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 !
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