With the first mate in North Carolina administering to her convalescing mom, it looked like this weekend was going to be a wash out. I'd planned on going down to the boat with the sea dawg to do a bit of work on Moonshine, but mainly to go and drink beer.
However, with the start of the football season, Nick was committed to spending the weekend at work on the Premier League website, so Pavla and her young cousin Tomas were at a loose end, so they got press ganged into going down to Moonshine for the weekend.
Pavla was working on Saturday morning, so that left us a shortened weekend, so we were never going to get very far from the dock. The weather was kind, so we had a nice walk around the harbour to Dell Quay, so Clemmie could get her usual amount of fussing and attention at the Crown and Anchor.
Sunday free-flow was ideal for getting a novice crew out into the harbour without minimum fuss. After scaring them both with a safety briefing, we headed out with the intention of getting the two landlocked Czechs out to the "open sea" wherever that may be!
In the end we decided that the Bar Beacon must qualify for that accolade and fortunately, we had just enough time to motor out there, spin around and return to the dock about 10 minutes before the end of free-flow.
Tomas was a star, a definite sailor in the making. He steered most of the way back to the marina and handled the fenders and mooring ropes with confidence. I hope he wasn't too disappointed that we didn't get the sails up, but the harbour was as crowded as I've seen it and with a fair breeze, I didn't want too push our luck too far.
Oh, and I managed to fix the broken traveller piece. It's amazing what you can do with a hammer! Good job too. There's still no sign of a replacement from RWO's distributors.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Goodwood and Picnics - August 4th-5th
The beginning of August is one of the last events of the English summer season, the Goodwood Festival meeting - Glorious Goodwood, so we donned our best summer threads and headed off with Mark and Helen.
Lord March hasn't been impressed with the standard of dress and behaviour and, to be honest, neither were we. By and large most people made the effort, but there were too many charabanc-loads of lads and lasses out to drink as much as they could without too much interest in it being a race meeting. It's also a victim of its own success in that it's practically impossible to circulate from parade ring to bookies, to the course and to the bars, simply due to the number of people.
Next year we'll be taking the panama hat and linen suit into the Richmond enclosure for either the July or August bank holiday meeting. Fewer people and fewer drunks.
Ooeee, smokin'!
Perhaps I'd have been less jaundiced about the day if I'd actually backed some horses that could manage more than a gentle trot around the course!
Anyway, we had a very pleasant meal at the Cider House restaurant in Apuldram, and on Sunday we took the advice of a very nice couple who we met in Yarmouth in July and took Moonshine up to Thorney Channel, where we grabbed a vacant buoy and had a very pleasant picnic in the harbour in a wonderful, peaceful spot.
On the way back to the main Chichester channel, in another little coincidence, we passed by the couple in their boat "Arrival", just coming back in to their mooring.
Lord March hasn't been impressed with the standard of dress and behaviour and, to be honest, neither were we. By and large most people made the effort, but there were too many charabanc-loads of lads and lasses out to drink as much as they could without too much interest in it being a race meeting. It's also a victim of its own success in that it's practically impossible to circulate from parade ring to bookies, to the course and to the bars, simply due to the number of people.
Next year we'll be taking the panama hat and linen suit into the Richmond enclosure for either the July or August bank holiday meeting. Fewer people and fewer drunks.
Ooeee, smokin'!
Perhaps I'd have been less jaundiced about the day if I'd actually backed some horses that could manage more than a gentle trot around the course!
Anyway, we had a very pleasant meal at the Cider House restaurant in Apuldram, and on Sunday we took the advice of a very nice couple who we met in Yarmouth in July and took Moonshine up to Thorney Channel, where we grabbed a vacant buoy and had a very pleasant picnic in the harbour in a wonderful, peaceful spot.
On the way back to the main Chichester channel, in another little coincidence, we passed by the couple in their boat "Arrival", just coming back in to their mooring.
Wild Week. July 7th-14th. pt II
So, it was Thursday morning and the weather forecast was diabolical and looking to get worse. It was clear we weren't going to be going to Poole with rather bedraggled boat, but were we going to be able to get home? Should we wait until the forecast looked better or make a run for it? We eventually decided that we'd head off just before the tide changed and see how far we could comfortably reach before we had enough. Swanwick (Premier marina and therefore free for us as visitors) was potential stop number one and Gosport (same again!) was number 2.
The first hour out was slow going under the genoa only, with the tide against us, but was much calmer since we were travelling downwind.
Summer sailing, gotta love it!
As we approached Cowes, it became obvious that we weren't going to need Swanwick. With the wind and tide behind us we were doing a minimum of 6.5 knots over the ground. We even risked putting up a (very reefed) main. The sun came out as we came past Cowes and it actually turned into a very pleasant day for a sail.
Clemmie had had enough of the whole thing by now though, and had taken to her bed!
Anyway, we passed Portsmouth Harbour by 5pm, so we didn't need Gosport. We passed West Pole on our way into a wonderfully peaceful and deserted Chichester Harbour at about 6pm and were tied up by 7:30 after one of our best sails ever, following our worst the day before.
By 8pm we were in the Ship at Itchenor enjoying what felt like an extremely well-deserved dinner.
The first hour out was slow going under the genoa only, with the tide against us, but was much calmer since we were travelling downwind.
Summer sailing, gotta love it!
As we approached Cowes, it became obvious that we weren't going to need Swanwick. With the wind and tide behind us we were doing a minimum of 6.5 knots over the ground. We even risked putting up a (very reefed) main. The sun came out as we came past Cowes and it actually turned into a very pleasant day for a sail.
Clemmie had had enough of the whole thing by now though, and had taken to her bed!
Anyway, we passed Portsmouth Harbour by 5pm, so we didn't need Gosport. We passed West Pole on our way into a wonderfully peaceful and deserted Chichester Harbour at about 6pm and were tied up by 7:30 after one of our best sails ever, following our worst the day before.
By 8pm we were in the Ship at Itchenor enjoying what felt like an extremely well-deserved dinner.
Wild Week. July 7th-14th. pt I
OK, it's July. That means we're safe booking a week away on the boat and enjoying some fine weather. We may even get across to Poole if we're feeling brave.
Huh. As if.
We went down to the boat on Saturday evening with the intention of heading out on Sunday morning. Sunday was a little too wild and windy, as was Monday. We did have some great fish and chips at the Ship at Itchenor, but it wasn't quite what we were supposed to be doing.
