RORC Scrutineering or just another beat across the channel?

We were fractionally late at the start , but The Project was over the line leaving us to squeeze into the lead with an early hoist whilst various French boats luffed each other into the lee of Old Castle Point and fell back . Sleeper and Polar Bear came out of the Northern end of the line and pulled clear on their long waterlines but despite a fluffed peel off Ryde , we were third boat round Bembridge and into the 120 mile beat. Still, at this stage we were able to hold full rig, the seas were slight and there was plenty to do as we diced with the bigger boats short tacking up the Island shore. Red Macaw briefly got ahead as we got on the wrong side of a shift at the beginning of Sandown bay - but she soon headed offshore leaving us mixing it with Farr 40's and the like with Jamie W conning us round the rocks with inches to spare.

By 5 pm we were round St Cats and on the long Port tack into the tide , rain and increasing seas. Sea sickness began to appear , eventually effecting half the crew but everyone kept the boat driving magnificently. Just before the change of tide , we changed down to the 2 and shortly the wind was up to 20 true and life on the weather rail became truly wet. Even if we didnt find this particularly pleasant - the boat was in her element , bullying her way through the seas and giving little if anything away to the bigger boats around us.

Making love to the GPS...

At dusk we could make out the breakers over St Albans ledge so tacked onto starboard - and with the 10 degree veer worked out that we were only 4 miles short of the lay , albeit 50 miles away. At this stage if we were cruising we would reef down and keep most folk in bed instead of half the crew on the rail getting soaked , but with regular watches below it was just about bearable, if marginally certifiable , and dawn saw us tack changing back to the No 1 in the little eddy within spitting distance of the Casquet rocks.

Once round , the seas were flat, the sun came out , breakfast was served and everything about us was in class one. We rounded les Hanois at 1100 and bore off onto a fetch in a gradually easing and veering wind. Soon the spi was up , various crew were trimming the cushions on the foredeck and the ETA was getting later and later with each decrease in the breeze. By dusk it was glassy calm - but with a fair tide we were still marginaly making progress to the finish.At 0200 a tiny breeze came out of the east and 45 minutes later as we aproached the line with a ferocious cross tide the bewildered off watch were called urgently to get the spinnaker up and bend on the heavy anchor . To their credit both were ready in seconds , and thanks to the cunning of the on watch crew of Adrian Jamie and Barney we crossed at 0300 leaving various boats down tide and sentenced to wait for hours to make the few metres to the line.

Trimming the... foredeck?

 

Later that morning our first in class was confirmed with the next Sigma following on some 11 hours later. Nice one guys!

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