so are you going to sail through the UK winter?

[prestomg27]

Plenty sailing down south throughout. Perhaps the location isn't inspiring in the winter

I think you have a point. I don't think the solent shuts down to the same extent as the east coast.

 

[lustyd]

For a lot of us, winter is the only time the Solent is pleasant! I once inadvertently sailed through Cowes week traffic - I think I'd prefer Orcas!

 

[Daydream believer]

For a lot of us, winter is the only time the Solent is pleasant! I once inadvertently sailed through Cowes week traffic - I think I'd prefer Orcas!

So that was you was it?

 

[Halo]

Staithes?

Well done. Consider yourself patted on the back. There was a pod of six large dolphins a couple of minutes earlier which is why I was snapping photos. They have been around for a while which is unusual as they are normally summer visitors that arrive with the mackerel

 

[capnsensible]

For a lot of us, winter is the only time the Solent is pleasant! I once inadvertently sailed through Cowes week traffic - I think I'd prefer Orcas!

Try coming back overnight from Cherbourg and using the western entrance to discover, off Yarmouth, you had completely forgotten its the start of the Whitbread rtwv race. And about ten billion spectator boats (give or take a few) creating a tsunami rushing towards you......

 

[The Q]

This is a quiet time during Horning Regatta Week ( first week of August each year)

The competitors can vary from an 8 ft oppie up to a 45 ft broads yacht up to 100 Ish competitors in a mile and a half of river . With hire boats going through who might of had ten minutes instruction...

 

[Stemar]

For a lot of us, winter is the only time the Solent is pleasant! I once inadvertently sailed through Cowes week traffic - I think I'd prefer Orcas!

In general, I'd have to disagree. Yes, the weekends are best avoided, but even then, with a shallow draft and the ability to take the ground, quiet corners can be found.

OTOH, your second sentence reminds me of my first trip out as the only person on board who was expected to know what he was doing. We pootled around the Solent for a bit then, when time came to go home, I tacked over to the Island side and along past Ryde. That was when I met the Round the Island race coming the other way...

 

[Supertramp]

OK, so it's not really winter yet and there wasn't any wind but this what winter sailing is about.


Sunset looking East from Abersoch.

Sunrise from Porth Cerriad.

A walk ashore.

Watching dolphins while anchored.

Disclaimer: It isn't always like this!

 

[NormanS]

We had our winter sailing in June this year. Temperatures in single figures, and hailstorms, but hey ho, that's sailing in the Hebrides, and at least there's the long hours of daylight, not like just now. .

 

[RunAgroundHard]

On the boat now. A bit breezy. Might go out tomorrow for a sail, or I might doze beside the heater.