Trip on Nordic Mist starting 2008-02-22 in BSAMar08
3.1Trip 22-24 Feb “Nordic Mist” Jeanneau 36i. Report by Nick Kinsley
Skipper: Jeff BirkinCrew:Alan Gray, Paula Gray, Jill Hunter, Mike Crowley and Nick Kinsley
We left Haslar at about 10.45am and with one reef sailed to East Cowes. It was a good sail with a southerly 4-5. With the reef and genoa three quarters unfurled the sails were well set and the boat handled well, though not very responsive to the helm which seemed oversized for the purpose. The model is a 36i and we reckon that the “i” stands for inconvenience as far as operating the throttle is concerned. It is located in the rear corner of the cockpit on the port side so that the helmsman is forced to stretch to operate it with the left hand whilst controlling the oversized helm with the other. We moored at about midday and made for Egon’s Cafe for brunch which was welcome and warming after having passed through a short but freezing squall outside Cowes.
At about 1.30 we set off for Lymington with 3 knots of tide with us. On the way we all had a go at retrieving the M.O.B. This is where the inconvenient throttle location really made a difference because we could only pick up the MOB on the port side where the helm is forced to stand. After the fun we made good time as we were travelling at 8 knots over the ground. Mike prepared the pilotage into Lymington which was executed smoothly. We were on good time to get ready for the meal where the tables had been booked at the King’s Head. After the excellent meal we were entertained by Jeff’s display of unarmed combat. It seems that both Dave and Mike are now out of plaster and recovering well.
On Sunday morning we left at about 11am to have about one and a half hours of favourable tide before it turned as we passed Prince Consort. My bit of navigation seemed to be going well up to this point until I professed to Jeff that I could tell the depth in Osborne Bay just by looking at the tidal diamond. No, that’s the speed of the tide, not the depth he reminded me! It’s amazing how quickly you forget all that stuff.
In Osborne Bay we rafted up to “Les Affaires” who were enjoying yet another gourmet snack a la Rob Reynolds. Here we ate our more humble fare on deck in the sunshine with no breeze at all. With no wind we motored back to the Hamble and tied up at about 4 pm
We had a very enjoyable and relaxing week end and as Jeff said he likes boat handling without undue dramas. And there were none.
(Secretary’s note: According to Jeanneau the “i” stands for their Prisma injection process used to create the deck. This reduces styrene emissions, and gives a smooth underside so that no deckhead liner is needed. This reduces deck weight by 20%, lowering the centre of gravity and improving stability. Victory charters say they are going to relocate the throttle in the binnacle.)