Well, we did it! our first all night passage (on Emerald) , leaving Salcombe at about 4pm with a gentle force 3 forecast (can you tell what happens already?!) heading for Studland Bay. We left for an overnoght passage across Lyme Bay as we had too far to travel in daylight to get into the unlit anchorage with light to see (16 hours to do the trip, and with the shorter days we wouldn't have been able to leave and arrive in daylight.) Therefore we left in the evening planning to arrive in the morning.
All was ready to go with our watches planned and a lazy evening meal planned. However the wind died as we left Salcombe in the lee of Bolt Head and Prawle Point. Therefore we fired up the iron Genny (though i think it is mostly Aluminium these days) and had dinner in the cockpit. As night fell and we settled into a watch routine, the wind began to strengthen. We thought it prudent to put a reef in before the light all went. Then a second reef as it got dark and the seas built, we had 30 knots on the port beam....... (good forecast! thats a F7 not a F3!) We only had a hanky of genny out and were still storming along at 9.5 knots with the tide, but we were a little out of control hurtling forward into the dark night (is that a film)
So the watch system was out the window as it was all hands to the sails and watching the big beam seas sweep towards us, but Emerald stormed along like a trooper, and we worked her well.
Arrived in Studland about 8am in the morning and dropped anchor, got her shipshape and out of our foul weather gear and fell asleep in the early morning sun in the cockpit to mid afternoon. Woke up tidied up and cooked some comfort food before watching the sunset with a beer and heading to bed.
Today has been spent foraging for wild foods, but more of that later.

The photo is of Emerald in 'the bag' at Salcombe.
Slainte
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