Welcome - Thor

I thought I had been neglected as a couple of weekends have passed and I've been sitting here on my pontoon, over looking all the activity that's been going on at the East Cowes Marina and the children at UKSA centre.  The big blue bag has been in my masters cabin since the Round the Island Race.

This weekend though saw my skipper arrive, but this time instead of his usual lighter weight air cooled Honda outboard being on the back of the dinghy, the heavier water cooled Yamaha was powering him up toward me.  This usual means one thing, preparations for my month at sea, as it is this slightly more powerful engine they put their trust in when I'm anchored off shore.

But no, more crew turned up and we headed out in to he Solent on a very warm and windless day, as my skipper had said. Once clear of the Fairway and with the flood tide still heading eastwards, the tide not the wind took me in that direction.  With full main hoisted, the sail, a Gennaker G2 was hoisted from the master cabins hatch.  However, with little in the way of steerage, its launch was halted as there was also a problem trying to find the tack to attach the guys to and so it was sent back down where it came from.

With a steadier breeze and steerge regained, the blue bag was brought up on stored on the foredeck, clipping the bag to the rails.  With the halyard re-attached, the guys clipped on and the clew attached to the bow by means of a strop, skipper went back to the cockpit where it was hoisted and ground in.  Pulling on the snufflers lines it rose slowly, eventually skipper got his Helm to make a to the south and the westerly wind filled the base of the sail and the snuffler went skywards.  Thor appeared rising from the deck as the sail filled with air.  Despite the Helm not being happy with the Royal Blue colour, I dipped my shoulder down in recognition of the new power and as I stood back up I powered up.

This pleased my skipper, especially as a freighter had opted to enter the channel I was in. I crossed the channel and in no time at all lunch was being declared.  The drop was simple, skipper untied the snuffler line from the base of the mast and pulled the sock over the sail all the way to the rail.  Then it was a matter of unclipping the strop from the bow and then bagging it as the halyard was released.  Once packed and tidy, I turned to windward, the main was dropped, anchor prepared and I was pointed towards Osborne Bay.

After lunch with the wind now in exceedence of 15 knots, it was unlikely that the G2 would be used again, in fact a single reef was put in to the main before the anchor was weighed.  With all whites flying and a southerly wind I was taken towards the Forts. On reaching the red can, a marker for the port side of the small channel the change of helm gybed me slowly over under the guidance of the skipper and headed towards Lee-on-Solent.

With the ebbing tide skipper took over the helm and headed west back to Cowes, 8.5 knots SOG, he spotted a car transporter leaving Southampton Water and so opted to cross right across.  This he did and caught and passed a Sigma 38 on the windward side, even with a reef in my main it still dwarfed the Sigma's. Slowly, majestically I pulled passed, the skipper on board the Sigma had tried to push me to starboard and luff my sails, but he'd gone too far himself and had to bear away enabling my skipper to do likewise and present my sails better to the wind and so the quicker I was able to pull away.  None of my crew looked directly at them, but they were mine, none to happy to have been passed with such grace !

The Medina was extremely busy as Panneri Classic Week was about to commence, but once passed the melee of yachts and motor cruisers, skipper took over and guided me back to my spot, however the tide was now running fast in the River and so at the second attempt he lined me up near to Polly Agatha and reversed me in to the spot.  Once in, he transported the others back to the public pontoon and tidied me up, happy that enough was away and clear. He headed off himself.

Sunday he returned, checked the fluids in my engine and cleared the filters of any debris.  He sat in the sunshine in the cockpit with his tea, reading the instructions to the latest gadget the McMurdo AIS class B transponer.

As for the month at sea, I understand that's coming up.  Will Thor get to add the miles to my passage as intended, we'll see !

Round The Island Race - 2015

It was on the Friday that my skipper turned up with one of his crew members, to start to prepare me for the following days early start.  Instrument covers off, wheel & winch covers off, main halyard attached and lazy Jack bag unzipped.  Even to the point that the gas cylinder was switched to ensure no need to change it should it run out part way round.  The only thing left to do in the morning would be to sort out slips and clear away the springs.

With more or less everything done in advance that could be, a visiting yacht was spotted coming in to Polly Agatha's space.  So skipper & crew, leapt off me to go take their lines.  Miss understanding the Belgian flag for the German one, the only English speaking person on board asked if it would be ok to stay there for the night with 3 other boats rafted, they could be seen to be heading in a line back up the Medina.  My skipper climbed back on board and grabbed the hand held radio and called up the harbour master.  They soon came down and explained that they should continue down river to the Folly Inn where there would be space.  The Belgians where totally unaware that the busiest race in the world was about to occur.  Once they were happy as where to go, skipper climbed back on board and used the VHF to forewarn the Folly berthing master of there impending guests.

Once happy that I was more or less ship shape and ready for the morning they checked the new cruising chute, a Gennekar G2, but clealry it wasn't the colour that is should've been !  With it re-packed they boarded the dinghy and disappeared in the afternoon sun.

From that point on, the Medina was getting busier by the hour and yachts were starting to raft. Rod the old live-a-board, who used to be at the end of my pontoon, had been shifted to make space and temporary re-located next to me.  He had nearly set fire to his boat, dropping something on the batteries during a charging session I think he said !  Still he did look a bit be-draggled as he came out on deck covered in white powder.

At around 0630 on the Saturday my skipper was dropped off from the dinghy, climbed aboard and started my engine and fired up all the instruments.  When he was satisfied everything was talking properly to each other, he set up the slip lines and took in the springs.  More and more people arrived, until there was eight on board.  Following a brief safety talk and everyone in their position, I was put in reverse until the bow came out.  However the chap on the stern slip, was a tad slow or didn't appear to know what he was doing.  Rather than pull the line in he waited till I had pulled it all off the pontoon and in to the water before retrieving it, despite the numerous instructions that were being hailed at him fro various points on my decks.  As fenders and lines were stowed, my skipper had everyone wear their viking helmets ready for the start line and to give spectators something to giggle about.

This year, the tide was still going to be against us at the start.  My skipper took me quite far east to hoist the sails and off to the far end of the start line, to keep the wind that otherwise could be shadowed by the island closer in. We were about two minutes behind our start time of 0740, but at least in reasonably clear water.  Plan A was to take one long take up to the Needles, but the wind direction changed this.  It was hoped to make the Needles by 1100 and this was easily achieved and I had passed Freshwater Bay by then.  By this time with more sea room the fleet dispersed with two distinct split in tacticks.  Some went out to get a more consistent wind angle, others kept in to keep out of the stronger ebbing tide.  I was taken out.

The wind steadily built and once past St Catherine's point, close to where my crew abandoned the race last year due to no wind,  26 knots was blowing across my decks.  The swell was coming from the starboard rear quarter, lifting that corner of my stern and trying to turn me round.  Skipper was caught out by a gust and a large wave and couldn't stop me from turning head to wind.  Many other boats were also broaching with a few popping their spinnakers too.  Once a reef was ground in and my skipper happy he turned me round and headed back on course under much more civilised control.

One gybe later and I was pointing to the only mark on the course Bembridge Ledge Cardinal Buoy.  Although to get a better wind angle I had to be pointed higher and my skipper was playing with the turning tide to push me back out again.  Once round the mark Ryde Sands becomes an issue for me and so I was taken out to the port mark marking the edge of shallow water.  Then it was a case of praying for the tide to assist, but this is the Solent and tides do strange things here, and tacking as least times as possible to get across the correct finish line.

It was a struggle getting across the southern finish line as the tide was pushing me away from the committee boat and the winds appeared to go light.  But cross it we did in 9 hrs 50 minutes