Morning after..

[Tribute]

Well I think everyone had a brilliant time. How's everyones heads? I came round this morning and discovered I had left a moody 54 for a 34footer at the end of the pontoon. Names are not mentioned to protect the guilty of there crimes of drunken behaviour we are all suffering greatly!

 

[duncan]

indeed -

for some bizarre reasons I ended up leaving many hours before I had originally planned - and am sitting here back home in Kent already!

have to admit it was great fun and everyone seemed to enter into a great spirit

hope everyone had the conditions they wanted for the trip back - they weren't my choice though...and I am not sure my passenger was being entirely honest with his view on the trip either (delivered safely though)

 

[KREW2]

We slipped our lines at 06.30, picked up our mooring in Portland at a little after 16.00. It was a lively crossing to say the least.

 

[fireball]

We slipped at 5am (UK time) and exactly 12 hours later we picked up our mooring in Chichester ... happy enough with that

 

[Sailfree]

Left at 04.30 UK time and entered he needles 8hrs later, our fastest crossing ever especially considering we started with practically no wind and motoring at 6kts, Ended up reaching with 20+ kts of wind - fantastic sail at 8-9 kts most of the time even after we took in 2 reefs on the genoa and 1 on the main to help those of the crew suffering from sore heads - both from alcohol and from a game of spoons.

Trust everyone else has/had a good journey home.

 

[Fergus]

What a day!

Fab - 8.5hrs to Poole..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPQKtXiMYiY&feature=youtube_gdata_player


Thanks to all, ESP Roger!

 

[Mark-1]

Well I think everyone had a brilliant time. How's everyones heads? I came round this morning and discovered I had left a moody 54 for a 34footer at the end of the pontoon. Names are not mentioned to protect the guilty of there crimes of drunken behaviour we are all suffering greatly!

Flapjack? When we left at 2am we noticed you were all still going strong.

Thanks to all (especially LiR) for an A1 weekend, will post some images during the week when I've caught up on some sleep.

 

[Dockhead]

Thanks to the organisers for a great weekend!

Our heads are just fine, thanks. We left at a humane hour, passing out of Cherbourg Harbour and getting on our course about 09:00 BST. We motored leisurely for an hour while having breakfast in the cockpit. By then the wind had gotten up to where we like it and we raised sail and reached all the way across. A great sailing wind, about 20 knots most of the way. We had a reef in the main to balance the helm but all the rest of the canvas was out. 7 1/2 hours to anchor down in Studland Bay.

We dodged no ships (a Channel crossing first for me). And we saw a surfaced submarine (ditto).

 

[LadyInBed]

Fab - 8.5hrs to Poole..

B..ard! Mind you it was a record for us as well 12.5hrs, left at 02:00 and motored for about 17 miles then sailed. I expected a 'normal' crossing getting into Poole just in time to have enough water to get up to Wareham, but crossed the chain ferry at 14:20 - spot on low water, so we had to kick our heels for a couple of hours.

It was great to catch up with everyone again, meal was excellent, thanks Roger and to my very competent crew Mark.

 

[LadyInBed]

And we saw a surfaced submarine

We saw some sort of Fleet Auxiliary tarting about going in all directions to our East (S of IOW). Maybe it was playing with the Sub? Unusual for a Sunday!

 

[bedouin]

For us it was one of the best crossing's we've had. Not the fastest by a long way but enough wind for the sailing to be fast and relaxing.

That said - as it was our first from Cherbourg to Chichester I suppose technically it was a record - just under 12 hours harbour entrance to harbour entrance.

Thanks to everyone who made it such an anjoyable weekend - especially to whoever organised the weather

 

[Pinnacle]

Sincere thanks to Sailfree for organising the trip.

In common with other posters, motored for a bit on the way back and then had a great sail in a building wind. Max 10.8kts on the log! We were held back a bit due to the considerable extra weight we were carrying following the visits ( no, thats not a typo ) to Majestic.

Any chance we can book the same wind directions and speeds for next year?

 

[Sailfree]

Any chance we can book the same wind directions and speeds for next year?

We have had great weather for the Saturday afternoon gathering for the last 2 years and a good sail back on the Sunday but it strikes me that if you leave early you end up motoring for the 1st few hours.

