Passage plan was 'to meet at Rod's gaff at 0830' (yeah that's about as much detail as we go into 😁), HT was 12:01 and at 4.6mtrs a big'gy. As it turned out we were all clearly keen to get going, and the boat was on the move barely an hour later..
Scenes of interest as we left - AmiLy's pontoon is right opposite the ferry port, and Brittany had clearly reached a tick the box day as they were testing the lifeboats - never seen them doing that before.. with people in them to provide scale you then realise how big the big one's are...
Glorious day in the harbour..
..but yee gods that water was churning in the entrance to the harbour - bow and stern were being kicked all over the place..
...while they were doing that I went to have a look at the Clipper Race fleet - the first of their new generation boats has just arrived and is an absolute beast... hoping to have a closer look at her in the near future, as my bro-in-law works for them... 🤞
Log:
Distance: 27.6 (cumulative total in the mileage tab at the top)
Wind (Speed; Direction): F4 going F2 ; ESE going SE
Sail Plan: Full main and genoa
Speed (Max/average in knots): 7.2 / 2.3
...and how small the small one's are! 😂
Long broad reach to the island was perfect, but the wind direction was a little fickle by the time we go to the island side as it was coming over land and twitching about a bit, but even so it was a good run - good speeds (4.5kt's SOG) thanks to tide. Lunch spot was East Cowes and the Lifeboat again - soz, we like it - good food, decent price, well kept beer (but a slightly conservative selection)
After a snooze in the heat - and Smiffy and I had to deploy the beach umbrella's as the sun was merciless - we then upped sticks for the "event". Yeah - a solar eclipse was due that evening and the plan was to watch it from the boat, as with a 17:18LT we'd need a couple of hours before we could get back on the pontoon.
Wind was dead on the nose ('natch!) so we motored to just off Fishbourne (on the island) here the 'angle of dangle' was then such that with the sails up we had one of the best close hauled tacks I can remember in some time - the wind angle was just right, we had 20+kts of breeze, and AmiLy just went for it - tide was in our favour so even as we were beating for the other side we were also being swept sideways in the direction we wanted to go...
Once in the harbour we refuelled, and having done that pulled her back along the pontoon, and awaited the event..
 |
| Two old men and a pin hole card - please admire the socks.. it's important to him.. 😁 |
...while they were doing that I went to have a look at the Clipper Race fleet - the first of their new generation boats has just arrived and is an absolute beast... hoping to have a closer look at her in the near future, as my bro-in-law works for them... 🤞
We're not easily pleased and most of us thought the eclipse was a bit "meh" (as the young people say), so after a few beers we were back on the home pontoon and heading for home..
Next one will be an overnighter..
Log:
Wind (Speed; Direction): F4 going F2 ; ESE going SE
Sail Plan: Full main and genoa
Speed (Max/average in knots): 7.2 / 2.3
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