Eventually on Tuesday, things calmed down and we headed out towards Cowes. Not much to report, really. The wind was on the nose, so we had to motor all the way. We had the Folly visitors pontoons to ourselves and had the novelty of having to get the dinghy blown up to cross back and forth across the river. Clemmie didn't seem to fazed by being in there, although once the water taxi started operating at 6pm, she obviously much preferred that. I'm glad we bought the old 3 metre Avon rather than a newer, smaller dinghy. I was grateful for the extra space and stability.
On Wednesday we headed out towards Yarmouth. At first things went well. We were a bit late setting off, because of walking the dawg, so that we only had a small window with the tide in our favour, but that didn't seem too much of a problem with only 11 miles to travel.
The wind was still coming from the West, but with a decent breeze and the tide with us, we were able to make good progress with tacks across to the Beaulieu river and down to Newtown as we tacked away from Newtown, though, we hit the first of our problems. The breeze was getting stronger and we decided to call it a day with the sails and finish the trip with the motor. Unfortunately, the genoa didn't want to furl and it took a good three or four minutes to get it put away, by which time the leech of the sail was looking very tattered. We continued with the wind getting stronger, the waves getting higher and the tide now completely against us.
I'd left the main sail up for stability, but after about 30 minutes, there was a bang and the boom and mainsheet were suddenly flapping free. After we managed to get things back under control and the mainsheet lashed down, I realised that the U shaped piece connecting the main sheet block to the traveller was now a nice J shape. Great!
We eventually limped into Yarmouth harbour with things pretty wild and windy. There were a few bedraggled looking people on the pontoon that evening!
Next day we were able to take stock of the damage. Fortunately the only thing damaged on the genoa was the UV strip. The stitching had just unravelled as the sail flogged while I tried to winch it in.
Somehow someone had managed to put the traveller in place with the retaining pin under the shackle out of alignment, so that only one side was secured. I'm surprised it had lasted as long as it did, to be honest.
Bizarre aside:
In the evening, we took the water taxi across the harbour to go and have some dinner. As we walked up the steps, a female voice called, "Paul Hughes?" I looked round and it was my cousin, Pam. This wasn't so very odd, because she lives in Freshwater, but I haven't seen her for years. What was odd was that she was there because she was waiting for my other cousin, Mick, and his wife to arrive on the ferry. Mick and Lynne live in Australia and I haven't seen them for about twenty five years or more. They were on a flying visit to visit Pam on their way to France, so in an astonishing coincidence, we all found ourselves at the same spot at the same time. We had a ten minute conversation and then went our own ways. Weird.
Huh. As if.
We went down to the boat on Saturday evening with the intention of heading out on Sunday morning. Sunday was a little too wild and windy, as was Monday. We did have some great fish and chips at the Ship at Itchenor, but it wasn't quite what we were supposed to be doing.
Eventually on Tuesday, things calmed down and we headed out towards Cowes. Not much to report, really. The wind was on the nose, so we had to motor all the way. We had the Folly visitors pontoons to ourselves and had the novelty of having to get the dinghy blown up to cross back and forth across the river. Clemmie didn't seem to fazed by being in there, although once the water taxi started operating at 6pm, she obviously much preferred that. I'm glad we bought the old 3 metre Avon rather than a newer, smaller dinghy. I was grateful for the extra space and stability.
On Wednesday we headed out towards Yarmouth. At first things went well. We were a bit late setting off, because of walking the dawg, so that we only had a small window with the tide in our favour, but that didn't seem too much of a problem with only 11 miles to travel.
The wind was still coming from the West, but with a decent breeze and the tide with us, we were able to make good progress with tacks across to the Beaulieu river and down to Newtown as we tacked away from Newtown, though, we hit the first of our problems. The breeze was getting stronger and we decided to call it a day with the sails and finish the trip with the motor. Unfortunately, the genoa didn't want to furl and it took a good three or four minutes to get it put away, by which time the leech of the sail was looking very tattered. We continued with the wind getting stronger, the waves getting higher and the tide now completely against us.
I'd left the main sail up for stability, but after about 30 minutes, there was a bang and the boom and mainsheet were suddenly flapping free. After we managed to get things back under control and the mainsheet lashed down, I realised that the U shaped piece connecting the main sheet block to the traveller was now a nice J shape. Great!
We eventually limped into Yarmouth harbour with things pretty wild and windy. There were a few bedraggled looking people on the pontoon that evening!
Next day we were able to take stock of the damage. Fortunately the only thing damaged on the genoa was the UV strip. The stitching had just unravelled as the sail flogged while I tried to winch it in.
Somehow someone had managed to put the traveller in place with the retaining pin under the shackle out of alignment, so that only one side was secured. I'm surprised it had lasted as long as it did, to be honest.
Bizarre aside:
In the evening, we took the water taxi across the harbour to go and have some dinner. As we walked up the steps, a female voice called, "Paul Hughes?" I looked round and it was my cousin, Pam. This wasn't so very odd, because she lives in Freshwater, but I haven't seen her for years. What was odd was that she was there because she was waiting for my other cousin, Mick, and his wife to arrive on the ferry. Mick and Lynne live in Australia and I haven't seen them for about twenty five years or more. They were on a flying visit to visit Pam on their way to France, so in an astonishing coincidence, we all found ourselves at the same spot at the same time. We had a ten minute conversation and then went our own ways. Weird.
Whitstable and Canterbury June 28th-30th.
Not much sailing got done for the rest of June, with the weather being wet, windy and miserable. Missy's mom came over for the last two weeks and we mainly sat watching it rain, ugh.
We did venture out to spend a couple of days in Whitstable dodging the showers, though and can highly recommend the original Wheeler's restaurant on the High Street. Still called Wheelers, although not part of the chain. It's a wonderfully quirky little place, with a seafood bar at the front and five tables in a 12'x12' room at the back. There's no drinks licence, but there's a Thresher's opposite. The food is absolutely wonderful.
We managed to see Canterbury Cathedral in between the downpours. It's an amazingly historic and beautiful building, but we decided that the stone carving at Southwell Minster is better :-)
Canterbury really is a beautiful city and we must get back there one day when we actually get a proper summer. I'm not sure about the standard of build of some of the houses there, though.
