FIVE STAR!
The night before, I travelled down to Weymouth and managed to sneak in a quick pint in the Old Ship Inn with Ross and Kevin Greenslade, yep a solid start to the adventure. Next up I was excited to find out what Ross had organized as accommodation for the evening. A cosy hotel along Weymouth promenade? Or perhaps a luxury private house with sauna and Jacuzzi on the waterfront at Portland?, err well almost; yep you guessed it, a damp mattress in the back of Ross’s 2008 Volkswagen van parked up in a howling gale outside the OTC. Actually sleeping in the van was not so bad, but the wind outside which must have been blowing forty knots, was a bit of a worry. By 11am the next morning the wind had settled a little, everyone was rigged and ready but the presence of storm clouds looming on the horizon meant none of the sailors had any confidence on what sail size to rig. By this time it was now or never for the mission to go ahead, there was absolutely no way we were going to pull the plug so I jumped in the boat with Jock our trusty driver and headed into the unknown. Over the next three hours I endured driving rain, hail the size of golfballs (almost!), the odd burst of brilliant sunshine, howling wind, zero wind and calm waters right through to treacherous choppy swell. But having said all that, I had a bloody excellent time. The weather almost destroyed the whole success of the mission but in the end I think it actually made it! I mean what’s a challenge without any challenges! Well that was my feelings but what about the sailors – over to the famous five!
“ The gusts and lulls were so hard to read because of the swell and rain distorting the normal signs on the water’s surface ” – TRIS BEST