It was time to go sailing again. We'd nip over to Alderney and visit our old friend Jonathon.
We left Noss at first light (this occurs at exactly the same time that I first open my eyes each morning ... so we always leave a little after first light). The forecast was NW F4 becoming NE later. The wind was NE F4 all day. We stonked over to Alderney on a beam/close reach and got there by 1745. The Casquette Traffic Separation Zone was interesting.
We moored in Braye, Jean cooked a Spag Bog and we slept very well. Braye is unusual, being one of the few harbours that is consistently rolly inside even when it's a flat calm outside.
18th September
Unfortunately, for us, our old friend Jonathon was away on holiday. So we went for a walk and I worried about how we were ever going to get back to Noss (bearing NW) in the forecast F5 NW.
Supper (F&C) at The Braye Beach Hotel was good.
As we were going to have to motor all day to get back to Noss, I gave the engine a good talking to and randomly adjusted various nuts and bolts to show I meant business ....without breaking anything of note. Coolant has been leaking from the (err..) cooling system for years so, having carefully cleaned the offending leaky area I carefully applied some AbroSteel (epoxy stuff), squishing it deftly into position using Jean's toothbrush handle. At last a proper fix for our engine!
Thoroughly fixed leak
19th September
Up at first light (etc.). We left at 0700 having spent 20 minutes unplatting our mooring lines.
We had very strong adverse tides for the first 3 hours. I calculated an ETA at Noss of 0400 next day. We bashed along motor-sailing (more motor than sail) almost head to wind. I went to bed. The tide turned, the wind backed and Jean tacked and we were flying. ETA Noss now well in time for supper. Even better our trusty engine was no longer leaking. No more red coolant dripping out.
Having managed to avoid a minor tornado (see picture), we even turned off th engine and sailed the last 12 miles towards The Dart.
A distant tornado
Arrived 1730. Not even quite dark.
Unfortunately, I later discovered that the coolant had in fact been leaking all day long .. just slightly more discretely from behind my carefully applied lump of AbroSteel.
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