Offshore sailor. RYA Cruising Instructor. Clipper Race Alumni. Water lover!
Often found sailing around the south coast of the UK, with my partner and family.
One of our top reasons for basing ourselves down in Eastbourne, is so that we can explore some new areas, and particularly so that we can sail to France more often. We’ve been in Eastbourne for just under a month now and have so far managed two cross channel adventures. Our first was to Boulogne, and our most recent was to Dieppe.
This is a passage that I will remember for a very long time. It was the foggiest passage I’ve ever made in the UK (second only to the fog I experienced whilst on the Grand Banks, when sailing across the north Atlantic in 2018). The fog most certainly kept us on our toes. But it was also without a doubt the busiest day I’ve ever experienced for migrant crossings. Read on to hear about our sail to Dieppe on a foggy Thursday morning.
Locking out of Sovereign Marina in the early morning fog
Our last weekend on the water saw us sail from Chatham to our new home marina, Sovereign Marina in Eastbourne. En route, Hodge proposed in the most spectacular style, and a crazy weekend with friends and family followed. After the most incredible weekend of celebrations, we needed some downtime. Time to relax, do some ‘adventuring’ and escape from the craziness together. So to mark our first passage from our new home port, we decided to make a dash across the channel to Boulogne, via the infamous Sovereign Light.
The weekend saw us make a fabulous overnight passage, complete with sunset and sunrise, shooting stars, and a boarding from the French Border Force.
A while ago we made the decision to move Ruby May to a new home. Last week, the day finally came to slip lines at MDL Chatham Marina for the last time and head to our new base. An incredible (speedy) sail from Chatham to Eastbourne, saw us take in the Red Sands towers, and the SS Montgomery wreck for the last time. We had an amazing sunset, and sunrise, and got the best send off from the resident seals at Margate Sands. The memory that will stay with me forever though, was of the most incredible marriage proposal en route, from my partner in crime, and soul mate, Hodge.
Read on to hear about our life changing couple of days on the water.
