Marchwood

Marchwood is really only just round the corner.  You go down the Itchen, turn right into the Test, through the docks, and there it is just by the waste incinerator, opposite the container port.  The forecast was not particularly good - south westerly five to seven, with rain/squally showers.  My crew - Jocelyn and Felicity - turned up at 1000 and we had a bumpy tender ride out to Toucando's pontoon.  After some boat familiarisation and briefing, and the issue of trawler specification wet weather gear, we got ready to spring Toucando off.  The manouevre worked perfectly.  A visitor on the pontoon stoodby to help, but wasn't really needed.

I had run the engine for half an hour previously without a problem.  We motored down the Itchen.  Felicity and Jocelyn quickly mastered the art of lowering and raising the bowsprit, belaying and coiling ropes, as well as steering the boat.  A passing yacht commented that there seemed to be "smoke" coming from the exhaust... anyhow, we raised a sail and reached up the Test.  We had the pleasure of seeing ten gaffers sailing towards us as they set off on the race.  Behind us Cap Stephens approached: a huge container ship with three tugs.  We got out of her way.  The race continued down Southampton Water before returning.  Cap Stephens did a 180 degree turn right on the finishing line.  The racers were seriously impeded.  We found our berth on the Marchwood Yacht Club pontoon, making a perfect arrival.  It turned out that as a result of the container ship and other large vessels only three of the racers actually crossed the line, and one of those had to retire following a "protest" from the harbourmaster.  Before long a good number of gaffers were berthed.  We had lunch.
Jocelyn and Felicity (both orienteering experts) cleverly managed to find their way to the Pilgrim Inn for an early evening drink, while the skipper had a rest before doing dinner.  After our curry, we sat in the clubhouse with the other gaffers to the background of some shanties and folk songs.  A variety of opinions were offered on Toucando's engine: the consensus was that occasional flotsam such as seaweed was reducing the intake of cooling water, and that the "smoke" coming from the exhaust was in fact steam (or water vapour to be more accurate).

The view from Toucando when we got back from the clubhouse: a fine prospect of the container port

In the morning we had a leisurely breakfast.  Anything up to a force 8 was forecast, and quite a lot of the gaffers had decided to make an early getaway.  We left at a respectable time and went down to Southampton Water where we sailed about with the main and staysail, tacking and gybing, and trying various points of sail.  The wind varied between a Force 3 and 6, and there were several sharp showers, keeping us on our toes as we coped with the rapidly changing conditions.  Our old friend Cap Stephens headed back out to sea, and a few car transporters moved about, as well as the usual ferries and large number sof yachts, dinghies, and motor boats.   When required the engine was fine, which may or may not prove the theory.  We got back to Toucando's berth in time for a late lunch.
Thanks to Jocelyn and Felicity for all their help and their quick mastery of the principal halyards, purchases, sheets and stays required to control Toucando.

Seaweed, fog and a tour of the docks

Liz and Steve came down on Friday afternoon.  We ate aboard.  On Saturday we woke to the sound of foghorns.  We decided to do some sightseeing in Southampton: walked round the city walls, visited the Andy Warhol exhibition at the City Gallery and then strolled back through the parks.  By late afternoon the fog had cleared so we decided to take a trip on Toucando so that Steve and Liz could practise handling her under power.  We went down the Itchen and then went round the docks.  The engine seemed to be beginning to overheat... there is a lot of floating seaweed about at the moment, and the cooling water inlet may have been blocked for a while.  We checked and cleared the strainer and decided to give the engine a rest.  So we enjoyed a gentle sail back, getting right up the river.  We could probably have sailed onto the mooring, but decided to use the engine, and made a safe arrival.
On Sunday we were joined by Fiona, Jon, Lucia and Pandie... two racers, a day skipper and a novice (but not in that order).  We set off down the river again raising the sails at the earliest opportunity.  Toucando does not  usually tow her tender, but on this occasion she did... I suppose skipper was thinking about strategies for dealing with engine failure.  However he did not make a very good job of tying the painter, and it was Jon who spotted that the tender had come adrift neat Weston Shelf.  Anyhow, that was a good opportunity to practise man overboard procedures, as we turned round for the recovery.  Once tied on again with a good knot, we tacked down Southampton Water in bright, hot sunshine.  It was Pandie who pointed out the grey fog bank sitting on the Solent which was beginning to roll towards us.  The temperature dropped and there was the beginning of a cold clammy wetness in the air.  We kept on practising our manouevres, before we decided it was time for a gybe and a return to Southampton rather than relentlessly sailing into the fog.  We did a "training run" all the way up the docks, past Marchwood, to Millbrook and the container port, executing each gybe perfectly.  Another boat was so impressed they threw us a bottle of beer.  And we managed to stay in the sun the whole way.  There were some monsters of container ships, liners and car carriers moving around, and we enjoyed safely navigating around them, before turning and going back up the Itchen.  It was six hours of sailing in one of the most crowded waterways in the world... which we all enjoyed.  Thanks again to a fantastic crew.

Steve, Lucia, Jon and Andrew heading down the Itchen

 Lucia and Pandie

 Pandie keeping a weather eye for fog banks

 Most of the crew

 An artistic shot of the sails

(All pictures courtesy of Fiona)