandson's 4th birthday party...  well ok...  even if it had been perfect sunny force 4's in the middle of the day I wouldn't have missed that birthday party!)

So it was that 3 of the afternoon on the Sunday saw me emptying out a half bucket of rain water from the bilges, and a quarter bucket from the keels (I need to get those coach roof rails re-bedded this winter!) and putting in the reefs for what looked like a windy and breezy old day...

Dropped the mooring with main up and pushed off quickly down the ditch to Northney..  looked to be more wind than the forecast was suggesting there'd be..  got to the top of the main channel by Fisherman's and cracked some genoa and was moving nicely when these two came over..

...yeah they were moving a bit quickly but that's a Spitfire and a Hurricane [clicky] mock dog fighting overhead..  the sound of twin Merlin's.. nothing like it..  they're from Goodwood (follow the link for more detail)

Breezy old day..  by the time I'd got half way down the main channel it was already too much for the reefs I's put in the main so I decided to heave to and drop it, and continue under just genoa...  job done and the cruise re-commenced...

Nice looking boat...  well reefed!

Pointing was good - it definitely works better in a bit of a breeze - helm is particularly un-clear - with both sails up in a breeze you get the definite tendency to bear up into the wind (weather helm), with only the foresail you also have a touch of lee helm so you have to be pretty hands on...  either way we made Marker again carried on down to HISC but with the afternoon all but gone I bore away and followed fellow club member Pete on "Red Stripe" back to the moorings..  job's a good 'un ...

We've got a period of bad weather coming in with a small weather window before it arrives - I may grab a crafty day off from work to take advantage..

Log:

Distance: 7.81   (cumulative total in the mileage tab at the top)
Wind: F5 gusting F6; SWxS going WSW
Sail Plan: Reefed and no main; reefed genoa
Speed: Maximum 5.4 and an average 3.5