After last week's dash in the direction of Lymington, yesterday's wind forecast was similar in strength but the direction had settled down to a week of North-easterlies which were ideal for a sail in the opposite direction towards Portsmouth. The tide was also in that direction until about 10:00 so another early start and turn left out of Southampton Water.
The wind direction allowed a me to sail down the Hamble under Genoa alone and on exiting the river the wind strength seemed to be gusting to Force 6 rather than the forecast 5. Feeling a bit fragile at that time of the morning I decided not to raise the main and to see how Misty would progress under the genoa, reefed down to working jib size, or adjusted to suit whatever the wind decided to do.
I've tried this before but usually to end a trip in a leisurely way with main safely dowsed before eventually starting the outboard. In yesterday's conditions the configuration worked a treat. The wind strength varied considerably between Force 3 and 5 with gusts up to 6 but Misty ploughed on at 3-4 knots with no drama. The helm was virtually neutral and I was concerned that under jib alone she would broach in the gusts but instead she heeled 'normally' to 15-20 degrees, accelerated and gently rounded up. The S3 will also go about happily under jib alone.
So I never did raise the mainsail and turned about off Portsmouth with the tide, returning to the Hamble by mid-day.
A couple of hastily-snapped photos off Portsmouth. A Silhouette is not an ideal platform for photography in a Force 5.
Back at the entrance to Southampton Water again, this is the Jubilee Sailing Trust's "Lord Nelson" out on a day trip. Missing out on a good wind!