Weatherwise - See what we can do for next year. Interestingly had a late response from St Vaast offering 50% berthing discount providing 1 person pays for all the boats. September 2011 is a long way off but I will see what tempting offers St Vaast can come up with even if its just a warm up meet on the Thursday or Friday night for those that can make it.

Always looking for ways to improve it but having tried other options am presently convinced that the majority want the meal at Cherbourg YC which can cater for 50 -70 people and to a reasonable standard. I think Fergus's conversations with the YC in his fluent French has given the scuttlebutt cruise greater respect and hence the even better food quality that was enjoyed this year - Thanks Fergus.

I get the impression that while the weather gods smile on us the afternoon pontoon/boat gathering and the YC evening meal are integral so I am just thinking of adding a St Vaast evening option for say the Thursday or Friday. I say the Thursday as a possible for St Vaast as I want to arrive at Cherbourg earlier next year and provide a better spread of nibbles and drinks and start the afternoon at say 14.00. Thanks to the many that contributed so kindly by bring further alcohol etc and pleased to report they were all emptied before the end as I would cry if I had to throw good wine away and red wine spilt on the way home makes such a mess!

Keep suggestions for improvements coming but please accept that we cannot please everyone and the success of recent years makes me think that our pathfinders in the earlier organisers have already steered us in the right direction.

 

[KREW2]

Sincere thanks to Sailfree for organising the trip.

Any chance we can book the same wind directions and speeds for next year?

Bit more south in it please. Ok going NE, but for us a fetch for 2/3rds of the way, and close hauled for our final run into Portland made it quite heavy going. Still managed to do it in just over nine and a half hours.
A great weekend, and superb menu choice many thanks to the organizers.

 

[fireball]

Roger - I think you're right in sticking to what we have got used too ... we tried one year in another restaurant - and whilst I was happy with the food, it was a much longer walk to get there and they didn't have enough room inside - so some were in a marquee ...

I would also like to get to St Vaast - may try for it next year

 

[Mark-1]

We saw some sort of Fleet Auxiliary tarting about going in all directions to our East (S of IOW). Maybe it was playing with the Sub? Unusual for a Sunday!

It was RFA Argus:

http://www.shipais.com/shiptrail.php?mmsi=233303000&date=20100919

 

[Chrissie]

we left at 10 BST, got home to Gosport at 01:30, had a slow start with the boat rolling all over the place, the wind and waves on our stern, but the wind picked up later so we had to reef well, gusting force seven by 9pm, you faster guys missed all the fun. Almost bumped into Argus south of the Island, She swung round infront of us and started moving directly toward us, we were already experiencing 33kn across the deck at that time, tearing along with the odd wave splashing into the cockpit so we were soaked, seeing Argus bearing down on us certainly made us move fast, we managed to get out of the way by putting the engine on hard and bearing away, pulling out with only metres to spare, they clearly hadnt seen us, and didnt respond when I tried calling them up on 16 afterwards, but a hellicopter apeared shortly after, buzzed around a bit then disapeared.

It was a fantastic trip, fun and exciting, thank you so much for organising it, and I definately will come over with my boat again, Chrissie

 

[Tribute]

We set a new record! And yes flapjack, 16 hours! We blame the navy... Was a long trip. Anyone that left on Sunday morning if you saw a rather dead looking body face down on the deck well you can guess... And another dead looking figure face down in cockpit... We had a good night but wouldn't say we were feeling to strong at 2am but still going! I'm hoping no one has any photos of that night!

 

[Flapjack]

A very memorable night, thanks very much to Rodger for organising a very fun weekend’s sailing and drinking, (sorry for the state James got back to you in, luckily he didn’t have far to walk lol) we had a very slow crossing on the way back which was not helped by having to make a detour around a navy live firing practice just as we were getting to the Isle of Wight took 15 ½ hours berth to berth, we saw a couple of warships yesterday on the way back. Although I think next year we will retire for the night a little earlier

p.s Pete hope your heads better now

 

[Sans Bateau]

Well I think everyone had a brilliant time. How's everyones heads? I came round this morning and discovered I had left a moody 54 for a 34footer at the end of the pontoon. Names are not mentioned to protect the guilty of there crimes of drunken behaviour we are all suffering greatly!

You wernt sure where you where, were you? When you called up Warship Quorn, claiming to be Galadriel, I thought there was an echo on the radio!