[2068]
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We set off from Sparkes, and noticed that there is now a "spit" extending well Eastwards of the East Cardinal and the green hat. Photo is looking NE.
The target was the Hamble, with the dual aim of getting SWMBO more confident on the helm, and me "doing things proper". First job of the day was to make sure that an S28 can actually pull 30kts+ in the right conditions, so we enlisted the help of a pace boat with a large outboard fitted. He did catch up, eventually.
The first weekend was a mixture of putting together passage plans, and pontoon bashing. Most of the pontoons remained in their original position, although D45 at Mercury now has a nervous tick anytime it sees a Sealine approaching.
We bounced over to Poole, and the idea was to complete a night passage back, interpreting all the pretty lights correctly. Unfortunately, the weather had other ideas:
Visibility went down to less than 30m, so we ended up staring at THIS for most of the way back, using MARPA to spot the traffic. The horn did overtime, and worked much better than the horn on one of the Wightlink ferries, which sounded like someone slowly strangling an asthmatic chicken. In general, we tried to skirt along outside the shipping channels, then hopped across having looked both ways for purple blobs on the radar. It's a bit like playing Frogger. We finally got back to the hamble at about 03:00.
After a relaxing week at work, we were fully prepared for Round 2. This time, returning from Port Solent in the dark, the visibility was superb, and we got to see lots of pretty lights. We even went in the correct direction most of the time.
So now, it's Monday, and I am completely knackered and suffering from stiff joints and a scraped knee. But, I think it was worth it in the end.
Many thanks to Powerskipper and the guys at Mendez Marine for a great experience!
The target was the Hamble, with the dual aim of getting SWMBO more confident on the helm, and me "doing things proper". First job of the day was to make sure that an S28 can actually pull 30kts+ in the right conditions, so we enlisted the help of a pace boat with a large outboard fitted. He did catch up, eventually.
The first weekend was a mixture of putting together passage plans, and pontoon bashing. Most of the pontoons remained in their original position, although D45 at Mercury now has a nervous tick anytime it sees a Sealine approaching.
We bounced over to Poole, and the idea was to complete a night passage back, interpreting all the pretty lights correctly. Unfortunately, the weather had other ideas:
Visibility went down to less than 30m, so we ended up staring at THIS for most of the way back, using MARPA to spot the traffic. The horn did overtime, and worked much better than the horn on one of the Wightlink ferries, which sounded like someone slowly strangling an asthmatic chicken. In general, we tried to skirt along outside the shipping channels, then hopped across having looked both ways for purple blobs on the radar. It's a bit like playing Frogger. We finally got back to the hamble at about 03:00.
After a relaxing week at work, we were fully prepared for Round 2. This time, returning from Port Solent in the dark, the visibility was superb, and we got to see lots of pretty lights. We even went in the correct direction most of the time.
So now, it's Monday, and I am completely knackered and suffering from stiff joints and a scraped knee. But, I think it was worth it in the end.
Many thanks to Powerskipper and the guys at Mendez Marine for a great experience!