We did venture out to spend a couple of days in Whitstable dodging the showers, though and can highly recommend the original Wheeler's restaurant on the High Street. Still called Wheelers, although not part of the chain. It's a wonderfully quirky little place, with a seafood bar at the front and five tables in a 12'x12' room at the back. There's no drinks licence, but there's a Thresher's opposite. The food is absolutely wonderful.
We managed to see Canterbury Cathedral in between the downpours. It's an amazingly historic and beautiful building, but we decided that the stone carving at Southwell Minster is better :-)
Canterbury really is a beautiful city and we must get back there one day when we actually get a proper summer. I'm not sure about the standard of build of some of the houses there, though.
Black Holes and Red Arrows. June 9-10th.
With the weather in May being pretty dismal, our next trip out of the harbour was to the IOW on the festival weekend of June 8th-10th. We wanted to head down to The Folly for the night and we knew that things would be busy because of the Festival, so we slipped away from Chichester at 7:00am, much earlier than our usual later-than-we-intended time away.
It was a beautiful still morning as we headed down the harbour. For once the water wasn't churned up by all the day's activity and it was lovely having the glassy water to ourselves.
The wind was very hit and miss as we headed along the Solent as sea breezes began to fill in on both the island and the mainland. Coming up towards Osbourne House with the wind behind us, we were treated to the slightly worrying sight of a fleet of Sunsail boats racing towards us with their spinnakers flying. Fortunately it gave us opportunity to get the main sheet hauled in before the inevitable gybe.
Inevitably, the Folly visitors pontoons were busy. Our early start meant that wthe pontoons were full of boats on a lunch stop, which led to some interesting organisation and re-organisation as boats on the inside of the rafts had to get out. I'm still wondering if the Irish boat on the outside of four noticed that the boat inside of him wasn't the one that was there when he'd left for lunch.
As the afternoon turned to early evening, we were treated to a fantastic display by the Red Arrows, performing for the festival, but often being directly over us. It really was an awesome free show on the few really hot and sunny days of June.
Dinner at the Folly was eaten to a soundtrack of Amy Winehouse and we drifted off to sleep with the sound of Muse's Black Holes and Revelations coming over the water. Pretty cool.
Apparently it was somewhat crowded on the water down towards Newport. This was taken in the afternoon, before the crowds really started to arrive.
Returning home the next day, we had a great sail back to Chichester, with sunshine and a nice South Westerly breeze giving us a reach for most of the day. Things changed dramatically as we passed by the forts and the submarine barrier, though. A thick sea fret rolled in, reducing visibility to just a few tens of metres where we were and, apparently, less behind us. We could hear the horns of the ferries in the Solent, but headed past Hayling Island without seeing anything very much at all.
Amazingly, the thick mist only made it a few hundred yards onshore and we were in bright sunshine as we passed the Winner bank, very odd.
It was a beautiful still morning as we headed down the harbour. For once the water wasn't churned up by all the day's activity and it was lovely having the glassy water to ourselves.
The wind was very hit and miss as we headed along the Solent as sea breezes began to fill in on both the island and the mainland. Coming up towards Osbourne House with the wind behind us, we were treated to the slightly worrying sight of a fleet of Sunsail boats racing towards us with their spinnakers flying. Fortunately it gave us opportunity to get the main sheet hauled in before the inevitable gybe.
Inevitably, the Folly visitors pontoons were busy. Our early start meant that wthe pontoons were full of boats on a lunch stop, which led to some interesting organisation and re-organisation as boats on the inside of the rafts had to get out. I'm still wondering if the Irish boat on the outside of four noticed that the boat inside of him wasn't the one that was there when he'd left for lunch.
As the afternoon turned to early evening, we were treated to a fantastic display by the Red Arrows, performing for the festival, but often being directly over us. It really was an awesome free show on the few really hot and sunny days of June.
Dinner at the Folly was eaten to a soundtrack of Amy Winehouse and we drifted off to sleep with the sound of Muse's Black Holes and Revelations coming over the water. Pretty cool.
Apparently it was somewhat crowded on the water down towards Newport. This was taken in the afternoon, before the crowds really started to arrive.
Returning home the next day, we had a great sail back to Chichester, with sunshine and a nice South Westerly breeze giving us a reach for most of the day. Things changed dramatically as we passed by the forts and the submarine barrier, though. A thick sea fret rolled in, reducing visibility to just a few tens of metres where we were and, apparently, less behind us. We could hear the horns of the ferries in the Solent, but headed past Hayling Island without seeing anything very much at all.
Amazingly, the thick mist only made it a few hundred yards onshore and we were in bright sunshine as we passed the Winner bank, very odd.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Tarbert 2007: Peace, Love and Reefing.
Well, we're back safely from Tarbert after finishing slightly above our usual bringing-up-the-rear position in 10th place out of 13. Generally, the view looked something like this:
This year's crew in the evocatively-named Sunsail 76 were skipper Ken, plus us two, Cheryl, Bisi and Mark, plus two Beryl Bravo lads, Paul and Angus. The weather was fairly lively at times, particularly on Sunday afternoon. The BBC was reporting gusts of around 36 knots, so it got a bit bumpy. Great sailing weather, but not really in the spirit of picnics in he harbour!
Saturday night was more surreal than usual. Here's the crew all dressed up in our best hippy gear for the Saturday night fancy dress.
We're outside the Anchor Hotel in Tarbert in the picture. Inside, the decoration in the bar was different to last year, with the ceiling covered in draped cloth. Very exotic, we thought. As it began to rain outside, though, it became apparent that the cloth wasn't there for decoration, but instead to prevent dust and dirt covering the bar while the roof was being replaced. We were soon trying to find spots inside where we weren't being dripped on, while the staff tried to find enough mops and buckets to keep the floor reasonably dry. An odd evening.
Sunday was an interesting day's sailing, with strong winds at the beginning, lightening during the middle, and strengthening again in the afternoon, so that we entered Kip Marina with the weather blowing an absolute hooley.
Missy was suitably dressed for anything that the weather could throw at us.
This year's crew in the evocatively-named Sunsail 76 were skipper Ken, plus us two, Cheryl, Bisi and Mark, plus two Beryl Bravo lads, Paul and Angus. The weather was fairly lively at times, particularly on Sunday afternoon. The BBC was reporting gusts of around 36 knots, so it got a bit bumpy. Great sailing weather, but not really in the spirit of picnics in he harbour!
