Hard work

MASSIVE tide for this one at 4.96mtrs, which, if my tide tables don't lie, is one of the two biggest tides of the year (the other one is in April) - the forecast though was showing sun and a solid F3 and who was I to pass up the opportunity of a mid week sail at this stage of the season - winter is a long time going.. 😏

We'd also had notice that this was going to be a busy old weekend in my part of the harbour - a regatta at Emsworth, and also the round Hayling race, so best get my sail in before the crowd turn up for what many will be seeing as the last weekend of the summer..

With a 13:45 HT, I was on the boat for 10:00, very little water about (the low water level on a Spring that big is something to behold) but we managed. At least when the tide turns, it comes in quick - but I still much prefer a neap..  

Having seen the weed at the waterline the last time I went out, I'd brought the broom with me this time for my usual scrub round the waterline, the rudder in particular was looking a bit 'Brian Blessed', and as usual I notice the port side was worse than the starboard (I reckon that side is more shaded as when she's floating the tide flow in the pool will generally have her nose pointing east?), but with no concrete evidence to prove it yet (we'll see in four weeks when she's lifted) I think the barnacles are less this year?

All sail covers off, sails made ready, engine warming up, and I dropped the mooring at just after 10:30 ; heading for the bridge I put the main up, and then gybed for the ditch. Wind was dead westerly, so dead downwind, not much of it (low end F3) and no help from the genoa (covered by the main). I estimate there was an adverse 2 knot tide so the engine stayed on even after I got enough angle of dangle to deploy the full genoa at Sweare. 

Motor sailed to about the midway point between the Beacon and Marker, hugging the west side of the channel to stay out of the deep water flow, before eventually switching it off mainly for some relief from the noise...  progress was then being made, but not much more than a knot SOG.

The wind throughout all of this had been no more than a low F3, but as we passed through the Marker bottleneck, heading for Verner, the wind began to perk up a bit, and the sun came out...  happy days..

Reaching Verner after almost two hours (!) of sailing I was clearly on no 'speed run', so with the wind continuing to build I turned and headed back. It was a close reach so I rolled away 10% of the genoa as she goes up wind better with that.

Lovely sail to Beacon and I toyed with the idea of going back down, but some ominous grey clouds were building to the west, and I had somewhere I needed to be, so engine went on at Beacon, and I tidied up as I headed for home..

Turned out to be a good one...

Log:

Distance: 7.05 (cumulative total in the mileage tab at the top)
Wind (Speed; Direction): Both ends of a F3, gusting F4 later ; W
Sail Plan: Full main and full/90% genoa
Speed (Max/average in knots): 4.0 / 2.3