A seal in the cut..

Finally some time on Sparrow - been on holiday (Greece - Kefalonia - 30 degrees and a good F4 every day, but I was confined to a sunbed!) and the tides/weather were also not optimal the weekend before so long and short of iut this is the first sail I've managed this month despite it being height of summer.. lovely lovely day though....

HT was 1545, and I was on the boat and ready to go for 1330.. another one of those days with a lot of water slopping about, and on this occasionfar more wind that was actually forecast.. I'd spot checked Cambermet (the local westher station at the bottom of the harbour) and it was showing F4 gusting F5 which kind of tallied with what I was seeing on the mooring, so I took the deicsion to whack some reefs in the main there and then.

Fired up the metal donkey, dropped the mooring and headed for the cut.. where I was met by a seal, head out of the water and watching as I went past, calm as you like... unfortunately he'd legged it (flipperd it?) by the time I go the camera out but what a lovely sight - proof if any were needed that the harbour is a natural paradise.. clean, vibrant, and full of food..

Unrolled the jib in the cut and motor sailed jib only on a stiff F4 for the end of the Emsworth channel where turning for the bottom of the harbour the wind was clearly up, put the main up as I approached Marker (the wind was almost on the nose anyway, so put the tiller pilot on and raised sail while we were sailing - much easier!) but clearly the jib was too full and needed some rolls in.. gah... in all the years I've sailed I've never has a riding turn in a roller furler, but today was my first...

All I can say is thank goodness for tiller pilots... with the engine still on tick over I dropped the main - let some jib sheet out - engaged the tiller pilot and just went up to the bow to sort it out - no fuss, no drama, and an interesting view I don't get to see often! Issue sorted, it was back to the cockpit, reef the jib, put the main back up and went sailing... phew...

Bore away over Pilsea sands at Verner (about an hour before HT at this time so I knew there'd be water) had a cracking ride to East Head (which was absolutely HEAVING with anchored boats of all types) rounded Snowhill ("hello my friend..") and then a reach back to Verner and home, where I decided that enough was definitely not enough, so turned up wind for HISC before finally turning for home just off the beach by HISC..

Brilliant days sailing... thoughts are turning to a longer trip out into the Solent, haven't seen the Nab in a fair few years!

Log:

Distance: 12.94 (cumulative total in the mileage tab at the top)
Wind (Speed; Direction): Both ends of a F4; SWxW goig WSW on the HT
Sail Plan: Reefed main and jib
Speed (Max/average in knots): 5.3 / 3.6