Saturday night was more surreal than usual. Here's the crew all dressed up in our best hippy gear for the Saturday night fancy dress.
We're outside the Anchor Hotel in Tarbert in the picture. Inside, the decoration in the bar was different to last year, with the ceiling covered in draped cloth. Very exotic, we thought. As it began to rain outside, though, it became apparent that the cloth wasn't there for decoration, but instead to prevent dust and dirt covering the bar while the roof was being replaced. We were soon trying to find spots inside where we weren't being dripped on, while the staff tried to find enough mops and buckets to keep the floor reasonably dry. An odd evening.
Sunday was an interesting day's sailing, with strong winds at the beginning, lightening during the middle, and strengthening again in the afternoon, so that we entered Kip Marina with the weather blowing an absolute hooley.
Missy was suitably dressed for anything that the weather could throw at us.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Tarbert time
This coming weekend will have a change of scenery. We're heading up to Scotland for the annual ExxonMobil Tarbert Challenge. This year's event will have 13 boats and over 100 people competing (sort of) for a range of trophies loosely based on a weekend of racing from Largs to Tarbert and back.
If the last few years are anything to go by, we'll be watching the rest of the fleet heading off into the distance. It'll be fun though.
This is last year's finely-tuned racing crew.
If the last few years are anything to go by, we'll be watching the rest of the fleet heading off into the distance. It'll be fun though.
This is last year's finely-tuned racing crew.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Hard Labour.
Three weeks ago we used some wire wool to get the worst of the corrosion off of the samson post at the front of the boat. It seemed to work, so all well and good.
The trouble is that wire wool is made of iron and after a couple of weeks of salty sea air, all the tiny little flecks of wire that I'd washed over the side when we cleaned up, are now tiny little flecks of rust, bleeding all down the side of the boat.
So, this weekend was one of hard labour. We went down to the boat on Saturday afternoon and I spent a couple of hours working up a sweat t-cutting and polishing the cockpit. Missy and Clemmie spent an equally industrious couple of hours dozing on the top of the coachroof in the sunshine. The poor things were exhausted at the end of it.
Katharine Henry ACMA. came down to see us on Saturday evening, carrying a welcome bottle of pink fizz to celebrate the addition of those last four letters after her name. (She's now officially a Chartered Management Accountant), so I was allowed to stop working my fingers down to stubs to share in the celebration, Yay.
The wind and tides were all wrong this weekend to do anything very interesting (low tide mid-afternoon, brisk winds on Saturday), but we had a pleasant little sail around the harbour on Sunday morning to work up an appetite for lunch, we got the sails up on the way to Itchenor and headed in a stately starboard tack fashion through the massed ranks of racing dinghys, enjoying the experience of actually having some of them being the give way boat occasionally.
We sailed down just past East Head and were going to try and sail back, but with the wind wandering through 180 degrees at times and the tide ebbing pretty quickly, we motored back up to the marina. Not very exciting, but at least the sun shone and Katharine got to see more than Pontoon F.
Then it was back to more hard labour for me to try and get those rust marks out of Moonshine's sides. So the dinghy got inflated and I spent the next couple of hours bobbing around with a pan scourer and t-cut. (Actually Liquid Rubbing, especially made for boats and therefore three times the price). I got most of the marks off eventually, but that's the last time that wire wool gets used on Moonshine!
The trouble is that wire wool is made of iron and after a couple of weeks of salty sea air, all the tiny little flecks of wire that I'd washed over the side when we cleaned up, are now tiny little flecks of rust, bleeding all down the side of the boat.
So, this weekend was one of hard labour. We went down to the boat on Saturday afternoon and I spent a couple of hours working up a sweat t-cutting and polishing the cockpit. Missy and Clemmie spent an equally industrious couple of hours dozing on the top of the coachroof in the sunshine. The poor things were exhausted at the end of it.
Katharine Henry ACMA. came down to see us on Saturday evening, carrying a welcome bottle of pink fizz to celebrate the addition of those last four letters after her name. (She's now officially a Chartered Management Accountant), so I was allowed to stop working my fingers down to stubs to share in the celebration, Yay.
The wind and tides were all wrong this weekend to do anything very interesting (low tide mid-afternoon, brisk winds on Saturday), but we had a pleasant little sail around the harbour on Sunday morning to work up an appetite for lunch, we got the sails up on the way to Itchenor and headed in a stately starboard tack fashion through the massed ranks of racing dinghys, enjoying the experience of actually having some of them being the give way boat occasionally.
We sailed down just past East Head and were going to try and sail back, but with the wind wandering through 180 degrees at times and the tide ebbing pretty quickly, we motored back up to the marina. Not very exciting, but at least the sun shone and Katharine got to see more than Pontoon F.
Then it was back to more hard labour for me to try and get those rust marks out of Moonshine's sides. So the dinghy got inflated and I spent the next couple of hours bobbing around with a pan scourer and t-cut. (Actually Liquid Rubbing, especially made for boats and therefore three times the price). I got most of the marks off eventually, but that's the last time that wire wool gets used on Moonshine!
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Another Sunny Sunday.
Bembridge was a great place to be for an early Sunday morning. The tide times meant that we wanted to be away by about 1pm, so we were up early (for us) to have time to enjoy where we were.
The view from the end of the pontoon was like this:
and a walk along the dunes and around a headland took us to this spot.
What you can't see of course is that Clemmie was full of seawater by this point - stupid dog.
It didn't seem to affect her too much as she enjoyed her new favourite spot on the boat.
We eventually got away at about 2pm, part of the mass exodus of the harbour as the tide rises and just squeezed into Chichester before the end of freeflow, in our usual state - tired but happy.
The view from the end of the pontoon was like this:
and a walk along the dunes and around a headland took us to this spot.
What you can't see of course is that Clemmie was full of seawater by this point - stupid dog.
It didn't seem to affect her too much as she enjoyed her new favourite spot on the boat.
We eventually got away at about 2pm, part of the mass exodus of the harbour as the tide rises and just squeezed into Chichester before the end of freeflow, in our usual state - tired but happy.
Bembridge.
Over the Easter weekend, we shared a water taxi from East to West Cowes with two very nice members of the Chichester Yacht Club, who recommended heading to Bembridge for a pleasant weekend.
