Sublime to the ridiculous..

...but ain't that sailing?! 😏  Second time out in three days and the weather and wind looked like almost a carbon copy of Fridays awesome jaunt. Suffice to say expectations were high... idiot boy..

HT 14:27 and a bigger tide as they continue to get Spring'ish - an extra quarter of a metre of water sloshing around than had been the case on Friday. The wind was also clearly stronger, but I decided to go with the forecast and leave the reefs out. Either way on the boat by 11, fresh fuel added to the tank, covers off engine warmed up and we dropped the mooring just after half past.

Mainsail up in the pool by the bridge, and then bore away for the ditch and Northney/Sweare Deep, motor sailing as per Friday - much much windier though, and while I was motoring head to wind I took the opportunity to put some reefs in on the main.

Motor sailed through a lot of weekend traffic to Marker and then engine off and started tacking - but it just wasn't happening - tide was so strong it was pushing me back half of every metre made, and the wind direction was going more southerly/adverse with every minute. Ten tacks and 200 or 300 yards later I gave up, bore off and lit the afterburners for some fun back and forth in Sweare Deep before heading back to the moorings..

From the sublime to the ridiculous indeed, and a valuable lesson not to assume anything when you go sailing!

Notes:

• 3 litres fresh fuel added

Log:

Distance: 9.26 (cumulative total in the mileage tab at the top)
Wind (Speed; Direction): SSE going S; F3 going F4
Sail Plan: Full and reefed main/90% and 75% genoa
Speed (Max/average in knots): 4.8 / 2.7

Go East young man..

The heatwave in the UK continues - low to mid 30's - and 'any fule no' the best place to be in temperatures like that are on a boat in a sea breeze...

Problem is of course that temperatures like that tend to be accompanied by a massive high which means low/fluky winds and so it was that yesterday (the day I went) was the first day that week where there'd be a forecast of a reasonable breeze, even if it was from a most bizarre direction..

Anyway - 13:06HT and a 4.2mtr tide (Spring'ish) and I was on the boat by 10, got ready while I waited for the water to fill in a bit (only 0.1mtrs on the depth instruments), warmed up the engine, and was off just before half past..

Raised the main in the the pool by the bridge, as where I was moored it was blowing a SW'ly which was a little strange given the forecast, motor sailed down the ditch, and then carried on as the wind moved round on to the nose as I turned for Sweare Deep..  rolled out some genoa but soon rolled it back as it was doing nothing.

Turned for Marker and at last there was some usable wind, so the genoa came out again, and I motor sailed for Marker as the wind was very slightly east of south which meant for some fairly nice long tacks that were only really doable with the motor assist and the apparent wind it created..

East Head ahead - short cut across the sands - never less than half a metre under the keel.. but it was a rising tide.. 😏

Steamed past Marker and as the harbour opens up there, and the racket was getting tiresome, turned the engine off and started tacking against a still fairly fierce incoming tide..

Guess where I switched the engine off and stopped motor sailing.. 😁

My plan was to cross the sands but the first two attempts I abandoned - water was a bit thin - third one was a charm though and crossed the sands aiming at East Head and my old mate 'Snowhill'. Half a metre under the keel all the way - just the occasional jump as we crossed an underwater lake or ditch, but the tide pushing us slightly to the east even over the sands..

Exited into the Itchenor Channel just west of the end of Thorney Island so as to miss the bank that runs west from the end of the island and shot across to the other side of the channel (it was damn busy..) easing sheets as I went and riding the incoming tide before turning out a new one for me - don't even have it in the GPS...  meet the splendidly named Rookwood ==>

Looking north - entrance to the Thorney Channel opposite

...before turning just after, hardening up, and then a single long tack back towards the sailing club on Hayling, cutting the corner of the Sands to head north, letting all the sheets out and goose winged all the way to the top of the harbour..  

The fishing rod was out (I caught nothing but weed all day, though I did almost catch a Hawk 20 that tacked close round my stern, line snapped unfortunately so it got away.. 😁)

Joy of a Friday when every other bugger is at work 😏

Gybed at Sweare Deep, rolled in the Genoa, fitted a new hook and lure to the rod, and then eventually dropped the main just before the ditch before motoring back to the mooring.

Fantastic days sailing - best this year so far I reckon..

Notes:

• fuel top up required
• tiller bolts loose and now tightened

Log:

Distance: 13.49 (cumulative total in the mileage tab at the top)
Wind (Speed; Direction): Both ends of a F3; SxE going SSW
Sail Plan: Full main and Genoa
Speed (Max/average in knots): 4.8 / 2.8

Opportunity is a Winner

An opportunistic sail grabbed from the end of a mahoosive heatwave..  but I'm jumping ahead of myself..

First off a bit more make do and mend with two coats of paint applied to the tops of all three of the locker lids - fore, companion way hatch and rear.. I'd hoped for the opportunity of a sail but there was no wind so the paint brush was applied instead.. oh.. and coffees drunk, and the chair and sun shade deployed.. oh, and the fishing rod came out.. all bases covered!

Vote of approval for the 2in1 by the way..  coffee's always a hassle on a small boat as the coffee in tins hardens within weeks the moment you open them, and the only milk option is UHT..  this stuff comes in sachets... both powdered in one..  and it tastes OK..

..but painting having been done, we then went into the aforesaid massive heatwave..  Britain's been seeing 30'C plus on a regular basis over the last week, but with the forecasts saying the weather was about to break, and with the tide times swiftly going east as the week progresses, a window of opportunity presented itself..

HT at 17:24, I managed to get on the boat by just after 14:00 - interesting to see I wasn't the only one with the same idea, as two or three tenders were on their way to various boats on the pool. Quick strip down of various covers while the engine was on warming up and I dropped the mooring just shy of  25 past..  a full three hours before HT so something of a record..

Forecasts were for a F4 all afternoon, and it looked like they were overestimating, but as it turned out they were spot on as the wind continued to build as I came out of the shelter of the bund and ditch, and passing Northney..

Yet again it was a 'funny' direction - west of the purportedly 'prevalent SW' - anyway - head to wind off Northney, main up, bore away and rolled out 90% of the foresail (thinking I'd be tacking a lot).

The a broad reach to Sweare, bore up - tightened everything in and down... and apart from a couple of small tacks to get a little west'ing made it to Mid Winner on almost a single tack..  amazing...  yet again I was expecting it to go around at any time as I approached Marker but this time we did it in just two tacks (rather than the usual 30)

Mid Winner

Fancied a beer, so gybed and headed for home on the last hour of flow.. 5.5's as we flew home...  couple that with the best mooring buoy pickup we've had this year and it was a brilliant, and totally unexpected, day on the water.. 

Log:

Distance: 9.02 (cumulative total in the mileage tab at the top)

Wind (Speed; Direction): F4 going F3; WSW going SW
Sail Plan: Full main/90% genoa
Speed (Max/average in knots): 5.0 / 3.0