The Strait of Dover is known for its west wind, waves and currents, and when you go to the west you have to beat all the way. Just as it was for us. On the morning we started with pleasant conditions, but when we came around the corner at Dover, the wind and the waves grew. We had the current from behind and this made the waves steep. Ideal conditions for some of our crew, to feed the fish… and later on, when the current came the front, our speed over ground went down. Towards the evening the wind and the waves weakened a bit and we coordinated who will be on the watch. At about 2 o’clock in the night Nelly steered our last tack and then we sailed 10 hours on the same tack, for Lukas a premiere :=).
For those stages, it is convenient to get something warm to eat at any time of the day. That’s why Martin had cooked a big pot of chili con carne on the day before. For me it tasted best in the morning at the entrance to the Solent.
“The Solent is a sailor’s Mecca,” Wladimir explained us. Besides the famous Cowes’ Week there are regattas for high-tech racer but also for classic yachts. When we came past, there was a match race going on in the RC44 class, an expensive full-carbon yacht designed by Russell Coutts.
