First Solo Sail

Today I had my first solo sail.

I took half a day off work and de-stressed. Just up the harbour and back, mainly to check I could do everything on my own.

Everything worked fine and I had a couple of hours sailing while the tide was high. The only downside is the UV strip on the jib is loose, so I need to drop the jib and learn how to use a sewing machine!

Here my first solo sailing selfie:

Note the dinghy towed behind just in case...

The harbour was quiet, with just a handful of other yachts on the move. There were a couple of dinghies from the outdoor centre which looked like they were training, being followed by a safety boat, thankfully just taking a tour round the harbour and not getting in the way.

I doubt the harbour will be so quiet over the weekend.

Hardly a soul in sight. 

Not a bad couple of hours and I know now that I can sail single-handed if I need to. I can pick up the mooring quite easily even when the wind picks up like it did today. Hopefully each time I go out from now on I'll gain in confidence.

I just need to do some fettling on the sails and get the tiller pilot installed to make things safer and easier.

Oh, and I need to dig my life jacket out of the wardrobe and actually wear it when on the boat.