Sunday 28 August - The Homecoming - Southampton to Yarmouth

Southampton Town Quay to Yarmouth is a short hop of about 17nm, first followingnthe buoyed channel to the Bramble Bank, then 10nmor so at 237deg to yarmouth entrance.The forecast was W F3/4, but the winds had been blowing stronger than forecast, so an examination of tidal streams suggested that wind over tide could be avoided by leaving around 0945. Our fuel was 1/2, 5/8, water 1/2, engines 911.
The morning was fine and sunny, and we saw that a couple of new cruise ships had docked overnight.We saw Hayley off at 0930, made ready, and we were off on the last passage of the trip.

.0950  Cast off, sort fenders & ropes, exit marina. Bright; ripples; 2700=, 15sog, AOK. Little traffic.
.1015  Calshot Castle. AOK.
.1045  Off Newtown Creek. AOK. Running against 1kn foul tide, despite what Imray s/w says. Sea still slight; dry; 14.5 sog; bilges (note: discovered later that fwd pump not working)
.1100  Approaching Yarmouth entrance. Mayhem! Bank holiday fever, with yachts, cruisers, dinghys, jamming up the fairway around the ferry and fuel dock.
.1110  On berth, to a flags and bunting welcome, with tea, from Dave & Zoe, with Sue & john standing by to ferry us to Westward. A fantastic finale, especiaslly since we would be attending a barbeque next day, an outing on Wednesday, and a dinner party on Thursday.

And this, dear reader, is the end of the Blog. Thank you for your interest and support. See you next year?

"Middlewatch" out.

25 to 27 August. In the Port of Southampton.

Oceana in the background

Saturday 27 August, in a quiet bank Holiday weekend, was another gentle day, the last day  away, and with what seems now typical mixed weather - bright sunshine interrupted by heavy dark showers.

A slow mover



 The cruise ship "Oceana" arrived nearby in the early morning, scheduled to depart again at 1630. The girls set off to the West Quay Centre, coming back to see "Oceana" depart. Preparations for the passage to Yarmouth were minimal, and the phone has been buzzing, beeping, chirping, and ringing with calls, texts, emails and voicemails from friends, setting up a busy schedule ahead...

Southampton Town Quay Marina from seaward

 Friday 26 August was a very quiet day, spent mainly on board, watching the fascinating patterns of shipping traffic on Southampton Water.


In the marina



 The regular arrivals and departures of the nearby Red  Jet gave the boat a gentle rocking motion which greatly encouraged the afternoon siesta, after which we took another turn around the delights of the town. Meanwhile, the marina staff had been busy arranging a special parking spot for Hayley, so that when she arrived at teatime, she could drive straight into a “disabled” slot immediately in front of the entrance.

Chuckles in the galley

The family visits have turned out to be amongst the high-spots of the cruise, and this evening was also special—a nice dinner in “the Bistro”, followed by a gentle family evening of fun with cards, dominoes, and a glass or two of wine.

25th August.  Southampton is the official port of registry for "MiddleWatch" (no.717549), so it was good to see her "at home" for the first time in our ownership.

Arrival of Red Jet

 The Town Quay Marina is quite "a find" - newly refurbished and now admitting visitors, it is a quiet "5-star" small marina right in the heart of things. (It is also quite expensive by comparison with other marinas, at £3 per metre, incl).

A little out-of-date?

At the doorstep is the Red Funnel terminal to the Isle of Wight. Just outside the front door is the free bus to West Quay and the railway station. On the corner is a fine Italian restaurant, and 3 minutes further along is the Co-op foodstore.

The High Street was lively in the late summer sun, but it seemed strange to see such a wide pedestrian area without pavement coffee-bars - perhaps not yet ready for "the cafe society"? 

Jane Austen was here

On the town

West Quay, of course, is a shopper's dream, and the free bus back was packed to bursting with returning Isle-of-Wighters and their shopping bags, almost a Red-jet-full.
The Marina staff are very helpful, and could supply a gas bottle instantly to replace the one which typically ran out in the middle of lunch preparation. (It had been going since Volendam)

The venue

In the evening, we had a "21st century experience". The Italian restaurant mentioned earlier was more than just an eating house - it was a pub-club-bar-jazz cellar-meeting place for all sorts and ages of reveller.


