Tack, tack, tack... Marker..

Thirty to be precise, but again I jump ahead of myself...  😏

After another period of naff weather, duff tides, and some time away, at last an opportunity to get out on Sparrow again..  beautiful sunny day, warm, bit of a breeze, but from a direction that is always going to be hard work from where I am moored..

HT was 13:19 and at 4.43mtrs Spring'ish and I was on board by half 10. Took out the reefs from the last sail, warmed u the engine, hoisted the "Hurley Owners" burgee, and then dropped the mooring about quarter past 11 to see what was going on in the harbour..

"Lots" as it turns out, wind was consistent though, but as mentioned SWxS - basically bang on the nose for any trip to the bottom of the harbour. 

Motored to Sweare Deep, and raised the main under motor as apparent wind was from ahead..  bore away, cranked in on the main sheet, rolled out the genoa (rolled a bit in two tacks later), engine off and tilted up, and then started tacking. 30 tacks later (they look flat but that was because of a couple of knots of adverse tide) I was just coming up to Marker, but not before being rudely interrupted by fellow "Jolly Boy" Smithy on his kayak...  snuck up on me from just off the quarter and yelled "starboard!" just as I was contemplating a tack.. scared the living daylights out of me! 😀

 

Fellow club boat..  a Devon Yawl..  going up wind on rails, bone between her teeth and looking good..

Brief chat later and he headed off (he had a Sunday paper and lunch in a bag on the back) and I carried on..  tacking on the 1.5 mtr contours either side of the channel, and everyone having their own private little race with the boat closest (Cornish Shrimper in my case) before I turned for home just after Marker, and just after HT.

Dead downwind run, rolled the genoa away as it was doing nothing, deployed the fishing rod (nothing but weed caught), engine put on just shy of Northney and then dropped the main as I was going down the ditch. 

Was joined again by Smithy on the mooring and felt duty bound to offer him a beer.. 😏

Brilliant day out - not sure I'll get out again this week on Sparrow, but next week is the Jolly Boys Annual Cruise on AmiLy, and they're muttering about "Poole"..

Log:

Distance: 8.42 (cumulative total in the mileage tab at the top)
Wind (Speed; Direction): Top F3 / SWxS
Sail Plan: Full main/90% genoa
Speed (Max/average in knots): 4.5 / 2.7