Isle of Wight

KEYS: I have been planning to sail around the Isle of Wight for some time now and had set a date for Sat/Sun 5th n 6th June. Dave arranged to meet me at the boat at about 4am on the Saturday so I had my things packed & ready to go late Friday evening. All I needed now was the key to get on the boat! I couldn't find them in the house so I went down to the club looked around there, went over to Jelly bean to see if I had left them on board, Stripped the car down but still couldn't find them. I finally remembered where I'd put them, drove home, picked them up was back on the boat with my head on the pillow by 1:30am... Great, I had to be up in 2 hours!

NO WIND: Dave arrived as planned but there was no hurry. Even the light wind that had been forecast had bunked off. The round the Island trip was off but we hoped the wind would fill so we could still go to Yarmouth for the weekend. We motored out of the harbour and tried to find some breeze. It was futile so I went below and caught up on some sleep.

SOME WIND: By midday we were still bobbing about just outside the harbour. Even the prospect of getting to Yarmouth was looking slim. I could see boats under sail over at Studland so suggested going over and staying there for the night. As we drifted towards Studland I could see wind ripples on the water but they were always 10 or 20 yards away. Eventually we picked up a bit of a breeze and over the next 10 or 20 mins we managed to get steady boat speed. What's the point in having a mind if you can't change it? We changed course and headed towards the Island, not that you could actually see it, although blue skys and sunny the visibility was pretty poor.

NO ROOM AT THE INN: One problem with a little boat and a long trip is, eventually, you are going to have to fight the tide. We did well and had managed to get past Hurst Castle and into the solent but the tide was on the turn now. As we approached Yarmouth I made (Drum roll) my first ever VHF radio broadcast, only to be told by Yarmouth harbour master that there was no room. We pressed on towards Cowes but before long we would have to enlist the help of a stinky, noisey 35 year old motor for us to pick up the pace. As we crept past Yarmouth we could see why there was no room, the place was jammed with wooden masts and bunting. I guess it was an 'Old Gaffers' do.

UP THE CREEK: Neither Dave or myself are keen on going far using the engine so when Newtown creek appeared we thought we'd have a look n see if there was room for a little un. As we pottered in it looked like we'd be out of luck. However, the beauty of Jelly Bean is that she can get in where most can't. We ended up in a prime spot against the old quay wall at Shalfleet with a short walk to the pub.... Reeeeeesult.

With a change of clothes and a pretend wash we made our way down the track to the New Inn at Shalfleet. The boat yard and creek are magnificent in their ability make beauty out of mud and scrap... Next time Julie asks me to tidy the garden I'm going to bring her here to show her my inspiration. The New Inn is an 18th Century pub, so not that new, set in the middle of Shalfleet. It's a proper pub selling proper beer and proper food so if your proper hungry and proper thirsty I suggest you go here at once.

MUD GLORIOUS MUD: Once fed and watered we took a stroll back to the quay. Jelly Bean was sat in the mud, That's ok, in fact that's why I wanted a bilge keeler but the Port bilge plate had sunk leaving JB leaning over and the shroud pressed hard against the quay. Dave disappeared into the darkness and returned with large tyre... I didn't ask where he got it from. We pushed JB away from the wall and dropped the tyre down the gap like a large fender. This took the pressure off the shroud but still left my bunk at a jaunty angle so I had to cling to it to stay in bed until the tide came back in.

TOTLAND FOR TEA: Sunday morning was a bit more overcast than Saturday. We had a good window for getting back out of the solent again so we just enjoyed an hour at the quay watching Swans and ducks. We eventually motored out of Newtown, the wind was pretty good and we set a nice course across the solent. As we tacked back towards Yarmouth I tried to show Dave how to heave to.... all well did was go round in circles before eventually goose winging off at 2.5knts with the tiller hard over, guess I'll have to practice that one some more. Another couple of tacks saw us past Hurst Castle and Anchored in Totland Bay. As it's so much hassle to pump the dinghy up we jump off and waded ashore... So with the morning ablutions done we made our way to the 'Totland pier cafe'. You can't miss it, it's a blue and white stripped building on the pier with 'CAFE' in huge letters on the end. I borrowed a tenner off Dave so that I could buy him a breakfast, who needs friends like me? We sat on the old pier with our Tea and big breakfast. It was OK apart from the sausages, you shouldn't scrimp on the sausages when doing breakfasts. Having said that it won't stop me going back.

After about an hour we went back to the boat. The water was a bit rougher now making it hard to get on, fortunately Dave is both taller and fitter than me so he was able to get aboard and help me in. It did highlight the difficulty you would face in trying to recover a man overboard!

This made me smile, I'd always wondered how those Gin Palaces moved from one marina to another. Also, shortly after this picture was taken he did a doughnut around the sailing yacht that he's about to run down shouting 'look at meee'.

TOO MUCH WIND: Before leaving Totland we put 2 reefs in the Main and left the Jib attached but tied down on the foredeck. Once out of the bay it became very unsettled. The waves were high and short and the wind was up to F5 against the tide. This was a real battle which had us motoring for at least a couple of hours before we could even consider putting up any more sail.

Eventually the sea state calmed slightly although the wind was still strong. We put the jib up but It was overpowered so it had to come down again. We did shake out the reefs in the main and that was fine, we were able to stop the motor and make some headway. Dave made another trip to the pointy end to swap the jib for the small one. This improved the sailing immediately and we were able to make 2knts slamming through the waves, the hatch had to remain closed as water would be going down in bucket loads.

TO FLEE OR NOT TO FLEE:It was looking like we would have to put into Christchurch and leave the boat there but as with yesterdays decision the weather started to Change. The sea calmed considerably and we where able to make between 3 & 4knts. The beach at Mudeford sandbank seemed the ideal place to nose into so that we could regroup and make a decision as it was sheltered from the wind by Hengistbury Head and it has the all important public toilet block nestled in between the beach huts. The beach shelves steeply here and we had to get right in before Dave could jump off. As I changed the jib I looked around and realised that the anchor hadn't bit. I pulled the anchor up, started the engine and held station until Dave got back then I just motored in til he he could jump aboard. The conditions were now much better and we felt confident to put full sail up and head for Poole.

PERFECT WIND: Out of the shelter of Hengistbury head the wind picked up again and the waves around the headland were up to their old tricks due to the restriction but I had the bit between my teeth and i wasn't going to back down. we were off, once away from the head the wave calmed and we were flying. 5.5knots nearly all the way back to Poole with the tell tales streaming and the boat feeling responsive. The Sun disappeared at about 9:30 but the sky was clear and visibilty was still good. In fact it was only as we approached the harbour entrance that I realised I still had my sunnys on. I swap them for my normal glasses and it felt like daylight again. It had been a long long day and we were glad to be back on mooring.

Sorry about the lack of photos but we had our hands full for most of the trip!