Done it!!! Full report as follows:

Gina and I arrived at Stokes Bay Sailing Club at about 19:30, rigged the boat, had a short sleep and rose to the alarm at 02:00.  We dressed for the occasion, dry suit in my case, fixed the lights on the Solo and launched to the welcome sight of Ron’s navigation lights about 20 metres offshore.  Off we set at about 03:00, keeping to the mainland side of the channel so as to avoid the last of the adverse tide and in about 10 knots of wind from the north.  Sailing a dinghy in the dark with just a head-torch is very intuitive and very enjoyable.

After about 45 minutes, altered course, still in the dark, towards the west Solent keeping a watchful eye on the three liners which would be passing in front of us.  As we crossed the channel off Cowes, a pilot vessel suddenly appeared out of the dark, but he was presumably happy that we would not be in the way of the third liner, which passed behind us, and, so, disappeared again.

The light gradually dawned, then the sun rose when we were off Newtown and the tide turned in our favour, albeit in quite light winds at that time.  We gushed through the HurstNarrows at which time Leopard, the first RTI yacht, passed us, followed closely by the AC45 of Sir Ben.  Nobody waved!!  Winds then about 10 knots and me running towards the Needles so as not to over-stand due to the tide.  Around the Needles at 06.06, close to the lighthouse, and straight into a wind shadow which reversed the wind direction.  Managed to handle that!!!

Shifty conditions past Tennyson Down and then, once clear, a reach in 15 knots, gusting 20 knots for over 12 miles to St Catherines.  Absolute sleigh-ride in significant waves for a Solo.  Ron clocked me at 9 knots over the ground which I had to contend with for over an hour!!!  Went past St Cats on the plane, but then, in turning the corner, it became a close reach in gusty, shifty, winds of 15 knots.  Conditions were now such that, when I reached Ventnor, having sailed 40 miles in 5½ hours, I was beginning to wonder if I had the energy to complete the sail across the south-east side of the Island.  Fortunately, I had had an old Batt sail (3615) cut down to a B-plan and, even more fortunately, given the benign forecast, had put it in the boat ‘just in case’.   Clearly, it was ‘in case’ and I saw the inviting calm waters of Ventnor as an opportunity to change sails.  Obviously, I had not practiced changing a sail on the water because that’s easy, isn’t it?  Actually, no, it is not and it was not long before, in trying to hoist the ‘new’ sail, I fell out of the boat.  Getting back in, I decided that it would be a lot easier to go ashore and, with no sail up by that time, Ron and Gina towed me to shallow water and I dragged the boat up the smooth shingle.

I hoisted the new sail and sorted out the rudder, which had been giving trouble because of the loss of a pin (turned up later in the boat cover) and re-launched.  Once the boat was in deeper water, I pinned the rudder down and, then, sailed over some rocks which I hadn’t noticed!!!  Bang – pin ripped through rudder and pin could not be removed.  Fortunately, Ron had some pliers and, so, I tightened up the bolt as much as possible and relied upon friction, stopping from time to time when weather-helm became too heavy, to push the foil back down.

Because of my early start and my rapid sail from the Needles, I had been ahead of all but about thirty yachts, but, now, due to my ‘pit stop’ at Ventnor, a lot of RTI boats had passed and many more were ‘alongside’.  Thus, I proceeded from Ventnor with my reduced sail.  Just as well, because the gusts off the cliffs would have been very tiring to manage with the full sail.  Then, across SandownBay, a distance of six miles, which, close-hauled against waves and about a knot of tide with lots of yachts around, some passing to windward, seemed to take forever.  In reality, it must have taken well over an hour which, with waves constantly splashing over my face, made my eyes quite painful.  The last couple of miles to Bembridge Ledge were relatively painless.

The yachts pass around Bembridge Ledge Buoy and then beat up the Island shore.  In missing out the buoy, I had to pass through dozens of beating yachts all in relatively close proximity.  Not for the faint-hearted.  Once past them, I took a two-mile, port-hand, tack across the main channel before tacking and encountering a significant problem, which was that my legs were so tired, that they were reluctant to function for the tack.  Anyway, fourteen dodgy tacks later, many avoiding a capsize by a cat’s whisker and one to avoid a five-blasting container ship,  I arrived back at Stokes Bay at about  14:00, with Gina ready with my trolley, and pretty much at the limit of my energy.  A map plot suggests that I travelled a total of 62 miies (54 nm), excluding any extra distance travelled due to predominantly foul tides, in about 11 hours including the 'pit stop'.

Thanks to Ron Westcott for bringing, launching and recovering the rib and for giving up his day to accompany me and being indispensable for such a challenge.  Thanks also to Gina for all of her help and for following me around with Ron in the rib (and getting cold).  Thanks to Stokes BaySC for allowing me to launch and recover from there. Thanks to Jim Hunt for pulling, with Gina’s help, the boat (and me) up the shingle and for de-rigging the boat.  Thanks to Bart for inspiring people of all ages.  But thanks especially to all of you who have donated to Sailability and, in so doing, encouraged me to complete this challenge (which I will not be repeating!!!).

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I started sailing as a Sea Scout and progressed to yachts until, eventually, in 1979, 1980 & 1981, I raced with Bruce Banks in Windsprite V on the Solent. For offshore races, I navigated.  Previously, in 1976, I had discovered dinghy racing which became my passion.  Over the years, I have competed in Lasers, a Fireball but, mainly, in Solos at Chew Valley, Bristol Corinthian and Paignton Sailing Clubs..

When I reached 70, I  felt that I really needed to sail around the Isle of Wight in a dinghy, having done so previously in yachts, and, at the same time, to raise money for a suitable charity.  Sailability was, and is, the obvious choice of charity because of its work in helping clubs to set up facilities to enable disabled people to sail and  to experience the freedom of being afloat.

I will, therefore, on 1st June, be sailing my single-handed dinghy, a  Solo, around the Isle of Wight to raise money for Sailability.  My sail coincides with the Round the Island Yacht Race in which about 1500 yachts and multihulls will be taking part and, so, I will be in great company.

My journey will be over a distance of some 50 miles, starting and finishing at Stokes Bay Sailing Club, and will take me about 16 hours.  I will start sailing at about 03.00 so that I will be past Cowes and ahead of the start of the first race which is at 05.00.  I will have safety backup in the form of a UKLA rib crewed by Ron Westwood, who is a National Judge (so, no illegal propulsion, then!!) and Gina.

I, and Sailability, would really appreciate your donations.  You can either send a cheque direct to me, made payable to Sailability, or pay via the link enclosed.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.

Some more information about Ken

He was Solo National Champion in 1985, 1986, 1987 & 1988 and Solo World Champion in 1985, 1986 & 1987.  In 1993, he became a member of Bristol Corinthian Yacht Club and is a long term member of Paignton Sailing Club.  At both clubs, he is often to be seen involved in the management of open meetings.  He still enjoys sailing dinghies, or yachts.

Ken is currently Chairman and Sailing Secretary of the UK Laser Class Association, the double-Olympic Sailing Dinghy, and is a National Race Officer. He enjoys acting as principal race officer for various major events for the Lasers throughout the country and for many other dinghy classes at Paignton.

Ken moved to Cheddar in 2007, in sight of his sailing club, and close to the Mendip Hills, over which he loves to walk and cycle. He has many interests and enjoys keeping fit by sailing, walking, cycling and recently playing golf.  He loves Cumbria and Scotland for the great hiking, walking and scenery.