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The joys of winter sailing…

After the last few days of wincing whenever I look at the weather forecast, it’s finally here: we’re going sailing this weekend, and the weather is going to be cold, grey, bleak and rainy.

It looks like the sort of long-weekend where most of our crew will be fighting over the important roles of washing up, making brews and cooking – purely so that they can stay down below in the warm cosy cabin.

There will even be patches of snow to help to break up the monotony of otherwise thoroughly miserable weather – and as any good sailor knows: there is nothing quite as fun as being hit by a snowball whilst rooted to the helm of a yacht in dire conditions.  And we’re definitely taking someone who will do that (we all have one of those friends, and I hope he is not reading this blog today as he doesn’t need any encouragement!).  Ok, I’ll grant that it’s funny the first time, but by the fourth, I’m usually willing to stop making way and to start putting my MOB (Man over board) training to good use…

So it is with a sense of dread that I’ll be driving up to Largs to take charge of a Bavaria 38’ tonight! 

A 38 foot yacht sounds like spacious accommodation – and it certainly is when you’re sailing in Greece or Croatia, and you spend most of your time on deck – but when there isn’t shorts and t-shirts weather, 38 foot can suddenly feel very claustrophobic.  Particularly when there are eight fully grown adults in it…

Should be fun though, and sailing in any weather beats, well, everything.