Windy Days.
We stayed in Yarmouth for two nights to rest and restock the galley.
Yarmouth is only small but I had a nice wander around - shame the only seafood shops were closed on Monday.
I toyed with the idea of leaving Blazer here for a month because they offered me a great deal £90!!
In the end I decided to press on to Chichester on Tuesday.
My plotter gave the best time to leave - 08.00 - so we left.
I was all set up to use springs to leave the berth due being hemmed in back and front - never used them on my own before.
In the event the wind died - I pushed the bow out and it stayed out - just motored off - good.
The tide carried us ( plus engine) to Portsmouth then foresail only - no engine - sailed to the West Pole beacon marking the entrance to Chichester Harbour - cracking!!
I anchored in 4 metres in the shelter, from the 30 knot wind , behind the sand dunes and when the anchor bit I gave the engine full astern - solid as a rock!
I cooked chicken with new potatoes and green beans - lovely.
Planning for the trip on to Eastbourne looked dodgy with high winds for Wednesday but the winds were highest in the afternoon and there was nothing above 25 knots - we went for it.
Chichester to Eastbourne.
Up at 04.00 off at 05.00 - pitch dark but the channel to the entrance has buoys that are lit plus the plotter.
Now I new we were in trouble as soon as we motored out over the bar in the last of the ebb tide - we were crashing through bigish waves then - OK it was wind over a bit of tide but it should have warned me.
We had the headlands of Selsey Bill and Beachy Head to deal with and Tom Cunliffe said in the channel pilot stay well off Selsey bill in windy weather so I did ( Selsey bill claimed Edward Heath's boat - Morning Cloud)
The wind was stronger than my phone forecast with gusts up to 29 knots but it was the waves - HUGE.
They were more like swells - not so steep as the ones in the Needles channel and Blazer seemed to cope even with tiller pilot steering but then about 3/4 of the way there a rogue wave from a different direction hit us broadside - WALLOP!!
It must have hit the rudder hard because the tiller pilot packed up - we were knocked well over - stuff all over the place in the cockpit then I looked below!!
Shelves emptied cupboards emptied - all on the floor - no time to worry about that lot - I grabbed the spare tiller pilot, plugged it in and we were off again.
The waves were never ending - so tiring - having to move with the movement of Blazer.
Eventually we turned the corner round Beachy Head and headed for the entrance channel into Eastbourne.
I called the marina and a very calm and welcome voice said that marina staff would help me to a berth - wonderful.
All tied up by 15.00 - asleep by 16.30!!
What a day - cream crackered again!!!
Three nights rest here - the winds for Friday are 50 knots! but for the weekend are light - Nigel might be able to join me for the last three legs back to North Fambridge where an annual berth waits for Blazer - She will like that.
Overall, this trip will show that the Channel islands are doable in two weeks without killing yourself.
So we can pick up the trip in the future and carry on - Nice Thought.
Planning now for the next leg - maybe Dover?
Mike
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