We left Strangford at about 8am and with the tide in our favour shot out of the lough at speeds of up to 11.5 knots. It was like being jet propelled!
We then set about lifting the mainsail, but unfortunately the halyard (the rope that lifts the sail) got jammed under the radar reflector. So while Ian tackled the job of unjamming it I was on the helm and motorsailed in the direction of IoM. About an hour later after ropes went up and down, lengths of string were connected and pulled in all directions it was eventually unjammed. Luckily the sea was fairly calm and the wind that's normally in front was behind us.
By 2.30pm we were entering Peel harbour and greeted by our friend Richard who lives on the island. Once the pedestrian bridge was swung we entered the marina and we soon moored up.
Since mooring up we haven't stopped chatting. Firstly with Richard, who after coming on board for a cuppa, armed with a map of the island, has given us a comprehensive run down of things we can see and do over the next week. He also gave us a tour of Peel and introduced us to the delights of Davidson's homemade ice cream. Salted caramel for me and honeycomb crunch for Ian 😋.
On our way back to Anya we bumped into John, an old school friend of Ian's. So over dinner there was lots of catching up, going down memory lane and discussion about cars! It was lovely to see him - I last met him before Ian and I were married so over 25 years ago!!
Back on board Anya we're plugged into electrics - first time since we left in June so I can charge my electric toothbrush, use an electric kettle and we can cut Ian's hair. Lots to see and do on the island so we'll start planning what we're doing and hopefully the weather will stay dry.
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