Wednesday 18th May.
Motorsailing has been the name of the game, day broke and with it finally some favourable wind!
Stay sail out and the main up we’re doing 6kts as the ever reliable volvo takes a well deserved rest. Winds build throughout the morning peaking at 18 kts, raising our cruising speed to 7.5 kts at times. Midday drew and the winds waned, falling down to 8 kts – our cruise speed half that. After the taste of the high life boosting along at 7.5kts, 4 kts feel like a crawl… a mid afternoon tea and biscuit helps pass the time!
The volvo sits patiently, waiting to see if it’s needed to get us through our last stretch before laying anchor for the first time this trip!
Toni & Jack

Tuesday 17th May
Well the smooth water was glossy with the shine of the full moon for my first ever night passage.
Towards the end of my two hour shift the previously mild wind shook the mainsail hard and we heard a creak and then a thump as bits of metal hit the dark deck.
Andrew was up in a flash. “Where did the noise come from?”
“Starboard I think”
Luckily the three bits of the car (from the mid section of the sail) that had failed had all fallen and stayed on the deck. Andrew scooped them up and half lowered the sail. The car was repaired and back on the slider by mid morning.
Later this morning on Andrew’s shift a large and gentle force lifted the back end of this big boat and put it down again 90 degrees sideways. Andrew had to grab the wheel and put it back 90 degrees. Was it a stray wave or a whale?
Liz.

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After a week of rain and high winds we finally get a break. They are predicting more bad weather in four days so we will not stop at Lady Musgrave. We will just head straight to Great Keppel where there is more shelter.
Liz is happy she doesnt have to bail the dinghy out in the rain.
We are all glad we are out of the river and on our way.