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Allan and I woke to the sound of the foghorn sounding across from the Dover harbour breakwater.  There was patchy fog which made it difficult to see across the harbour and the tops of the cliffs were completely obscured. However there was a moderate southerly wind so it was tempting to set out.  Sailing in relatively shallow water along the coastline is generally fairly safe in fog.  One of the yachts in Dover was setting out to Dunkirk, which crosses one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world and is not a trip I would have chosen to do in such poor visibility.  We heard on the radio that several channel swimmers were also setting out.

When we were approaching Ramsgate the fog got much worse, with visibility of less than a quarter of a mile.  We saw a few small craft entering or leaving Ramsgate harbour, all going slowly in the poor conditions.  By the time we got to the North Foreland however the fog lifted, the sun came out and visibility improved to several miles.  We tacked into the Swale in late afternoon over calm seas with a gentle breeze under a blue sky.

Sunset and Home

We have enjoyed our short holiday to join the Old Gaffers in Cowes and it was certainly well worth the effort of going there.  It's always a bit sad packing up the boat at the end of a trip, though of course the primary purpose in sailing an old boat is to get back to where you started from without loss or damage.   We plan to get in a bit more sailing this year, but mostly as shorter trips.

Last Leg - with old school map

Dover

Allan and I woke to find that the wind had subsided in the night to a more civilised force 4 SW, so we decided to leave further exploration of the pleasures of Newhaven to another day and left the harbour early.  The harbour dredger was already out in the entrance channel dredging  - perhaps it had been working all night - but we managed to slip out past it.  We had the sort of day's sailing that everyone enjoys : sun, fair wind, all sails set, self steering gear doing all the work and the boat making steady progress in the right direction. 

Beachy Head

The picture shows the cliffs at Beachy Head.  The lighthouse at the base of the cliffs used to be one of the most distinctive on the coast.  The first lighthouse was on top of the cliffs, but it was so often obscured by fog that a new one was built at ground level.  A high powered rotating beam from this lighthouse could be seen traversing the white cliffs behind it and was instantly recognisable from many miles out at sea.  

Sadly this has now been replaced by a much lower powered LED light that flashes rather than rotates. It no longer lights up the cliffs and is much harder to recognise from a distance. However we shouldn't complain.  Since practically everyone today has electronic navigation systems we should be grateful that the old visual aids to navigation are maintained as a check and a back up. Long may it continue.

There was quite a bit of turbulence round the entrance to Dover harbour, as usual, but with Allan at the helm we negotiated the entrance and tied up in the Granville dock around 8pm. Once ashore we had no trouble in finding a suitable restaurant in which to reflect on the day's journey.

An Easy Day's Track

East to Newhaven

With Allan as crew we disentangled ourselves from the other rafted up gaffers at about 8.30 this morning as we, and others, started heading back to our various homes.  We had a blustery force 5 SW wind which increased to 6 or 7 at times.  The swell started building up once we were clear of the Isle of Wight.  Bonita was running well with lots of reefs in but the decks got thoroughly cleaned by flying spray.  We thought it was better not to go through the Looe channel off Selsey Bill as this can be uncomfortable and even dangerous with a heavy swell at low tide, so we went south round the Owers light buoy.  Similarly the entrance to Brighton Marina can be difficult with onshore waves, especially in a boat without much engine power, so we carried on the few more miles to Newhaven.

The total distance of 65 - 70 miles we covered in around 9 hours of lively downwind sailing. We had a fair tide most of the way, but nevertheless this is about as fast as Bonita goes.

The waves were breaking over Newhaven breakwater as we approached and we were pleased to get in to the shelter behind it to take the sails down. Newhaven is still an active ferry port with huge ferries turning round in the port looking alarmingly close to the yachts. There is also a dredger at work - seemingly all the time day and night so there is plenty of activity, though more commercial than yachting. We could not find anywhere open to eat on a Sunday evening so Allan cooked supper onboard. 

We are hoping for more fair winds but slightly gentler tomorrow.

The Old Gaffers Race

The high point of the OGA 55th anniversary rally was the race in the Solent off Cowes on Saturday.  There was a brisk SW wind and the course started with a beat against wind and tide.  About 66 boats entered but some of the boats struggled a bit to get to windward and only about 20 finished the course.  On Bonita we had a fine crew of D and Ant, and managed to get to windward by tacking in shallow water on the Mainland side.  If our early track looks a little confusing, bear in mind that lots of other boats with plenty of momentum and large turning circles were doing much the same in the same bit of water at more or less the same time.

