Brighton – Gosport
6th July 2017
Passage Time 8 hrs
Distance 43.25
Wind av 11 knot
Gusts. 22.5 knot
Sea State Moderate
We were getting ready to leave Brighton when a Belgium yacht arrived attempting to come alongside the pontoon. Chris and another skipper went to their assistance and took their lines as the yacht was being blown off. We managed to catch the lines and started to pull it in. One of the Belgium crew over stretched and with a splash fell into the water. We managed to grab him as he came back up and hauled him out. Could have gone very bad as he was not wearing a life jacket. Note: The sea temperature was 19′ C
We left our berth at 10:00. Leaving Brighton can always be a bit lumpy and today was no different as we were being tossed about on a moderate swell. It was like being in a washing machine, so much so that Carole could not get all the fenders and lines away until about a quarter of a mile out. Chris even spilt his tea – bless! The wind was a moderate SE F4/F5 which if it continued would take us nicely into Gosport.
Once settled, we got both sails up and headed for Selsey Bill. We had about 5 other yachts heading the same way. Chris called Gosport Marina for a berth early to secure a place, and we were allocated F13. So we were all sorted for our stay. The wind was dropping all the time but as we did not have a set time to be at Gosport, we carried on under sail, getting out both sails completely. However, when we arrived at Selsey Bill the wind had dropped to 3 knots so the engine went on, otherwise we would not get there until after dark. We arrived at the marina at 18:00 and found our berth without any problem. We checked in at reception and were duly given keys and access codes etc. which just took a few minutes. We cooked ourselves a light supper and then headed up for a welcome shower. While we were showering, we had put a wash on in the laundry room and then once we were all respectable again, we sat there watching a comedy programme while the dryer did its stuff. Once Carole had put everything away, two weary bunnies headed to their beds.