Alex has kindly offered to crew from Plymouth to Edinburgh on my round Britain trip this summer and as we had not sailed together since our trip on Jammy Dodger last year we thought it might be a good idea if we got together and do some sailing before we set off on a 700 NM voyage.
Alex and Sandy Plymouth Sound. Credit Alex Bowling
With light winds forecast and a spinnaker that has not been flown since I bought Aphrodite, and I don't believe the previous owners ever used it, and a crew that had never flown one! What could possibly go wrong? It looked an ideal ideal day to try it out. But first we wanted a few miles under the keel and headed out towards the Eastern Entrance of Plymouth Sound. With a plan of heading east towards the mouth of the Yealm before tacking and crossing Plymouth Sound to Rame Head where we would try out the kite.
While still north of the breakwater and as we were hoisting the main and genoa a MOD Police RIB came over and requested that we keep well clear as a warship (HMS Enterprise) heading out from Devonport. Slight change of plan, we kept to the north of the breakwater while the gray ship passed and slipped out of the western entrance behind her before turning east for the Yealm.
Just off Rame Head I called up the National Coastwatch Institute Lookout Station for a radio check as it had been some time since I'd used the VHF and they promptly came back saying they could hear me loud and clear, and I was visible on AIS and Radar. All systems working. I'll need to do a check much further out to sea to find out the range that I have from the boat.
First Ever Spinnaker Hoist. Credit Alex Bowling
Crew: Sandy Garrity, Alex Bowling
Trip Stats: Distance: 21 nm, Avg speed: 2.90 knots, Max speed: 7.00 knots, Under way: 5 h 45 m.
Weather: Inshore waters forecast to 12 miles offshore 01:00 (UTC+1) on Wed 16 Jun 2021 to 01:00 (UTC+1) on Thu 17 Jun 2021
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly
24 hour forecast: Variable 2 or 3, becoming northwest 4 or 5 later. Smooth or slight east of the Lizard peninsula, otherwise slight or moderate becoming moderate or rough. Drizzle and fog patches for a time in far west, thundery rain later in east. Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in far west.
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