The South Coast, what a doddle

Post date: Sep 01, 2015 6:11:56 PM

It was all part of the plan to end my venture with the downhill run Eastward on the South coast. The difference between how this venture started to how it's ending is quite marked. Stages 1 and 2 were tough, there's no doubt about it and I'm relieved to have got them done while I was still "fresh". My appetite for tough sailing is somewhat diminished and I'm making the most of it.

First it's not cold. Boy, was it bitter for most of the way round. I'm not suffering from cold any more. Second, I'm getting good winds. This was always going to be more likely for my Eastward jaunt on the South coast, but this is a major boon to my peace of mind. Third, the profusion of bays, harbours and marinas gives me a luxuriant choice of stops allowing me to do trips of any length I please - generally short to sample as many places as possible.

So, anyone who's used to cruising on the South coast and who's considering going round Britain - beware, you don't know how good you have it!

Another telling statistic is the amount I've been able to sail for the last 8 passages. I've only had to motor 12% of the time against my now current venture average of 31.5%. If I can keep that up, I'll reach my target of 30% motoring for the whole way round. Which, as I've mentioned before, is very good - 50% being the norm.

Passage 43 and passage 44 are written up. I can see the Isle of White from where I am now and I'll be going up the Beaulieu River tomorrow pushing into the New Forest. Looking forward to some good cycling.