Another great sailing day. We raised the anchor when it was still almost dark and then made our way through the anchorage and out to sea. We were soon flying along with the wind and the tide and the 48 miles went by faster than expected so that we were able to reach St. Quay Portrieux in the afternoon. Instead of having to raft up with lots of other boats we were able to grab a finger berth to ourselves and were soon exploring the beautiful town.
A French couple we had met in Sark had told us that this here (Sark) is all very nice but the Îles Chausey are their paradise. So we thought why can it not be our paradise, too and a plan was made for getting there. In order to make the best of the tide we would have to leave St. Helier at a time when we wouldn’t be able to cross the bar. So we left the evening before and anchored in Belcroute Bay next to St. Aubin’s Fort. It was a place with a nice view and quiet at first but for some reason it got really rolls overnight and we couldn’t sleep again. I have yet to figure out where that swell came from.
We got up at 5 a.m. The anchor went up at 5:30 and we were underway. The forecast was for force 3 out of the west at first and then becoming very light. We wanted to catch the wind and the tide. We got both and it was great sailing in the rain and fog. On the way we were accompanied by three dolphins who put on a little bit of a show until they got bored with us and left.
The forecast was for force 5 to 6 from the west. That meant having the wind from aft of the beam almost all the time and it was only a short sail anyway. The anchorage that we had chosen was supposedly very well protected from anything out of the west.
Casting off the lines from the Mary Winnifred by myself was a bit daunting because the tide was already running fast but in the end it turned out to be rather easy. I was passing the pier on the shore of the river on a sunny day with kids saluting and waving. It felt great.
After having passed the bar the sails came up and we were able to go in the desired direction with a nice breeze from the northwest. The sea was smooth except for a large swell coming out the southwest but that didn’t bother me. We were making 6.5knots through the water and close to 8 with the tide. It felt like the first really nice sailing day without having to beat into the wind and pound into the waves… It was exhilarating. The Isle of Wight was on our starboard beam, I had never been this far west into the English Channel with Amy and things were looking good.
I had a very short weather window the following morning. I needed to be at the entrance to the river Arun as close to high tide as possible. And I wanted the morning high tide, not the evening one because then there would already be too much wind again.
That meant getting up at 2:30 a.m. and casting off at 3:30. And … you guessed it…. Going against tide and wind.
The waves were still up and it was soon clear that sailing was no option. I would never make it in time. But motoring turned out not to work either. So we were tacking our way against the weather and the tide with sail and motor and were very much delayed at first but fortunately the waves diminished and we were able to go in a straight line.
On Monday I found an unexpected weather window. If I were to leave Monday night and then go as far as possible until the weather turned to shit again sometime Wednesday afternoon. I was hoping to get as far as Brighton but Dover would be a possibility, too.
I was particularly anxious about crossing the Thames estuary behind the TSS and I had a time window where I would need to be at the mouth of the river Blackwater at a certain time to cross the estuary with the tide (or most of it anyway) in my favour. That meant leaving Lowestoft against the tide but at least with the wind from behind. Because of the wind over tide situation there was a very nasty wave but we gut used to it and were barreling along with a poled out genoa with 5 sometimes 6 knots through the water. Unfortunately with the tide against us we were only doing 3 to 3.5 over the ground. But we made it to the Blackwater in time around 3 a.m.
I had wanted a weather window like the one when I had sailed to Scotland with winds from the east, a blocking high reaching across Ireland and pretty much nothing to worry about weatherwise.
It was not to be. The best I could come up with included leaving Tuesday afternoon after the storm had just abated but nasty waves were still to be expected. Then being hit by a cold front on Wednesday to Thursday night and getting into harbour on Saturday as early as possible because of another low creeping up the channel and making for nasty weather.
At 4 in the morning I took things apart. Cleaned the heat exchanger stack and put it together again. Turned on the engine…. No change.
Very frustrated I left, knowing that I would be able to sail most of the way today and only use the engine a little bit. The wind had picked up again and was now gusting to more tan 30 knots. We were flying along with only a deep reefed Genoa at 7 knots and more.
This was a day of motoring. With three bridges where the opening times would need to be met and mostly narrow channels where sailing (with the wind on the nose) was no option (at least not for me, because I was in a hurry). I know this “in-a-hurry” thing is not a good idea at all and totally not part of my plan but there have been weeks of no weather windows for crossing the north sea and there may just be one next week and if I’m not in Lemvig or near Thyboroen before the storm hits I will probably miss it.
