It's been an odd year here so far in Cornwall. After the wettest March on record the weather started to dry out and since launching Sagitta in mid April it has hardly rained. Just blue skies with never a cloud to be seen. Not only that, but, instead of the normal prevailing SW winds, we have been having either strong East winds or "light and variable". It's all the more obvious to me because not only do I try to sail three or four times a week, but we have a house that is totally exposed to the east.

All that is a preamble to the sailing we've done so far in Sagitta. We've had a couple of evening club races where we've retired due to lack of wind. The race to Fowey and back was a drift both ways - over 6 hours to do 20 miles! The following weekend we cruised there, again in little wind but, scarily, in thick fog on the way home, but at least we could motor.

And then, most recently, the Eddystone Pursuit charity challenge which I entered for my chosen charity Surfers Against Sewage. As it was a pursuit race the fast boats started last, our start was 2 hours after the first boats so, as we motored out towards Plymouth Hoe, we could see some old gaffers slowly sailing to windward but still in the Sound. It was definitely going to be a drift!

The forecast was for light winds, under 5 knots and, although the race officer had optimistically said a sea breeze would build, we didn't believe him, and indeed the wind slowly moderated to 2 knots or less, thus benefiting the early starters. Half my crew could be called "experts" as they had already sailed Sagitta for an hour, but for two of the others it was their first time ever on a sailing boat.

Harris, being the youngest, was chosen to be starting helmsman, and we made a good start, only a few seconds late and ahead of Trying, the trimaran that started with us. Easy Tiger the Dazcat started 15 minutes later as the last starter. So we drifted off to windward. Sagitta going out through the western entrance. ET and Trying going out the eastern, which meant that after an hour they were almost hull down.

ET tacked back towards Rame Head and were still behind. Again they were hull down before tacking back towards us. But amazingly when we met up all three of us were within yards of each other. Then once again we split tacks, disappeared, only to reappear next to each other once again (I think at one stage Trying called starboard on us). And so it went on, although I suspect that the other boats, like us, weren't taking things too seriously. Instead turning it into a fun day out rather than any attempt at a race.

Until at 15.50 when we decided to call it a day, we had sailed 10 miles, only 16 still to go and the time limit was 16.30. We could see some boats right by the lighthouse but no spinnakers, our gps put us 3 miles off, which was going to take us at least another hour. ET was just behind us and Trying slightly down to lee. Had we all carried on I have no idea who would have been first to round, I suspect it would have been very close.

Clearly given the conditions, finishing a 26 mile course with a 6 hour time limit was going to be a challenge and so it proved. Only two boats made it round the Eddystone lighthouse, but both almost immediately retired and motored home as it was far too light to carry spinnakers on a dead run. So the whole fleet retired, not one boat finished. But that didn't stop us from having our own celebratory "first boat round the Eddystone" cake as we motored home to Torpoint!!

So, in the end, a successful day out. Especially, as thanks to your generosity, we raised GBP490 for Surfers Against Sewage. In addition (although I'm not quite clear of the hows and whys) it seems we also benefited from a further GBP200 from the Prize money pot. Add in the Gift Aid tax relief and SAS should benefit by about GBP800!!!