Tack-fest

Lord above..  3rd sail in a week - what are things coming to? 😏

Clearly the weather is helping - it's warm, hot, and occasionally breezy, and the tides were also good the last seven days - times were optimal. Reckon this will be the last one until the tides come right again though, as they're beginning to get late (and early) now..

Either way, 15:37 HT and a big 4.47m height of water - definitely Springs. On the boat by 13:00, and as it looks like we had a bit of SE'ly action I got her ready on the mooring..  by half past we'd dropped the mooring and were motoring down the ditch. 

At which point there was a strange thing happening... I'd started my GPS up as usual - normally she's as good as gold, and satellites are acquired straight away - but this time it was really playing up and telling me it couldn't acquire them..  had to use auto locate in the end and it then started working as normal - what was really strange was that my phone was also reporting a weak GPS signal ...  got to Northney and both started working like normal..  weird.. 🤔

Speaking of Northney, as I went past I was passed by this... a pontoon boat...  now I understand they're quite common in the US, but that's only the second or third one I've seen here...  and it had a 120HP engine on the back! 😮

...but that's OK, as 10 minutes later this one went past...

...from the ridiculous to the sublime?? 😁

Anyway - the SE'ly turned out to be almost dead southerly - but with just enough angle of dangle in it to help with the tacks, so I just left the motor on and motor-sailed to Marker. You can see the difference the engine makes on the track - big looping tacks covering the distance. The tide was running hard though,  and when I did turn it off just before Marker the tacks immediately flattened as I tried to squeeze through the pinch point  - a lot of water pours through that comparatively small space. South of Marker the harbour opens up, more water and longer tacks make it easier to get up wind..

With signs that the wind was dying I turned and headed for home - just enjoying the weather, the boat, the water and the wind..  lovely day, more please!

Notes:

• I'll need more fuel
• The genoa sheets are beginning to wear and fray - time to replace them - 14 mtrs required.

Log:

Distance: 9.38* (cumulative total in the mileage tab at the top)
Wind (Speed; Direction): F4 going F3 ; SxE
Sail Plan: Full main and 90% genoa
Speed (Max/average in knots): 4.4 / 2.8

*including an addition for when the GPS was playing up 😏

Light airs drifting..

Well that was a bit different to two days ago!

First the tides are building (in magnitude) fast - at 4.43m that's a quarter of a metre more water than when I went out just 2 days ago (the 'Buck' moon is in full chat at the moment), and second, the wind had shifted 180' - we had a NW'ly (ish)!

Anyway - 14:27 HT and I was on the boat getting ready by 11:00 (feet got a bit muddy, but it was 3.5 hours before high😏). The forecast was to build later to a solid F4, but when I got on the boat it was pretty light except that every now and again a strong gust would come through...  they do say you should do it the moment you think of it, so I decided to put a light reef in the main while on the mooring, saves faffing later..

Just shy of half past 11, with the main still up, I dropped the mooring and headed for the ditch..

Lots and lot of water sloshing about, and the wind proved fitful and all over the place - rolled out some genoa but it wasn't doing much as I needed the engine on to make pace against tide, which then cancelled out any benefit from the breeze..  basically the wind wasn't pushing me hard enough to counter tide! 😁

By the time we got to Sweare Deep the wind was beginning to settle in F2 territory, yet every now and again one of those F4 gusts would come through, and the wind was also shifting though about 10 degrees either side of NW so getting on a run as we came round the corner into the main channel by Beacon was a pain..  genoa almost constantly flapping but I managed to get on a goosewing for 15 minutes or so ...

..before giving up when the wind shifted again, so rounded up, put the engine on and motored back to Sweare Deep while I took the reef out of the main, turned, and had another go..

Better but not brilliant, but having managed to get past Marker I decided enough was enough, and as lovely as it was, a beer beckoned.. 😁

Log:

Distance: 6.09 (cumulative total in the mileage tab at the top)
Wind (Speed; Direction): F2 gusting F4 ; NW
Sail Plan: Full/reefed main and full genoa
Speed (Max/average in knots): 4.7 / 2.1

Camber clamber..

