St Vaast and back

A crew needing 60+ Nm passages for RYA qualification gave me the excuse for a trip to France. Back to St. Vaast, the only port I have ever crossed to from the Solent. So different doing this in a boat that I trust completely. I can't help comparing this to my first channel crossing in my 7.8m MG Spring 25. We made it, but at 4.5kts, I can't say it was enjoyable. On this crossing we averaged 6.6 knots outbound and 7.1kts on the return. We could have made much higher speeds in the 20-24kts on the return passage but were hampered by lumpy seas which meant a second reef.