Running up the Sound of Jura

We went to bed about 8pm last night, with a 4:30 alarm set.

It took about an hour this morning to get ready to leave. Some of that was due to the No 2 jib being wound the other way round from the No 1. It unfurled when I raised it. Luckily, there was a turn left round the drum so they should now both be the same way round. Having the end of the bowsprit by the pontoon was nice too. I could sort the problem standing on the pontoon.

It was calm as we left, and the sun has come out. It was going to be a beautiful day. We deserve one! Out in the bay there was a gentle southerly, but we were expecting more so I raised the main with a deep reef.

We sailed out on a lovely beam reach, gradually bending around Texa and onto a broad reach. The wind wasn't strong enough to warrant the reef, so we shook it out.

We broad reached for a while but the route was really a run. Eventually, we gave up gybing and swapped the jib for the "blue" sail. A spinnaker we were gifted a few years ago that we fly on long downwind days.

In the past we have flown it with one corner tied to the bowsprit and raised on the topsail halyard. This time I just used the jib halyard and tied on the jib sheets and flew it symmetrically. It worked really well. I tied the corners down on extra lines to the chain plates.

That got us to within 10 miles of Craobh. For some of the time we were doing a solid 6.8 knots.

The last bit was done under engine and staysail. More to keep control through the islands than for any other reason.

It was a grand day.