The day dawned pretty miserably. Cold, damp and very very windy!
The initial decision was a "no go" and rightly so.
We discovered the "domestic" batteries were flat. Then we discovered that it was actually the engine battery that was flat because the 1-Both-2 switch is wired up the wrong way round and for two days I've been running the fridge, the lighting and all the rest of a little 55a/h lead acid and not the two big deep cycle batteries!
So that and the need for better heating meant a move to a berth somewhere with shore power was definitely needed.
A frontal system passed through and behind it came some slightly calmer weather so we made a snap decision to chance our arm a bit and motor down to Portsmouth.
We togged up, made ready and departed Port Hamble at 10:00UTC
Conditions were somewhat challenging but the boat and the crew handled it well enough
Rik did most of the helming as usual and found it tiring with an awkward following sea but quite comfortable
Indeed, we both felt very comfortable despite the rocking and rolling, and mutually commentated on our suspicion that we'd have found such a day a lot more challenging on "Erbas" and positively frightening on "Brigantia"
It looks a lot nicer in the photos than it actually was! It was fairly chilly the whole time and soggy on occasions to boot
The wind also got up as the passage wore on and we were struggling for speed over the ground. OK, we were fighting a foul tide the whole way but even so we just didn't seem to have as much grunt as you'd expect from a 42hp engine
Heading up the Swashway into Portsmouth we encountered a lot of commercial ferry traffic but only one other idiot was out there in a yacht!
Entering Portsmouth against the ebb tide was very slow going!
I gave in and thrashed the engine in the end, something I'd been keen to avoid, but I got fed up and slightly embarrassed at sitting virtually stationary under the gaze of the National Coastwatch Institution volunteers in their lookout!
At a tads short of full throttle the speed over the ground shot up from barely half a knot to nearly three knots which was a big improvement!
I have a sneaking suspicion that either the prop blades aren't fully un-feathering or (and my gut instinct points this way) that the blade pitch is set slightly too fine. Either way, it's rather like driving everywhere in third gear.
That's not a massive problem to sort out when she comes out of the water this summer but for now we've got to accept we may not be able to get ahead as quick as we should.
We got alongside in Haslar Marina about 13:30UTC
A much needed cup of that which revives to taste followed!
All in all, a not unsatisfactory little jaunt.
Our speed over the ground was, as already mentioned, somewhat woeful but we knocked of a couple of hours at least from the next leg of the trip.
A bit of sorting out followed and then in the evening we repaired to the Lightship for a very good dinner and some beers. We were joined by Rik's friend Paul for the evening and later by a fellow YBW forum member Simon for further drinks
Our plans from here are up in the air. At the moment, as I write this (late) on lunchtime Thursday it's raining but the wind has dropped.
The forecast for the next two or three days looks much better, still windy but no more gales for a while.
Much depends on the sea state. It takes a while to calm down after a gale.
Our current very provisional thinking is to depart from Haslar early tomorrow morning, around 4-ish local time and stick our heads out and see what's what. If conditions are OK we'll press on Eastwards. If not, we'll turn around and come back in!
If we go, it'll be on the basis of seeing how far we get. We'll start a watch system straight away and press on until we've had enough or get back to either Fox's or Fambridge.
If we can get enough speed over the ground, we can do the trip in about 34 to 36 hours (averaging 5 knots) but we struggled with that yesterday so we're not counting on it.
If we get too cold, too wet, too tired or simply fed up we'll duck into the nearest save haven be that Brighton, Newhaven, Dover or Ramsgate and rest up.
And that's assuming we go at all of course, there is still the option of reversing course and getting Pagan into Lymington for a couple of weeks whilst I'm otherwise engaged and then having another go at getting her back
The track from yesterday ...
12.5 miles in 3:30 (approx)
Average speed over the ground 3.6kn
That includes the very slow drag into Portsmouth Harbour, at sea we averaged something over 4 knots despite fighting a foul tide and having a lot of steering input to counter the wind and waves
That bodes well for maintaining an average of at least 5 knots if we're to stand any chance of making home base by Sunday evening.
