Shooting into the brown..

...or maybe just kissing it..  😏

Fresh from the jaunt with the Three Amigo's, and with the prospect of at least a week of unsettled weather coming up, I was kind of keen to get out before this slightly Indian summer we're having disappears down the drain..  

The only issue was tides, which as we're in one of the 'off' weekends were 6/6.30 - there was rain in the forecast so I didn't fancy an all day'er, which left the later tide, and with my mooring, and the tides being Spring'ish meant just over 3 hours before..  eminently do-able..

Was on the boat by 2.30, tidied away and rigged up shortly after, and then dropped the mooring for a bash at the ditch in what was a fresh SE'ly'ish..

Left the reefs from last time in, and as I knew there was little or no chance of getting to the bottom of the harbour without some significant motoring, which I really didn't fancy, I settled for the 'pleasures' of some tacking practice..  

Loads of water slopping about, all adverse 'natch; on the starboard tack you could see the opposite shore slipping sideways (the wrong way 😀) which wiped out lots of progress on port tack which was more or less into the tidal stream..  I reckon a couple of knots worth??  Anyway - couple of hours of  enjoyable tacking along the 1 meter depth lines ensued, before I decided enough was enough and it was time to head for home..

Dropped the main, but not paying attention while I packed away the shemozzle of ropes and drooping sail saw me kiss the mud, and come to a gloopy stop..  buggery... genoa rolled away, engine on, reversed, that got me a few feet, engaged forward helm hard to port, and the nose came round and a couple of minutes later we were back in sailing water..  no harm done, and if I had stuck, it was still an hour and  half or more to HT and I'd have floated then..  

Back to the mooring under motor (I'd planned to do it under genoa which was why it was still out as I kissed the brown stuff, but was not up for chancing my arm again.. ) for a tidy up, and all done..  not sure when the next one will be - looks like I need to pick my window carefully..

Apropos of absolutely nothing that takes me through 100 miles this season - most I've done since 2018.. 😎

Log:

Distance: 6.74 (cumulative total in the mileage tab at the top)
Wind (Speed; Direction): Both ends of a F4 ; SxE
Sail Plan: Reefed main/reefed genoa
Speed (Max/average in knots):  4.4 / 2.8