Making the most of it

Our job of crewing to Alicante was an easy one. Gerard our Belgian friend normally sails single handed so was not used to delegating but by the end we just got on with what we knew was needed. This left him smiling as bringing his 40ft sloop into Santa Pola in the dark was a piece of cake with 3 crew instead of 1.

On the way to Alicante we had around 8 knots of wind on a dead run so we were able to gull wing the whole way. For the non-sailor this means that the mainsail is on one side of the boat whilst the jib (foresail) pulled out on the other side. This made for a leisurely 3 knots all the way. Sun was constant and in the cockpit so a good time was had by all. The autopilot was engaged and it was time for drinks and nibbles.

We had raised eyebrows when we turned down alcohol...Gerard tried to explain that the autopilot was the designated driver...must confess I did have a very small one after much laughter, but on reflection I won't do that again. Not because it affected me, but it is a slippery slope and there are enough opportunities for accidents to happen without helping the gremlins out by getting tipsy.

I love laying on the foredeck looking up at the sails when they are set well. The shapes they create are always beautiful. Hope you agree.

My Birthday tomorrow so will try and make the next shot a memorable one.