Saturday 29 April 2017

Just visiting...

Well that was a bit interesting...  so with a bank holiday weekend looming here in the UK, some long long hours at work, and not being on call, I went for the extra days holiday on Friday with a view to turning it into a four day'er and go sailing on the Friday..

Forecast the weekend was looking 'iffy, but Saturday was not really an option, Sunday looks atrocious, so Friday and Monday are sailing days - if it comes off..  except when I got on the water on Friday there wasn't a breath..  motored down to Marker to give it a chance, went backwards at 1.5 knots...   gave up and was motoring for home when a sudden thought made me whip out the binoculars (which up until then I had been using to have a look at the seal colony on Hayling) and I could see that the visiting pontoon was empty.. 

Never having landed there before it was too good an opportunity to miss..  dug out the fenders, dug out a mooring line (all of this while steering with a foot 😀) came round the end of the pontoon and then did a ferry glide light as a feather onto the pontoon - good job...  hopped on to the pontoon tied up, and then proceeded to clear the boat of bird cr*p..  before sitting in what passed for sunshine with beer, cigar, and watched the world go by...  cracking! 😀

Going to have another go on Monday..  that's twice now with very little breeze, chance has got to go my way soon..


Log:


Distance: 4.32 (cumulative total in the mileage tab at the top)
Wind:  F0 to fitful F1; every direction under the compass
Sail Plan: Full main and genoa
Speed:  5.4 / 2.5 all under motor

2 comments:

  1. I Google Earthed Hayling Island but wasn't able to find the visitors berth anywhere - is it opposite 'Marker' or up in the Fowley Rithe or Northney area?

    It's quite good when the wind fails. There is much to recommend in sometimes just doing nothing, going no where and just watching the world go by!

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  2. Alden - very little (other than actual sailing) to beat sitting on your boat and watching other boats go about their business... especially when you've just practised and succeeded at your first ferry glide.. :o)

    PS. Up the Emsworth Channel... 50 degrees 50'02.34"N 0 degrees 56'32.73"W ... the island/landmass to the west that looks like a ring pull is Pilsea island.. I did the capsize part of my RYA dinghy course there 45 years ago... :o)

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