abandoned summer cruise again - is it just us?

[PaulR]

once again for second time within 4 weeks we have gone to boat with intention of going for 2weeks cruise and instead found ourselves coming home early and for me - back to work tomorrow- first time last week of july - very very wet and windy and forecast for rest of first week more of the same so said enough is enought and on the tuesday home - this weekend again very wet and windy (saturday to lymington from gosport gusts of 37 knots apparent and regularly over 30 ) and forecast today/tomorrow and tuesday too many 6/7's to sound appealing and swmbo very worried about prospect of going across channel and getting stuck or encountering more unpleasant weather (to add insult to injury eberspacher playing up so boat not as warm as we would hope and gear now home tonight to dry out) is it just us as tonight it certainly feels like it !!

 

[shmoo]

Nah, not just you. We went first on 30th June, spent 3 days in Ramsgate and then came back. Got cabin fever and tried again. Got as far at Shoreham and again came back after a couple of days. Only thing that saved the summer was getting two great fast sails back. Oh yes, and being proved wrong about Eastbourne - it's really quite nice. Much better than I remember and I didn't fall in the lock this time.

 

[MarkJohnson12345]

Just bad luck really

We were due to go on June 30th, but postponed.

Working for myself, I am lucky enough to be able to pick and choose dates.

Three weeks ago we had two days excellent weather, and made a dash for Padstow.

A week later we went to Scillies, and ran back to Padstow three days later to avoid the deep low coming in a week ago.

Then awaited for the weather to get back to Swansea.

A disjoined cruise, but actually really enjoyed the holiday.

Classic sail back to Swansea in a F5 on the port beam, huge seas, record going down a wave was 11.7 knots, and averaged 7.5 knots across the Bristol Channel.

Secret is to get the wind behind you and enjoy. Otherwise, stay in port and enjoy the other pleasures.

Kind of useful to get away from the home port though.

Good luck.

Mj

 

[cnh]

No, not just you. I spent a fortnight in the really exciting harbour in Romo, on the Jutland North sea, waiting for a break in the weather. The boat's now in Dover, and I'm waiting for another break in the weather ...

Nicholas

 

[Twister_Ken]

We'd pencilled in the last week of June, but then pencilled it out again when we saw the f'casts. And that was the only gap in this year's diary. It's gonna be my most expensive year yet in terms of cost per mile.

 

[mikejames]

Our summer cruise has become a cottage in Devon.

We decided that the weather will not settle this summer. First hint was our first ever first time stormbound on the Cowes-Hamble run at the end of the spring bank holiday. That was when a pontoon broke loose in Cowes and a boat broke loose from a buoy at Yarmouth.

And then the already dezincified P bracket started leaking badly through cracks that should not have been there and using time during a cheap 'summer scrub' lift-out offer to replace it meant the boat has been out of the water for the past 4 days. And each day I hear the wind howling in the rigging in the boatyard and feel justified...


Any way this time I get to see all those bits of North Devon we cant reach usually

 

[ShipsWoofy]

We had an abysmal 3 weeks at the beginning of july, thought this year would be fab, 3 weeks off during the most stable weather in the uk...

ha ha

ha

 

[Danny Jo]

For the sake of balance (I hate being smug, you understand), I had a wonderful three-week cruise up to and around Mull starting at the end of May, and a pretty good week on the East coast of Ireland at the beginning of July.

 

[billmacfarlane]

There's plenty like you. I decided at the start of the school holidays that the weather wasn't going to settle and booked a week courtesy of lastminute.com in Greece. What do I know ? I probably missed the best week of the summer BUT I had a great time in Greece. I'm stil hoping to get some time on the water before term starts but it's not going to be in the next couple of days judging by the forecasts.

 

[MoodySabre]

I've booked nice weather for the first two weeks of September for an East Coast cruise. Should be OK - the schools are back /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[savageseadog]

I can assure you it isn't just you. The Isle of Man is full of yachts and crews kicking their heels at the moment.

 

[asj1]

Yes I've abandoned two cruises this summer, the first was from 30th June from St Malo , when after two days sailing we gave up and left the boat for 4 weeks in Paimpol and came back on the train and ferry.

The second time was from 28th July when after about two hours into a trip to Belgium and Holland we turned back and decided that another 12+ hours of F5/6 was going to be no fun and teh weather wasn't looking good for getting back at the end of the week

Regards

Andrew

 

[Csail]

We gave up ang got a charter boat in Spain.

 

[Goldie]

I had the same 3 weeks! We didn't leave until day 4 and then (instead of Camaret as our usual first stop) we only got as far as yarmouth IOW. It was the start of the second week before we crossed the Channel and abeam Guernsey, due to a rapidly changing forecast, then turned left and spent the remaining time on the N Brittany coast instead. It rained on 21 of the 23 days at some point and I don't think we ever actually sailed under full sail. I have the first 2 weeks of September booked and if things don't look better we shall be evaluating the windward performance of one of Mr Boeing's finest! We have never been double reefed as much as we have this season.

 

[Blueboatman]

We are still 'resting' between boats and so stuck firmly ashore this year. I do feel very sorry for anyone who has continually pulled the short straw when planning their summer cruising.
I really thought that with the establishment of a useful Azores high we were 'there' for August.
If it is any consolation we have only managed 4 dry days away from home all summer.ON THE LAND !

 

[Fergus]

We had a fantastic 10 day holiday from 1 Aug - just lucky!

 

[oldharry]

Had a lovely cruise up the M6 with the caravan to the Scottish west coast, and enjoyed cold but reasonably good weather while Yorkshire drowned.

The boat? - been out a few times this year, but S coast weather has usually meant the trip out in the dinghy was too dangerous. For the first time in 15 years I have yet to get beyond the Solent /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[Santana379]

[ QUOTE ]
The second time was from 28th July when after about two hours into a trip to Belgium and Holland we turned back and decided that another 12+ hours of F5/6 was going to be no fun and teh weather wasn't looking good for getting back at the end of the week

[/ QUOTE ]
Really bad luck - we went over to Ostende on Monday 30 July, which was sunny, chilly, with F3/4 wind dead behind. The weather warmed up amazingly the next day, and we then only had two days rain over the fortnight. The second was also the only day of very strong winds (F6 gusting 7), and was when we came back from Holland to Nieuwpoort (very fast). We even had two days in the mid/high nineties.

Some compensation for the 2006 grand cruise, which started on 1st August in the Deben, the day the weather broke. We got no further than Heybridge Basin.

 

[DJE]

In a strange sort of way your post cheered me up no end. I now know it's not just me! Our kids are 15 & 16 and we came back to the mooring last night to unload 10 day's worth of gear and food. Last year's cruise was in August (which was the only bad month) and this weekend we had the same combination of unpredictable weather and recalcitrant crew so we gave up. Hopefully trying again on Thursday after the GCSE results arrive.

 

[tome]

We left 10th July and had a cracking sail to Cherbourg then spent the next couple of weeks channel isles and St Malo. The odd shower and a couple of miserable days, but still plenty of sunshine and some very good sailing

We hardly used the big genoa at all this year but the No3 jib on the inner forestay saw plenty of service with a reef or 2 in the main. This is a very comfortable rig in anything above F4, but surprised at how many boats were sailing over-canvassed and on their ears

Came back across to Weymouth from St Peter Port in a little under 12 hours, and less than 50 engine hours total in 4 weeks (including charging and motor-sailing). Needed plenty of factor 30, so no complaints from us really!