050° 51.799N 001° 18.664W

Five Weeks to Go……

Safely tied up alongside at Hamble Yacht Services now and undertaking countless preparatory tasks, commuting between Hawkley and Hamble.

We had another try to get to the Channel Islands last week. Motored down the Solent, overnight in Newtown River and then up with the dawn. By time we got to the Needles, motoring into wind of 20kts, the sun was up and the sky was a crystal blue.  Three problems arose at once:

I.              Our destination was Guernsey, broadly SSW  and the wind was SW5

II.            The Staysail Halyard parted (well the sheath, anyway) when we set the Staysail.

III.           HM Coastguard welcomed the day with a SW Gale forecast “soon”.

Discretion being the better part of valour,  we had an excellent sail round the Isle of Wight and then an enjoyable potter around in  the Solent while the weather blew itself out.

Experienced the usual number of calamities for a new boat – a couple of which got the boat rather wetter inside than she was designed for! All part of the learning curve…..