Worsening forecasts mean an early passage home
50°45.18N 001°17.48W
Early morning weather checks confirmed that the winds in the Channel were still forecast to increase through Saturday and Sunday. A decision was made to miss out Grandcamp Maisy, and cruise back across to the UK today. Rather than end the cruise early we opted to head for Cowes, where we would have an end of cruise dinner. As planned, we locked out at 7 o’clock and made our way along the canal. Ali M, the Princess 45, decided to use the light winds and flat seas to go directly back to their home berth in Plymouth.
Just outside Carentan, Sea Spray reported poor running on one engine. Blocked filters were quickly diagnosed and Richard was despatched across to help change them. This seemed to resolve the problem temporarily, but after a few miles on passage the issue returned. The end result was Blue Fin escorting them back to their home berth in Portsmouth at speeds reducing down to 6 knots.
Twelve hours after departure, Blue Fin arrived in East Cowes and our now greatly reduced fleet, just Tresor and us after two other boats took the opportunity for an early return home, caught the water taxi up to the Folly Inn for dinner.
Tomorrow we will head back to Port Solent where the boat will be fuelled, watered and prepared for our next cruise to the Channel Islands and Brittany in three weeks time.
Photo captions: The fleet lock through at first light in the early morning mist, and Tresor powers up to cross the Channel
