Who says sailing in winter is crazy? Well, for us cast away mountaineers this is somewhat like skiing. Whilst even in summer the water temperature in the Solent and in the English Channel does not rise above 20°C very often, it also does not fall significantly below 10°C in winter. This obviously sets a floor on plummeting temperatures. Minus 10°C, a standard temperature level in Swiss winters is probably quite unheard of in the Solent. Moreover, there is hardly anybody out which makes a relaxing change from the sometimes frantic traffic on the Solent waters in summer.
So, we got our thermal underwear out and donned our foul weather gear, hats and gloves and off we went.
On 30 December a nice leisurely trip from Haslar Marina to Newtown River (or Creek, as some people might say). From spring to autumn this large natural harbour, a jewel on the north-western coast of the Isle of Wight, is usually overcrowded with countless sailing and motor yachts and you can count yourself lucky if you get a space. This time we had it all on our own. Absolutely stunning and with the heater on down below we tucked down cosily, dry and warm in our cockpit enclosure. We had brought our Raclette oven and enjoyed a fabulous dinner with Swiss Raclette cheese from Jumi Cheese in this wonderful nature reserve.
A short trip along the coastline to Yarmouth on New Year’s Eve. There was a bit more traffic in the marina but still very calm. We had a great feast at one of our local favourites, the On the Rocks Black Rock Grill before celebrating and welcoming the new year with our temporary marina neighbours.
On New Years Day we sailed back to East Cowes in the sun. We could not resist indulging in the number two of the Swiss duet of cheese, a cheese fondue. Luckily, also in East Cowes traffic was very light and so the characteristic smell of melted cheese did not offend too many sensitive noses.
Sadly, the next day our short trip came to an end, Polaris is back safely in Haslar. Somehow we managed to get the aft heads seacocks seized. A quick visit to the guys at Gosport Boatyard confirmed that Polaris has to come out of the water and have her below waterline valves replaced. What a nasty surprise in the early days of the year and this after only two years… I will need to investigate what caused the problem…
