I'm sure it was around this time last year that I was all ice'd up, snow everywhere being visited for the first time by my new owners. Yet here I am, Sunday out in blue skies and sunshine with temperatures in double figures.
There is a low pressure system in France somewhere bringing in a northerly wind about F5-6 according to the weather models my skipper scours over, dropping to F4 later, according to the inshore weather forecast. The Solent wasn't busy but then again you don't expect it to be this time of year do you or do you ? I've not been here long enough yet, but I've watched a lot of craft moving back & forth, every day.
So I was restricted to one reef and the compass was heading in a westerly destination, my wind instruments failed to acknowledge anything so they were turned off. Also the speed & trip sensor wasn't either but that probably had some life form or debris in it ! Still the GPS gave SOG so that was good enough for a pleasant run out. The little list of jobs just gets longer !
With the tide behind me and just the reefed mainsail exposed to the wind I set off to stretch my legs 7, 8 & 9 knots, the Solent had horses but no swell to speak of, this was easy. I had a chap I'd not seen before on the helm and obviously it was new to him, after a while he got the hang of it and I was no longer pointing 30 either side of the intended course. I passed a container vessel taking advantage of the reasonable conditions & coming into the Solent via the Needles, his wash was minimal against the wave pattern, although he was empty.
It must have been around lunchtime I suppose before the kettle went on and I had drawn level with Yarmouth, with tea drunk, I was brought about and headed against the last of the tide & a head wind. So close hauled and mid channel amongst a number of yachts that were keeping out of the tide I jogged up to around 5 knots, which seemed excessively slow compared to my run here. So my skipper hauled out 3/4's of the jib and soon I was well balanced and clocking 6.5 knots, easing past all around me. With the tide now turned I was gathering pace again - full jib and the large ketch in front was getting closer, I could also sail higher than her. 8, 8.5 even 9 knots again and by the time Egypt Point was coming up the Ketch had to tack and conceded second best in my virtual race.
I didn't alter course and passed the Medina allowing the car ferry to pass to stern of me and also my skipper was aware that the high speed Red Jet catamaran was due to come out. So by the time I'd dropped my sails and headed back to the Medina it was empty. The chain link clunked across in front & I reduced power and let the wind & tide brig me in. Turning back on to my remote pontoon, I gently came along side, pleased in the knowledge that full advantage had been taken of a beautiful sunny day.