We'd thought of going last year, but been a little, well, scared of the shallow, winding channel into Bembridge Harbour. I mean, when the Bembridge Harbour website itself has not one, but two pictures of boats aground, it's a bit worrying for novices like us.
Well, we're supremely confident veterans of almost two trips to the Isle of Wight now, so we say "pfft" and "pfffar" to the dangers.
A little light passage planning showed high tide to be at about 2pm on Saturday and access to Bembridge is about 2 1/2 hours either side of that. Ideally we wanted to be in on a rising tide (so that if I did accidentally get stuck, there'd be at least some chance of getting off) and about 4 hours to the trip, meant we needed to be away by around 9am. So instead of Friday night drinks at the George, we headed down to Chichester (and dinner at Dell Quay) so that we could have an early start.
A little more passage planning would have made me realise that low tide at Chichester was at 8:06, so there was never a chance of quite meeting our deadline. However, we did get away from the dock just in time (about 10:00). We were able to head straight for the lock, but by the time we actually got through it, they were already giving out number 20 in the queue to a boat calling in.
Nothing much to report about the short (14 mile or so) trip. We had a nice SE wind, perfect for our SW journey. A little stronger than last week, but Missy was just about able to cope with the extra swell.
We reached the Tide Gauge which marks the entrance to the channel and were relieved to see that there are enough buoys marking the channel to wonder how him up there managed to finish up on the sand like that.
The Bembridge Harbour guys were great. They found us a spot on the pontoon and were able to talk us into the tiny gap between yachts rafted three deep in front and behind us, took our lines and generally couldn't have been more helpful or friendly.
So time for a picnic in Bembridge Harbour. This is Missy replete after a little light lunch and a couple of glasses of pink wine.
If Clemmie looks a little strange, that's the tail end of a yawn going on.
The pontoon leads through the Duver boatyards and straight onto sand dunes and the beach, so it's an idyllic spot.
Clemmie had a great time, but got into severe trouble. In the picture above, there's a straight wall just underneath the line of the trees. That's a wall that crosses the harbour, enclosing a tidal mill pond. Half way across it, Clemmie decided that a patch of floating weed was solid ground and jumped onto it, ignoring my yells.
It took some effort and scraped knees and elbows to scramble down the wall and pull a very chastened and scared little dog out of the water. She heard the words "You Stupid, Stupid Dog" quite a lot over the next day or so.
Dinner was at the Vine up the hill in St Helens. A fairly no-nonsense local, but with a decent food menu and atmosphere. Yet another dog-friendly place. We've been really lucky so far, Clem even got biscuits from the barmaid.
An early night this time. We were both exhausted and even Dark Side of the Moon played late and loudly by the Jeanneau in front of us didn't bother us much. (It bothered most of the other boats though!)
We'd thought of going last year, but been a little, well, scared of the shallow, winding channel into Bembridge Harbour. I mean, when the Bembridge Harbour website itself has not one, but two pictures of boats aground, it's a bit worrying for novices like us.
Well, we're supremely confident veterans of almost two trips to the Isle of Wight now, so we say "pfft" and "pfffar" to the dangers.
A little light passage planning showed high tide to be at about 2pm on Saturday and access to Bembridge is about 2 1/2 hours either side of that. Ideally we wanted to be in on a rising tide (so that if I did accidentally get stuck, there'd be at least some chance of getting off) and about 4 hours to the trip, meant we needed to be away by around 9am. So instead of Friday night drinks at the George, we headed down to Chichester (and dinner at Dell Quay) so that we could have an early start.
A little more passage planning would have made me realise that low tide at Chichester was at 8:06, so there was never a chance of quite meeting our deadline. However, we did get away from the dock just in time (about 10:00). We were able to head straight for the lock, but by the time we actually got through it, they were already giving out number 20 in the queue to a boat calling in.
Nothing much to report about the short (14 mile or so) trip. We had a nice SE wind, perfect for our SW journey. A little stronger than last week, but Missy was just about able to cope with the extra swell.
We reached the Tide Gauge which marks the entrance to the channel and were relieved to see that there are enough buoys marking the channel to wonder how him up there managed to finish up on the sand like that.
The Bembridge Harbour guys were great. They found us a spot on the pontoon and were able to talk us into the tiny gap between yachts rafted three deep in front and behind us, took our lines and generally couldn't have been more helpful or friendly.
So time for a picnic in Bembridge Harbour. This is Missy replete after a little light lunch and a couple of glasses of pink wine.
If Clemmie looks a little strange, that's the tail end of a yawn going on.
The pontoon leads through the Duver boatyards and straight onto sand dunes and the beach, so it's an idyllic spot.
Clemmie had a great time, but got into severe trouble. In the picture above, there's a straight wall just underneath the line of the trees. That's a wall that crosses the harbour, enclosing a tidal mill pond. Half way across it, Clemmie decided that a patch of floating weed was solid ground and jumped onto it, ignoring my yells.
It took some effort and scraped knees and elbows to scramble down the wall and pull a very chastened and scared little dog out of the water. She heard the words "You Stupid, Stupid Dog" quite a lot over the next day or so.
Dinner was at the Vine up the hill in St Helens. A fairly no-nonsense local, but with a decent food menu and atmosphere. Yet another dog-friendly place. We've been really lucky so far, Clem even got biscuits from the barmaid.
An early night this time. We were both exhausted and even Dark Side of the Moon played late and loudly by the Jeanneau in front of us didn't bother us much. (It bothered most of the other boats though!)
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Fettlin' and Visitin'
We only had one day for Moonshine on the weekend of April 14/15th, because we were heading up to Kingston Blount to see Pete, Tanya and baby Ellie on Sunday. Ellie was born in August and we hadn't seen her, so it was a long overdue visit.
So on Saturday we had a proper working party. I got the netting finished, so Clem is nice and secure now and we made a decent start on t-cutting and polishing the topsides. If we're not careful Moonshine will start to actually look smart. I also managed to get a few bits fixed that had fallen apart over Easter, although I need to work out why we don't have a stern light or a white steaming light. (A bit academic since we have no intention of going out after dark just now!)
Sunday was lovely. Yet another weekend of warm, sunny weather. The Heath residence is picture postcard stuff even when the weather's not the best, so on a bright spring day that was convinced it was summer, it was beautiful.
