15:44 – This whole stretch of coast round to Sandown Bay, where I live, is one of my favourite stretches of coast on the island. These wild wooded ravines, chines and secluded bays, to me are the island’s very own version of Jurassic Park, with many areas untouched and uninhabited due to landslides, slippery clay and inaccessibility. We finally blast into Ventnor and once Ross sniffs out a crowd of beachgoers are watching, suddenly he is flying full speed towards the shore line and throwing gybes close to shore; bloody show off! Personally, I think Ventnor is the most beautiful populated coastal town on the island, with its Victorian hotels and houses standing proudly and looking out to sea on the green hillsides.
Ross – “I was still relatively ok at this stage but the thought did cross my mind to sail straight in and go have a pint at one of the beachfront pubs. I was looking forwards to getting round to Sandown Bay where hopefully the conditions would be a bit smoother. Just after Ventnor, the coast at Luccombe was spectacular, the cliffs were all black and the water was turquoise. I was just so powered up that I could not enjoy the scenery the way I wanted to.”
