Avoiding Erin - Summer's over
We left Roscoff for Guernsey. Yesterday we went to the immigration and checked out so today we must go. We are off to Guernsey and there is a difference of mood Nick on Bolero has consulted Predict Wind and thinks we will have to motor, I on the other hand have been monitoring Windy and have noticed that actually winds are consistently stronger than the forecast so I was confident of a good sail. Roscoff to Guernsey is about 84 miles so it is going to take 10-12 hours which means when we arrive the fuel dock will be closed. I was hoping to fill the tanks with cheap diesel so that next season we don't have to go via Guernsey.
Almost as soon as we exited the harbour the wind was perfect. We were both up and Bolero had beaten us out and so were ten minutes ahead. About ten minutes out of the harbour and we were dumbfounded to see another huge display to tuna feeding and putting on a good display, it was fantastic, if this continues there is going to be a new industry of sport fishing. The sail was really good we had blue skies and sunshine and no swell which is surprising because the water between the French coast and the Channel Islands is usually horrid even with little wind because of the action of the tide, this wasn't the case here. Soon we were doing 7-8 knots on the beam and my dreams of going under the pink sail were well out of the question. The journey was rapid and we made great progress towards Guernsey. I looked up the opening times for the fuel dock to see if we had any chance of getting fuel and they closed at lunchtime because it was bank holiday Monday so if we wanted fuel it would have to wait until Tuesday morning.
About five miles out of Peter Port where last year we had a display of tuna this year we had a pod of pilot whales go by, what a treat, blowing out of their blow holes each time they crested the water. I looked at Linda an said we are going to arrive outside Peter Port at low water, we could keep going back to the UK and just ride the tide right up the Little Russel and Alderney Race, it would mean sailing over night but there are the two of us. Of course we wouldn't be able to brim our tanks but if I am honest I think we inly need 200l so if we stop in the harbour once we pay the mooring fees the savings would be marginal and on Tuesday we are likely to have 25-30 knots of wind. It wasn't a difficult decision for us, we can sail in that weather but given the choice we chose not to. We called Bolero to tell them of our decision but they said that they were going to stay the night and go to M&S in the morning before filling up and heading to Weymouth. We said our good byes, it was a shame as we should have said good bye in Guernsey but each skipper must make their own decisions and I had made mine.
The winds went light as we passed Peter Port and for much of the time going up towards Alderney we we just riding the tide but that was OK, we were on spring tides and if we arrive too early at the Needles then it won't be fun. Once it got dark I took the first watch and I let Linda sleep for as long as possible and so she was able to get a really good sleep and I didn't wake her until I had cleared the second set of shipping lanes. She got up made us both some tea and we had a chat and at this point I needed to get some sleep.
I don't remember hitting the pillow but I do remember Linda shaking me, we had sailed all the way from Roscoff in lovely weather and smooth seas, but Linda's first words were that the winds had got up. I had not undressed say to remove my life jacket so as soon as I had put it on I was back in the cockpit and sure enough we were tramping along slightly better than nicely. I put the genoa away and pulled out the jib. The boat felt much more in control and we were going almost as fast. I am not sure if I got any more sleep that night but at some point I took over and Linda went below to the saloon. The journey was uneventful but where we had left Roscoff in blue skies and sunshine we had arrived south of the back of St Catherine's Point with mist and a cold grey sky. As we approached it was clear we had arrived too early and despite sailing at 7-8knots when I turned to go up the Needles Channel we were now dead downwind, the boat slowed the waves were well not the biggest I have seen there but big enough to make a good video, but I didn't video it. I needed engine to assist as I was now making 0.8knots SOG (Speed over the ground). The engine was making an awful noise, there was not smoke no loss of performance but it didn't sound right it was a metal on metal sound. The Solent does not have a stand at low or high tide and so it was that as we reached Hurst the tide just switched so off went the engine, I have to investigate it when I get in my first thoughts are the turbo. With the tide on our side we were soon back on our berth and feeling really good about it. The holiday was over we had arrived back a few days earlier than planned but it is Ok we had a great sail and have avoided the effects of Erin which were predicted to bring 3m swells around the Channel Islands on Tuesday.
We packed up all we could and I spend most of the day trying to diagnose the problem. Nigel Dick had arrived in the Hamble to do some work on Sea Rose so we all headed of to Jenny's for breakfast. I discussed the mysterious engine noise with Nigel and he offered to take a look. I started the engine and there is was on tick-over and was still there with no real discernible change when I increased the revs. I turned off the engine and Nigel said it's not the turbo but this fan belt is loose., Hmm can a slack fan belt cause a screeching noise if it slips? I thanked him and said I would return on Saturday to fit a new one. I planned to return on Saturday to do a days work because throughout the holiday I had ordered replacements on line for items that had broken or worn out and these were at the office ready for my return.
