Exhilarating downwind sail from Cowes to Chichester Harbour today, averaging somewhere between 5 and 6 knots. It was a little too exciting at times so as I passed Bembridge I reefed down to scrap of sail and still made good speed.

I timed the entrance to the Chichester Harbour entrance channel to coincide with about an hour before high water so as to avoid large waves over the bar in the fresh WSW wind (apologies to non sailors reading this but sailors like this technical stuff).

In the event it was an anticlimax with waves no larger than the surrounding sea.

Hayling Island Sailing Club have been very kind and found accommodation for me and Katherine, who has come to visit. HISC claim, with some justification, to be the UK’s premier sailing club. See http://www.hisc.co.uk/ . However, I expect to be roughing it over the next few days – camping on beaches and so on.

Winds are forecast to be light tomorrow and from the wrong direction (East – where I’m heading) so no idea how far I’ll get.

{ Click this line to see my “check in” location }