An English Summer 83

 

The breeze tarries still, in the north east. Throughout the Bank Holiday boats stream into Blood Alley, Poole harbour's only sheltered anchorage, for this wind direction.

They come from near and far. To one side, of Stargazer, is our fleet footed futuristic trimaran friend, of New Grimsby Sound, Firefly. Out, from her home port of Gosport, for the weekend. To the other, Aava, homeward bound, for Helsinki, after a summer cruise to the West Country.

Over on the Sandbanks shore, the Royal Motor Yacht Club's fleet, of X One Designs,  is racing hard. Broad reaching down the harbour, under all the sail they can muster.

The front runners sweep across the harbour mouth and into South Deep. Doing all in their power, to keep their spinnakers drawing, in the lee of Brownsea Island.

Whilst those, still in the full breeze, out in the main channel, romp down toward them. Closing the gap, fast.

The forecast is for a north easterly four or five, tomorrow. A beat, for Stargazer, bound eastward, but one that should have a heavily favoured port tack. Tides too, should help Stargazer on her way. We mean to catch the turn of the tide at Hurst, the western entrance to the Solent, ride it straight past the ‘fully booked’ Solent ports and out, through the forts (No Man's Land Fort and Horse Sand Fort), which guard the eastern entrance. Fallback options are numerous, should wind or tide foresake us.

PS: Stargazer hopes to be on passage from dawn to dusk on Monday. Next post therefore planned for Tuesday.