Over three years ago, Mike’s sister Marian and her family joined us from their home in Bristol, UK, for a couple of weeks on the west coast of Mexico. We had a great time, both on land and on the water.
Now that Madrone has sailed from Mexico to the UK, the logistics for the next visit were a bit easier. Marian and son James (husband Clive was unfortunately not able to make it) hopped in their car for the drive from Bristol to Poole, likely an easier trip than a flight to Mexico City, and then another to the Mexican coast.
The timing of the visit was perfect. After a peaceful night at anchor in the very large and very shallow Poole Harbour, nature accomodated us with a mid-day tide and northerly breeze. Madrone reached along under a 10-15 knot breeze, assisted by the incoming tide flooding into the English Channel. With these nearly ideal conditions, the ~20nm sail back into the Solent was dispatched with ease.
On our previous sail to the Solent, conditions weren’t right for seeing the Needles, one of the iconic sailing landmarks in this part of the world. But this time was perfect, and we zipped by on a close reach, just as other sailing vessels have done for hundreds and hundreds of years.
Great sailing conditions with great folks on board – what could be better?
