Back on the Ocean Wave
Gosport Unit members have just completed a weeks yachting in the Channel Islands in the 40ft yacht, Ocean Wave.
The crew travelled to France to board the yacht in Cherbourg Marina.
The weather was blowing a good force 4/5 from the North making for an uncomfortable trip to Braye in Alderney.
Unusually after going to a buoy in a sheltered harbour, the boat still bounced around for the rest of the night, ensuring that nobody managed a good nights sleep.
Leaving Alderney the crew headed to Jersey and after rounding Point Corbiere entered St Helier Marina.
Originally planning to stay for one night, they extended to two nights so everyone could catch up on their sleep.
Using a back bearing on the transit, the crew left St Helier heading for Poole.
On checking the fuel level and discovering they didn’t have enough to make the south coast, the course was changed for St Peter Port in Guernsey.
There, they took on some of Guernseys finest red diesel and made fast to a visitors pontoon in the main part of the harbour.
Ocean Wave departed at 1900 for a passage through the Little Russel Channel.
Just after the watch was changed around midnight, the side and lights of a cruise liner were seen between fog patches north of Alderney, but she was only seen for a brief second or two, then not again.
Cowes was the crews berth for the night before the last day and a change of skipper with Stuart Harrison taking the yacht from its marina in East Cowes to Portsmouth.