The jazz duo

 The music was surprisingly wide-ranging, even including a few Sinatra numbers, and the Jazz duo did a lot of classic standards.  To our surprise, we were "adopted" into the company of 4 lovely young ladies from Basingstoke who were celebrating a 21st birthday with more shots than a John Wayne western.

With one of our new-found friends

We had a great night, much more than "just the quick spag-bol" which we had intended - it was a night out clubbing on the town! Quelle surprise! What an eye-opener!
It was much better than a night at the theatre, and certainly more educational. We really must get out more...

Wednesday 24 August - Brighton to Southampton

Leaving Brighton

The weather forecast had been uncertain over the past few days, and it was only at breakfast time that we could make the final decision to go, into a promised F3/4 with low wave heights, some light rain and negligible tidal streams (less than 0.5 kts throughout). Fuel was full, water 1/4, and engine hours 908.

Brighton on a murky morn

The course was 3 legs: 27m @255 to Looe Channel, 19m @ 288 to Bramble Bank, and 9m by buoyed channel on Southampton Water.
.0915  Cast off. Call marina. Sort ropes and fenders. Emerge into v.choppy entrance ("Was this a mistake?", we wondered, but pressed on)
.0930  Still quite lumpy, but not as bad, Carry on. AOK. Noticed that the port engine was running at 95deg for a while, before popping back to its more normal 90. Wind F4, sea moderate. 2700 revs=, 15sog.  Bilges.

Stereo trawlers

.1000  On course abeam Worthing. Brighter now. Fewer slams. Sea moderate. AOK.
.1030  Sunshine. Wind abated to F3, to judge from flags on the numerous fishing pots (at least they had flags, which were easy to see through the salt and spray). Abeam Littlehampton. 15.5 kn sog.
.1100 Now great conditions (in the Lee of Selsey Bill). Sunny, sea flat, AOK. 15.2 sog. 4.5 nm to Looe.
.1115  Looe buoys. Alter course to Bramble 18nm@288. Sunbathing and veg prep weather. AOK. sea slight.

Solent sailing

. 1145  Abeam Dean Elbow. AOK.  The great ride continues at 15.5 sog.
.1215   At Browndown buoy. AOK. Frequent course changes around yachts.
.1245  At Hook, having "chickened out" of using North Channel round Bramble (not sure of charts). AOK. Still a smooth ride.




Ryde IOW from the sea

 .1305  Weston Shelf. Slow to 6kn speed limit (didn't know about this, tut tut)
.1305  Tying up on Southampton Town Quay Marina ("Echo 1"), having requested an easy-access berth. Marina staff meet us and help with lines. Engines 912, fuel 1/2, 5/8. Beautiful sunny day.

Our newest neighbours, Red Funnel

Marina is spanking new, and facilities are 5-star. 20 yds from IOW ferries, and right at the stop for the free bus to town. Fees £3 per m = £27.60 pn, all inc. (Wi-fi is from "Spark", at £12 per week). Just the venue for a shopping day out, at £8 per short stay. There is even a hose-pipe, although the sign says it is not to be used for potable water, Quite a sensible way to get round a silly regulation which no other country worries about.
Wash down boat, lunch, emails, etc, and an outing at "West Quay". Another holiday-ette begins....

August 20— 23 An interlude in Brighton



Anona takes the biscuit


  

On Tuesday 23rd, we had a great day on board with Cousin Anona, with whom we had been corresponding by text to make the arrangements. She arrived, bearing gifts just before lunch, and we spent a lively few family hours becoming re-acquainted, exchanging news of family members and their happenings, and reviewing family history from childhood to current day. Ah, nostalgia!



And the sun sets on our interlude in Brighton



 In the evening, we made ready for a day at sea tomorrow, and saw the day away with "Great Expectations", still working our way through the boxed set of Austen and Dickens.

