Blustery winds prevent a fleet move to Poole but all is not lost...
50°45.075 N 001°31.497 W
At 0930hrs the RIB Time Flies departed the Yacht Haven with Ray and Claire aboard. Their mission was to access the conditions west of Lymington, towards the Needles. It was still very breezy in the marina, which was not a good sign. Outside in the Solent Ray and Claire found it fairly choppy but decided to look further out. With about 1.8 miles to run to the Needles Fairway buoy they made their assessment and could happily say that the fleet wouldn’t be going to Poole today. The RIB was greeted with a steep swell of 2 metres at the Needles.
On the way back Time Flies ducked briefly into Yarmouth, as this was a possible move alternative, but unfortunately they were fully booked for tonight. Only pile moorings remained; not ideal in blustery conditions. And so back home to Lymington where Neale was dealing with the possibility of having to move boats from a fully booked Lymington Yacht Haven. He was relieved to find out that none of the boats had to move as many of the bookings had been cancelled due to the extreme weather.
Lymington is a charming, bustling town and everyone seems to be enjoying their time here. For the crews and MBM team, the rest of the day was spent stocking up on essentials in town, cleaning and some DIY. Neale has fitted a wireless Tack Tick wind indicator to the flybridge of Blue Fin.
Just before Neale’s radio brief at 1800hrs the heavens opened for the very first time today. When the rain finally cleared, the wind had dropped and an eerie silence descended the marina. Could this be the edge of the high pressure we’ve been waiting for? The plan for tomorrow is to depart an hour later than today. The RIB will go out first at 1030hrs and make the all-important assessment.
It’s been another disappointing and frustrating day for the MBM team and cruise participants but there is still hope for tomorrow.
Photos – Lymington town and a rainbow in the Lymington entrance
