Weather
We have been extremely fortunate with the weather. The stable systems over
the
past month have meant that
we have never been ‘storm bound’ and although the largely easterly winds have been chilly we have been
blessed with gentle seas and breeze.
Little Scarlet
Over the last 15 years (at least) Little Scarlet has rarely been out
after dark or beyond the Solent! This year she had only had her sails up once before we set off so, in
effect, the passage down the channel was our shake-down. Ideally, we should have had a few days at sea
before we set off but the benign weather allowed us to resolve defects like the navigation lights and
auto pilot en-route and sail from Portsmouth on time.
The defect at the top of our current ‘job list’ is the deck leak that has been causing damp around the port side of the cabin. Hopefully we will be able to make some progress on this while in Cork.
Chartplotter and AIS
The Chart-plotter and AIS combination has been a real asset.
Although ‘jury rigged’ it has been reassuring to have navigation information to hand in the cockpit
(Raymarine Axiom 9 with Navionics) overlaid with nearby shipping information.
Seamanship
Tender. It can be a pain to have to recover, deflate and stow the tender
when moving on to the next anchorage but better than that sinking it while towing astern!
Fender Board. Worked a treat in Hugh Town. I wonder if we’ll need it again?
Anchoring. We need to anchor more frequently to increase confidence and sleep more soundly!
The Isles of Scilly
Stunning islands, especially in the beautiful weather that we
had. I hope to return although probably avoid spending too much money at Tresco – it is expensive!
Ireland
It is early days and there is always a danger of generalising but the locals
in Waterford, Dunmore East and Cork have been very hospitable and extremely generous with their time. We
have been very well looked after and are really looking forward to the next stage – down past Kinsale,
Bantry Bay, Dingle and then around to the Shannon.
The Crew!
We have a similar outlook on the voyage, ie, avoid horrible weather and
timelines and enjoy local neighbourhoods as much as possible – so, so far so good!