Not Bombay, but Brighton





Monday 22 was “a day out in Brighton”, which began with a search for our handy bus-passes. (We could have used the bikes, or the fabulous Volks electric railway, but the bus seemed the best option in uncertain weather).  The bus took us directly from the heart of the Marina Village to Central Station, where we alighted to meander first through the town and thento the Pier, in search of "a nice coffee-station", which we didn't find. (Another story).

 We eventually sat on a bench on the pier with polystyrene-flavoured nescafe, which added a certain "je-ne-sais-quoi" to the outing. After a visit to Asda, we took advantage again of the 2-for-1 card at Cafe rouge, and the day was complete...

Cheers, Lance



Not the Caribbean,  but Brighton, Sussex



Sunday 21st began with another fine morning, and we had a visit from Lance Cadell-Smith, who lives just a few short miles away. We hadn’t seen Lance for quite a while, so it was great to introduce our two guests, and catch up on recent events.

Cafe Rouge

The effects of the financial recession are certainly evident in the measures that restaurateurs are taking to attract customers, and there are so many special deals in so many of the “boardwalk” cafes that eating out is an even greater pleasure. So, before Hayley departed we tucked into a super lunch which added urgency and length to the afternoon nap. In the evening, we watched a Jack Nicholson DVD which we had picked up in Asda for £2.

Saturday 20th gave us an opportunity to become properly re-acquainted with Brighton, one of our favourite short-stop venues. It has lots of facilities– great restaurants, lots of shops, including a very convenient large Asda (useful for stocking up for visitors), and, of course, its marina-front promenade which is perfect for lazing and gazing in suitable weather, which we were blessed with today.

Sunbirds

As we were now back inside UK network territory, our various phones, pcs, etc were fairly jumping with catch-up activities, so the morning passed very quickly indeed. Hayley arrived shortly after lunch, and we spent a lovely afternoon in the sunshine before enjoying another memorable meal at our favourite “Memories of India” nearby.

18th, in Dover, then Friday 19th August, Dover to Brighton, 65nm

Dover, 18 August 2011

Although the crossing from Holland had been quite relaxed, we still felt the need to have a restful “stand-down”, so we spent the day id Dover “lolling and strolling”, doing a bit of shopping, and watching our newly re-found “BBC iplayer” (“The Hour”, a gripping drama series). An early bed was called for, as Granville Dock is locked, and we had to exit before 7am.

Friday 19th was forecast with winds of F2/3 8kt max, sun/cloud/ dry. Tidal streams negligible. We had spoken to Brighton marina about an easy access berth to accommodate Hayley’s visit, and we were advised to call again later in the morning, so we were in no hurry on the passage.

Dover astern, Brighton ahead

The passage was simple: Dungenness 18nm @ 225 deg T, Beachy Head 31@ 249 and Brighton Entrance 15 @ 295. Fuel full, hours 903, water 3/4. Sun breaking through dark clouds at 0630.

.0655  Report to marina, request permission from Port Control, Cast off, sort out ropes,etc.

.0700  AOK. Cleared entrance. Bright. Slight sea. F2/3. 2500=, 12kt sog.



A little detour



.0730  Off Folkestone. 2600=, 14.5 sog. The boat is not too happy on a “half-plane”, between 10 & 14 kts, depending on the sea.  AOK. Bilges.

.0800  AOK. 2600 15sog. Temp 90/85. On course 5m to Dungenness. Altering course around 2 yachts.

.0820  At Dungenness. (The best we have seen it, in bright sunshine). AOK. 16sog. Alter course to  Beachy Head . Beautiful conditions already. Coffee time.

At Dungeness

.0850  AOK.  Flat calm.  Bright sun.. Blue sky.  On course 15 nm to BH. 15sog.

.0920  Off Hastings, taking avoiding action around a yacht. AOK. Conditions excellent. Crew is even brushing carpets, doing housework, and sewing. And at 16kts through the water! Frequent fishing pots requiring avoidance.

.0950  Must keep mentioning these superb conditions.  Crew  now sunbathing aft. AOK. 15sog. On course 8nm to BH.



Beachy Head



.1020  At Beachy Head.  AOK. Alter course to Brighton Entrance. More fishing pots.

