Channel Cruise: Part 5 - Back to Southampton

On Sunday 5th August we set off for Southampton.  We asked the berthing master to help turn us around in the fairway and set off into Yarmouth Roads, where we got the sails raised with no reefs.  It was just about perfect sailing conditions, as we headed up the western Solent to Gurnard, before gybing, skirting the Bramble Bank and Calshot Spit and reaching up Southampton Water to Weston, where we dropped our sails.  We then headed up the Itchen, filling the fuel tanks at Itchen Towage before returning to Toucando's pontoon.

Just off Newtown Creek we encountered Four Seasons.  They had left Alderney a day after us.  It was good to see them again.  They seemed to be pointing cameras at us.  I am hoping that there will be some nice photographs of us in due course.

Thanks very much to Colin and Roger for crewing and enabling Toucando to make her first cross channel cruise from Southampton.

Roger and Colin somewhere in the English Channel

Roger and Andrew in the Solent - with a Dutch gaffer

Voyage of Toucando

Back in Southampton

We left Weymouth at 0900 this morning.  It was a very warm day, with light easterly winds.  We motored along the Dorset coast, past St Aldhem's Head, across Poole Bay, Christchuch Bay, through the Needles Channel and into the Solent.  Toucando arrived in Southampton at 1700 having completed about 434 miles since leaving Howth last Sunday.  Many thanks to the crew, Andy and Steve, who kept us going through many hours of motoring in light airs.  Pictures are being added to previous posts, and the account will be improved over the next couple of days.

Highlights: a few hours of sailing off Lizard Point..being escorted by a large pod of dolphins.. all our ports of call... many helpful people we met along the way, including the crew of Windcat in Arklow, the Newlyn Harbour Master, and the Diesel man at Weymouth.

Toucando is now looking forward to settling into her new home in Southampton and many further voyages.  Now for a well deserved rest.