Wednesday (5th May) provided the first trip of 2021 with some wind (and dramatic views of the new snow!!! on the fells).

We had rebuilt the lubricator (using a 10mm ID needle-roller sprag clutch and a hard-chrome bar collar to run on) and this seemed to work well.

Initially we took the (almost obligatory) trip round Belle Isle with a rafted up lunch with Etna and Aurora.

We then set off into the south basin and …

It was a somewhat fluky/gusty afternoon , which made sailing initially almost impossible with moments of dead calm then gusts from all over the compass….In the end the wind settled from the South-West and we managed a near dead run north that had the rudder vibrating in the wake and and Befur moving quicker than we ever have before.

This show of speed prompted a ~26ft yacht loaded with young people to get into a race… we won, but admitted defeat as we were idling the engine too!

Rather exhilarating, if nerve-wracking!

A few pictures from the afternoon:

All good progress!