Having escaped from Chatham marina and made it around the corner of Kent, to Ramsgate, I only had two days to get home to Gosport. This meant two more long days in quick succession for John and I

After a late arrival in Ramsgate (and a short but pleasant evening), we made an early departure the following morning for Eastbourne, again in company with Brian of Puffin Bach.

We had spring tides and wanted to use them to best effect, though the timing was not too convenient. The main tidal gate was Dungeness, but without a particularly early reveille we could not make that with a fair tide. Puffin and Molly managed to leave before 7am and carry the fair tide down the coast past Dover. I put the main sail up, but it was not doing much and we didn’t bother with a jib.

When I arrived at a point two miles from Dover harbour, I radioed VTS to ask for permission to cross, and was told to pass at least a mile outside the harbour. I could see at least five cross channel ferries visually and on the AIS. The latter was really useful for deciding whether I would cross their track safely (ie behind them) and I changed course to ensure this. Evidently my judgement was not accurate enough for VTS, as they called me up and warned me that I would not pass far enough away from harbour, so I duly diverted further around. I did notice a small motor boat pass across the harbour only a few hundred metres out without radio contact, causing VTS to warn every vessel passing in or out, which made me feel better about my misjudgement! My lesson learned was that there is no point in passing close to South Foreland, due to the offing needed for Dover.

As we continued westward, the fair tide decreased and then turned against us. My plan was to pass close inshore after Folkestone, to minimise the foul tide, round Dungeness as close to the beach as possible and then continue in Rye bay out of the flood. It was a hot sunny day and the sea breeze began to fill in, giving us a reach and with the benefit of all sail as well as the iron topsail, we passed about 20m from the anglers on the shore and in nearly 20m of water. I hope we made an impressive sight!

Traversing the low-lying shore off Pett Level, the sedimentary cliffs rose up, leading to Fairlight and then Hastings and Bexhill. My wish to view the sea fronts of those familiar places was fulfilled this time, having been thwarted by poor visibility and rain on the outbound journey.

We reached Eastbourne’s Sovereign harbour almost exactly 12 hours after our departure from Ramsgate, at low tide. The evening was almost completely windless, with three optimistic yachts drifting on the bay. Approaching from the East with the evening sun in our eyes, the safe water mark and isolated danger marks could easily be confused by the unwary. Fortunately, being able to see the boilers of the Barn Hill wreck breaking the surface, the hazard was clear.

After what felt like a very long lock cycle (perhaps a little over sensitive after our experience at Chatham), followed by a stop at the fuel berth, we were no sooner moored, than Brian turned up. Once he was safely tied up, we made straight for the eateries and enjoyed a very nice Thai meal together. This was to be the parting of the ways, as Brian was intending to have a late start, whereas I had opted for a very early start in order to reach Gosport and home the following day.

We took the 0500 lock out and found an easterly breeze already blowing. I had timed our departure to catch the last of the ebb past Beachy Head; we made excellent time round our penultimate headland and set a course to pass just inside the Rampion wind farm off Brighton, towards Selsey Bill. This track was very deep downwind and we were not able to fly the jib, especially with the roll of the gentle swell. Molly got most of the way across Rye bay under engine and main before the tide began to turn back in our favour, and we gave the motor a rest on our approach to our last headland of the journey, Selsey Bill.

Molly passed through the Looe channel under sail, with the wind behind her and the full ebb of a spring tide, at about 7kt and entered her home waters of the Solent again. Passing the familiar landmarks of Chichester and Langstone harbour entrances, I couldn’t resist bearing off and gybing the last few miles with full sail, after all that time dead downwind. Meanwhile, we heard that High Barbaree, after various travails, had left Brighton that afternoon and would arrive in Gosport not long after us.

Molly arrived back on her home berth in the warm evening sun, after 65nm, a little over twelve hours after our departure from Eastbourne, 180 miles from the end of the rally in Chatham and almost 500 miles after last leaving Gosport. So it was John and I enjoyed a celebratory meal at the light ship in Gosport with Liz and Tim before putting Molly to bed for a rest, awaiting hopefully one or two more outings before winter ashore.