July 5th - 6th Training Weekend - The Parasailor arrives


A new weekend and this time Only Chris and Jon as crew….
On arrival it is clear that the fitting out is going well. The hydrovane appeared and looking good on the transom, Satellite phone installation nearly complete - half of the fans fitted and the Microwave in place and working. Highlight for the "Boys" was the TV and stereo system now in and fully functional. Bad news was Jon was the first on with his music collection….it might be a collection, but Chris and I had trouble with the "Music" part of the description!

The aim of this weekend was reefing, man over board and the test sail with the new Parasailor.  Before setting sail we spent an hour on the pontoon practicing man overboard drills and also how would we move an injured crewman from the foredeck to the cabin. We decided that depending on who it was it may be easier just to chuck them overboard……Good news is the processes worked - so we have a plan.

Jon on Day 1……Do we have to get up this early, it's only 9 am!

Chris adopting his "Hugo Boss" pose for the camera.

Why is my cabin so small….Chris checking out the forward storage area.

"Are you sure we're not going to hit it", a common refrain with hundreds of boats out on the Solent.

Reefing was the order of the day, especially as the wind built up to almost 30 Knots at times. Here we have the skipper at the helm…and Chris pretending…..nothing much changes as they get older. A bit like the plastic wheel he used to have in the car…..

Reefing worked well, and with two reefs in we were still moving at 8 knots. Over 10 with one Reef in. Even with the full sail she sailed we'll in 25 Knots of wind….Mind you, from the helm you are  long way up from the water!! Man over board first run went well, so we didn't lose the fender and bucket man imitation…..

"Are you sure we're not going to hit it!"

Jon trying to stay focussed. Note behind him the aerials set up - left to right - Navtex (weather information system), Satellite active antenna, SSB Radio DSC (Digital Selective Calling) receiving aerial.

The real Red Ensign flying proudly.

Testing out the Bimini in Port at the end of the Saturday. Hardest part of the day returning to port and finding another Hanse in our berth. So, we had to raft up with the wind blowing strongly on the beam. Talk three attempts to get along side, one leaving Jon alone on the raft up vessel! Good news, great manouverability meant we didn't hit anything. I would like to think it was good seamanship!

Sunday morning Stuart Anderson from Seateach arrived with the Parasailor. So we cruised up to the Southampton end of Southampton water and we set her up ready to fly. Here we have Stuart getting the Port Sheet and Guy in place. Note the color coding - Red for Port and Green for Starboard…Makes life so easy.

Parasailor launched in 4 knots of wind, with Jon looking on in his "Jean Paul Gaultier" perfume bottle imitation look. He is modeling the extra wide bottle version….

Note the wing on the sail which helps maintain constant pressure on the sail when it meets a gust of wind. Despite the size it was easy to launch and bring down with the snuffer - which can be seen at the top of the sail. Now christened the "wizarding hat", we half expected Harry Potter to appear….

We sailed up to the Solent with the Parachute flying, 2000 square feet of sail. 10 knots of wind, 8 knots through the water, 15 knots of wind, 10.6 Knots through the water. We basically flew past everything on the water…with a sail that is.

Warmer weather despite the clouds. Great way to sail.

Tramp steamer ahoy, interesting view on a Sunday. Chris "Are we going to hit it"…..Noooo…

Again, as the wind picked up to over 25 knots the fun was getting back onto the berth. This time three attempts and Chris doing his best not to step off the yacht….all good fun and the Boat and Crew again performed admirably.

Thanks to Stuart Anderson of Seateach for taking the time to show us the ropes with the Parasailor and Inspiration marine for the continuing fitting out.

Next anticipate trip out 18th - 20th July with Rob also due. Miss Liz II due for completion and handover on the 18th.  Schedule still on for Plymouth and more in August. Watch this space.