Adelaide
|
Position:
34 46.42 S 138
29.39 E With a fresh breeze forecast for the day, I figured with an early start that we could be back alongside at the Squadron well before sunset, so I set the alarm for 0620 and on arising immediately set to weighing the anchor and getting underway. And it seemed my two companion vessels that had shared the anchorage with us overnight had similar ideas, with one getting underway just before us and the other a little after. We started off with two reefs in the main and initially poled the jib to starboard expecting a quarter run; however, once clear of Marsden Point the wind was more on the beam then I was expecting so the pole came down to allow us to lay the course for Adelaide on a beam reach. Also the wind was not quite as fresh as I was expecting and at 0730 we increased sail to just one reef in the main (not to mention the fact that two other sailing vessels in company and heading the same way always seems to provide an extra bit of motivation to sail as well as possible). The tidy looking large cutter that left before us slowly drew further ahead and after a few hours had disappeared over the horizon, but the smaller Beneteau style vessel astern of us (closer to Sylph's size) only very gradually gained on us. Indeed, as the day wore on and the wind veered into the south, we actually drew ahead, mainly because I was able to pole the jib out to starboard and shake out the remaining reef in the mainsail as the relative wind dropped off slightly, whereas the Beneteau continued under a reefed main and chose to furl her headsail as the wind veered (clearly its crew was not quite as competitive as Sylph's). Overall we made excellent time, averaging 6.4 knots, arriving off the Outer Harbor breakwater at 1708. With the headsail furled we made our way into the harbour and once adjacent the entrance to the Squadron marina we started the engine, turned into the wind, handed the mainsail, then proceeded into the marina, coming alongside at 1736. While our short summer cruise was not terribly adventurous as per Sylph's usual voyages, it was a welcome break from being alongside for such a long period. With a little luck we will be able to venture a little further afield later in the month, and hopefully before Oli loses his sea legs again. All is well. |