Just the one pic, but a nice one, of a proud father and his girl.
So on Saturday we had a proper working party. I got the netting finished, so Clem is nice and secure now and we made a decent start on t-cutting and polishing the topsides. If we're not careful Moonshine will start to actually look smart. I also managed to get a few bits fixed that had fallen apart over Easter, although I need to work out why we don't have a stern light or a white steaming light. (A bit academic since we have no intention of going out after dark just now!)
Sunday was lovely. Yet another weekend of warm, sunny weather. The Heath residence is picture postcard stuff even when the weather's not the best, so on a bright spring day that was convinced it was summer, it was beautiful.
Just the one pic, but a nice one, of a proud father and his girl.
Easter - Off and Running IV
Monday - another beautiful bright, clear day, so breakfast and a walk around the area for Clem before heading off back to Chichester.
There wasn't much wind as we set off, but what little there was was more or less behind us and the tide was heading the same was as us too, so we had the most gentle sail/drift Eastwards, just watching the world go by. Fantastic conditions for building Missy's confidence a little more.
By this stage, the sea dawg was absolutely shattered from being unable to spend her usual 23 hours a day asleep. She didn't much move from this position for the whole trip back.
We thought we'd have to motor back the last bit as the wind died completely as we approached Portsmouth Harbour, but a sea breeze filled in nicely for the last part of the trip to whisk us home.
There was an unexpected traffic jam at the marina. We were expecting to head straight in with free flow, but the high pressure kept the water level down so there was 20 minutes of trying to keep station until the tide rose sufficiently. Interesting to hear the idiots complaining to the marina about free flow being late, ho hum.
Fantastic weekend. The best yet. Exactly what we'd hoped for when we bought Moonshine last year. Definite Picnics in the Harbour weather!
There wasn't much wind as we set off, but what little there was was more or less behind us and the tide was heading the same was as us too, so we had the most gentle sail/drift Eastwards, just watching the world go by. Fantastic conditions for building Missy's confidence a little more.
By this stage, the sea dawg was absolutely shattered from being unable to spend her usual 23 hours a day asleep. She didn't much move from this position for the whole trip back.
We thought we'd have to motor back the last bit as the wind died completely as we approached Portsmouth Harbour, but a sea breeze filled in nicely for the last part of the trip to whisk us home.
There was an unexpected traffic jam at the marina. We were expecting to head straight in with free flow, but the high pressure kept the water level down so there was 20 minutes of trying to keep station until the tide rose sufficiently. Interesting to hear the idiots complaining to the marina about free flow being late, ho hum.
Fantastic weekend. The best yet. Exactly what we'd hoped for when we bought Moonshine last year. Definite Picnics in the Harbour weather!
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Easter - Off and Running III
Our plan for Sunday was to head across to Beaulieu for lunch before heading back to Cowes for the evening.
So, we had breakfast, followed by a walk down towards Island Harbour marina with Clem to get rid of some of her excess bounce, followed by a once over of the boat next to us to try and get rid of the worst of her paw prints!
For the first time since June 11th 2006, we had to fill the tank with diesel, so we headed to a fuel berth on the way out. After a fairly clumsy docking effort (trying to come in with the tide to get the fuel filler on the right side - bad move), we parted with all of £12.41 to fill the tank. Perhaps I should put a two cylinder diesel in the Volvo.
Our Beaulieu plan didn't come to much. With wind and tide running West to East, we made very little progress Westwards towards the Beaulieu River entrance. How little progress we made can be seen from the fact that we had to get the motor on to get away from the Bramble West Cardinal mark just before this
swung past us.
The Cardinal mark is almost due North of Cowes, so we'd had practically no movement Westward in the couple of hours we'd been sailing. It was good practice, though and we eventually decided to swing around and head back into the Medina River.
Cowes Yacht Haven was full up, so we called up East Cowes again. They allocated us a berth rafting up against a very, very shiny new boat, so we told the nice young man sorting out berths from his rib that we had a dawg on board and were given a spot alongside the pontoon - result!
Nothing much to report from here on in. We had a little light lunch and a couple of glasses of wine. Clemmie and I then had a snooze while Missy headed off to the showers, then off to the Sally Taxi stop on the pontoon and over to Cowes for dinner at the Anchor.
We were slightly worried about whether the Anchor minded dogs, so snook her into the back room and under the table. We shouldn't have worried as about two minutes later a great dane the size of a pony wandered in, so yet another dog-friendly pub then.
Easter - Off and Running II
Saturday was as perfect a day as was Friday. Blue skies and light winds meant that we could follow Plan A for just about the first time for us.
Well, it actually turned out to be Plan A2, because we spent longer than we'd expected showering, breakfasting, dawg walking, line organising etc, so it was about 13:00 before we actually got out of the dock. Actually Moonshine got out of the dock for us. I had A Plan involving Missy and ropes to make sure that our bow didn't hit the big old motor boat next to us, so I was busily concentrating on Missy and letting go of the stern line and hoping the tiller was pointing in the right direction, that I didn't notice that Moonshine had sort of shrugged and headed off in a perfect arc towards the fairway - Backwards. I tried to look as if that's absolutely what I'd intended and we headed off to the lock.
The winds were really light and our plan was to get to the Folly for the evening, so we finished up motoring the whole way. It was sort of a shame, but the weather was so perfect otherwise that it didn't really matter all that much.
We passed the de-liveried B&Q at about 6pm
and managed to find a nice spot against a not-too-shiny Beneteau 30 on the visitors pontoon down at the Folly.
Moonshine is somewhere among the throng over on the other side of the river.
Not surprisingly for a sunny Easter Saturday, The Folly was packed. We were impressed by their efficiency though. It took longer to queue to order the food than it took for it to arrive.
Another dawg friendly place, so Clem was happy again. We did find that she won't wee until she gets good solid earth under her feet. Despite the length of time she was cooped up on the boat, she would not go until the Folly water taxi delivered her to terra firma.
Well, it actually turned out to be Plan A2, because we spent longer than we'd expected showering, breakfasting, dawg walking, line organising etc, so it was about 13:00 before we actually got out of the dock. Actually Moonshine got out of the dock for us. I had A Plan involving Missy and ropes to make sure that our bow didn't hit the big old motor boat next to us, so I was busily concentrating on Missy and letting go of the stern line and hoping the tiller was pointing in the right direction, that I didn't notice that Moonshine had sort of shrugged and headed off in a perfect arc towards the fairway - Backwards. I tried to look as if that's absolutely what I'd intended and we headed off to the lock.
