Day 1 Hamble to Largs
Linda and I had spent four days cleaning and victualing the boat and generally making sure that everything was fully compliant and finally the day had come. In the weeks that proceeded today I had been in contact with my crew and we had discussed routes and the merits of various stops. Ultimately it is my decision but I would be a poor skipper if I didn't take into account my crews wishes and preferences.
We all met at 12 noon and went to lunch in the Royal Southern Yacht club. I had reserved a table for the sandwich menu but when we arrived it was set for a full Sunday lunch. No one seemed to mind to and so the three men Alistair, Graham and I were joined by our wives. The lunch was horrendous and I was really embarrassed, it took more than an hour for the food to arrive and when it did arrive mine was cold and they didn't have any mustard.
The original plan was to leave at around three and anchor overnight in Studland or Swanage and then leave early the next morning for Salcombe, unfortunately the forecast weather for Monday was for strong winds and heavy rain. There was only one thing for it, head straight for Salcombe and sail overnight and we would arrive on Monday morning and we could sit the bad weather out there.
Well at 3pm we cast off and it felt like we were undertaking some great voyage, there was Linda, Jane, Ginny and Kerri all waving us away, it was such a lovely sight.
The journey was rather dull at first with very little wind and we were forced to motor against the weak tide up the Solent in order to catch the change if tide and use it to whisk us past the bill. As we crossed Christchurch Bay the wind from the North East filled in and we hoisted the spinnaker and almost no sooner than we did the wind moved aft and we had to drop it. Then we tried poling out the genoa which worked really well for a while. Then as we passed the bill and entered Lyme By the wind shifted to the north a bit and strengthened and we shit iff the a train. Graham went to bed so I took the first watch and I was to wake Graham at about 2am. By one thirty I was struggling with concentration so Graham took over. I tried to get some sleep but I was being tossed around like a pancake and I could not. I put my oilies back on and went back on deck, it was now 3am, where did the time go? I must have had some sleep! I soon as I got on deck I found out why I was being tossed around the wind was not 27knts and it was definitely time for a reef. I put away 2/3rds of the main and about ⅓ of the genoa and calmness returned and by this time we were only two hours away from Salcombe.
We all met at 12 noon and went to lunch in the Royal Southern Yacht club. I had reserved a table for the sandwich menu but when we arrived it was set for a full Sunday lunch. No one seemed to mind to and so the three men Alistair, Graham and I were joined by our wives. The lunch was horrendous and I was really embarrassed, it took more than an hour for the food to arrive and when it did arrive mine was cold and they didn't have any mustard.
The original plan was to leave at around three and anchor overnight in Studland or Swanage and then leave early the next morning for Salcombe, unfortunately the forecast weather for Monday was for strong winds and heavy rain. There was only one thing for it, head straight for Salcombe and sail overnight and we would arrive on Monday morning and we could sit the bad weather out there.
Well at 3pm we cast off and it felt like we were undertaking some great voyage, there was Linda, Jane, Ginny and Kerri all waving us away, it was such a lovely sight.
The journey was rather dull at first with very little wind and we were forced to motor against the weak tide up the Solent in order to catch the change if tide and use it to whisk us past the bill. As we crossed Christchurch Bay the wind from the North East filled in and we hoisted the spinnaker and almost no sooner than we did the wind moved aft and we had to drop it. Then we tried poling out the genoa which worked really well for a while. Then as we passed the bill and entered Lyme By the wind shifted to the north a bit and strengthened and we shit iff the a train. Graham went to bed so I took the first watch and I was to wake Graham at about 2am. By one thirty I was struggling with concentration so Graham took over. I tried to get some sleep but I was being tossed around like a pancake and I could not. I put my oilies back on and went back on deck, it was now 3am, where did the time go? I must have had some sleep! I soon as I got on deck I found out why I was being tossed around the wind was not 27knts and it was definitely time for a reef. I put away 2/3rds of the main and about ⅓ of the genoa and calmness returned and by this time we were only two hours away from Salcombe.