Last leg

After having left the boat in Brighton Marina for a week and following some personal  R&R in Wales we all felt able to tackle the last big push in order to try and get home ASAP 

Enriched by a new and enthusiastic crew we set off on a short and uneventful trip to Eastbourne and enjoyed sailing close to Beachy Head,

The crew enjoyed a bus trip around Eastbourne before a short sleep and an early departure this morning to sail to Ramsgate.

Although the journey was long and not very exciting, we all enjoyed an easy arrival at Ramsgate where we were pleased to witness the arrival of ‘Seeker’, the Border Force patrol boat.

We also experienced a visit to the largest Wetherspoons in the country ......!

Tomorrow we will hopefully finish our circumnavigation with an afternoon sail round the North Foreland and back to the welcoming mud of The Swale

Brighton Beckons

After a bright and early start we cleverly caught the tide going out of Portsmouth and were glad to make good time to Selsey Bill

Although it was a bit bumpy the crew stayed calm and we soon made it into East Sussex with Brighton rapidly coming closer

The sun shone and we both suffered as a consequence so were happy to arrive in Brighton by mid afternoon

After a good nights sleep we awoke refreshed but sad that my trusty professional crew mate must return home.

The boat will now take a few more days rest in Brighton before we embark on the last leg of our journey accompanied by a new fresh and eager crew.

A visit to Old Pompey

After a bumpy night in the marina the crew were pleased to see the harbour rubber dinghy arrive early this morning to tow us out of Yarmouth Harbour

The rest of the morning was spent having a pleasant sail along The Solent past Osborne House  and an old castle.

We enjoyed our afternoon in Portsmouth visiting the Spinnaker Tower and walking through the old town with all its Nelson connections

There was a great view of Calismarde from the top, sitting in the massive but very pleasant Haslar Marina.

After supper on an old lightship the crew are looking forward to an early start tomorrow in order to get to Brighton before closing time.

Well ... here we are again

So....

After a week at home the return to Calismarde was a journey of tense anticipation mixed with apprehension at the thought of passing the mighty Portland Sound en route to Poole

Vitalised by a fresh crew and a few beers we set off bright and early from wonderful Torquay to cross Lyme Bay

The passing of Portland Bill proved to be a non event despite the skippers anxieties

However..... the journey was very long but largely uneventful thanks to the influence of my new professional crew mate and despite the traumas of entering Poole harbour at night with ferries bearing down on us

We picked up a mooring for the night just off Brownsea Island and set off this morning on the short journey to Yarmouth Isle of Wight

All went well until we reached the Needles when the skippers lack of preparation was revealed.

The 4.5 knot adverse tide meant that our journey was very slow and thankfully the crew was happy to look at the Needles for a couple of hours as we slowly made our way up the Solent

We were pleased to arrive safely in Yarmouth and the crew thoroughly enjoyed a drink with the rich members of Royal Solent Yacht Club

Tomorrow Portsmouth beckons