Sleepover

Wind:1-2 NW
Weather: Fair
LW:0400??
Miles: <1
motor: 20 mins

Last night my two boys and I went down to Kamala at about 8pm with the intention of sleeping over and fishing. I had loads of stuff to carry out and because we were staying out I needed the little inflatable tender. It's only 1.8m so doesn't hold much so it was a bit like the Fox, Chicken and Corn conundrum deciding whether to leave the kids on the shore alone while I ferried the gear out or take them first and leave them on the boat. Decided they were safer on the shore and I could see them from the boat.

We sailed very slowly in the light wind towards Belcroute. A few people were fishing in the channel between the rocks and the fort and having great success, but by the time we had got our lines out we had drifted past the hot spot and the current and wind were carrying us out too quickly to turn round.

We had several goes at picking up moorings in Belcroute. It took us so long that it was virtually dark by the time we found one we could grab. I had to put the motor on as the wind had died to nothing.

The boys were eager to sleep for once and went off before the hot chocolate was ready. Just before they turned in they notice lights moving in the sky and thought they were satellites. The number of them soon made it clear they were Chinese lanterns. Coincidentally we had seen them last time Toby slept on the boat with me a few months ago.

Around this time I got a phone call from teh owners of 'OG', the other St Aubin's Seawych. They'd been trying to call me on teh VHF, but uncharacteristically, mine was off. They were also having a sleepover, but on their normal St Aubin outer mooring. As an aside, The Chinese lanterns prompted OG to contact the coastguard, thinking them to possibly be flares. This later prompted an news item a few days later on BBC Radio Jersey about the lantern/flare issue.

I tried to rig up a paraffin lamp as an anchor light on the new flag halyard. Too swingy. Eventually hooked it onto the clew of the furled genoa. Perfect. Burned all night but not very brightly.

I have not been sleeping well on my boat. Apart from the very first night on it months ago, I always am very restless. I think its combined anxiety for the safety of the children and of the boat with them on board, and lack of comfort. I drifted off at about 12, but woke around 4am when the boat started bumping on the bottom;I was surprised being on a mooring such a long way out at Belcroute. Its a very flat bottom out there, because the water's edge was still some distance away. After that I didn't sleep again, so read (Island Race by Sandy Toksvig and John McCarthy) until it was light enough to go on deck . My children on the other hand sleep better on the boat than at home. The sounds of me fishing above didn't stir them at all and they eventually roused around 7:30.

We headed in and had a rendezvous with OG. I really enjoyed seeing the two 'wyches rafted up alongside each other. A race must be imminent! We compared notes and boats then went home our separate ways.