Day 2 Eastbourne - Chichester Thu May 17

Vega
Irving & Cate Benjamin
Thu 17 May 2012 21:28

Sparkes Marina, Chichester
After yesterday's worse-than-advertised weather, we started the day with some uncertainty.  The Met Office spoke of a start with SE 3-4, freshening to 5-6 'later', and it was the 'later' we were unsure of with the prospect of a 50+nm passage.  We set off at 0930 (suitable for the tides) with a fallback plan that if the 5-6 arrived as we were close to Brighton, we could dive in and hole up there, with the possible positive side effect of some retail therapy for Cate.  We rounded Beachy Head with great views of the old and new lighthouses,   and as we passed that point on the passage we made the decision to press on, in the belief that it was not likely to be as bad as yesterday.   In the end we had a hearty motor trip  with a vigorous following sea, and good to fair tide for the first 7 hours.  The tide changed on cue, and we had to gun the engine to get through the narrow Looe Channel past Selsey Bill to beat a 4knot tide against us.  We navigated the Chichester harbour bar (sand bar, not drinking bar for those who don't know) with a sense of deja vu: I (Benj) have only been up this channel twice before.  The first time we lost a prop and went aground, and the second we limped in as a port of refuge when I broke 4 ribs on passage.  This time it was much better, with only our guard rail snagged on the bow anchor of a Beneteau as we battled to berth in a 20+ knot easterly in a narrow marina. Safely tucked up (not where we should have been, and paid our 35 of your British pounds to MDL Marinas for the night.  (I think MDL stands for Maximum Dosh Levied.)  Dined on Cate's casserole for second and last night, and off to make a plan for tomorrow - Poole possibly.
Prof Irving Benjamin

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