First Sail in ‘Talisker 1’ 2017

29th April

After a couple of long days getting the boat ready for the sea we went for a sail …

The furling gear for the Stay Sail has transformed the ease of handling the boat …

30th April

Diary 1425 BST Brightlingsea Harbour

I sailed down here from SYH yesterday. The boat is in good order.

This morning I went ashore for breakfast with Katrina and James. That was lovely.

We relaunched on Wednesday and then it took me two full days to get everything back on board. The sails are back breaking alone. I have been furling the genoa the wrong way for two years. The white sacrificial strip confused me.

The stay sail now furls and works well. Coming down the Wallet yesterday she was a cutter. With careful trimming not quite close hauled she was powerful.

I’m probably heading back up the Wallet this afternoon. HW here is after 1500 BST and Doc and ‘Tuesday’ are in Hamford Water. So might join them. It’s blowing from the east and I am hoping it will go more southerly before I leave..

It’s been good to get back to MY boat after the Palma trip. Back in to a world I know so much more about. And not least, to be on my own on this boat. Something else I understand.

Now Brightlingsea to Hamford Water to meet ‘Tuesday’ and Doc

1st May

And a sail back to Orford with ‘Tuesday’ in strong winds .. and we did not want to be early for the Orford River Bar

2nd May

We sailed up above Aldeburgh and anchored in Blackthorn Reach

Diary 1540 BST

We are anchored above Aldeburgh with Doc and ‘Tuesday’ hiding from the strong north easterly winds.

We had a fabulous sail back from Brightlingsea in strong south easterly’s. The heavy weather jib does not appear to be effected by now being on a furler. Not that I furl it except to put it away. We sailed back with a reef in the main and the heavy weather jib and with her clean bottom we were touching 8 knots though the water and a tad more over the ground.

We joined ‘Tuesday’ at anchor in Hamford Water for the night and yesterday we both sailed back to Orford trying to head up the coast as slowly as possible to delay arriving at the Orford Bar too early. We both set rolled genoas only. The south easterly winds were strong and the bar quite exciting but there was plenty of water for us an hour and twenty minutes before HW. Doc, more cautiously, came in 50 minutes after us.

It’s always lovely coming back in to the river and particularly for the first time in the Spring.

I’m pleased with the jobs on the boat. Everything seems to be working well.

3rd May