Fair Winds!

Hooligan V

Good Luck to Edward and Crew on the RORC Solent to Cascais Race.
You need it!!!

Halcyon Days

Occasional crew, trainee sailor, professional drinker
and part-time ships cat, Andy...

It was a famous rat that some time ago said all that stuff about messing about in boats. He was right. Nothing quite like it. The Mate and I are very lucky to live in an area where it seems the world revolves around boats of all kinds. Thus we are never short of resources for advice, equipment and inspiration never more than a tea bag flick away. We both are fully aware of this, and we do count our blessings more often than not.
That said, we do, eventually, plan to leave this Mecca for sailors and move on to something a whole lot more, well, quiet... But that's another story, one which I will no doubt tell in the pages to come.
The Solent is a place with a "single minded diversity" if you will. By that I mean that all things nautical is its heartbeat, but the huge diversity of the types of activity, personalities, vessels and so on is outstanding. This has benefits and it has its drawbacks, and memory being the fickle entity it is, brings one to vivdly remember the bad points as the good times fade away into dusty corners.
That's why I posted this picture.
This summer weekend, we sailed and motored from Ocean Village to Cowes in nigh on naff all wind and a lumpy, motorboat induced slop. It wasn't a great trip by any stretch, but because of the company, the hustle and bustle of Cowes, a good (Thai) meal and plenty of libation, a wonderful weekend was had by all.

Boat Speed!

Yup... 10.7knots. It went higher... but where's the proof??

Neraida is, when pointed in the right direction, a fast little boat. Considering her 25' feet of waterline, she behaves more in the manner of a dinghy than a yacht when it comes to performance.
Sure, she will bash upwind at 6 knots on an average day, but times like this, with the wind just abaft the beam, apparent wind creeping forward, full (and new) mainsail and a "Solent" jib, a good stiff force five, she goes like the preverbial train.
However she does this with some caveat. Another five knots of wind and a lack of attention to the mainsheet will send her griping up with six inches of sea over the leeward deck. Worse still, catch her unawares working hard on a broad reach, and she will fall off the plane and into a juddering broach before you can blink.
Still, we never claimed to be sailing a good solid cruising boat!

First Blood

Southampton Water, 15-20knots of wind, Yummy sailing...

Neraida spends the majority of her time "on her ear". This comes from having a somewhat oversized rig, a tender form (by modern standards) and little weight. She only has 1500kgs to her name, making her fast, if a little jumpy in a seaway.
Much fun can be had however, as there is ne'er a dull moment on board. It has been known for the mate and I to have an "epic voyage" from Southampton to Cowes!

testing testing *cough* hello?