We left Yithion on Monday lunchtime expecting a good sail over to Plitra. We had in fact, waited till lunchtime to leave to get the wind in the afternoon and left the dingy down expecting nothing more than local Force 6 winds in the late afternoon. It built steadily across the trip and as it was on the nose we were tacking slowly towards our destination. We had some trouble with the main sail, which kept getting jammed when we were trying to reef. In-mast roller reefing is great when it works and a serious headache when it doesn't.
Then it all started to get much more serious. The wind built to 30 knots true from the direction we were going and the swell built with it. The short steep waves meant it was difficult to ride them without slamming into them. We then noticed the time. It was getting late and we still had a way to go. The worry of arriving in a place we did not know in the dark was a very real one. From then on it was a race to arrive in the light. However the wind kept building and the waves kept building too. We had life jackets on and were clipped on. The poor dinghy flipped and was being dragged upside down, also slowing us down. I spent the last 45 mins of the journey sorting out this problem under Phil's direction. Who was simultaneously helming like a god. The dinghy issue was actually a good thing for me, as it gave me something else to do other than sit there being genuinely scared. The wind by this stage was late 30s early 40s and our maximum gust was 45.8 knots. We arrived in Plitra at 8pm with the Sun having gone down and about 30 mins of twilight left to sort ourselves out. Fortunately the main sail did go away without bother, a nagging concern since mid afternoon. The swell did not go down until we were virtually in the harbour, but it did go down. The wind also dropped off to the mid 20s. Fortunately for us a local friendly fisherman came out to meet us, with two other very kind locals. He signalled where we go and helped us do an alongside with the wind blowing us slightly of the key. This would have been a very difficult manoeuvre with only the two of us. So in safe and sound. Quick tidy up of people and boat and off to the very closest taverna for the diagnostic discussion.
Conclusions - Number one - do not leave so late as it seriously cuts down your options. Number two - always both look at the weather so any journey is a joint decision and one us is not sitting there cursing the other. Number three - all weather forecasts only give an outline but Olympia Radio is more accurate than most.
So this was our first Force 8 Gale and we survived. There were no injuries and we did not even loose the dinghy seat of oars. However I can not say that I enjoyed the last few hours. I was willing it to end and Phil was happy to still be married when it was over.
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