Those of you who have read from the beginning of this years blog are aware that I had a slight contretemps with my mast... 
Not surprisingly I now have a mental block about taking it down, so this year, having also decided that the club can lift me out, I also decided to sail round to the slipway rather than take down the aforementioned "stick" and sail under the bridge like my other club compatriots do...
Slight overkill, but it was also a last opportunity to go out on the boat this season, even if most of it would be on motor...
So - having moved the boat to a deeper mooring the previous Sunday, I managed to get off the mooring to start the trip at 8 in the morning, high tide was at 11 but was a big one (almost 5 mtrs) - I planned on 3 to 4 hours to get round, but with the early start and the big tide that gave me 6 hours for safety - plenty of time!
Weather started wet and rainy (new waterproofs were aired in anger for the first time) but had cleared to sunshine and a steady force 4 by the time I got to the entrance of Chichester Harbour...
Started up the engine and it then ran for four and half hours - I'd need it - I'd be against the tide almost the entire way round, and with all that water, they were not inconsiderable!
Either way - the second in an occasional series - this is Langstone Fairway, which used to be a buoy and is now a pole (click on any picture for a pleasingly bigger view by the way)..
Port hand side of the Langstone entrance (as I came in) - that's the lifeboat station with the red roof..
Starboard side - that's the Ferryboat Inn (from where all the jet skiers launch in the summer! )
Last of all the track - which made my mate, Jellybean Phil laugh...
Yep - that's 15.88 miles to travel 50 yards as the crow flies!
Trip took four and a half hours - maximum speed was was just a tad over 5 knots (though I did see 6 very, very, briefly) and an average speed of just over 3 - pleased to see my passage plan was pretty much spot on.
No main - I wanted to get away from the mooring quickly, so didn't hang around getting sail covers off - I did have the jib though for additional forward oomph (which was very much needed with the tide being what it was). Lowest speed was about 1 knot when I turned into the wind and tide outside Chichester... my little outboard donk really wasn't up to it, and sounded distinctly wheezy by the time I got to my new mooring...
Next trip will be to bring her out on Sunday - just as they're forecasting an Indian summer weekend here in the UK - wouldn't you believe it!
PS. We'll gloss over the five attempts it took me to pick up the mooring - I can only blame it on the current - we don't get anything like that on my normal mooring!
Not surprisingly I now have a mental block about taking it down, so this year, having also decided that the club can lift me out, I also decided to sail round to the slipway rather than take down the aforementioned "stick" and sail under the bridge like my other club compatriots do...
Slight overkill, but it was also a last opportunity to go out on the boat this season, even if most of it would be on motor...
So - having moved the boat to a deeper mooring the previous Sunday, I managed to get off the mooring to start the trip at 8 in the morning, high tide was at 11 but was a big one (almost 5 mtrs) - I planned on 3 to 4 hours to get round, but with the early start and the big tide that gave me 6 hours for safety - plenty of time!
Weather started wet and rainy (new waterproofs were aired in anger for the first time) but had cleared to sunshine and a steady force 4 by the time I got to the entrance of Chichester Harbour...
Started up the engine and it then ran for four and half hours - I'd need it - I'd be against the tide almost the entire way round, and with all that water, they were not inconsiderable!
Either way - the second in an occasional series - this is Langstone Fairway, which used to be a buoy and is now a pole (click on any picture for a pleasingly bigger view by the way)..
Port hand side of the Langstone entrance (as I came in) - that's the lifeboat station with the red roof..
Starboard side - that's the Ferryboat Inn (from where all the jet skiers launch in the summer! )
Last of all the track - which made my mate, Jellybean Phil laugh...
Yep - that's 15.88 miles to travel 50 yards as the crow flies!Trip took four and a half hours - maximum speed was was just a tad over 5 knots (though I did see 6 very, very, briefly) and an average speed of just over 3 - pleased to see my passage plan was pretty much spot on.
No main - I wanted to get away from the mooring quickly, so didn't hang around getting sail covers off - I did have the jib though for additional forward oomph (which was very much needed with the tide being what it was). Lowest speed was about 1 knot when I turned into the wind and tide outside Chichester... my little outboard donk really wasn't up to it, and sounded distinctly wheezy by the time I got to my new mooring...
Next trip will be to bring her out on Sunday - just as they're forecasting an Indian summer weekend here in the UK - wouldn't you believe it!
PS. We'll gloss over the five attempts it took me to pick up the mooring - I can only blame it on the current - we don't get anything like that on my normal mooring!
It's coming out Sunday... You've still got Saturday ;~)
ReplyDelete...and with the added advantage of a whole winter to find a new wife when the current one divorces me for going out on the boat two days running this weekend... :D
ReplyDeleteSee... I knew you'd see the bright side. I shall definately go out tomorrow, lookt too good to miss. Might have to combine it with meeting the family for a walk somewhere around the harbour.
ReplyDeleteI suppose you've got a list as long as your arm of things that you either need or want doing?