Grenville Houser

Motored over in morning after a short session on handling. Put sail up just before we reached entrance to small boat channel. Lovely lunch at the Folly. Departed and motored out of river then up into wind to hoist main. 7.5kts SOG back. Stuck reef in just before we entered river. Then fuelled away headsail and did a 360 to drop main . Dymtri parked and whole family packed away. Good days intro to cats

Flat calm, little wind. Nice day, gentle breeze

Started the day with zip. Zero wind and strong flood tide. Underway and as soon as possible all used engine. 5kts SOG max. Wind filled in from east and at the end it started to rain. On penultimate leg used the Assymmetric

Left the basin @1645 once rise of tide had reached 7.1. Then set main with single feet and headed North up the Little Russell. Bit bumpy! With tide beneath topped 8kts SOG. Once at Roustel was able to beat away a little and opened genoa. So as SOG dropped away the boat speed stayed good. At some point with waters flat I decided to revise course and cut across the South Alderney bank - it was fine. Closed Alderney and more disturbance. Went inside Race but outside Blanchard. Next time need to look at inshore passage! Into Braye. Rounded up and dropped main before docking at jetty opposite the LB. Picked up Jeremy and Imogen and off we went. I stayed on watch until we cleared the East bound and then west bound traffic. By 0300 I was knackered and took to bunk. Jeremy held the Watch. He woke me 14 miles out from SW Shingles. Decided to go for Lymington. Which we did seeing about 1000 am. Good fast passage but motorsailng

Early start. Slipped on time . Needles was lumpy and wind stayed solidly in the SW. ended up motor sailing most of the way. Lost a bit of time early on which had knock on of making us late down little Russell. Thought we might have had to anchor as tide appeared to be going against us, but then it went slack and made it in in nick of time. Kind berthing master bought us inside and we parked stern in s/b side too

Gorgeous hot day with sea breeze. Mark & George were pupils. 0900 went through theory, then how to leave the berth, having gone through engine checks, instruments etc… Left berth and proceeded down stream where we did manoeuvres going ahead and then astern. Went though mid river secondary channels before doing alongside mooring. Stopped for lunch in Marina berth then spent 2 hours on parking. Finished 1500 due to George booked on train to London

Not as forecast. Departed at 0730 for an 0830 start with 18kts at Bramble. On way out shook out the no.2 reef and made reasonable start with single reef and jib. Made really good time with Grumpspointing nice and high! Cut Varvassi close and then made way into Brightstone bay… excellent rounding of St. Catherine’s and still no sign of 30+kt winds!!! Dunnose and then into Sandown bay before gybing out and leaving West Princessa to S/B. Rounded Bembridge to port and made for Ryde post.stepping out round shallows. Long beat to Castle Point where wind died and ended the day tacking into a foul tide with NO WIND. Finally finished in rain!!!! Yuk Would have done better if the vang hadn’t parted off Castle Point!!!!!!!!

Left Hamble Point Marina at 1115 and hoist main at pile no 5. Followed by jib. Still 2 reefs in the main. Stayed at 20kts +. Having practiced line start we bore away for Southampton water and docked in Ocean Village for lunch. After lunch departed and sailed down Southampton Water to Hamble; started with single reef in and tucked second in shortly after (1730)