Brighton to Cowes
05/09/06 11:20 Filed in: UK
The forecast was for SW 3-4 and it was a case of needing to move on and getting away now that the weather has eased.
No real point in taking the sail cover off. The choice was bouncy motoring or a long slow beat with frequent tacking.
In the event the sea was almost calm and fog persisted till late morning. I thought it prudent to turn the radar on but it blew a fuse and remained non operational. Bloody Autohelm.
No foul tide was encountered until well into the Solent and good progress meant that my ambitions for the day extended from Chichester harbour to Portsmouth and then to Cowes.
Very little commercial or leisure traffic was encountered until the approches to Cowes when it became frantic and amusing. In addition to ferries and regular yacht traffic there appeared to be some sort of fancy dress themed yacht race taking place. I particularly liked the "Blues Brothers" yacht crew.
No real point in taking the sail cover off. The choice was bouncy motoring or a long slow beat with frequent tacking.
In the event the sea was almost calm and fog persisted till late morning. I thought it prudent to turn the radar on but it blew a fuse and remained non operational. Bloody Autohelm.
No foul tide was encountered until well into the Solent and good progress meant that my ambitions for the day extended from Chichester harbour to Portsmouth and then to Cowes.
Very little commercial or leisure traffic was encountered until the approches to Cowes when it became frantic and amusing. In addition to ferries and regular yacht traffic there appeared to be some sort of fancy dress themed yacht race taking place. I particularly liked the "Blues Brothers" yacht crew.