Sailing the Solent

Sailing's always been fun, and I've been lucky to be out a number of times on my parents' 38-foot yacht, Dusky Dolphin. But now I'm living in England it's a little bit difficult to get out on the water on a regular basis.

After entering a newspaper competition to win a free berth in the Clipper Race across the Atlantic, a few entrants were offered a free sail out of Portsmouth across the Solent to the Isle of Wight. Being early Spring, it was somewhat chilly so we were all supplied with full oilskins as standard kit to wear in the bitter Atlantic winds. This is slightly different than the usual boardshorts that can be worn sailing out of Fremantle!

The Clipper yachts are dedicated ocean-racing boats, weighing around 37 tonnes. It's amazing how much power their huge sails generate, and we had a couple of reefs in the main to deal with the 20-25-knot winds. We were maintaining around 12 knots sailing almost into the wind! Needless to say, the sails also were very hard work to pull up and down the mast.

The Clipper race offers amateur sailors the opportunity to fully train up and sail around the world as part of a racing crew. It also includes a stop in Fremantle. So the opportunity exists to sail from England to Fremantle. That could be quite something, sailing into Fremantle harbour having crossed the Atlantic, the Cape of Good Hope, and the Indian ocean. Something to think about!

All in all, it was a great day out. Interesting to see how to approach sailing in the UK, and to see how people cope with the cold conditions. As ever, it's all about having the correct equipment and it makes all the difference.