...and as we always knew they would, the tides finally returned.. 😏

After a glorious week weather'iwse last week but where the tides were late and early, this week broke fair with later morning early afternoon tides, perfect! Yesterday was a 12:47 HT and at 4.24m was early Springs, definitely not as big as some we've seen so far this year!

On the boat by 10 then, and the plan was not to hang around - the wind was dead southerly (uhhhh... 😐) so whatever happened today, with the bottom of the harbour a long way away, and dead downwind, the mechanical donkey was going to earn her keep today. Opted then to get the boat ready while underway..  

Dropped the mooring about quarter past...  autopilot on (Lord bless it - what did I do in the days before it?!) and motored down the ditch while getting sail covers off, ties off, ensign on, lockers unlocked, rolled out some tentative genoa as I went past Northney (as the wind was beam on) but I was soon headed so I rolled it back and settled down for a long motor.

Plan was to see if I could cross Pilsey sands from about Verner (see map for locations), heading vaguely east'ish, as that would allow a beam, if not close, reach down to East Head.. which worked quite well except for one thing - school summer holidays! 😁  

Yep.. every club at the bottom of the harbour (just like ours so I should have known!) was running a Juniour's* Week and the harbour was absolutely rammed with every type of dinghy under the sun - all of them seemingly racing on Pilsey Sands! Six tacks later (to avoid fleets of ankle biters and their parents) and I finally managed to get a gap and made my way across, and only then by going right through the middle of a fleet (on starboard and gloating 😏)

Once across though, I sought emptier waters, and rode the very last of the tide eastwards towards Itchenor - before finally gybing off the end of Thorney Channel around the Cambermet weather beacon..

Cambermet in addition to being a weather station is also a south cardinal (which I hadn't realised) - it marks the end of a spit that runs from the east side of the Thorney channel - I'm the wrong side of it, but there was plenty of water... 😁

...and heading back towards the main Emsworth Channel to the west.. it was a glorious day - the following (click to 'embigen') is a view up the Thorney Channel, the sun on the water, and the South Downs in the distance - what a venue to sail in..  I'm lucky.. 

...with more west in the wind with every passing moment, I had to tack off Pilsey Island as the water was geting thin, and I couldn't clear it on the tack I was on. Headed back across the channel towards Ella Nore on the southern side of the channel and then tacked again to head west...

Passed Snowhill - skirted the multitude of anchored yachts and motor boas off the beaches at East Head, and then cut the corner for the long ride home..  it was dead down wind, so the genoa was rolled away..

...hello "old friend".. 

Fishing rod was deployed, views were enjoyed, music was on, the perching post occupied, seals admired, and we progressed up the harbour at a most stately 3.5 knots (against tide) - very pleased - looks like the antifoul is holding up...

Then just as we approached Northney, and just as I had out the engine on for the last schlepp down the ditch - wallop! The road started bouncing, and bugger me if we hadn't caught a decent one.. 

Oh yes... 🐟

Usually I only catch tiddlers and infants, but that was a 100% adolescent, and just over a pound in weight.. he (or she) was admired, photo'd, and sent back to his siblings with a story to tell...   "and away"...  

Cracking sail and takes me comfortably over the 50 for the year so far..   more please!

*according to Google, Juniour (as opposed to Junior) is "an obsolete and incorrect" spelling - who knew? Also when did obsolete become incorrect? I've always used spelt it that way, and just to cheese Google off probably will continue to..  on those rare occasions you have to... 😁

Log:

Flat tacks..  tide was running..  😏

Distance: 12.74 (cumulative total in the mileage tab at the top)
Wind (Speed; Direction):  F2 gusting F3 ; SSE going SxW
Sail Plan: Full main and 90% genoa
Speed (Max/average in knots): 4.6 / 2.8