"Papillon" is a Robert Tucker designed 'Fantasie 19' and my first boat.. I've been sailing since the age of 15 (when I did my RYA Part 1 and 2 at Emsworth Sailing School) so I've been on the water (but more in it) for going on 30+ years now... this blog is about our adventures together - they may be small one's (because despite the years I have little experience in boats - I was mostly windsurfing!), but they are adventures none the less..

Thursday 17 September 2009

Winds variable...

In my efforts to get in as much sailing as possible before the end of the sailing year, I headed out solo last Saturday for a pleasant afternoons sailing...(it would seem that a new 'Jonas Brothers' [click here] DVD purchased just that morning - with four free pairs of 3D glasses apparently - seemed to be a bigger attraction than the opportunity to sit on the boat with her Dad for two or three hours! )

Started out with two reefs, got as far as we had the weekend before, where I then had to shake the reefs out (wind was dropping all the time). By the time I was half way up the harbour it had dropped to almost nothing so the donk was switched on and we motored home through a very quiet, very still, gloaming...

A huge sunset, a pleasant cigar, and a can of Tanglefoot [click here] just underlined what was a memorable sail. Winter approaches though - it was dark when I moored at 7.30 in the evening!

Distance: 10 miles (105 miles year to date - there's the century)
Wind: "Changeable" (Started out Force 4 dropped to nothing)

Wednesday 9 September 2009

Southampton boatshow nears...

The weekend after next is the Southampton International Boatshow - looking forward to seeing if there are any bargains, but little'un and I definitely want one of these:
..or perhaps one of these for when SWMBO is onboard..

 

 

With the season's close almost upon us (where did it go!!) littlest'un and I had a brilliant day out on Sunday. Having had an additional weeks holiday after we got back from holiday with the intention of being able to go sailing a few times, the weather during the week had been dreadful - so on the eve of my return to work this was the last and only opportunity.

We took full benefit of a spring tide and had a good 4 to 4.5 hours of cruising ending up well into the Thorney channel (for those who know Chichester Harbour this is one of the offshoots from the main Bosham channel..) - the furthest we've been yet, I think..

Winds were stronger than before (tail end of a very windy week all round), gray skies, but when we got to the Bosham channel the sun came out with the flask of tea... serendipity!!

With only a couple of weeks to go before the boats come off the water, thoughts are now turning to the first "overnight'er".... oh, and it'd be nice to see the mileage hit three figures this year..

Distance: 13 miles (95 miles year to date)
Wind: Moderate (Force 3, mostly force 4)