As per the previous post I left early and was at Donaghadee Sound at what passes for slack water. The rain had started exactly on time, 15 minutes before I weighed anchor and, more conveniently 15 minutes before I arrived. The wind turned on schedule but was late in increasing to 8 knots when I turned off the engine, sailing on a dead run with the cruising chute and headsail.
Naturally as soon as I had them up the wind dropped to 5 knots but I persisted an 40 minutes or so later it picked up and I was making a good 5 knots through the water until I was off Skullmartin by which time the wind had reached 15 knots and I took the chute down, just in time as not long after I was making 6 knots under the double reefed headsail in a strong F5 gusting 6.
Not long after there was a lot of loud thunder, fortunately from the squall that had just passed, I get rather nervous when lightning is about, it doesn't often hit boats but sometimes it does with fairly disastrous results.
I had forgotten how heavy a wet spinnaker can get, bagged it must have been double the dry weight. Another good reason to have a snuffer, dropping that sail into the cabin would have swamped everything.
Having looked at the forecasts I decided not to push south, it's likely to take me two more days to get to The Skerries so there seemed no advantage in going on in the rain, so I went into Knockinelder Bay.
Rant mode on/ DOES ANYONE APART FROM GUY COTTEN (Fisherman's gear), MAKE GEAR THAT WILL KEEP YOU DRY FOR A SEASON OR MORE! I have wet wet feet because my leather boots are leaking from the bottom up and my jacket is leaking on one arm. /Rant mode off.
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| 26.6 in just under 5 wet hours. |
Pic may follow.
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