Three Day Sails - Part II - 11:01 PM, Oct. 6, 2005

Monday 3^rd October

The forecast was SW backing S 4 or 5. It was Tuesday’s forecast however, S 4 or 5 occasionally 6 or 7 (I was slightly surprised they didn’t add the famous “perhaps gale 8 later” just to be on the safe side) that made me decide to stick to day sailing. I set off at 1000ish in light winds with no more definite plan than to tack down the Firth of Lorne.

The wind increased steadily and we managed 5.5 knots hard on the wind before it was time to reef. I’d just got her settled again and the wind was continuing to build when the ‘phone rang. It’s one of the more interesting “features” of mobile ‘phone technology that these absurdly incongruous conversations are possible. Kenny was sitting behind his desk and I had water on the side deck. Wonderful!

I tacked and reefed down again. Conditions were now moderately grim and we were making only 3.5 to 4 knots. The main sets well when reefed but the genoa does little more than resemble a sail when half of it is rolled away. I’d have given good money for a No.3 jib and an inner forestay.

Suddenly, I heard a “Pff!.. Pff!” like a heads up call from the starboard quarter and first one and immediately a second dolphin surfaced right in front of Silkie’s bow as they shot diagonally past from right to left. Porpoises are an everyday sight in these waters but this was the first time I’d had dolphins come to play. After a couple of moments they did the same trick again from left to right and back again and again, presumably swimming figures of eight across our course. Next they split up and began crossing in opposite directions. They stayed for only a few minutes but I was absolutely entranced and suddenly the day appeared in a whole new light.

As they made their last pass the sun found some thinner cloud and if it didn’t exactly shine it was at least visible as a white disc. It too was right on the bow and illuminated our course as a shimmering silver highway on the sea. What can I say? You can’t buy this kind of stuff!

Ten minutes later and it was business as usual again. We were approaching the coast of Kerrera and a nasty-looking rain squall came sweeping up the Firth. I decided to heave-to and let it pass. I’ve only really practised this before on Silkie so I was interested to see how it would work in a decent blow. I put her about so that we pointed back out to open water …and …relax! I don’t know if we were properly hove-to since we lay almost beam on to the wind and fore-reached at just under a knot but the change in motion was remarkable and the wind seemed to have eased about 10 knots. I thought about playing with the sails to see if I could get her to point a little higher. In fact, it was so restful that I just went below out of the rain to put the kettle on and make lunch.

After the squall passed I came back up (I had been keeping watch throughout - honest!) to enjoy my lunch in the cockpit while bobbing gently about in a solid F5. I talked myself out of any more beating. I may not be any kind of a gentleman but I can sympathise with their reluctance to go to windward. A direct return to Dunstaffnage would have been a dead run so I brought the genoa over and bore away on as broad a reach as possible instead. This set us on a course for the Lismore coast where a gybe let us beam reach back across the top of the Firth of Lorne at over 6 knots.

Another great day on the water!