Had to laugh !

This weekend my skipper and crew turned up on Sunday and took me out for a similar run to last week.  However this week the wind was stronger and from the East.

So I was taken out of the Medina with my old mate Polly Agatha back in her space.  With a reef already sorted out on my mooring the main was hoisted with the aid of the electric winch, all sorted out by skip previously.  I was a tad difficult to control until the jib went out and sorted out the pointing of my nose.  This then enabled me to dig in and push through the waves. I was taken over to the beach on the main land and the crew had my sails perfectly balanced again, so the helm was as light as a feather.

Last time after 11nm I was passing the forts but this week with the wind on the nose 11nm only got me as far as Ryde Pier and the guys took me in really close before gybing round and heading back (my skip had other work to do).  With the wind to my rear quarter and the tide on spring and going for it the apparent wind speed fell off.  So skip decided that it would be a good idea to fly, for the first time in the Solent Thor the G2 now the bag was in the rear starboard cabin, so he fed it through the master cabin and up out of the hatch.  All was good but a last minute gybe to make the point they wanted to achieve, upset the proceedings.  The lines had to be re-fitted and this appeared to be done but proved otherwise during the release as the G2 just wouldn't fly.  Once the reason was spotted the sail was bagged and the lines reset, bar one.  Yes it was realised that one of the guys that should've gone round the jib hadn't and so the sail was not released.

Just as well really, Cowes was looming such was the speed of the tide and by the time skip had the lines sorted I was heading back in.  This however proved trickier than first thought.  The tide was so strong that I was going no where in the Fairway and the car ferry was approaching.  Skip took the wheel and soon had me crabbing sideways in to the River but at least I was making headway and not heading for the shallows.  Once safely inside behind the new breakwater which to be honest may have caused some of the issues, the helm was relinquished and my fenders set.  As we approached my berth it became apparent that another boat was sitting not too far downstream of my place.

Anyway skip decided with the wind blowing me on he could make the gap, what he forgotten of course was the G2 still in its sock was creating more windaged and so as soon as he drew level with my berth and slowed me down the bow was caught by the wind and turned me into the berth.  Now this would've been fine if there was a roving fender but there wasn't and so I got a bloodied nose but we hadn't hit anyone and I was in.  Within minutes the tide was almost full bore and would've made the proceeds that much more interesting.

The up side of this is the boat that had squeezed my space took aged to work out how to get themselves off.

It was a cracking day never-the-less and at least all of my remaining electrics behaved themselves.