Pointless sailing on this late in the season then.
So off we went, leaving our pontoon berth at 09:00 for the 09:30 lock, half an hour after low.
Met some friends from Cardiff Bay yacht club in the lock. The cod were about, evidently, and they had four rods ready. The water level dropped and we were out.Leaving Cardiff locks
I was determined to try and fly our 'cruising chute' for the first time in these light winds. We'd taken it off the boat as too complex when we bought Ishtar, but now felt confident enough to give it a try. Louise helmed, taking us down past the Ranie buoy and out past Lavernock spit, whilst I set up the blocks, and tried to work out the rigging.
The wind picked up, Southerly now, so I put the spinnaker away, unhoisted, and set the genoa and main. Sailed SW, thinking we could run back up towards Barry using the spinnaker.
The time had come, so I rigged it again. I was really nervous, expecting all sorts of horrors. Oh, to hell with it, pull the Halyard and give it a go.
And she flew.
I quickly realised that it was a tri radial, and that rigging it as a cruising chute was wrong. Managed to keep it up though, despite changing wind direction, and actually sailed. I could not help grinning from ear to ear.
OK, now could i douse it? I didn't really know what I was doing, but just dropped it a bit at a time, stuffing it into the bag. Seemed to go fine. I'm a big believer in trying to keep things fun, when learning new skills. This certainly was fun.
Louise sailed us across to Flatholm. We had bought a new anchor, a Delta. New to us anyhow.
We dropped the hook in 7m off the beach at Flatholm. I've never really mastered going astern with Ishtar, but the anchor dug in, and we had a cup of tea.
We were not there long before we got a VHF call from Vince of Cardiff yacht club. He was out on Alana, near the North Cardiff buoy, and would see us shortly.
Louise wanted to try setting the spinnaker, and did it well.
We didn't have it up long. The wind was now westerly, and we needed to go North West. She doused the spinnaker, put it away and we set genoa and main and neaeded for home, both delighted.
We could see Vince, on Alana headed our way, and it wasn't long before he was with us.
He turned, with the Holms behind, and we both headed back for the locks.
Half an hour or so later and we had locked in with 7 other boats and approached our spot on the pontoon.
A lovely day, and it seems so strange to think of so many boats not being used in such weather.
