Sun, sailing, sheets, sandbanks and sunset over the Solent
Astro take to the Solent
The weekend of the 12 and 13 March was one of the best weekends of the year to date and a perfect time to be out on The Solent. What I didn’t know at the time was my good friend and colleague Mr Hodges was also on The Solent. What are the chances of that? Mr Hodges was away for a sailing weekend while I was on board Ramblin’ Rose the Needles Pleasure Cruiser.
My trip was a very important milestone for me. Towards the end of 2014 my daughter Karen suffered a serious and irreversible brain injury, the result of drinking too much water. When she was at her lowest point almost totally paralysed she was planning what she was going to do when she got out of hospital. Having spent so many memorable family holidays on the Isle of Wight with every holiday including a trip out to The Needles on board Ramblin’ Rose it was hardly surprising that this was a focus for Karen during her recovery. Karen has lifelong Autism and was always treated as a celebrity whenever we boarded Ramblin’ Rose and was in contact with the past and present owners of Needles Pleasure Cruises.
“…and I am extremely grateful for the support, kindness and generosity extended to Karen during our very challenging times and on our special cruise across the Solent by the Needles Pleasure Cruises team.”
During the early days of Karen’s eight month spell in hospital I contacted the owner of Needles Pleasure Cruises to let him know what had happened and to tell him that Karen was more concerned that her loss of mobility would prevent her from getting onto the chair lift to the beach at Alum Bay to board Ramblin’ Rose. Karen was immediately reassured when we were told if we could get Karen onto the Island, he would get Karen onto Ramblin’ Rose.
So here we were, a little over a year later cruising from Yarmouth Harbour over to Hurst Castle towards the end of a perfect Spring day, and just at the right time to see sunset coming down over Yarmouth Harbour as we sailed back into port at the end of what was a very emotional trip. It was a very long but very special day and I am extremely grateful for the support, kindness and generosity extended to Karen during our very challenging times and on our special cruise across the Solent by the Needles Pleasure Cruises team.
While we were taking a leisurely cruise across the Solent Mr Hodges was attending an ‘Introduction to Racing’ sailing weekend out of Hamble on board Rocket Dog 2. I will let Mr Hodges continue…
” Anyone that knows Steve will know that any claims to want to ‘chill’ for the weekend will make us search the media for news of alien abductions.”
Rocket Dog 2
Mr Hodges brother bought him an ‘Introduction to Racing’ weekend with Sailing Logic for his birthday last year. It was an amazing gift and Steve was thrilled, but thought his brother may have lost the plot as Steve originally took up sailing as a way to relax and park the highly competitive nature of his day to day life. Anyone that knows Steve will know that any claims to want to ‘chill’ for the weekend will make us search the media for news of alien abductions.
Across the Solent, I was doing enough chill for the two of us as we moved across the ‘glass-like’ water with barely a ripple. The lack of wind that was so kind to us on our leisurely motor cruise, was so cruel to Mr Hodges and his sailing team, denying them the opportunity to test their new found racing skills during their training day.
“… lots of Guinness, ate a meal, drank more beer and extracted as much sleep as you can expect in a confined space with five other beer fuelled male ship mates.”
Steve did go on to say that he was feeling very much at home as he learned more about racing, especially the roles and responsibilities of the crew, the importance of working as a team, communicating, staying focussed and keeping an eye on the objective. Oh yes, all this while having fun. Phew! That is definitely our Mr Hodges.
Another confirmation that we do still have the Mr Hodges we know and love is that at the end of the first day he, and the other crew members, went to the pub to watch the rugby (I suspect while refuelling with Guinness). If any more proof was needed, with a race looming the next day several of the crew retired to their accommodation after their evening meal. Mr Hodges had opted to sleep on the boat so he did the only sensible thing he could and go back to the pub for more beer. Oh yes, and some rum – or as Mr Hodges refers to it: “the Lucozade Sports drink of sailing!”
Mr Hodges trained so hard for his big race day. A day on a sailing boat with no wind, watched a Rugby match on the TV while drinking lots of Guinness, ate a meal, drank more beer and extracted as much sleep as you can expect in a confined space with five other beer fuelled male ship mates. A winning formula in anyone’s books. Back to Mr Hodges.
” None of us really knew what we were doing but we following instructions and rapid action meant we didn’t stay stopped for too long.”
“Although our overall performance never looked like challenging for the lead our eventual result took its first major knock when we took a course a little too close to a shifted sandbank and the boat came to a rather, well, abrupt stop! That said as Mason says “dynamic problem solving” is one key to success in racing and it wasn’t too long until we were underway again. And although this gave much of the fleet chance to pass us, it was a great demonstration in how a team can ‘fire up’ new levels of capability under excellent leadership and with a healthy level of determination. None of us really knew what we were doing but we following instructions and rapid action meant we didn’t stay stopped for too long.”
Sunset over the Solent
“Winston Churchill once said something like: “Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm”. And while nothing we did this weekend could be classed as an abject failure, if this was altered to be ‘challenge’ I think that would sum up my newly acquired view of Yacht Racing.”
I am going to finish this blog with a special thanks to Needles Pleasure Cruises and Sailing Logic. I thoroughly recommend the trip out to the Needles with Needles Pleasure Cruises. Mr Hodges is full of praise for Sailing Logic so if you are looking for a more adventurous venture onto the water, check them out. To read Mr Hodges full account of his sailing weekend click here.