The winds were really light and our plan was to get to the Folly for the evening, so we finished up motoring the whole way. It was sort of a shame, but the weather was so perfect otherwise that it didn't really matter all that much.
We passed the de-liveried B&Q at about 6pm
and managed to find a nice spot against a not-too-shiny Beneteau 30 on the visitors pontoon down at the Folly.
Moonshine is somewhere among the throng over on the other side of the river.
Not surprisingly for a sunny Easter Saturday, The Folly was packed. We were impressed by their efficiency though. It took longer to queue to order the food than it took for it to arrive.
Another dawg friendly place, so Clem was happy again. We did find that she won't wee until she gets good solid earth under her feet. Despite the length of time she was cooped up on the boat, she would not go until the Folly water taxi delivered her to terra firma.
Easter - Off and Running I
What a start to the sailing year this was. Blue skies, warm temperatures, light winds and a four day weekend to give us the opportunity to enjoy it all.
Good Friday was largely spent in the garden at home doing some tidying, but we arrived in Chichester at a reasonable hour for us. We had a quick trip to Aladdins Cave to get some Clemmie proof netting and (yippee) the chart software for the handheld GPS that was my Christmas present from Missy, and then on to Moonshine to do a little light (ha!) tidying up. A couple of hours of stanchion-polishing and puzzling about the best way to get the netting attached and then time for dinner at Dell Quay.
The netting means that Clemmie isn't restricted to the cockpit, so she's a happier dawg and mistress of all she surveys now.
Good Friday was largely spent in the garden at home doing some tidying, but we arrived in Chichester at a reasonable hour for us. We had a quick trip to Aladdins Cave to get some Clemmie proof netting and (yippee) the chart software for the handheld GPS that was my Christmas present from Missy, and then on to Moonshine to do a little light (ha!) tidying up. A couple of hours of stanchion-polishing and puzzling about the best way to get the netting attached and then time for dinner at Dell Quay.
The netting means that Clemmie isn't restricted to the cockpit, so she's a happier dawg and mistress of all she surveys now.
April arrives
The plan for the weekend of March 30th/April 1st was for me to spend the weekend by myself on Moonshine to get some fettling done.
Well, I sort of did. Ish. Nearly.
I did get there - on Sunday afternoon. It was hardly worth it, really, but I wanted to get the large items (mattresses, duvets) back on the boat so that we didn't have too much to get down there when we have the dawg in tow.
I did manage to get about four hours of sanding in before it was time to head home. Better than nothing, but not really enough to be shiny before her first sail of the year. After some consideration, I decided to oil the grabrails on the deck and the sides of the cabin opening rather than varnishing them. Now I'm not so sure. I thought it would make the wood look less plastic, but it just looks less shiny.
Well, I sort of did. Ish. Nearly.
I did get there - on Sunday afternoon. It was hardly worth it, really, but I wanted to get the large items (mattresses, duvets) back on the boat so that we didn't have too much to get down there when we have the dawg in tow.
I did manage to get about four hours of sanding in before it was time to head home. Better than nothing, but not really enough to be shiny before her first sail of the year. After some consideration, I decided to oil the grabrails on the deck and the sides of the cabin opening rather than varnishing them. Now I'm not so sure. I thought it would make the wood look less plastic, but it just looks less shiny.
Come on You Rams
The weekend of March 17th/18th was our first trip up to Keyworth since Christmas. My birthday/my dad's birthday and mothers' day all clustered together, so we headed up the M1 on Friday night.
Saturday was my dad's birthday treat. We occasionally go and see Derby if they're at home when I'm up there, but this time, I thought we'd go up-market and get a hospitality package for the Cardiff game. So rather than a gristly pie and a pint in the SW Corner, we had a very pleasant three course meal with wine in the Assa Suite, with nice comfortable padded seats on the balcony and the bar open through the game. Excellent.
We won the game 3-1, keeping us top of the league (for a while) and father got told off by one of the stewards for getting over-excited when the third goal went in.
Here's a not-very-helpful picture of him watching the second half, standing under a heating vent (smart move) just before getting told off :-)
Saturday evening was a very pleasant dinner at the Plough. Because Sunday was mothers' day, we'd decided to stay over until Monday morning rather than having to leave early Sunday evening.
This gave us the opportunity to actually have a few pints in the Plough rather than the usual quick one before we have to head home. An unexpected bonus was that it gave my dad chance to give Missy some elocution lessons shortly before she passed out.
Saturday was my dad's birthday treat. We occasionally go and see Derby if they're at home when I'm up there, but this time, I thought we'd go up-market and get a hospitality package for the Cardiff game. So rather than a gristly pie and a pint in the SW Corner, we had a very pleasant three course meal with wine in the Assa Suite, with nice comfortable padded seats on the balcony and the bar open through the game. Excellent.
We won the game 3-1, keeping us top of the league (for a while) and father got told off by one of the stewards for getting over-excited when the third goal went in.
Here's a not-very-helpful picture of him watching the second half, standing under a heating vent (smart move) just before getting told off :-)
Saturday evening was a very pleasant dinner at the Plough. Because Sunday was mothers' day, we'd decided to stay over until Monday morning rather than having to leave early Sunday evening.
This gave us the opportunity to actually have a few pints in the Plough rather than the usual quick one before we have to head home. An unexpected bonus was that it gave my dad chance to give Missy some elocution lessons shortly before she passed out.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Roma! - Tuesday
Oops, four weeks since we got back and I haven't completed the account of the trip.
The Vatican museum was supposed to be part of Monday's trip, but we were too lazy, so today it was. The queues were alarming, stretching several hundred yards down the road from the entrance. Fortunately, it turns out that the museum is one slick operation and pushes a lot of people through its doors without too much hassle. There's not much room for quiet contemplation as you sort of drift along with the human tide through rooms and corridors.
Presumably because of the sheer volume of visitors, most of the rooms are fairly empty, with the interest being the staggeringly high quality of art on show on the walls and ceilings.
The Museum's virtual tour is a bit slow, but at least gives a flavour of the place.
