Toby is skipper of Cutting Edge, a 13m cruiser racer which he keeps in Salcombe. Cutting Edge is a powerful yacht fully equipped for racing with a comprehensive sail wardrobe and all the required safety equipment for racing and cruising.

Toby has entered a regatta in Roscoff in North Brittany and is intending to sail there tomorrow for the racing which starts the next day, 20 May.

It is now evening on the day before the voyage and all Toby’s eight crew are on board and excitedly discussing tactics.

Salcombe has a harbour bar with a least depth of 1m. Cutting Edge has a draught of 2.1m. High water tomorrow is 0417 and 1639.

Roscoff is 90 miles away on a course of 185° True.

However, the wind is currently F8 from the north-west. Overnight, it is forecast to drop to F6 gusting 7, and the forecast in Roscoff is F6. The tides are midway between springs and neaps.

Roscoff marina can be entered at any state of the tide and its entrance faces East.

Toby is a commercially endorsed Yachtmaster Offshore with about 20 years of experience as skipper racing and cruising. His crew sail with him regularly on inshore and offshore races. The mate is qualified as a Yachtmaster Coastal.

Toby is at the chart table looking at the passage and the weather forecast. Should he set off and if so, when?

Should you set sail if a Force 8 is forecast?

If this was a small yacht and a weak crew, the answer would be a definite no. However, Toby has a strong boat and a strong crew, who he knows can cope with offshore racing and will not be surprised by windy conditions and rough seas.

The wind is favourable. A broad reach is an ideal wind direction on a breezy day, although helming could be hard work as they sail out of the lee of Devon into rougher water.

My view is, therefore, that they should go. They can leave early to cross Salcombe Bar at high water. It will be safe in the offshore wind.

Toby can select a fast, safe sail plan with plenty of sails to choose from.

Cutting Edge will be sailing at an exhilarating eight to 10 knots in 28 knots of wind, and the crew and helm can be changed regularly without too much fatigue.

Departing early will mean a late afternoon arrival in Roscoff, with time to relax before the regatta the next day.

This is not a trip for beginners. The sea state in winds of F6 to F7 can be intimidating offshore but is achievable with a strong crew on a broad reach. The forecast suggests that the wind will moderate slightly, with less force on the French side.

It would be a very different passage if they were sailing the other way from Roscoff to Salcombe, with the wind forward of the beam.

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