Should I Stay or Should I Go?

[Bosun Higgs]

Although we backed out, the chap in the visitor's birth behind us set off on the morning tide for Alderney in a 27' boat. Mad, brave or confident??

It was just him and a grown up son though I think.

Probably French. We've just finished a 7 week cruise and everytime we were stuck somewhere with weather, you could bet your boots that the last boats to take shelter and the first to move afterwards were the Froggies. Must be all the garlic or something.

My dilema is, I want to give the family a holiday (and me!) but as this would be the first passage of any significance for us as a family unit (Mum, Dad, boy 9 and girl 6) the last thing I want to do is scare the beejesus out of them and potentially put them off for life.

The weather wont scare them. The kids and probably your wife havent a clue what the forecast means or indeed the real waves they see. What frightens them is the sight of you being nervous / frightened. So somehow you have to exude confidence even when you dont feel it.

 

[oldharry]

The weather wont scare them. The kids and probably your wife havent a clue what the forecast means or indeed the real waves they see. What frightens them is the sight of you being nervous / frightened. So somehow you have to exude confidence even when you dont feel it.

True, but they would know quickly enough what they dont like in the way of being bounced around - "blummin Dad sitting up there enjoying himself, and all I want to do is get OFF this (censored) boat." - when actually Dads feeling the same but putting on a brave face. So in actual fact nobody wants to be there....

 

[fireball]

TBH I would've gone - but I have a slightly bigger boat - I wouldn't have bothered with the sails, just motored - as suggested - but probably going quite a way south from hayling to keep out of the larger (steeper) waves. You'd've had to find something for the kids to do to join in - probably steering - because that is "fun" and you could have the boring job of sitting there - or making the hot drinks down below!!

 

[oldharry]

Well I am staying put again today. <F6 on Chimet again. Not that F6 worries me once aboard, but getting to the boat by 8ft dinghy in a F6 is not sensible, even on my sheltered mooring.

 

[fireball]

Tee hee - you want to come south a bit - much more sheltered ...

 

[oldharry]

Tee hee - you want to come south a bit - much more sheltered ...

No, just need a bigger dinghy.... will probably go down and chance it anyway, theres plenty of West in the wind which is better. Wheres my LJ?

 

[fireball]

Last year we had to get aboard in a F7-8 southerly ... it wasn't the wind - it was the waves!! Couldn't do my usual dinghy broadside across the transom thing so had to get on from the bow.
We were taking the boat away for the winter - left the tender and headgear on the mooring - wasn't going to try and recover that for a while!