Bank Holiday Weather

My skipper had arranged amongst his friends for three of us to take them over to France for the Bank Holiday weekend.  Nimrod, a 35' that is currently moored next to me was to carry three chaps over, Escalon a 27' was to carry a father and daughter combination, but due to her not being particularly quick, she was going to leave on the Friday to give her crew a full days rest before returning.

I and Nimrod, were going to leave at 0800 to arrive around 2200 in Cherbourg wind willing, with a return at 1800 on Sunday meant an overnight passage for the skippers, although mine wouldmore than likely be on his own, as the girls would be tucked up in my cabins.  However wind was the issue.  The Metoffice forecast had a low pressure building south of the Fastnet rock, influencing the weather in the Channel, with winds in excess of 30 knots likely for the Sunday return.  Nothing I can't handle nor my skipper but in the dark and likely to be on his own, not a clever situation to knowingly to head in to.  Escalon too, would be battered about, although she would've left a lot earlier the seas would built before she made it back to Hayling Island.

So a decision was made on the Thursday after lunch following the latest forecast, it hadn't improved and so plan B was quickly thought of.

Skipper came down on Friday afternoon and stayed, completing the tidying up and preparing me for guests.  Jeff on Escalon, who left just after lunch, rang to say that the engine overheat alarm was singing and so he was going to sail in to the Medina. Skippers knowledge of the river provoked him in to call the Harbour Master on his mobile as he couldn't raise him my the VHF.  Sure enough the strong tide and the failing wind within the river, saw Escalon being towed in by the rib and so the kettle went on.  Shortly after Nimrod also arrived with her crew and Debs bag was transferred to one of my stern cabins.

Skip & Jeff had found that the impeller had parted company with its inner metal tube and so whilst the tube spun the impeller didn't, problem fixed.  My other crew member arrived, complete with prepared food later, the BBQ was set up and lit on the pontoon (skip already spoken to the HM to make sure no by-laws were being broken) and everyone mingled around or on board me and then nestled inside when the temperature dropped.  Much chatting went on as food & drink was consumed.  People turned in as the day caught up with them and eventually all the lights went out in all our cabins.  The plan was now for Nimrod & myself to sail around the NAB tower and Escalon to head East and be picked up as we sailed back.

The wind was quite gusty measuring 20+ knots true, which had me healed over quite a bit, enough in fact for water to enter open sea cocks !  I was taken north of the NAB tower and tacked round to circumnavigate it on my port side then what appeared to the crew a slow run back, not dead down wind as skip doesn't think that's necessary or safe, so with a gybe preventer fixed and slightly off a dead run I was running at 5.0 - 5.5 knots.  With me flat to the sea, skip then went about pumping the water out of my bilge.  It was just before this point that my crew noted that battery voltage had dropped and so the engine was started and left to tick over.

With Thor, the 170msq Gennaker stored beneath the master cabin bed, skip couldn't be asked to dig it out (having made the bed yesterday) and so 7 minutes later as Nimrod rounded the NAB tower his spinnaker was raised and he passed me just before the Forts.  Escalon meanwhile had made good progress and turned back as progress was monitored on channel 10.  Being bank holiday berths at other marina's was unlikely and skip had previously checked a few, so we ran back to our known available berth back on the pontoon.  Once we all had regathered ourselves, our crew mustered on the pontoon and was picked up by taxi and taken upstream to the Folly Inn, returning at a reasonable time.

With the weather likely to worsen, Escalon set off back to Hayling and much tidying up & cleaning occurred on Nimrod and myself. As no further sailing was likely the crew of Nimrod left his skipper behind and set off on the Red Jet, my skipper took the remaining crew member back to shore and returned to check my batteries and continue to wire in the new wind generator.

A good weekend in all, despite the disappointment of the reduced itinerary.

Escalon's goose neck broke in the Solent on the way back and had to run back on engine, which the overheat alarm went off again (debris).  With Nimrods VHF not working, only the hand held and my battery issues, probably just as well the skippers chose not to go.  Still I've added to the list of jobs my skipper has, not that he's best pleased !