Last week I posted a thought that the empty sea was too good to last. What a difference a spot of sunshine makes! What a difference a week makes! On Sunday every sailor and his dog was out on the water.
Our intention was The Nab Tower, but the forecast 'variable 3 or less' turned into S 3-4-5. After a couple of hours we were only half way, at the Dean Tail complex of buoys. The tide would have turned before we reached the Tower, so we turned tail and headed for the beach.
Surfing down the waves, half an hour later and with 10.8nm under the belt, were back having our lunch on dry land. There should be lots of sea for everyone, but we had some close encounters with racing 'Victory' class yachts crossing our course. Wind shifts meant they were not maintaining a steady course, trying to pinch their way up wind, so it was difficult for us to avoid them and they had no intention at all of avoiding us, suddenly swerving to and fro at the last moment as we thought we had scurried clear. We were still paddling the Winter rules of looking out for others and plenty of sea for all. We must now adjust to Summer Solent rules; the devil take the hindmost, sauve qui peut, and watch out for my lovely turned up tail!
Lovely boats sailed by lovely people, maybe not when they are racing and you are smaller, slower and have little time to manoeuvre. The boats do look great even at close quarters.
Alas Solent rules are all too familiar - I recall giving sound signals to warn of our intentions to manoeuvre a 40 foot long keel yacht n a crowded river only to have a racing yacht storm into our path and then shout at us asking what the hell we were doing - as I recall the skipper was eating a sandwich and talking on his mobile phone at the time
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