Sunday 1 June
We sailed down to the Hamble to go on a RYA Safety at Sea course. Enough to make anyone stay a landlubber for life!
There was a lot of advice on everything that could go wrong: dismasting, going aground, losing your keel, pitch-poling, losing your steering, orcas, hitting things (including a horror film of boats crashing into each other or the land), losing crew overboard, horrific weather.
All the usual stuff we sailors are aware of but try not to think about too much.
We went onto the dock and practiced collecting David in various contraptions & winching him aboard.
He was a very well behaved casualty.
Then we tried out the bolt cutters in case we lose our rig.
And lighted flares. They are very bright – don’t look at them!
And practiced putting out fires, or weeds. Did you know there are 3 different types of fire extinguisher? We think we have the powder ones.
I was horrified to find out that they just throw the empty extinguishers away as it costs more to refill them. What a waste.
There’s a very good restaurant in Hamble called The Bugle which I thoroughly recommend; we had excellent turbot which I consider to be the king of fish.
On Monday we did a dry run on the dock of rigging Lily to see how to attach her drum to the bowsprit.
Saunders sails have done an excellent job of ensuring she has everything she needs for the set up.
She looked as though she couldn’t wait to fly!
We had been promised light airs of 7-9 knots which would have been perfect to give her a try, instead we had a pretty constant 22-25 knots so she will have to wait for next time!
Especially as we have now done our course and can imagine every possible thing that could go wrong!
We had a lovely beat back to Lymington in gorgeous sunny windy weather.
Dave lifing devices – also useful very early in the morning? : )
What a beautifully told journey — full of wonder, humour, and rich history. I love how you brought Old Harry Rocks to life with those vivid legends and your eye for detail. It’s the perfect blend of storytelling and nature appreciation. I felt like I was right there with you, watching the gulls, swimming in the sea, and hearing the skylarks overhead. What a magical corner of the coast and what a gift you have for capturing it so well.