Minestrone's first cruise

Rupert Holmes looks back on making the most of a wet and windy week in August

- Rupert Holmes

Most Britons learn at a young age that good weather doesn’t always coincide with holiday plans. The six days I’d carved out of a busy summer for our first cruise after rebuilding my 24ft Quarter Tonner Minestrone turned out to be predominantly wet and windy.

Our initial plan had been for a quick cross-Channel jaunt, but by the previous week it was clear that would be impossible.

Instead, we decided to head west along the south coast as far as conditions would allow. Fortunately this includes some of Britain’s most scenic coastline, so it was not a big disappointment. However, on leaving Minestrone’s home port of Cowes our first task was to head north for a prior engagement near Swanwick Marina on the river Hamble.

We left the River Medina an hour before dusk, with one reef in the main and the smallest jib set in a westerly Force 5-6 breeze, and enjoyed a quick blast across the Solent before anchoring overnight in the small, dredged creek that leads to the former Calshot Power Station. This may not be the most picturesque spot in the Solent, but it’s well sheltered in south-westerlies and we had it to ourselves, even though it was the peak of the school holidays.

Trying our luck

With 18-20 knots of wind from the westsouth-west the following morning, we hoisted the main to sail out of the creek for a short hop across Southampton Water to the Hamble. On returning to the boat mid morning, the wind was howling through the rigging, even though Swanwick Marina has almost perfect shelter, suggesting that it was already blowing towards the top end of the Force 5-7 forecast.