What a busy Easter break this is turning out to be!
I've been making the most of my four weeks off University, trying to get out on the water as much as possible. Two weekends ago, I sailed double-handed to Weymouth. This was to prepare for the Weymouth Double (13-15th April), a 2-leg race starting on the Friday evening. I had a great day, not only because short-handed sailing is exciting, but also because my skipper is a great fan of tea. I must have had about 8 cups before we were anywhere near Weymouth!
It was dark by the time Portland and Weymouth beach loomed on the horizon. At first the pretty lights of the town made it tricky to spot those ones marking the entrance to the Harbour, but we were soon in. Once the boat was rafted up alongside 3 others, I clambered ashore in the search for Weymouth’s ‘Award winning’ Fish & Chips, which were well worthy of the title! It was a good job the chips were nice and hot; thinking that I’d surely be warm enough in 6 layers of thermals, I’d left my sleeping bag behind, so that I could pack my new Musto smock instead! It turned out to be a pretty freezing night; unfortunately I was just a bit to big for my rucksack to make a full-length sleeping bag.
Another day of light winds for the return home meant more tea sipping, whilst we admired all the different types of rocks and landslides that make up our coastline. After packing the boat up, I headed home to spend a few days getting some Uni work done.
This week I was back out on the water, this time sailing a HOD35 double-handed. With the wind filling in late afternoon, the owner and I were much to carried away by the fun of it all. We made good use of the auto-pilot (which steers the boat for you) for some solo-tacks, spinnaker hoists, and munching of a few french biscuits. Having thought we had done so well all day, it was a bit of a shame that the engine decided to conk out on our way back in. Having already dropped the sails, it was a bit concerning when black smoke started to billow out from down below; I thought we were on fire! We got back in fine under jib, spending the evening having a fiddle with the engine and mopping up a large pool of engine coolant. We sorted the problem just in time to have a lovely meal at the local Italian restaurant, where I ate the first plate of pasta I've ever had that has been well worth £8.99!
With the RORC Easter Challenge starting on friday, a quick stop over in Hamble was required to bring the J/109 over to the Island for a long weekend away.