Pre-start manoeuvres outside Cowes, then race to the West

There were many spectacular views of old boats ploughing though the waves, but taking photos while making short tacks isn't easy. A few pictures are shown below.

Pioneer

Pioneer above is a large Essex smack, recently rebuilt from a wreck, and regularly takes parties of schoolchildren to give them a taste of traditional sailing.  She did well in the race and also got the prize for the crew with the youngest average age.  Various other boats in the race are shown below

My Alice

Hester

Rosebud

Nomad in Front

Bonita likes a reasonable breeze and we were able to finish the course and got a prize for getting home third in our class. There was a suitably festive supper and prize giving in Cowes to complete a very successful and well organised rally.

Susan J

The picture above show Susan J, owned by Dave and Julie Patuck (who have been regular crew on Bonita) crossing tacks with us.

Click the picture title or here to see a video taken by D, our on board videographer.

The Folly

We left Yarmouth harbour yesterday morning.  When the harbour is full there is very little space for manoevering old boats, certainly not enough to turn Bonita under engine. However with the help of Susan J's crew and a couple of long ropes we managed to turn Bonita round to get her bowsprit pointing optimistically towards the harbour entrance, without I hope causing too much disruption. There was still a brisk SW wind so once clear of the harbour we ran back up the Solent to the river Medina under just headsails and mizzen.  In the afternoon we joined the Old Gaffers rally on pontoons near the top of the Medina opposite the Folly Inn. This rally celebrates 55 years since the founding of the Old Gaffers Association which has done so much to promote the cause of traditional and traditional-style boats.

Emanuel and Bonita

There are lots of Gaffers here already with more due on Thursday - over 100 boats are expected in all. There should be plenty of custom for the pub over the next few days. The owners of the small open boats are camping in tents in a field behind the Inn.

The picture shows Bonita next to Emanuel, built in 1928. She was sailed across the Atlantic by her first owner, Commander Graham, who wrote a book about the rather traumatic experience. She is now kept at Sandwich in Kent. Her current owner, Rob Holden originally found her in very neglected condition but has extensively restored her so she looks marvellous now with gleaming varnish and brasswork.

At supper in the Folly Inn we met some old friends and as always were amazed by some of the exploits of those who sail singlehanded. Rob produced a cake to celebrate Emanuel's  90th birthday. It seems her exact launch date is not known but today was her 'official birthday'.

Yarmouth

We had a brisk SW wind today and left Cowes at the beginning of the West going tide.  We had a lively tack down the Solent to Yarmouth with several reefs in the mainsail. We passed the intrepid and much-travelled Robinetta heading the other way to Cowes. Here is Alison Cable's fine photo of Bonita underway.

There was quite a bit of heavy swell when we took the sails down outside Yarmouth harbour which gave us a few minutes of excitement.  Yarmouth harbour is packed out with yachts but there were two harbourmasters out in their launches shepherding new arrivals, and with a bit of a push from both of the launches together Bonita was eventually squeezed into a berth.

I haven't been to Yarmouth for many years and I don't think Bonita has ever been here before.  It's certainly a harbour and town with plenty of charm and interest.  Susan J is here with Dave and Julie Patuck and it's interesting to see the changes and improvements they have made in a little more than a year of ownership.  

The picture shows Susan J ( on the right) and Minx tied up ahead of Bonita.  We were interested to see Minx as she is a GRP replica of a 1936 Crossfields built Morecambe Bay Prawner.  She is normally based at Brixham and is owned by Paul and Penny Jolly who are keen traditional boat enthusiasts.

We had a convivial evening with Dave and Julie, Paul and Penny in the Royal Solent Yacht club in Yarmouth.  The waters of the Solent looked much more placid seen from the sedate and elegant surroundings of the yacht club, and we look forward to some more gentle sailing tomorrow.

East Cowes and the Floating Bridge

Bonita has been resting in Gosport for a few days but we returned today with invigorated crew ( D ).  The hot sunny weather with mostly Easterly or Northerly winds seems to have gone for good and we had an overcast day with a brisk SW wind today.  We left Portsmouth harbour just before high water and had a lively beat under full sail the few miles to the river Medina.  We tied up at East Cowes Marina, which usually has ample space for boats that are difficult to manoeuvre.  We took the chain ferry (known as the 'floating bridge') to sample the delights of an evening in West Cowes.

