A short shake down trip.
It’s Easter Weekend and the weather looks good.
We get to the boat around 10.00am and set about stowing the food supplies, getting the main sail set up and sorting the mooring lines. At 12-00 o clock it’s high tide and high time we set off. Coaxing her away from the mooring, we motored off down river.
Contrary to the weather forecast there was some wind and we were keen to get the sails up. Mistake trying to do this in a narrow channel, and soon felt the centreboard digging in. A hasty U turn and we got out of that one, fortunately the centre boards are designed to kick-up in this situation, but a bit embarrassing all the same. I should know better.
The genoa, being so stiff and new takes a bit of encouragement to get across on the tack, which lead to mistake No 2, getting a riding turn on the winch. This for the non sailors is getting the rope tangled on the winch in a way that it cannot the readily undone. This coupled with the fact that we were in a busy fairway between rows of moored boats, got the heart rate up a bit.
Things settled down after that and we continued on to Brownsea Island, where at 1500 ,we called it a day and anchored up.
After an afternoon of cleaning and small jobs we’ve now had supper and are watching the sun go down.
The Wessex Kidney Patients Association is a charity that helps patients and their families deal with the upheaval caused by Kidney disease. If you enjoy reading our blog please consider giving to this cause . Many thanks Louise & Martin
4 Kidneys and a Wonky Leg 
Sounds like an eventful day! We left Ridge at 9.30 am. Wind was higher than predicted (no change there then!) so we shook the sails out and sailed over to Poole. Now in Marina. Have an enjoyable weekend, see you very soon. J & A
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