2024 April 12th Days 14 - ?, Anchor problems & going back to square one.

Unfortunately Brixham is as far as am going to get on this attempt, the anchor windlass failed when I was anchoring, I had hoped that it was a minor electrical problem but the motor is dead and will have to be replaced. 

I am going back to the mooring on the Hamble to do that, I’m not sure how long the job will take and I don’t want to run up more big bills at a marina if it turns into a long job. I can then hopefully pick a new start date with better weather than on this attempt. 

A replacement motor for the windlass is on order for delivery to the RAFYC so hopefully it will be a quick turn round.

Now I have to wait for some calm weather to manually pull up 40 metres of chain and a 10Kg anchor. Fortunately in an emergency I can still anchor using the bower and chain rode or with one of the other anchors and rope rode, but getting either back up will always be an issue so I will probably head for a buoy at Studland so I can time my entry to the Solent with the tide and onto the mooring. Of course the weather is making life complicated again with more high winds arriving Sunday / Monday.

Saturday 13th April.

The view from Fishcombe Cove

I woke up at 06:00 to find no wind vs the F3 - 5 forecast so I got the anchor up with less difficulty than I thought I would have - but it was very calm, it would have been very difficult pulling into fresh wind or tide. I moved a short distance to pick up one of the new "Eco Buoys".

In Fiscombe / Churston Cove waiting for yet more bad
weather to hit. It would be very picturesque and peaceful but
For jet skis dashing about, I guess they don’t like the noise
either as many have music blasting out to drown out the engine.

I could be here for a while:

Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis - Strong wind warning

24 hour forecast: Southwest veering northwest, 3 to 5, increasing 6 for a time. Slight or moderate. Mainly fair. Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours: Northwest 3 or 4, backing west or southwest 5 or 6, increasing 7 or gale 8 later. Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough later. Fair, squally showers later. Good, occasionally moderate later.

It could easily be Wednesday or Thursday before I get away. Typical, the 19:00 forecast remove the F6 bit.

Click here for yet another change of plan and the trip back to Portland.