Down Channel

17^th May

I feel a bit like Solomon Grundy … Born on a Monday, Christened on a Tuesday, Married on a Wednesday, Took ill on Thursday … need I go on?

‘Talisker 1’ launched and anchored in the Deben on Monday

In the Stour on Tuesday

Sailed to Ramsgate on Wednesday

To Brighton on Thursday

Anchored in The Solent on Friday

Studland Bay on Saturday

Hold it … I’ve not done the Saturday bit … yet.

If I do sail to Studland Bay today and the weather does what it says it will do, then I will be weighing anchor tomorrow morning at 0300 when the wind is forecast (windy.com) to veer east.

It has been a hectic and busy few weeks.

‘Talisker 1’ was very much ready before launch.  Only the stay sail and genoa remained to be rigged.

The plan is to sail towards Cornwall.

The boat gets longer every year as I get older.  My energy levels are not what they were.  I’m talking about maintenance and not boat handling.

Winter at Larkman’s Ltd was excellent as always.  I have not wintered there since 2014 as I wanted to sail in the winter.  This winter, the ship n me took a break.  The mast came down and she was immaculately covered.

The outer and inner cap shrouds and the lower shrouds were renewed by Fred Larkman.  The cutlass bearing going into the hull failed and the bearing on the P bracket also needed replacing.  An engine lift was required to remove the shaft so at the same time Peter Norris replaced the main oil seal on the engine.  The mopping up under the engine so far is miniscule compared with last year.  It has always been a mucky engine.

I did not do any of the cosmetic work that I had planned to do.

I’m slightly short of my sea legs.  I felt clumsy taking the main sail down on the approaches to Ramsgate which is notoriously lumpy.  The sail from Ramsgate to Brighton was very fast.  80 NM over the ground and 73 NM through the water in 9 hours and 45 minutes.  Even for ‘Talisker 1’ that is going it some.  Predominantly in northerly F4’s.

Yesterday I had to motor sail round the bay from Brighton to the Looe Channel before I was able to sail in the Solent all the way to the Beaulieu River in south westerlies that veered northerly approaching Horse Sand Fort.

Last night we anchored just inside the Beaulieu River.

Today there will not be a lot of wind for the sail to Studland Bay.  But I need to be home by Thursday as brother William is coming home.

I’ve been slow to write my sailing diary this year.

1845

We picked up a mooring in Studland Bay at 1650.  It seems that anchoring IS allowed but they are asking boats NOT to anchor voluntarily to save the sea grass.  I picked up a mooring with a scan code on it and had to pay (I assume I had to) £15.

We had to motor from the Beaulieu River but set the genoa and switched the engine off as we rounded Hurst Point.  ‘Talisker 1’ charged to Studland Bay in two hours in a southerly F4.  So much for no wind.  I can never quite get used to the number of boats in the Solent area but those sailing in the same direction were either caught and passed or left far behind.  I’m always astonished by this 34 year old’s performance (that’s ‘Talisker 1’ and sadly and not me).  I’m soixante neuf this June.  The boat remains a mile eater …

There seems to be an unusually high number of Pan Pan and Maydays for Solent CG to deal with.  There was a Mayday for a diver.  I hope the diver is recovering well.  It sounded like a professional diving operation.

Studland Bay is a bit stunning but would be untenable in anything from NW to SE.  The wind will drop tonight and there will be a faint veer to the NW overnight and then NE at 0400 which will be the time I will want to slip our mooring.

We are sailing towards Dartmouth tomorrow.

19^th May

Sailed to Dartmouth on Sunday

And Falmouth on Monday

And that was the end of Solomon Grundy …

The windows of opportunities must be taken and there was little doubt about the 0400 departure from Studland Bay and with a big tide we were making huge speeds motor sailing.  And then the engine heat alarm sounded just before midday.  We still had 20 NM to sail to Dartmouth.

With the engine off ‘Talisker 1’ came to a stop.  There were going to be southerlies about 1500 so I had plenty of time to investigate.  The sea was becalmed.  The raw water flow seemed normal, but I checked the strainer and rinsed it.  Oil and coolant levels were good.  I changed the perfect impeller for a new perfect impeller.  The odd observation I made was that two of three rubber washers had disintegrated under the two aft bolts on the top of the rocker cover.  The forward one was still intact.  It was normal under the oil filler cap.

An hour was not long enough to cool the engine and the alarm sounded again after about ten minutes of restarting the engine and motoring gently ahead at 1,500 RPM.  I switched the engine off.

The winds kicked in earlier at 1300 and we set full main and genoa.  We were 12 NM E of Scabbacombe Head.  We had a lovely sail in light southerlies and just under three hours later I dropped the main under genoa and ghosted towards the entrance to Dartmouth Harbour under genoa only.  As a precaution the HM, who I’d pre warned about the overheat, sent a rib to meet us although I was pretty certain there would be no issues under tick over for the short motor to the anchorage.  If we managed that then we would be able to leave in the same way in the morning!

Looking at the forecast I realised I could not risk the strong easterlies dying on us late on the following day as they were forecast to do.  They were going to be strong from dawn until the mid afternoon.  It was an easy decision to leave at midnight and get my head down for five hours from 1900.

We felt our way out of Dartmouth at midnight, the engine on tick over and hoisted the main and set the stay sail at Homestone, for a lively sail to Start Point.

I was angry that I’d failed to secure the anchor for the first time.  I hurried to do this as spray met me on my hands and knees on the foredeck with head torch.  I’ve never not secured the anchor before.

Coming off the wind on to our westerly heading the light wind was just keeping us moving but knowing that with the dawn and early morning the wind would back easterly and strengthen.

By 0730 it was an easterly F5, later gusting a F6.  ‘Talisker 1’ flew under a poled out genoa on port and the main on a preventer on starboard tack.

Just before midday we furled the genoa off St Anthony Head and sailed under main only into Falmouth Harbour.  So this is why we love sailing.  We had sailed 30 NM over the ground in the last three hours.

There was no strop on our mooring at Mylor YH so I was advised to come alongside for the night.  Engine off 1300.

Engine hours today 0.7.

20^th May

We are still alongside.  And we can stay alongside for another night.  Mike Rollason, the Marina Manager, is arranging a chain strop for my mooring today.  I will go and pick it up tomorrow.

Since launching last Monday we have sailed 353 NM over the ground and 334 NM through the water.  I was exhausted yesterday evening but after a welcome shower I had supper with my beautiful daughter Hannah and her partner Dominic in Castaways.  My chum Ed Gorman told me it was good.

Now the reason for this sail and me taking the train back to Suffolk on Thursday.

I wanted to spend June and part of July here.  Hannah is expecting a little girl.  Bar the bump you would not know she is pregnant.  She looks radiant.  They will make great parents.

I will also be able to spend time with Alicia, Logan and the boys.  As well as Jessie.

I’m going home because brother William has his late May stay at home.  On the 3rd June I will drive him back to Somerset and continue on down here.

Nick, a local Marine Engineer and a friend of Dominic visited ‘Talisker 1’.  Hot water is not reaching the Calorifia.  There could be a number of reasons but the first thing to check when I return is the thermostat.