Becky
Well-Known Member
this weekend to Cherbourg. Amazing trip. We had to motor all the way across as although the wind was behind us, it was the same strength as our forward speed. So we motored all the way.
Now typically the wind should remain against us for the return, but amazingly it didn't. It turned to the W, and blew quite hard.
We left for home yesterday at 5 pm, as the forecast wasn't all that and reached Bembridge Ledge buoy 9.5 hours later.
There are sailing trips that remain in one's memory for particular reasons and form the memories of sailing we keep with us. This return sail was one such.
We left with wind over tide so the water was distinctly lumpy, and headed N'ish towards the E end on I of W, and the wind was F 4-5 with stronger gusts. Forecast was up to F7 later into the evening. But when the tide turned to be with the wind, the seas abated. The clouds rolled up and there was no visible moon so we went into a blackout. We were saling quite fast, but I had no sensatioon of speed because I couldn't see anything, except flashes of white as a wave broke. The wind was over the starboard quarter and we were doing 7-9 knots on the log. So the boat was very lively and took a lot of controlling, almost exclusively because I couldn't relate to anything outside the world of cockpit instruments and the compass card. I found myself feeling seasick just by looking down and concentrating so hard.
It would have been a fabulous sail if I could have seen anything, but in fact it was just hard work. I couldn't anticipate the movement of the boat, so eveything was a retrospective activity.
We came round the I of W at 9 knots with a fairly strong wind on the beam and raced across to P'mouth entrance. That was good, but by now it was seriously blowing.
'Course we couldn't tell how hard as our Navman wind instruments were again not working, and our newly repaired radar also packed up. But what the hell, I learned to sail without all this stuff, and still can do it. HWMBO isn't bad at it either.
So, a sail we will both remember, mainly as the first time for me I have felt bad while steering under exciting conditions.
Does anyone actually know how strong the wind was last night in the E Solent?
Now typically the wind should remain against us for the return, but amazingly it didn't. It turned to the W, and blew quite hard.
We left for home yesterday at 5 pm, as the forecast wasn't all that and reached Bembridge Ledge buoy 9.5 hours later.
There are sailing trips that remain in one's memory for particular reasons and form the memories of sailing we keep with us. This return sail was one such.
We left with wind over tide so the water was distinctly lumpy, and headed N'ish towards the E end on I of W, and the wind was F 4-5 with stronger gusts. Forecast was up to F7 later into the evening. But when the tide turned to be with the wind, the seas abated. The clouds rolled up and there was no visible moon so we went into a blackout. We were saling quite fast, but I had no sensatioon of speed because I couldn't see anything, except flashes of white as a wave broke. The wind was over the starboard quarter and we were doing 7-9 knots on the log. So the boat was very lively and took a lot of controlling, almost exclusively because I couldn't relate to anything outside the world of cockpit instruments and the compass card. I found myself feeling seasick just by looking down and concentrating so hard.
It would have been a fabulous sail if I could have seen anything, but in fact it was just hard work. I couldn't anticipate the movement of the boat, so eveything was a retrospective activity.
We came round the I of W at 9 knots with a fairly strong wind on the beam and raced across to P'mouth entrance. That was good, but by now it was seriously blowing.
'Course we couldn't tell how hard as our Navman wind instruments were again not working, and our newly repaired radar also packed up. But what the hell, I learned to sail without all this stuff, and still can do it. HWMBO isn't bad at it either.
So, a sail we will both remember, mainly as the first time for me I have felt bad while steering under exciting conditions.
Does anyone actually know how strong the wind was last night in the E Solent?