That evening we received a text from Bolero they had arrived in Weymouth after a boisterous sail.
Almost as soon as we exited the harbour the wind was perfect. We were both up and Bolero had beaten us out and so were ten minutes ahead. About ten minutes out of the harbour and we were dumbfounded to see another huge display to tuna feeding and putting on a good display, it was fantastic, if this continues there is going to be a new industry of sport fishing. The sail was really good we had blue skies and sunshine and no swell which is surprising because the water between the French coast and the Channel Islands is usually horrid even with little wind because of the action of the tide, this wasn't the case here. Soon we were doing 7-8 knots on the beam and my dreams of going under the pink sail were well out of the question. The journey was rapid and we made great progress towards Guernsey. I looked up the opening times for the fuel dock to see if we had any chance of getting fuel and they closed at lunchtime because it was bank holiday Monday so if we wanted fuel it would have to wait until Tuesday morning.
About five miles out of Peter Port where last year we had a display of tuna this year we had a pod of pilot whales go by, what a treat, blowing out of their blow holes each time they crested the water. I looked at Linda an said we are going to arrive outside Peter Port at low water, we could keep going back to the UK and just ride the tide right up the Little Russel and Alderney Race, it would mean sailing over night but there are the two of us. Of course we wouldn't be able to brim our tanks but if I am honest I think we inly need 200l so if we stop in the harbour once we pay the mooring fees the savings would be marginal and on Tuesday we are likely to have 25-30 knots of wind. It wasn't a difficult decision for us, we can sail in that weather but given the choice we chose not to. We called Bolero to tell them of our decision but they said that they were going to stay the night and go to M&S in the morning before filling up and heading to Weymouth. We said our good byes, it was a shame as we should have said good bye in Guernsey but each skipper must make their own decisions and I had made mine.
The winds went light as we passed Peter Port and for much of the time going up towards Alderney we we just riding the tide but that was OK, we were on spring tides and if we arrive too early at the Needles then it won't be fun. Once it got dark I took the first watch and I let Linda sleep for as long as possible and so she was able to get a really good sleep and I didn't wake her until I had cleared the second set of shipping lanes. She got up made us both some tea and we had a chat and at this point I needed to get some sleep.
I don't remember hitting the pillow but I do remember Linda shaking me, we had sailed all the way from Roscoff in lovely weather and smooth seas, but Linda's first words were that the winds had got up. I had not undressed say to remove my life jacket so as soon as I had put it on I was back in the cockpit and sure enough we were tramping along slightly better than nicely. I put the genoa away and pulled out the jib. The boat felt much more in control and we were going almost as fast. I am not sure if I got any more sleep that night but at some point I took over and Linda went below to the saloon. The journey was uneventful but where we had left Roscoff in blue skies and sunshine we had arrived south of the back of St Catherine's Point with mist and a cold grey sky. As we approached it was clear we had arrived too early and despite sailing at 7-8knots when I turned to go up the Needles Channel we were now dead downwind, the boat slowed the waves were well not the biggest I have seen there but big enough to make a good video, but I didn't video it. I needed engine to assist as I was now making 0.8knots SOG (Speed over the ground). The engine was making an awful noise, there was not smoke no loss of performance but it didn't sound right it was a metal on metal sound. The Solent does not have a stand at low or high tide and so it was that as we reached Hurst the tide just switched so off went the engine, I have to investigate it when I get in my first thoughts are the turbo. With the tide on our side we were soon back on our berth and feeling really good about it. The holiday was over we had arrived back a few days earlier than planned but it is Ok we had a great sail and have avoided the effects of Erin which were predicted to bring 3m swells around the Channel Islands on Tuesday.
We packed up all we could and I spend most of the day trying to diagnose the problem. Nigel Dick had arrived in the Hamble to do some work on Sea Rose so we all headed of to Jenny's for breakfast. I discussed the mysterious engine noise with Nigel and he offered to take a look. I started the engine and there is was on tick-over and was still there with no real discernible change when I increased the revs. I turned off the engine and Nigel said it's not the turbo but this fan belt is loose., Hmm can a slack fan belt cause a screeching noise if it slips? I thanked him and said I would return on Saturday to fit a new one. I planned to return on Saturday to do a days work because throughout the holiday I had ordered replacements on line for items that had broken or worn out and these were at the office ready for my return.
That evening we received a text from Bolero they had arrived in Weymouth after a boisterous sail.
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Aproaching Guernsey in lovely blue sky weather. -
Welcome home to English weather and it felt like it. -
Calshot, the mist is heavier now.