East'ing...

What a stonking day on the water and as is usually the case when a sailing day exceeds expectations, so unexpected..

Arrived to the club to find it suspiciously light in the wind department when all the forecasts were screaming out F4 and I'd been wondering about reefs when I left home. Either way after a brief chat with fellow club member Martin (an Anderson 22 owner) who had the same ideas me, I was in the tender and then on board Sparrow by 0845'ish.

Plan was to get sails ready as I went as with the wind very firmly in the east it was clear that I'd have to motor to the end of the channel before any sailing could be done - despite that direction I still love an easterly in the harbour as that means the options for fast passages to the bottom of the harbour and back, and also a run down the channel back to the mooring should anything go wrong. 

So a gentle motor to Sweare Deep, sails up and out in what was only a gentle F2, but happily we are on Neaps so far less water sloshing round than last time - bore away, and then had a  lovely 4 knot reach down to HISC

...fool on the hill? I think not when I think of all the poor souls in the office on a day like today...

Turned and headed back to the top of the harbour at NW Pilsey as I still wasn't sure whether it would be one or more tacks to get back, but as it turned out, just the one to make a little east'ing..  glorious - and so good I then repeated it..

Great to be out on the water - joined by the aforesaid Martin, and also mate Simon on his boat Marcy - all of us agreed that the whole summer could carry on doing that as far as we were concerned, as it was more than adequate recompense for a winter of grovelling in the mud and the gravel to get our boats ready.. 😏

Log:

Distance: 10.6 (cumulative total in the mileage tab at the top)
Wind (Speed; Direction): F3 (occasionally 2 and occasionally 4!) / NExE going E
Sail Plan: Full main and genoa
Speed (Max/average in knots):  5.1 / 3.1