With high tide at 11 ish, we could go up the river and come back with the tide. That would mean dodging shipping and the inevitable hordes of other boats about on this fine Easter Sunday, however, so we elected to head out of the Haven for a few hours.
Winds light, NW, I heaved up the main and sailed off the mooring. We were soon goosewinging out of the Haven, passing, or, more correctly, being passed by all sorts of vessel.
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[/caption]We'd walked along the beach at Freshwater West with Tigger a few weeks back, the beach deserted. This time, it was packed with surfers enjoying the summer-like weather, and great swell. Tigger was with my mother - we don't usually take him on 2 day passages (as this was originally planned) if we can't guarantee to get him ashore.
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[/caption]Louise was enjoying the sailing, and I left her too it. She decided on her plan, where and when to tack to get back into Dale, and did it all, with little more than an occasional suggestion from me.
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[/caption]I then took over - it would be nice to sail back onto the mooring, and have sailed the entire morning without starting the engine. I didn't get it quite right, though, and fired up our new Beta about 30 yards from our mooring, in fear of hitting another boat in the crowded moorings. More practice methinks.
So, an enjoyable and successful weekend. Ishtar is on her summer mooring, and ready for action. We left a crowded Dale after taking the dinghy ashore, and arrived back home about 18:00. All's well that ends well.