A tranquil sea

.1050.  Off Newhaven beach. AOK.  9m to BE. Yachts & pots—lots. 16.5 log, 13.5sog.

.1125  Brighton Marina approach.

.1135  On fuel dock. 110/91 = 201 ltrs = £218. Phone for berth— row 8, no 4. Fill  fuel & water.

.1215 On berth, tied up, coffee in hand. Engines 908. A great passage.

Wed 17 August Vlissingen to Dover - back to Blighty - 90nM

A murky Holland astern

Basically, the reciprocal passage of the way over, but with new experience , not necessary to follow strictly the buoyed channels required for deep-draught vessels. As the forecast was good,  the sea should not be too ruffled at shoals and banks. Vlissingen to Scheur1 22.5nm @264; S1 to Ruytgn SW 49.5 @ 248; RSW to Dover Ent 16nm @ 279.

Forecast F3 var; wave ht  ~1ft;  Dry, with some sunny periods. Fuel full, water 3/8, hours 897.

.0745 Cast off, and linger in the marina for de-fendering, to avoid the confluence turbulence at the harbour entrance.

.0800  AOK. 2600/2800 16 sog. Murky. Slight

An obstacle of the course (1)

.0830  At buoy MOW1, bearing 264 @ 16.5 sog. Still murky.  Sea moderate.

.0840  Alter course astern of converging ferry vessel.  Bilges.  AOK.

.0900  Busy ship traffic.  Return to planned course.16 sog.  AOK. At buoy Scheur 5.

.0915  Alter course onto 2nd leg, 248 deg towards Ruytingen SW. Brighter. 16sog. AOK.

.0945  On course at 002.48E.  Fuel 3/4=,  AOK, 16.5 sog.

.1015  On course at  002.36E.  AOK.  Calm. Overcast.  17sog. Sea build up to mod over bank.

The ghost of Dunkerque

.1045  002.23E.  AOK. Calm sea.  Light rain.  Coffee time.

.1115  002.10.70 E.  Fuel 5/8, 5/8+; Slight.  AOK.  17sog.



A working boat



.1145  On coursr abeam Ruytingen NW.  Slight. Cloudy. 17sog. AOK. Wind NE F3. Port windscreen washer not working— salted up?

.1210  Ruytingen SW. Continue on bearing 244 to line up with lane crossing.

.1220 Alter course to Dover Entrance 13.5 nm @ 280 deg. AOK. Crew sunbathing now.



Course obstacle (2)



.1245  Alter course to avoid v.large converging ship.

.1305  Request permission to enter harbour—granted.

.1325  On Dover fuel dock. 138/130 ltr = 267ltr = £286.34

1300 BST Tied up in Granville dock.

Getting in everybody's way

 Admin— £20.70 pn, inc electric.   Stroll / shopping round the town, and back later for an excellent dinner in “The Dover Marina Hotel & Spa”, followed by digestif in the deserted Royal Cinque Yacht Club. End of busy day.

Tuesday 16 August The Last day in Holland?

The bridge, open

The Sun was already halfway up the sky when we surfaced to yet another glorious day.  A check on the weather confirmed our decision to delay departure, as it was blowing a Force 5 in the Dover Straits. The forecast for tomorrow is still good, so we sorted out another night’s stay with the very apologetic harbourmaster (He had been told that there was always 4 metres clearance). 

Then, we set off for a day out on the bikes, which first needed a good sluicing down to remove the salt which had gathered on the way from Scheveningen.

West side boulevard

The town and surroundings of Vlissingen, and its 2 yacht-havens could merit a full holiday on their own account, and we certainly hope to return here. We stopped for a late-morning breather  on the”Bad Strand” which is actually not bad at all—brilliant, in fact.  Then we rode off on a roundabout way to Middelburgh, our first inland stop by boat some 7 weeks ago. It was still just as lovely, sitting in a streetside café on the main market square watching all of Holland gliding past on their bikes while tourists of all nationalities took pictures, horse& cart rides, and lunch, as we did ourselves.

