The morning starts with a visit from the optimist sailors. Lots of good questions about where our centreboard, sprit etc. are.

We’re off at 11:00 to catch the flood tide East. In light SW winds we hoist the main and the asymmetric. We learn that the furl on the asymmetric is not good enough to hoist before turning into the wind to hoist the main. It’s soon filling well and pulling us along the Solent at an apparent wind angle of about 150 degrees. Much lower and it collapses behind the mainsail. We gybe off Beaulieu then switch the asymmetric for the staysail as we approach the fleets on the first day of Cowes Week. There’s plenty of space between the fleets starting on the RYS and line and those on the mainland side, so we sail through towards Osborne Bay. The bay looks like a carpark, so we don’t stop. The wind is up a little now and we get a nice reach back towards Hamble, staying clear of a Dragon race, who are having a little trouble with the ferry. The brown streak behind the ferry reminds us that Bramble Bank is not far off.