I sailed 1500 miles in August to get back to my
mooring on the Hamble from
Finland. A lot of people asked me why in the world I would do that? Considering how much I loved cruising the
Baltic, and plan to go back next year.
Well, the short answer is that I have been sailing every weekend since getting back in August, and had a glorious sail today. It was sunny and about 15 degrees with a gentle 10
knot Easterly blowing. I don't have a principle headsail, since my yankee
jib was shredded in August, and I haven't received my new carbon
sails yet. But I didn't have far to go -- just across the Solent to Cowes, so I sailed under main and staysail alone, nevertheless making 5 and 6 knots at times in the 10 knots of
wind.
The day of sunshine was fairly rare for this season -- actually it has rained almost every day for a month. Although in fairness, the whole month of September was sunshine and 20+ degrees -- a bonus month of summer.
But the rain is no big deal -- why God invented Goretex. With central
heating to dry the
boat out when you get there -- what's the problem. It's incredibly cosy lying at
anchor in a hard rain, with the heat going. The only thing missing is a fireplace!
Whereas in
Finland, there is already snow on the ground, and soon the sea will freeze.
About 15 December I will take a monthly berth in Cowes Yacht Haven until about the middle of March. When it gets cold, it's nice to be hooked up to
shore power, and
living aboard, the cost of the berth is recovered in the
diesel fuel I am not consuming
heating and generating electricity (it's less than $500 a month!). This is the season when I do the most
work on the
boat, and it's nice to be in a walk-ashore situation, rather than having to get in the
dinghy every time you need an odd shaped screw or a tube of Sikaflex.
And when I get my new
sails, all the glories of the South Coast are waiting -- a long weekend is enough to go to Weymouth with a stop in Worbarrow Cove, or with more ambition and a bit of S
wind, Dartmouth. Or across the Channel to Cherbourg to replenish the wine stores.
So was it worth sailing 1500 miles to get here? Oh yeah . . . . .