We had a fair wind throughout - W or SW, varying in strength from nothing to force 7, so that South of the Isle of Wight we took down the mainsail and ran under mizzen and headsails for a few hours. We had spring tides, which is a mixed blessing. It's very encouraging when the tide is with you (look how fast we are going, we will be there in no time) but a bit depressing when its against you (I can't believe how slow we are going - we'll never get there). No doubt it all averages out in the end.
We saw lots of dolphins and I was interested to see them swimming alongside the boat in the darkness at night. I had assumed that dolphins slept at night, or at least took it easy as presumably they can't see to hunt fish. However they still are happy to welcome passing yachts.
After this marathon journey Dave and I felt very much in need of a shower, a square meal ( provided by the excellent Royal Temple Yacht Club) and a good night's sleep.
Bonita however seems unaffected by this excitement. Her entire journey up-channel (showing her very variable Speed Over the Ground as tides change) is visible on this YouTube video.
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