The Solent oozes sailing tradition from every pore. People here live and breathe sailing. There’s always a group of kids on the water somewhere or people meeting up for an after-work regatta. Accordingly, we admire many beautiful and well-kept boats in the harbors and out on the water. Although there are several harbors in the area, Cowes on the Isle of Wight is the most important sailing and regatta town in the Solent. Cowes Week, British Classic Week, Round the Island Race are just a few examples.

For those of us unfamiliar with the area, the challenge begins on the approach. We have trouble even recognizing the harbor entrance, in this case a river mouth. Too many pretty dinghies and yachts cross our path, blocking our view and distracting us. But at the moment we only want to go to the outermost visitors’ jetty anyway to meet our coach for the day. Through Jonas’ work environment, we have the luck and pleasure of having Andrew on board. He is a coach for professional regatta sailors in classes such as TP52, RC44 and Etchells.

Exactly our skill level, we think, and ask him if he can give us a some very specific tips on how best to get our young but sluggish lady going. When do we use which sails? When is the best time to reef without losing speed? How do we make optimum use of the available trimming options? Are we using our light wind sail - a Code D - according to its capabilities? Andrew knows the answers to all these questions and can show us the right tricks and moves right on our boat. We notice the differences immediately and feel when the power in the sail is maximized and Nikola picks up speed. She clearly enjoys it.

The Solent is at its best. Picture perfect, as Andrew assures us. We want to believe him, but we are highly concentrated on taking in all the information, not colliding with what feels like a thousand other boats and not getting into any shallows. We get everything from 17 to 25 knots of wind and can try out all the sails in the various scenarios. His expert advice still helps us today. For example, we use additional rolls and snatch blocks for sheeting the headsails at certain wind angles. This gives us a wider range of trimming options than the boat design initially provides.

Three hours and many maneuvers later, we are moored at Cowes Yacht Haven. With a bit of luck and a familiar face on board, we get a berth in the second row. It’s regatta time and the Isle of Wight Festival, so all the marinas on the River Medina are overcrowded. We need exactly four attempts for the mooring maneuver. The current in the river is incredibly strong and varies from place to place. Much to the amusement of the locals, we miss the mark a few times before fixing our lines to a nice Najad. Sure enough, the tension eases and we enjoy a cold beer with Andrew in the setting sun. Then we tidy up the mess of lines. Thank you Andrew!