Not much photography from me as we moved from room to room, but I did like this enormously long map gallery.
All paths in the museum lead to the Sistine Chapel and it doesn't disappoint. Fortunately, it's the only fairly open room on the tour, so it's possible to detach yourself from the tidal flow and pause for a while to take in one of the great pieces of world culture. It's a stunning place. Michaelangelo's two great works dominate. The set of panels making up the ceiling and the last judgement making up the whole of one wall are stunning. Below them, though are numerous masterpieces by renaissance artists, including Boticelli, which if anywhere else would be world famous in their own right.
So after our fill of culture, of course we had to go and have a final lunch back at Ristorante Edy before heading off back to Fiumicino and home.
A few more pics of the weekend are here.
The Vatican museum was supposed to be part of Monday's trip, but we were too lazy, so today it was. The queues were alarming, stretching several hundred yards down the road from the entrance. Fortunately, it turns out that the museum is one slick operation and pushes a lot of people through its doors without too much hassle. There's not much room for quiet contemplation as you sort of drift along with the human tide through rooms and corridors.
Presumably because of the sheer volume of visitors, most of the rooms are fairly empty, with the interest being the staggeringly high quality of art on show on the walls and ceilings.
The Museum's virtual tour is a bit slow, but at least gives a flavour of the place.
Not much photography from me as we moved from room to room, but I did like this enormously long map gallery.
All paths in the museum lead to the Sistine Chapel and it doesn't disappoint. Fortunately, it's the only fairly open room on the tour, so it's possible to detach yourself from the tidal flow and pause for a while to take in one of the great pieces of world culture. It's a stunning place. Michaelangelo's two great works dominate. The set of panels making up the ceiling and the last judgement making up the whole of one wall are stunning. Below them, though are numerous masterpieces by renaissance artists, including Boticelli, which if anywhere else would be world famous in their own right.
So after our fill of culture, of course we had to go and have a final lunch back at Ristorante Edy before heading off back to Fiumicino and home.
A few more pics of the weekend are here.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Roma! - Monday.
Monday started with some aching limbs after some serious walking on Saturday and Sunday, but with the skies still blue and the temperatures still in the mid 60's it was a perfect day to head off out being tourists once more.
Today we were heading to the Vatican to see Catholic Head Office. An easy trip from our hotel on the Metro, fortunately. We weren't really feeling up to another heavy duty walking day.
During our pit stop for caffe latte and pastries on the way towards the Vatican, though, we nearly had a disaster. Missy turned her ankle a while ago and it's been a bit temperamental ever since. While sitting drinking coffee, she moved and it went again. Oops. She wasn't able to put any weight on it at all, which was going to be a problem, even if we were only going to try and find a taxi to take us back to the hotel. There's a pharmacy every couple of hundred metres in Italy (I must find out if they're as hypochondriac as the pharmacy-density implies) so I headed off for bandages and some ibuprofen. As expected, it was a short trip, and I was only away for fifteen minutes or so. Fortunately in that time whatever had popped out on Missy's ankle popped back in again. As a precaution we strapped her up and she had a couple of ibuprofen in case there was any inflammation developing. Amazingly we didn't have much problem after that.
But I digress.
St Peter's Square looks impressive on the TV. Close up it's clear that if Gian Lorenzo Bernini was aiming for awe-inspiring when he designed the piazza and surrounding colonnades, he succeeded. Huge, symmetrical, dazzling marble. Wow.
Suitably impressed, we thought we'd head into the CEO's building - St Peter's Basilica. As ever, Wikipedia's St Peter's entry saves you the excesses of my prose.
Remember the Basilica di Constantino in the forum and the octagonal reliefs? Well Michaelangelo and Bernini were so impressed by them that they pretty much copied the design wholesale. The barrel vaulting of St Peter's shows what the Law Courts of Rome must have looked like 1300 years earlier.
And here's the man himself, holding the keys to heaven. Funny, he doesn't look like your typical doorman.
We'd planned to head off to the Vatican Museum for the afternoon, but the lure of a decent meal hijacked us, so we were forced to sit and watch the world go by in Piazza Navona while eating pasta and drinking wine. Shame that.
Piazza Navona stands on the sight of an old stadium, you know. The shape is still the elongated running-track shape of the classic Roman chariot racing circuit.
Today we were heading to the Vatican to see Catholic Head Office. An easy trip from our hotel on the Metro, fortunately. We weren't really feeling up to another heavy duty walking day.
During our pit stop for caffe latte and pastries on the way towards the Vatican, though, we nearly had a disaster. Missy turned her ankle a while ago and it's been a bit temperamental ever since. While sitting drinking coffee, she moved and it went again. Oops. She wasn't able to put any weight on it at all, which was going to be a problem, even if we were only going to try and find a taxi to take us back to the hotel. There's a pharmacy every couple of hundred metres in Italy (I must find out if they're as hypochondriac as the pharmacy-density implies) so I headed off for bandages and some ibuprofen. As expected, it was a short trip, and I was only away for fifteen minutes or so. Fortunately in that time whatever had popped out on Missy's ankle popped back in again. As a precaution we strapped her up and she had a couple of ibuprofen in case there was any inflammation developing. Amazingly we didn't have much problem after that.
But I digress.
St Peter's Square looks impressive on the TV. Close up it's clear that if Gian Lorenzo Bernini was aiming for awe-inspiring when he designed the piazza and surrounding colonnades, he succeeded. Huge, symmetrical, dazzling marble. Wow.
Suitably impressed, we thought we'd head into the CEO's building - St Peter's Basilica. As ever, Wikipedia's St Peter's entry saves you the excesses of my prose.
Remember the Basilica di Constantino in the forum and the octagonal reliefs? Well Michaelangelo and Bernini were so impressed by them that they pretty much copied the design wholesale. The barrel vaulting of St Peter's shows what the Law Courts of Rome must have looked like 1300 years earlier.
And here's the man himself, holding the keys to heaven. Funny, he doesn't look like your typical doorman.
We'd planned to head off to the Vatican Museum for the afternoon, but the lure of a decent meal hijacked us, so we were forced to sit and watch the world go by in Piazza Navona while eating pasta and drinking wine. Shame that.
Piazza Navona stands on the sight of an old stadium, you know. The shape is still the elongated running-track shape of the classic Roman chariot racing circuit.
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