Albatross 10th in Beta Fleet

Albatross finished 10th in testing conditions on Sunday.

The wind was variable 1 knot gusting 4 knots.

We checked our computers and opted not to reef.

After a reasonable start, we sailed even more slowly than usual, managing to cross the line in a 2 mile course in 1 hour 21 minutes.

Average speed 1.5 knots.

It was a lovely day. It was great to be on the water in the sunshine with friends.

Early Spring Solent Cruise

Lovely Spring Sunshine, so we abandoned Bonzo and her 6 rapidly growing Rottweiler-cross puppies with the now-resident "children" and took to the water.

Itchenor to the Folly for supper (nice food but a long queue).

Pleasant sail to Yarmouth next day.

New walk-ashore berthing is very expensive.

No water or electricity connected yet, berthed near the commercial fishing fleet.

To pay about £35 to moor to an unfinished pontoon (in April) and still have pay £1.50 per shower is a rip-off.

Meal at the Bugle was nice.

Lovely close reach to the Beaulieu River (F4 warm and sunny).

(Nice picture of our tender at Buckler's Hard.

Berthed on the piles (which now has a pontoon).

Peaceful. Flubber trip up the river.

Supper aboard.

Nice Sunday morning walk to the village.

Motored back to Chichester.

Bembridge or bust

We set off on Monday afternoon with an overladen car (two folding bikes on the roof rack) and nearly came straight home! I won't bore you with the whole saga of the outboard motor but suffice it to say that it deserves to be put in a skip! However Peter finally made it work and we set off with the wind BEHIND us!!

At 4 pm there was little choice of destination so it was nearly a night in Chi Harbour when we had a brainwave and went to Bembridge. The tides were perfect and of course it wasn't busy on a Monday night in March.

Having checked the tidal depths we decided it was safe to stay all day on Tuesday, so we had a day of cycling (there are a lot of hills on the I o W) and pottering around on the boat. Our calculations however, suggested that we would hit the bottom and possibly fall over (the boat, not us) if we stayed another night, so in spite of waking to howling winds and banging halyards we intrepidly motored out of Bembridge this morning and SAILED (yes, we used those big bits of white cloth) back to Chichester. It was windy and cold ( a northerly wind) so we didn't feel

like going too far and home seemed an attractive destination.

The outboard broke down yet again getting back from out mooring, so we had an "invigorating paddle". The landfill beckons.

Anti-fouling? Well, who would be in favour?

Here we are. Chichester Marina. Looks sunny but about Zero Celsius.
I painted while Jean warmed and dried the boat with a hairdryer.
Nice colour?

Not quite to the Scillies

The trouble with The Scillies is that they are in the middle of the Atlantic.
The Atlantic is often windy, wavy and wet.

We reached Falmouth quite quickly and spent the next 5 days waiting for a safe weather window to get to The Scillies and back. Being late August in England, not surprisingly the weather got worse.

Anyway, Falmouth Harbour is lovely. So is the Truro River.

Perhaps to The Scillies next year.

This is us in Mevagissey on our way back east.

Off to the Isles of Scilly

Another voyage!

Today we set off from Itchenor for The Scillies. Probably via Portland, Dartmouth, Falmouth and Newlyn, but the weather will decide.
Mark and Gill are with us but Bonzo is staying at home.

Home again

Saturday: Left Portland 0615 (without hitting anything). Broad reach or run all the way to Chichester West Pole. Picked up mooring 1745. We've had a great trip.

Sunday: Another epic journey today. Water taxi to Itchenor. Bikes mainly along Salterns Way .. lovely. Train to St Haywards on the Heath. Bikes to home.

Monday: That's now!