DAY ONE - SOUTHAMPTON TO WEYMOUTH

Finally the day has arrived and two RIBS did indeed set off around the UK!  Having listened to the wind whistle around the outside of the house all week with a certain amount of trepidation, this morning dawned rather better than expected, allowing us to enjoy a very happy send off from Southampton Dry Stack.  A handful of good friends were there to see us off, which is hugely appreciated, and we left very much on schedule at 10.00am, with our new Round Britain flags fluttering proudly from the sterns.  Joining Si onboard "Teal" was Charlie Fane-Trefusis, his crew for the day.  Southampton Daily Echo appeared for a photoshoot, much to everyone's amusement!  Just as well none of us are trying for careers as models!

As expected sea conditions were less than ideal.  The wonders of modern communications being what they are, my lovely cousin Kingsley has been helping us from Australia with wind forecasts, which confirmed our original route plan to travel close in to shore where possible.   Once off Calshott Spit, the sea really kicked up and we had a choppy ride, which stayed with us all day.  The sea was difficult in that it was quite unpredictable with a few rolling waves with deep troughs suddenly followed by short and choppy.  Driving in these sort of conditions requires total concentration, and is very wearing, on mind and body!  As a result, both crews adopted the "two man helm" approach, with one person steering whilst the other operated the throttle.  Throttling backwards and forwards to judge the waves and prevent nasty smashes into the bottom of the troughs is quite a skill, and it proved far easier to concentrate on one job at a time!  Consequently, we tackled the seas in a much better way, and although not an easy ride, it took a lot of the spine-shattering bumps out of the journey.  I think the "two man helm" may be the way forward.
Conditions were constantly changing throughout the day, and although we were lucky not to have any rain, Si and Charlie took a couple of good waves over the bow!  Sadly, the most spectacular photo opportunities of the day, with boats "taking air" off the larger waves, were completely impossible as I daren't let go to reach for the camera! Si and Charlie wore their Gecko helmets as protection from salt water and wind, and the helmets definitely got the thumbs up.  As I sit here typing with a crusty face and taste of salt, I feel Anthony and I are definitely going to christen ours tomorrow!
Progress was therefore slow, an average of only 13 kts being made by both boats, definitely the slowest average speed so far.  A mid-ocean conference was held and we decided to detour into Portland Harbour to have a break and a late lunch take to take a view on the journey plan.  Over four hours into the journey, and with another three to go to reach Exmouth, we decided to call it a day, stay in Weymouth overnight at the Weymouth B&B, a lovely small hotel (with very comfy sitting room for chart plotting and blogging!), and then head off at 7.00am to round Portland Bill in the best possible conditions with wind and tide in our favour on Friday morning.
Arriving at Weymouth Marina, owned by Dean &  Reddyhoff, we were met with a pleasant surprise when they donated our moorings for the night to our respective charities.  Thank you D&R!
TRIP INFORMATION:
Distance travelled 63.4 nautical miles
Time travelling 4hours 42 minutes
Average speed 13.5 knots
Fuel consumption:  ConTTentment 88 litres, Teal 73 litres