A 'Round the Island' Adventure
by Nicola West 10 Aug 10:52 BST
9 August 2020
With many choosing to stay at home this summer, two local families decided that it would be the perfect opportunity for fabulous adventure. George Overton with his brother Harry West and Dirk & Johnny Rogers had a vision of sailing non-stop around the Isle of Wight, a distance of more than 50 nautical miles, in their RS Feva dinghies.
After much planning, the date was set for Sunday 9th August, weather permitting. Monitoring the forecast during the week leading up to the 9th was nerve racking with the wind changing from too strong to too little, but luckily on the day before it all seemed to have settled on near perfect conditions.
The alarms were set for an early start, waking at 4am for a 5am launch, then heading up Lymington river and through the river gate at 5.25am in the pre sunrise light. The journey to The Needles proved idyllic with a beautiful pink sunrise as both boats threaded through the Needles.
The trip from the Needles of St Catherine's Point was exhilarating with some fantastic winds allowing them to round the point at only 8.24am, then pushing them on around to Ventor by 9.07am. Unfortunately, as the warmth of the sun came through the wind eased and the stretch passing Bembridge, Ryde and on to Cowes slowed with the sailors having to make best use of the tides when they could.
As they rounded the headland to Cowes the sea breeze kicked in and the four boys in their two RS Fevas started on the long and final stretch back home to Lymington crossing the river line at 5.59pm.
A huge thank you to the Royal Lymington Yacht Club, of which both families are members, for your support in the planning of the trip and Nick Eales of Sea Start for your assurance of being there should we need you.