There has been a chain ferry here for many years but this was our first experience of the new one, installed last year. The previous one was getting a bit tatty but seemed pretty reliable. However the new one, rumoured to have cost around £3m, has had loads of what might charitably be called teething troubles.  It has been out of action for prolonged periods due to breakdowns, there have been damaged cars and problems attributed to siltation that did not seem to trouble its predecessor.  When we travelled on it, the ferry was working OK but there was a tug employed to push it sideways against the pressure of the tide to ensure that the ferry ended up where it should on the other side of the river.  Perhaps this too is one of the teething troubles which will be resolved when the new ferry has settled in. 

We saw lots of small gaffers arriving today and expect to meet up with some of the bigger ones soon.

Rolling Down Channel

The morning after the Swale race Tim and I woke at 5 am to find a fine dawn with a light Easterly breeze.  We set off accompanied by four or five other gaffers and motored most of the way to the North Foreland after which the wind built up enough to be useful.  We had a fine fair wind sail down channel, rolling along past the Kent and Sussex beaches and cliffs under a blue sky in bright sunshine at a steady 6 - 7 knots.  We felt sorry for all the poor people ashore trying to avoid getting heatstroke.  We were still going well when we passed Beachy Head at dusk.  But off Brighton the wind eased away and we motored through the night and most of the rest of the way to the Solent.  Still, we had a run from the Swale to Gosport in 30 hours which is pretty good.  We tied up in Haslar Marina and went in search of showers and a late cooked breakfast - both very welcome after a night at sea.

STS Tenacious

Portsmouth harbour is always interesting as there is so much traffic on the water and many interesting boats. The first picture above shows the Training Ship Tenacious. She is a newish wooden square rigged ship that is adapted for taking disabled crew members. This does not by any means restrict her to gentle cruising.  She recently returned from a round the world trip which included a stormy passage in the Southern Ocean and round Cape Horn which was distinguished by a record quantity of broken crockery.

Hugo Boss

The second picture shows the Hugo Boss, here motoring along quietly. This high technology sailing boat rises out of the water on hydrofoils and can achieve speeds of 30 - 35 knots during ocean passages. There are some dramatic videos of her achieving amazing speeds in rough conditions.

The third picture shows the new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth viewed here from the Gosport waterside gardens. The QE is huge, and the entrance to Portsmouth harbour has had to be specially dredged and straightened to enable her to squeeze in.  New marker posts have also been installed to guide her safely in.  There is obviously no margin for error.  She may have state of the art defences and no doubt will be a formidable fighting force when she has some aircraft on her decks.  But she wouldn't be much use protecting British interests on the world stage if she couldn't get out of port.  What would happen if some unfriendly power perhaps sabotaged a cross- channel ferry so it sank in the entrance to the harbour?  No doubt there are top secret contingency plans to prevent this sort of thing, which are not obvious to a couple of tired yachtsmen.

On a more mundane level, there are a couple of gaffers here in preparation for the Cowes Rally - East Breeze, and Rosebud, an impressive looking nearly new steel gaffer from Gravesend in the Thames.

46th Swale Race

Saturday saw the Swale race, which is the only race where Thames Barges, smacks, Gaffers and assorted other elderly craft compete together. There are usually a couple of old steam ships as well.

On the morning of the race the river Swale is a fine sight with many anchored vessels getting ready for the start, as shown in the first photo. On Bonita we had Tim, D and Sarah as crew. It was hot and sunny with light northerly winds. Certainly the sort of day when its better to be afloat than ashore. Everyone had a fun day although as usual Bonita just missed the prize list.

Several of the Gaffers are heading off down channel after the race to get to the Old Gaffers celebrations in Cowes in a few days time.

The second picture shows the contented crew enjoying a snack while on the run to the finish mark. The unseamanlike-looking umbrella gives some protection from the hot sun. There are quite a few Gaffers astern, though it would be better had there been rather more.

No blog is complete without at least one useless but vaguely relevant historical fact, and 1888 was also the year the British public started enjoying bananas. In this year Edward Fyffe, a London tea merchant started importing bananas from the West Indies.