The initial decision was a "no go" and rightly so.
We discovered the "domestic" batteries were flat. Then we discovered that it was actually the engine battery that was flat because the 1-Both-2 switch is wired up the wrong way round and for two days I've been running the fridge, the lighting and all the rest of a little 55a/h lead acid and not the two big deep cycle batteries!
So that and the need for better heating meant a move to a berth somewhere with shore power was definitely needed.
A frontal system passed through and behind it came some slightly calmer weather so we made a snap decision to chance our arm a bit and motor down to Portsmouth.
We togged up, made ready and departed Port Hamble at 10:00UTC
Conditions were somewhat challenging but the boat and the crew handled it well enough Rik did most of the helming as usual and found it tiring with an awkward following sea but quite comfortable
Indeed, we both felt very comfortable despite the rocking and rolling, and mutually commentated on our suspicion that we'd have found such a day a lot more challenging on "Erbas" and positively frightening on "Brigantia"
It looks a lot nicer in the photos than it actually was! It was fairly chilly the whole time and soggy on occasions to boot
The wind also got up as the passage wore on and we were struggling for speed over the ground. OK, we were fighting a foul tide the whole way but even so we just didn't seem to have as much grunt as you'd expect from a 42hp engine
Heading up the Swashway into Portsmouth we encountered a lot of commercial ferry traffic but only one other idiot was out there in a yacht!Entering Portsmouth against the ebb tide was very slow going!
I gave in and thrashed the engine in the end, something I'd been keen to avoid, but I got fed up and slightly embarrassed at sitting virtually stationary under the gaze of the National Coastwatch Institution volunteers in their lookout!
At a tads short of full throttle the speed over the ground shot up from barely half a knot to nearly three knots which was a big improvement!
I have a sneaking suspicion that either the prop blades aren't fully un-feathering or (and my gut instinct points this way) that the blade pitch is set slightly too fine. Either way, it's rather like driving everywhere in third gear.
That's not a massive problem to sort out when she comes out of the water this summer but for now we've got to accept we may not be able to get ahead as quick as we should.
We got alongside in Haslar Marina about 13:30UTCA much needed cup of that which revives to taste followed!
All in all, a not unsatisfactory little jaunt.
Our speed over the ground was, as already mentioned, somewhat woeful but we knocked of a couple of hours at least from the next leg of the trip.
A bit of sorting out followed and then in the evening we repaired to the Lightship for a very good dinner and some beers. We were joined by Rik's friend Paul for the evening and later by a fellow YBW forum member Simon for further drinks
Our plans from here are up in the air. At the moment, as I write this (late) on lunchtime Thursday it's raining but the wind has dropped.
The forecast for the next two or three days looks much better, still windy but no more gales for a while.
Much depends on the sea state. It takes a while to calm down after a gale.
Our current very provisional thinking is to depart from Haslar early tomorrow morning, around 4-ish local time and stick our heads out and see what's what. If conditions are OK we'll press on Eastwards. If not, we'll turn around and come back in!
If we go, it'll be on the basis of seeing how far we get. We'll start a watch system straight away and press on until we've had enough or get back to either Fox's or Fambridge.
If we can get enough speed over the ground, we can do the trip in about 34 to 36 hours (averaging 5 knots) but we struggled with that yesterday so we're not counting on it.
If we get too cold, too wet, too tired or simply fed up we'll duck into the nearest save haven be that Brighton, Newhaven, Dover or Ramsgate and rest up.
And that's assuming we go at all of course, there is still the option of reversing course and getting Pagan into Lymington for a couple of weeks whilst I'm otherwise engaged and then having another go at getting her back
The track from yesterday ...
Average speed over the ground 3.6kn
That includes the very slow drag into Portsmouth Harbour, at sea we averaged something over 4 knots despite fighting a foul tide and having a lot of steering input to counter the wind and waves
That bodes well for maintaining an average of at least 5 knots if we're to stand any chance of making home base by Sunday evening.
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