Yacht Seaduction 2023

1st July

We checked the weather forecast and decided things looked OK to move on to Poole.  We topped up our diesel here as Yarmouth have a good pontoon to come along side.  We slipped our lines and left the Harbour at 09:30 to catch the west going tide at Hirst Point.  The wind was already blowing 18 knots.  Hirst Point is the narrow entrance to the Solent, north of the Needles.  As we approached, we could see the sea was breaking due to the strong tide and wind.  We entered the confused mass of water and were pushed out the other side like a cork out of a bottle.  Our bows pushed through the waves but caught us out sending a wave over our cockpit and dumping the sea onto us.  Neither of us escaped the soaking, and we had seaweed everywhere.

We continued on with the sea calming slightly. The wind was still building but manageable, so we just hunkered down for the rest of the journey looking forward to the sight of the entrance buoy to Poole. Once we reached No 1 Bar Buoy we turned in.  We got past the Chain Ferry and expected the wind to ease, but it did not.  In fact, it increased to about 25 knots.   The Poole Quay is about 40 minutes from the entrance so we had plenty of time to get ourselves ready.  Carole radioed into the marina to announce our impending arrival and asked very nicely if we could have some assistance getting on to our berth.  When we arrived we saw a member of the Harbour staff waiting for us.  Chris took two attempts to get us on to the pontoon as the wind was still registering 25 knots, but soon we were safe and tied on.  Needless to say, the kettle went straight on for a well deserved cuppa.

After that well deserved cuppa, Carole tidied up below decks as our bumpy trip had moved many things around. We then took a short walk across the road to the small Tesco and bought some fresh food, including something for our dinner. However, as we were both a tad weary, we decided instead to share a portion of plaice and chips with a small bottle of cider. Both went down very well. We then chilled out for the rest of the evening and had an early night.

2nd July Saturday

We woke next morning to a bright sky, but the winds were still very strong. After showers and breakfast, Chris checked out whether we could stop another night in Poole, as originally we had been told they were fully booked for the Saturday. However, luckily for us, because of the weather, they had had cancellations and we were told we could now stay. We were pleased as it meant we would get to see Chris’s brother, Paul, who lives in Christchurch.

In the course of the next few hours, Chris watched some of the Round the Island race on his laptop, while listening to VHF radio channel 16 and the numerous sailing problems being handled by Solent Coastguard. We both commented on what an excellent, professional job the lady was doing under very stressful conditions. The winds off of the Isle of Wight were gusting to 40 knots, which must have really stretched all those involved in the race. We heard of one boat which sank and several which were dismasted and many other lesser incidents. Unsurprising when you considered the conditions and we were glad to have made it to Poole without incident.

While this was all going on in the background, Carole was busy cleaning and laundering. Poole’s laundry was the cheapest so far on our trip, so two wash loads were done to get us up to date again.

Time was marching on and we got changed to meet Paul for dinner. After a cuppa on the boat, we took a walk through town and found a Wetherspoons, where we had an excellent meal and drink and a great catch-up with Paul, who we had not seen for some time. Before long, it was time for Paul to leave to catch his train and we then headed back to the boat to settle down for the night.