Portland to The Sun

Sailing to the Med from UK in our junk-rig 39ft boat, Paradox of Plym

Vessel Name: Paradox of Plym
Vessel Make/Model: Freedom 39 Pilothouse Schooner converted to junk
Hailing Port: Brighton
Crew: Brian and Maddy Kerslake
About: We are ex teachers and semi-retired owners of an educational software company, Topologika Software Ltd. We have been sailing for over 35 years, starting with a Mirror Dinghy in 1972 and progressing to our current yacht, a Freedom 39ft which we have converted to a junk rig.
Extra: Members of the Junk Rig Association
09 May 2019 | Yacht Puerto
16 August 2015 | Pornichet/La Baule marina
29 September 2011 | East Cowes, Isle of Wight
29 September 2011 | Isle of Wight
29 September 2011 | Weymouth
16 August 2011 | Portland Marina
13 August 2011 | Portland Marina
13 July 2011 | Portland Marina
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29 September 2011 | East Cowes, Isle of Wight

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We would have stayed for another night so that we could enter the Medina river on Monday when there would be less traffic, but the forecast wasn't good for anchoring, so we left around 0900, motoring on a favourable tide until we reached a point just west of Cowes where three large tankers were laid [...]

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In retreat!

After a lot of setbacks - mainly to do with the new rig, poor weather and my back - we gave up the idea of crossing the Channel to France, Spain or Portugal this year, and decided to retreat to the Isle of Wight, East Cowes seeming to be a good place for a 6 month winter berth. Several sailors we met [...]

East Cowes Marina

29 September 2011 | East Cowes, Isle of Wight
Maddy and Brian
We would have stayed for another night so that we could enter the Medina river on Monday when there would be less traffic, but the forecast wasn't good for anchoring, so we left around 0900, motoring on a favourable tide until we reached a point just west of Cowes where three large tankers were laid up at anchor. Paradox's speed went down and down, and we had to use more of the engine's power than Brian really wanted to. She's a heavy boat - 16.3 tonnes - so it takes a lot to shift her.

When we looked at the tide map more carefully later, we saw that we had chosen the wrong side of the West Solent to approach Cowes - the
favourable tide had been in mid-Channel! (We had wondered why a lovely gaff-rigged boat went off towards Southampton at that point!) As
soon as we turned south into the Medina, the tide became slack and all was well, except that being Sunday morning we were arrving just as everyone else left. The Medina isn't very wide and it took a lot of manouvering by Maddy to get us to the vicinity of East Cowes Marina.

Brian had to turn the boat through 360 degrees twice to get her into position to enter her designated berth and, just as he approached it, so did a fast powerboat which, we learned later, had been allocated the same berth. Luckily her skipper was alert, stopped his boat and reversed out of our way - well he did have twin engines and a bow thruster! We were helped into a hammerhead berth by the skipper of a boat from Langstone Harbour, moored on the other side of the pontoon.

So here we are now in an excellent berth in the Visitors part of this Dean and Reddyhoff marina, who also built Portland's new marina where we stayed last winter. East Cowes is busy as lots of people are taking advantage of the Indian Summer. It's very interesting watching all the different yachts and power boats, while sailing schools practise berthing near us and Ellen Macarthur's Cancer Trust yachts slip in and out (the Trust is based here). Brian's enjoyed watching Girls for Sail boats and meeting a couple of liveboards, and is looking forward to seeing who owns the three-masted junk behind us. Maddy is happy there's a Waitrose just ten minutes walk away, and a free chain ferry to West Cowes.
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