7:30 may not
seem a leisurely start for some but for
us compared to other weekends it qualified
as a verifiable lie-in.
9:30 saw us with kit, food, racing sails,
water and petrol safely stowed below allowing
a quick ‘somewhat marshalled’ detour
to view the remnants of Trafalgar 200 and
IFOS.
A down wind start (F4-F5) made for a some-what
fast 1st leg; to the forts off the coast
of the Isle of Wight; followed by close-ish
taking toward St Catherine’s point
thereby countering the affects of the strongest
tide; lumpy seas caused seasickness to rear
its ugly head; those taking their first rest
swore vengeance on the other watch as they
emerged tousled; bruised and tired from lack
of sleep.
As will happen we had about 4 weather forecasts
onboard all saying different things – but
with so many underwriters on board the decision
making would seem to be a straightforward
affair. However, it was left to the abacus
counter and retired broker to ascertain which
to believe - GO WEST was the decision.
Shepherds pie was wolfed down by people one
would presume had never seen food before,
then with watch system in place – blondes & brunettes
divided equally we began our evening passage
through hell and high water. – well
wind and rain anyway.
Dawn saw us surrounded by competitors as
we continued toward Jersey and then, well
pear shaped springs to mind!
Michael Fish eat your heart out – the
weather forecast of variable would appear
to be correct.
Boat Speed 0.0
Speed over Ground 2.4
Hooray for the moon
and gravity!
Obviously this was only going to last this
way for a few hrs; so with a heavy heart;
many phone calls to RORC and the threat of
11 P45’s in the post the decision was
made to turn on the engine leaving a white
cloud in our wake on our continued journey
toward France.
Approximately 03:00 numerous navigational
marks later- we tied up alongside in the
lock and after 11 minutes rose like a ‘ ‘ with
some very tired and possibly smelly people
on board.
2-3 hrs kip later saw us to the bar at the
ferry terminal; and then homeward bound – along
with some very dodgy singers in the bar!
Isabelle & Liz
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