Monday 5th August - The crew of Persephone, Nigel, Karen, Mike & Alex set sail at 12.50pm.  George, Nick and Anna casted us off and waved us a cheery goodbye in a torrential rain storm!

 It began to brighten up as we left the Solent leaving the dark black clouds behind us.  However, the sea state was NOT good, very choppy all the way down to the Needles.   Once out of the Solent the sea state was extremely rough and it wasn't much longer before the mal de mer set in.   Karen was feeling a little queasy and was sent down below to rest.   Not long after Alex was struck down with terrible sea sickness and needed to be put in his bunk (not that he was able to stay there very long.  Poor chap spent most of the time in the heads!) (toilet for you non-sailors out there).        Later that evening Nigel discovered that our computer mouse no longer worked having been drenched in a freak wave that had managed to find its way down below. (1st lesson of the trip, just because you have a spray hood up doesnt mean you can be lax about closing the hatch or indeed putting one of the weather boards in).    A decision had to be made -  Do we go into Brixham, which meant a 60 mile beat (again for you non sailors wind on your nose making it very hard work) or bear away a little and reach into Cherbourg only 50 miles away, and would Alex survive the night? -   (only joking Anna he was fine nothing a good nights sleep wouldn't cure).  So woosh off to Cherbourg we went arriving at about 2.30am Tuesday morning.   All is now fine, sorted ourselves out had breakfast - Mike and Alex shopping for a new mouse and we plan to set sail around about lunch time.    May well stop off at a few Brittany marinas on the way.   :-)