Anyone for Applejack? incorporating 'Adventures of Applejack' ®

[GeeW]

Since this shot was taken, the Admiral has spent a couple of evenings finishing off various details.
We believe that we are good to go and try it out which is our next plan...with luck either this coming weekend or the one after.

[Seadub]

Hope you have a blast!  I wondered about interior space - we're using a bimini with mosquito net for fair nights, a tarp on standby for rain. it's spacious, but the transition from cabin to cockpit is a weak/wet link in the event of rain, and I like to leave the companionway open. We haven't slept in the cockpit yet, but plan to once I build a floor grate that can also be used as a center support.

[GeeW]

Just to update the tent project part of this thread before we move onto last weekends adventures.

The tent was used for real for four nights and we are pleased to report that no major modifications are deemed necessary. We have tweaked the bungee in a couple of places and there will be another patch of velcro added on the front door to seal a small gap that went unnoticed during manufacture.
The Admiral produced a nice bag to keep the folded tent in when not in use.
The coffee mug is there to give a size reference.

[GeeW]

As Seadub asked, a couple of interior images taken whilst we were dangling from a mooring.
Having one of the side doors and the rear door open gives lots of light and ventilation whilst cooking takes place.
Height under the boom with the tent erected is enough so that I can just stand up, the Admiral being slightly more vertically challenged easily clears said boom.

[GeeW]

another shot of tent interior

[GeeW]

As intimated, we enjoyed a great long weekends sailing, some of it within the confines of Chichester Harbour, as well as a particularly nice run across to the Isle of Wight.
Will post up some images in the next day or so.

As we have received a request on how we stow all that we take, I have an image and description to post later this week.

Gordon

[GeeW]

Apologies for the delay, wok has been giving me a run around. Here follows the account of the weekends sailing.
Trailed down to Hayling Island which forms the Western edge of Chichester Harbour, rigged and launched at Wilson's Boatyard which is still a nice family run affair. The slip is only usable for 2 1/2 hrs either side of HW. The light had all but gone when we cast off and motored down Mengeham Rythe and picked up an empty mooring. Our first attempt at erecting the new cockpit tent in the pitch dark was successful...so all were good humoured amongst the crew.
Saturday dawned bright and sunny with a nice F3 to F4 S wind so we decided on a trip across the Solent to Priory Bay on the NNE edge of the Isle of Wight. The exciting bit is always crossing the shipping lane as Saturday is Ocean Liners departure day! We opted to motor across this as we were headed by the wind to cross.  We anchored about 200 yards off the beach in 2m of water as we were  LW-2 hrs, and a rather nice lunch was prepared by the Admiral.  Being high season there were about a dozen or so other boats laying to their anchors.
Priory Bay is recorded as the second oldest site of human habitation in the United Kingdom, Palaeolithic remains and artefacts from the Stone Age have been found on the sandy beach. Behind the beach there are a pair of thatched barns which are the only surviving buildings from the Monastery from which the bay draws its name and date from about 1060 AD.
Image grabbed of net to give a general idea.

[GeeW]

Following lunch we then sailed further into the Solent and past the Napoleonic forts that were built to protect the Royal Navy's main base of Portsmouth. They were spaced to give full cover from the best cannons of the day....trouble was it took them about 15 yrars to build them, by which time technology had moved on as had the range of the new guns so they were obsolete about the time they were finished in 1860. There are half a dozen of these scattered about the Solent. No Man's Land Fort and Spitbank Fort have been converted in to a rather posh hotels and their neighbour, Horse Sand Fort is now a museum.

No Man's Land Fort

[GeeW]

Horse Sand Fort still has the WWII anti-aircraft gun emplacement on its roof. It also has a submarine wall running from it northwards to the mainland. Crossing this is not to be attempted even with a nice shallow draught. This wall still claims a few boats every year despite their being a narrow safe passage about half way out. The yellow pole marker a little to the right of the Fort in this image marks one point of the wall.

Horse Sand Fort

[GeeW]

Had a lovely sail back to Chichester Harbour although the wind strength had dropped a little, but who cares, what's the rush???
A Colin Archer boat motored past us, would have preferred to see it sailing.
By the time we eventually picked up a vacant mooring up the top of the harbour it was about 21:00 so the evening meal was a bit late.

[GeeW]

Sunday dawned very bright and sunny (see it does stop raining sometimes) so we sailed up to Emsworth as we had not stowed any sun block/ sun cream. Sailing south back into the main part of the harbour we were accompanied by a young seal and its mother for a while.

Purely gratuitous image of 'Applejack' at Emsworth jetty.

[GeeW]

A lovely days sailing was had with a very steady  F4 westerly wind all day and we picked up a mooring on Mill Rythe for the evening...the scene of lasts years little faux pas from which there are a couple of images earlier in this thread. This I took a little more time and care and we managed to just clear the bar at the entrance and stay in the channel.
Mondays weather was forecast to be a re-run of Sundays ie a F4 W. So had another good day thrashing round the harbour and once we were after low water pushing our luck over several of the banks...with only one bit of touch hydrography when we over did it (the Admiral was helming at the time...so I had my fun for the rest of the day sorted out!)
One of the features of Chichester Harbour that I thought you might to see is the remains of a Victorian land reclamation scheme. At high water (except neaps) these dragon's teeth structures are covered. We took these images at Low Water neaps. They are stuff boat owners nightmares are made of!

[GeeW]

And if the last image didn't frighten you, then these 'teeth' await your pleasure at the other end of the harbour.

[GeeW]

At High Water we carried out a few speed runs on a reach, two runs in opposite directions. There were no waves, just the merest ripple. Our averaged speed over 1/4 nm was 5.8 kts which must be hull speed I would think? It was lovely to have such a nice constant wind as it makes sail trimming a real joy.
Monday night saw us back in Mill Rythe on the same mooring. We were treated to a lovely sunset and simultaneous moonrise. My images don't really do either justice?
Tuesday was a leisurely breakfast, full English followed by toast and home-made marmalade before motoring back to the slip and the pulling out routine.
A great long weekend.

[GeeW]

And the moonrise