IN 3 1/2 STEPS TO COWES!

Our starting point, St. Cast le Guildo, is a highly recommended port. The place type "Summerfrische" is located on a wide semi-circular bay with  wide beach and the marina is smaller by French standards, still quite familiar, but ultra-modern, ecologically exemplary and everyone is friendly and helpful. From the harbor it's a nice little walk along a path along the water's edge to the town. But the most important thing for sailors: Despite the 12 - 13 meter tidal range, you can approach St. Cast at any water level! But it is also obvious that strong currents are to be expected with such tides, and so we had a clear time window for our first shot at Guernsey. But the times were good, we just had to make sure we got the line off by 10:00 a.m. on August 1st, 2022.

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Before that, a bit of tidying up and the beautiful sticker with the Round Britain logo attached to the bow. then it starts. There's a lot of excitement about what the engine temperature is doing now, but after a good hour it's clear: the coolant temperature only rises to the intended 73 degrees, then the thermometer pointer stays as it should - we've finally solved our temperature problem and it's reliable again Machine!

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Sailing the North course is a pleasure, the weather is fine, and the total distance of a good 50 nm to St. Peter Port is not a big task thanks to the tidal support. We arrive in time to get a table at "CHRISTIES" - cool location, fine cuisine!

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In St. Peter Port we prefer the berths on the floating jetties in front of the inner harbor basin, because the latter is quite noisy due to the traffic, and "in front of the door" you are also more independent of the tide - the jetties are accessible at any time. But it's always full in St. Peter Port, no wonder, because  The harbor and city are inviting. On one of our next trips we want to take some time to stay on the island.

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The following day we only have the very short set to Alderney/Braye Bay in front of the bow. On the way there we try out the new gennaker for the first time - which promptly goes wrong. Setting the sail conventionally from the spinnaker bag needs to be learned if you want to avoid an "8" or a trip around the forestay. We manage both, the clearing work takes a long time, which is very advantageous in the flowing waterThere are fine rocks all around, but everything goes well, the brand new sail comes out with a few minor injuries, we learned something new again.

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Bray Bay welcomes us as friendly as usual. We love being here, there is no pier, just mooring buoys and a friendly boat taxi service. This evening we walk up to the town of St. Anne and find another nice table. Later, fog falls, we take a walk around the fishing harbor basin, a crazy lighting atmosphere here this evening, and the friendly RIB pilot brings us back on board.

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The long set across the Channel to the Needles and then up the Solent to Cowes is planned for the following day. At the beginning we have to struggle with weak winds, plus the current blowing strongly to the east. We are afraid of being swept away too far by the famous Alderney Races, but it doesn't get that far, the wind starts again from the SW and We can continue our northerly course to reach the Solent in time for the rising tide. We set the gennaker again and it works better now. Up the Solent after passing the Needles we would now have to sail downwind. To prepare, we take a jibe practice session with the needles. The timing was perhaps a bit unfavorable, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, once the gennaker unintentionally moves around the inside of the stay onto the new bow, we manage to free it again with the same maneuver on the old side, but only once , In addition, the wind is picking up noticeably, and when the same problem happens to us a second time, we have to do an “unconventional rescue” again. Since we have no bowsprit and there is hardly any vertical distance between the forestay and the spinnaker halyards at the masthead, there is a great risk that the gennaker will fall behind the forestay if it falls even briefly during the jibe - we still have to work on that. It probably works best with a quick jibe - but with SNIFIX it's not child's play with two people.

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As a result of our travel delay in the morning due to weak winds and our gennaker practice session in the afternoon, we can no longer make it to Cowes with the incoming water and therefore decide to stay in Yarmouth station. Since the harbor is full, we stay out at the moorings. The pantry and bar are prepared for this - a lovely evening on board after an eventful day of sailing.

And the following morning we do the last few miles to COWES in beautiful sunshine with rising water - we are there!  Our ROUND BRITAIN and IRLEAND adventure can begin.

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