'Red Duster'

Red Duster is the nick name for the British Red Ensign...you need to fly it in international water to show your origin.

Today we hoisted the Duster and took our guests out for a trip to Isla de Tabarca which is a short run from Santa Pola. The day started perfectly with a nice 7 knots which quickly turned into a brisk 15 knots. Madison was cruising along at 6 knots with a single reef in the main to keep things on an even keel. All was well until the roller reefing head sail decided to wrap around itself, just as the wind blew up to 30 knots!!!!!!

I managed to get on a run and get the headsail in the shadow of the main whilst I untangled the mess, but by that time the UV protective strip was a little shredded.

I will take the sail off as soon as there is no wind and assess the damage. The good news is that I managed to keep my cool and we handled it OK. It could have been much worse and our guests had an exciting start to sailing. Tomorrow we are crewing for our friend Gerard who is making a trip to Alicante and back.

I took this shot hanging off the back rail before the wind got up. Thankfully the camera was away before we got our soaking.

The best sign was the smiles were still intact when we got back.

Have a blipping good day and see you all tomorrow.