Making our way west

Juno
Paul and Caroline Frew
Wed 10 Aug 2011 19:59
50:21.088N 003:34.302E

We're off!

We sailed to Portsmouth with Duncan from Oyster Marine who spent three days
with us showing us how to handle Juno. Docking practice in Portsmouth
Harbour was particularly valuable and we now feel ready to brave the oceans
(and the pontoons) on our own. Lots of friends joined us in Gunwharf Quays
for drinks and dinner on Sunday evening and the following morning Fatty and
I set off alone for the first time.

>From Portsmouth we sailed to Lymington where we had lunch with Oults and C
and dinner in the evening with Sandy Davenport and her husband Peter Bruce,
the famous yachtsman and author who kindly signed my copy of Heavy Weather
Sailing. A large and venerable tome that has been by my bedside for over 10
years, read and re-read on winter evenings when this voyage was just a
dream.

>From Lymington our route took us to Portland Harbour where the Olympic
sailing teams were practising for 2012. Around the point from Portland
Harbour is the notorious Portland Bill which Peter Bruce tells us is
described in the Admiralty chart as 'a periodical commotion of the sea
which rages with great violence' and is widely regarded as the most
dangerous extended area of broken water in the English Channel. In the event
we passed close to the Bill at 7.30 in the morning when the tide was slack
and there was hardly a ripple on the water. As the day wore on the wind grew
stronger and as we crossed Lyme Bay we had 30 knots of wind across the deck
and quite large seas. Juno just ploughed through the waves with her long and
powerful gait and we both marvelled at how comfortable and sedate our
journey was despite the rough conditions.

Eventually we arrived in the beautiful Dart river with its picture post card
houses lining the hills which stretch down to the banks of the river. To
top it all we had dinner in the Rock Cafe which served fresh fish and cold
beer in friendly and noisy surroundings. The box of crayons that were
supplied to keep young children occupied proved ideal for plotting our
routing across the bay of Biscay on the paper tablecloth. Tomorrow we head
for Plymouth where we meet Paul and Consuelo.




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