With Natalie out of action while she recovers from a shoulder operation, Tom was joined by Tori Davies, the Vialls family (David, Chris and Emily), and Iulia Kramarenko, who appeared at HYS on Friday evening ready to join the crew after losing her berth on another RTI entry.
With a crew that was largely new to the boat we took it fairly gently, flying the A5 rather than the A2, but there were some high points nonetheless: a bold start and quick leg down the Solent; cutting the corner inside the Varvassi wreck, and some good recovery of places on the beat from Bembridge to the Ryde Sands north post and shifting into river sailing mode around Norris.
The professionals took some nice photos: Patrick Eden caught us at St Catherines and Paul Wyeth on the beat back up the Solent:
Iulia, David and Tori also took some shots of the race and crew on the way round and on the way back to the Hamble:
0550 – skipper checks the course in the GPS before the start
0650 – close fetch down the Solent to Hurst narrows
0730 – getting set to go inside the Varvassi wreck at the Needles and hoist A2
0740 – Tori gets set to hoist A5 after the Needles
0800 – David and Emily as we cross Freshwater Bay
0805 – Tom back on the helm
0810 – Tori trims, while Chris grinds
0840 – Tori takes a break at the back of the boat with Emily
0840 – what a lot of boats
0850 – Crossing Freshwater Bay, David trimming, Tom steering, Iulia taking it easy
0940 – Approaching St Catherine’s, Tori back trimming
1000 – Skipper looks around as it’s getting quite exciting with close quarters stuff and one or two broaches just after St Catherine’s – we’d just dropped the A5
1030 – Then a fetch from Dunnose Point, just after Ventnor, to Bembridge Ledge Buoy
1040 – Looking back
1040 – and to leeward
1040 – David and Iulia
1050 – Tori trimming with change sheet on reach to Bembridge
1110 – Round Bembridge Ledge and now beating towards No Man’s Land Fort
1150 – Approaching Ryde Sands – skipper wonders how close he cut the corner
1320 – Wind dropping off as we beat down the Solent, Tori fine trimming
1400 – Beating up to the finish – just like river sailing
1445 – Emily helming back across the Solent after the finish
1500 Chris and Emily