.. felt like a long way!

So I feel we are getting into our groove now.

Today is a relatively simple 75 mile leg from DL to Douglas in the Isle of Man. Assumed 12-14 hour passage, using the strong northerly tide in the morning and forecasted force 3-5 westerly to get us there. The crew were reflecting when they used to think hard before a 45 mile leg to Brighton or 60 mile leg across the Channel to Cherbourg Now this is ‘Just’ an average day sail. I think it helps that Elixir has the legs and the sea worthiness to easily cover 150+ miles in 24 hours.

Let me introduce her - A bit of a thorough bred she is a Grand Soleil 43 (LOA 13.2m/ 43’, beam 3.9m, draft 2.1m, 12 tonnes) with blue hull of 2005 vintage. Italian designed & built racer cruiser (more racer than cruiser) with slim silhouette, fine lines and sugar scoop - always gets a compliment in port. She is solid, sleek and fast.

This morning we mustered for Tom with planned slip at 0630 to catch the best of the tide. We woke to a whistling wind in the marina - only force 4 but right on the nose. It challenged Toms plan to slip but he got us away safely with a little nudge. Outside the breakwater and Ang & I put up the main and we set sail on our course - 060 degrees and 75 miles to Douglas.

The passage was quiet , no ships or life around and we mostly had a lovely broad reach, preventer rigged (stops boom moving) to protect the main and avoid any accidental gybes. We made great progress for the first 9 hours before the tide and wind turned. Some help from the engine near the end kept us on course and schedule.

Ang & I had the middle watch (1200-1600) today which was nice. We were constantly stripping or adding clothes as the sun came in and out of the clouds. We talked through all the sailing tasks Ang had become proficient at over the last ten days. It’s a long list and her confidence has grown as she is very competent now. There’s always more advanced skills to learn if she wants to but she is already a great help for me when it’s just the two of us on watch.

And now on our off watch she’s preparing a favourite chicken casserole ‘on the hoof‘ (technical phrase) ready for dinner later. A real star!