After much double checking of the tide flows and times to make sure we didn’t have a error like Portsmouth as the best time to leave Eastbourne was 10;30am a nice late morning, so we took full advantage, boat was tidied, showers we leisurely and then over to the marinas harvester pub for breakfast of eggs benedict and we were away for the 11:00 lock, there was a little wind but we managed another easy reverse of the berth and into the lock, once out of the main harbour channel we got the full main sail up and the full genoa complete with a new shackle on the bottom of the sail as that is what came loose on our way to Eastbourne, with all the sails up we were going along at 4-5 knots but after an hour the wind started to fail and we decided to motor sail but another 15 minutes later the wind died and we rolled up the genoa and just motored with the main up to see if the wind would return,
the weather was that nice we were in shorts and t shirts and very warm and clear that we could see dungeoness power station 10 miles away so the navigation was easy, “keep the power station on the port side”.
We seen a load of yachts heading West either with no sails up or like us with just the main up, all were motoring,
Once past dungeoness it was a long 22 miles into dover and even from that distance away we could see the line of ferries going in and out, about 6 miles out of Dover Carl spotted a black thing popping up and down in the water at first he thought it was a badly marked lobster pot, but then there was another one near by, it was DOLPHINS! Only two young ones but the were playing in our wake once we passed them, we were happy to see them and hope to see more on this trip, another 4 miles later as we approached dovers West entrance we seen a seal what a cracking sea life day it had been only in the last six miles.
We spoke to dover port control to get clearance to enter the port and once in spoke to dover marina for a berth, got out preferred port side too berth and this time made a perfect mooring approach and tie up at 19:45 some 8 and a bit hours after leaving Eastbourne, 1 hour sailing and the rest motoring, we are doing well on fuel consumption we only topped of our tank in Portsmouth with 25 litres after leaving Plymouth, and after two days of motoring we have used about the same amount so not very thirsty, but while I was at the marina office getting our mooring paid Christine knocked up a steak and vegetables dinner so we will be full and happy going to bed tonight.
Two Geordies Sailing 