Grandson cruise

A quick sail to keep the grandson occupied on half term holiday week - who was I to say no? 😁

I was aware I needed to keep it short - he's 12 and with the best will in the world is not super keen on sailing so originally I'd planned it to be more of a fishing trip under motor than a sail, but with the harbour currently chock full of weed the lure fishing soon paled, so I suggested we put the rags up and have a sail. 

Bless him .. he said "sure".. 😏

Easterly, and the sails went up just off Emsworth Beacon before we made the best course for Marker we could get in what was a fairly fluky south easterly (it was veering between SE and SSE, but trending more southerly by the half hour).

Eleven tacks to Marker and he'd made me aware he wasn't enjoying the tacking, so we bailed just after Marker (furthest south so far this year but that's not saying much!) turning for home with a long comfortable run in the sun back to the mooring..

What can I say - I enjoyed* it anyway.. 😁

* apart from the bit where I lost my glasses over the side 👓

Log:

Distance: 5.88 (cumulative total in the mileage tab at the top)
Wind (Speed; Direction): SExS ; F3 (occasionally gusting F4)
Sail Plan: Full main and 90% genoa
Speed (Max/average in knots): 5.0/2.4

Shakedown..

At bleeding last..  the first sail on Sparrow for the new season - almost three weeks later than last year.. 😏

No major reasons or excuses for the delay, it was just a matter of weather and tides..  we had a stonking week of warm weather the week after I launched but there were no tides that week, and then a period of rain and cold settled in - hail, sun, wind, rain, repeat.. and then I needed to get the mast up....   and and ad..  If the weather gonks are to be believed next week we're getting a heatwave, I'll believe it when I see it..

Either way today looked to be the best bet to get the sails up and the first miles under my belt, and it turned out to be.... OK... 

Don't get me wrong it was bloody awesome to get the sails up and go sailing, the new roller furler is an ABSOLUTE joy, but it was grey, and it was chuffing cold in the wind..

Anyway, on the boat for half 10 which was two hours before HT (12:40), sail cover off, tender secured to pickup buoy, engine started and cast off...  with the wind being almost westerly (almost - there was a tadge of south in it), I took the opportunity to put the main up in the pool by the bridge, and then bore off for a gentle run down the ditch for the first time this year..  big tide - 4.7m - but even so we were seeing 3's...

Rolled the genoa out as we went - fantastically smooth - and just kept going, bearing up as we came round the corner by the beacon..  winds were a fairly solid F3, but every now and again something really fractious would come through, definitely higher F4. Tacked up and lit the afterburners to head back to Northney - despite what the GPS reports I was seeing 5.8/5.9 and 6 SOG (tide assisted 'natch 😏)

Tacked again - headed to Marker - almost got there, but it was so damn cold I bailed..  I had three layers on and it was still cold. Enjoyed that immensely, but now I'd like some warmer weather, please..

Sailing club duty tomorrow - I'm duty helm on the rescue boat for the second launch week..  should be fun but must remember a coat... 😁

Log:

Distance: 5.84 (cumulative total in the mileage tab at the top)
Wind (Speed; Direction): F3 gusting F4; WSW
Sail Plan: Full main/90% genoa
Speed (Max/average in knots): 5.6 / 2.8

So little expected..

..yet in the end so much delivered!

First though - I've treated myself.. Back in 2015 the Jolly Boys were their when one of the preliminary races for the 35th America's Cup were held in Portsmouth - fantastic day out, we anchored in the middle of a plethora of other boats, watched some racing, had no idea who was doing well or otherwise (better to watch it on the haunted fish tank if you want an idea of who is actually leading or not) but the atmosphere was excellent, and back then Ben Ainslie Racing had no connection to INEOS/Ratcliffe.. indeed his primary sponsor was Land Rover of all people. My baseball cap for that years team is one of the most comfortable I've had (I have a big head and it just fits well 😏) but not surprisingly 9 years of sun, salt, a couple of immersions, oh and some oxalic acid, has taken it's toll - and then I found a replacement on eBay - I'll leave you to guess which is the old and new one in the following.. 😁

How smart is that...

Anyway - new hat safely ensconced on bonce (with a bungee to stop it blowing away) and Tuesday morning found the Jolly Boys round Rod's gaff at 0830 for yet another day on the water - just the three of us this time as the Smithster had other things to do..

After a period of quite glorious highs, warm, sunny, and with a tide that was in totally the wrong place and time - we have entered a period of lows, with northerly winds, and a noticeable drop in temperatures..  the day we picked was the best of the forecasts, but the wind was far from being the best direction - it was showing light'ish and westerly.. dead upwind for anywhere west of Portsmouth, and dead downwind for coming back...

On the boat by 0915,  sails read and we cast off at 0930 with obligatory cup of coffee and pastry in hand..  the dockyard was almost empty as we came round the corner - both of the carriers are out at the moment and although it was clearly busy it looked weird not seeing Big Lizzy or the Prince in..

Main went up just off the ammunition pier, and we moved off nicely down harbour in a reasonable breeze.. as we came round the corner of Fort Blockhouse at the harbour entrance we were met by a decent breeze..  rolled the genoa out switched the engine off, put her hard on the wind, and gave this guy a little "race"..

..he was going well, and left us behind in the end, but we had a brilliant sail to the island, fast, single tack, unbelievable - there was more north in the wind than we expected!

Ended up putting the engine on and dropping sails at Castle Point before motoring in for a stupendous lunch at the Lifeboat in East Cowes (we toyed with the idea of the Island Sailing Club for a change, but we love the food at the Lifeboat and decided to go with our usual..)

Always some lovely boats to look at in Cowes, this is the Reichel Pugh designed 42 footer ‘Khumbu’ - more on her here: https://www.owenclarkedesign.com/128m-fast-40

After the almost set in stone requirement for a nap following the carbohydrate overload, we eventually dropped the moorings at about half 3 and headed for the mouth of the ricer in what was looking to be an increasing breeze..  now that was what the forecast has promised but on the sail home, in challenging downwind conditions (it was veering almost constantly between the north and south of SW'ly..  which made sail balance difficult) but with tidal assist, we were absolutely motoring.. the afterburners were definitely lit.. I was seeing medium 20's in knots on the wind instruments even going downwind! All in all we were pleased we'd put in the reef when we left Cowes.

Brilliant days sailing..  and the hat stayed on... 😁

Log:

Distance: 25.86 (cumulative total in the mileage tab at the top)
Wind (Speed; Direction): F3 in the morning/F4 gusting top F5 in the afternoon; SW'ly
Sail Plan: Full/reefed main and genoa
Speed (Max/average in knots): 7.7 / 4.3