Nigel Dixon

SE 10-13 kts - mainly sunny and calm. Choppy conditions over the bar at the entrance to Chichester Harbour with wind against the ebbing tide. Anchored at Osborne Bay for lunch.

Mainly using engine to make progress but the wind did come up enough to sail for an hour. Anchored at East Head for lunch and then motored up to West Itchenor for the night.

Only a few knots of wind this morning so completed the first leg of the passage under engine. The spring tide was still strong behind us as we passed into the Solent so we pressed on to Newtown Creek for lunch. When we came out after lunch the wind had turned SW gusting to 20kts so we just used the jib to get across the Solent to Lymington.

Dead downwind out to The Needles (NE) up to 18kts. Jib only until out into the Channel then raised the main as the wind dropped and turned easterly. Tacked downwind towards St. Albans with a big spring tide pushing us towards Weymouth. Wind lessened to 5kts apparent towards late afternoon so dropped sail and motored for the last five miles. Arrived just before the tide turned.

NE 10-20kts Lunch underway as we sailed downwind to Lymington with the tide. Beautiful day with clear skies initially but beginning to move in rom the SW.

Frisky NE in the morning with slight shift towards E after lunch with increase in wind speed from 17 to 22 kts. East out into The Solent via the North Channel, then turning west with tide to Thorness Bay for lunch at anchor. Returned to Hamble via the Thorne Channel

NE to start, down to Hurst, then turning E 10-15 kts. Calm generally but a bit lumpy around St Catherine’s Point.