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.