Boatshow and feistiness...

Over two weeks since the last sail, or should I say "drift", many reasons for this, tide times, but primarily weather - the Autumn equinox continues to deliver changeable weather in the UK - wind, rain, storm Agnes (which thankfully mostly passed us by) but also warmth - here we are at the end of September, and we are getting 20's and 21's in Celsius - love it..

Either way, I'm jumping ahead as one of the reasons for no boat time was also the now regular annual trip to the Southampton International Boatshow - can't quite explain the attraction the Boatshow has for me, but I couldn't miss it. I guess it's a combination of the boats, the buzz, the conspicuous display of money, the ability to have a nose over a whole load of boats you could never afford (or even afford to charter), the Guinness stand..  anyway it was brilliant as ever..  last years trend was SUP's/paddle boards, this year that continued, but the dominating trend was ribs in all shapes and sizes...

Excellent day out - just a few pictures though...  told the Jolly Boys my expectations were now raised having seen this monster...

She's from Jeannau, and is their 55 footer [clicky] at just shy of €975,000 (ex VAT!) sailaway, I don't expect my expectations are going to be met any time soon... probably a good thing; that boat would be a weapon in the hands of the Jolly Boys.. 😁

This one (next) I took for Rodders, as it is the slightly bigger model of AmiLy (AmiLy is a 324), think the Legends are nice boats, maids of all work...

Anyway, with my lift out fast approaching (sometime between the 14th and 18th, but I am on the lift team on the 14th, and doing a delivery on the 18th, so probably not then), it was time to get some boat time in..  

I have the Jolly Boys lined up to drop the mast on the 12th (with the 13th as contingency) so I have a little over a week to enjoy my little boat before I have to start getting her ready, and before it all starts getting dark and cold and miserable....so it was that I headed down to the boat yesterday

HT was 12:15 and a stupendous 5.17m (!), one of the biggest tides I remember this year, but the tide today was even higher. Winds were forecast to be F4 NW'ly going W'ly, but there was a decidedly brisk feel to it all when I arrived on the boat 10:15'ish, so I took the decision to wrap some reefs in on the main - not a huge amount, about 4 or 5 rolls, so about a foot - but it was to prove absolutely perfect.

Once the reefs were in, the engine was started, the ensign deployed, and I dropped the mooring and we headed off. With the direction what it was, and confirmed by wind direction on the other boats*, I turned into wind in the pool right by the bridge and hoisted main, before then bearing off to largely sail down the ditch (*I miss my windex!)

Goose winged from Northney, all the way past Sweare Deep and almost to Emsworth Beacon, before I then bore away and had a simply glorious broad reach in warm sunshine past Verner and almost to the sailing club, but with the wind building all the time (feisty!), and the direction it was coming from, it was then time to turn and see if I could do the up harbour trip in one beat or more..  happy to say long boards and a single tack saw me roaring past Marker, before turning at Emsworth Beacon for a another reach down harbour - it was just too damn pleasant.

Turned for home just north of Marker, engine on half way between Emsworth Beacon and Sweare Deep, and then I had quite possibly the most amazing mooring pick up I have had this year - and typically, not a single bugger to see it... 😏

Final note: One of my fellow club members got this shot of me and Sparrow at one with the world on the last trip - lovely picture, thanks again, Martin!

Log:

Distance: 8.77 (cumulative total in the mileage tab at the top)
Wind (Speed; Direction): Both ends of a F4 ; NW occasionally NWxW
Sail Plan: Reefed main and reefed genoa
Speed (Max/average in knots): 4.4 / 2.9