Backdated 21/07/24
52nm – 11.5hrs – first time flying the spinnaker

On Saturday I left East Cowes Marina and anchored up in Osborne Bay just around the corner. The weather was warm and calm so I got my paddle board out and had a go and scrubbed “the beard” off my boat. There was a lot of weed growing on the hull and if left to grow it would slow the boat down significantly. But it was fun to get back in the water, mess around, and just have some fun in the warmer weather.

Sunday morning I lifted anchor and set sail for Brighton. I just put the main sail up to start with, then after leaving the Solent I got the spinnaker up for the first time. It took me a while to get all the lines sorted, and I only used the smaller of the 2 spinnakers onboard but it felt great. It looked amazing ( even if it was pink) and I felt so proud, I’d yet to use a spinny on this boat even with a crew so doing alone felt like an achievement. But after a few hours of moving at only 2 knots, I need to bring it down and motor. The wind did pick up again in the evening but I kept to just the main and genoa. I approached Brighton right at low tide so needed to wait around for an hour til I could enter the marina. In that time the wind increased significantly, and I dropped my sails and got quite wet doing so. It also made the narrow entrance difficult with big waves moving the boat towards the rocks, I just had to do it with confidence. It went well and once inside it was flat calm, I pulled up alongside the pontoon and after a change of clothes, I introduced myself to the marina staff who were super friendly and welcoming.

I stayed for almost a week in Brighton, it was such a cool town to explore and I loved it all. I visited the beach, the Pier, the pavilion, and my favorite part the Laines. I met up with some old friends, and I definitely met some new ones. I was presented with a bright pink fender to match my boat by Lucie from @brightonmarinayachtclub !!

I also met @jazturnersailing an amazing young sailor who I’ve followed for a while now. Turns out we have a lot in common and I think we’ll be good friends. I hope we’ll get a chance to sail together after this trip.