The "Bad Strand"

A tourist attraction

It took some basking in the Sun to let the lunch go down before finding our way to the Walcheren Canal, where we retraced the first canal trip, this time by bicycle.  The “tow-path” is actually a 2-way cycle track, and quite busy.

Along the Walcheren Canal

We were pedalling along at what we thought was quite a spanking pace, but all the while we were being overtaken by children and their grandparents, all looking very relaxed and at ease at about 20mph. Cycling is a huge feature of the Dutch way of life, and their attention to cyclists is tremendous.

Now, for us, a 12km cycle ride is a marathon, and we felt quite chuffed as we rode back into Vlissingen to do a bit of shopping before returning to the boat for some preparation for sea. Liferaft out, cycles in, passage plans checked, waypoints permanently recorded, and, of course, a bit of blogging.

Another marina guest

Dinner on board, and a last stroll around. Early start tomorrow (weather permitting), and so to bed...

Monday August 15 A Smashing Day Out in Breskens



We woke up after a lovely long lazy lie-in to discover that, suddenly, it was high Summer again, and the perfect occasion for a leisurely late breakfast while sunbathing in the cockpit. The Dover  Strait weather picture was looking OK tomorrow, but even better for the day after, so we decided to stay another day in Vlissingen, and head for Dover on Wednesday. 

Berthed in Vlissingen Arsenaal



The Kerk at Vlissingen

 So, you ask, why Breskens?, and what made it so smashing?  Well, since Dover is 90 miles away, we needed fuel, and the nearest to be found was at Breskens, 2.5 miles across the Westerschelde entrance.  We wanted to leave early on Wednesday to catch the best combination of wind and tide, so an afternoon outing on the boat was the thing to do.

So, after whiling away the morning, we pootled over to the fuel dock (203 litres, 346 Euros, equal amounts in each tank, unusually) and returned to the marina entrance, this time with no depth anxiety. We had height anxiety instead, but the stand-in “harbourmaster” assured us of 4metres clearance

Returning to "home berth"

Since previously we had passed under 3.8 , we nosed gingerly on. Smash! The tip of our tiny mast caught the underside of the bridge, and came crashing down onto the roof.  Unsettled by this, and needing to keep manoeuvring in the sea-breeze which had sprung up, it needed 3 attempts and the help of a sympathetic neighbour to get tied up again.

Inspection revealed that there was very little damage—two fixing screws ripped out of the fibreglass, but 15 minutes and a gloop of sealant soon sorted it out.

A strange craft

Otherwise, it was a joy of a Summer’s day, which showed Vlissingen off in its very best light. To-ing and fro-ing of pilot boats, constant passing of ships of all sizes, variety of shops and cafes, and glorious scenery made strolling and lolling a real pleasure.

After dinner, Martin Chuzzlewit kept us company for an hour or two, and we retired thinking it was a Dickens of a good film….

Vlissingen is famous for its Pilot boats

Sunday August 14 Scheveningen to Vlissingen

Leaving a busy weekend haven

Scheveningen entrance

The morning began cool, wet and early as we prepared to say goodbye to scheveningen and The Hague. Early because we needed to fuel up, and we had confirmed that the fuel dock would open early. When we found it (it had moved again), there was no sign of life.

We phoned the harbourmaster (the same one who had promised it would be open), and he told us someone would be along at 9 am.  No-one showed, so, finding the phone nuber on the internet (thanks to dongle), we eventually got our fuel, and a ride around town in the fuelmaster’s car trying to find a cash-point which would accept British cards.  Worse things happen at sea, they say!

Engines 892; water 3/4; forecast F3 SW.

Hook of Holland

.0820  Cast off to fuel dock.

.0920  Phoned “the man”

.1015. Cast off

.1025  2600/2800 15.3kn sog; Slight; Some blue in the sky; dry; AOK

.1050  At Indusbank buoy. Request permission to cross Maas Entrance S/ward at 15kn bearing 240. Permission granted.

.1115  Clearing Maas precautionary area. Reported clearance on Ch 03. V.little traffic through Hook of Holland area (Sunday?). Sea slight. Dry. Clouding over. 16kn sog.



Vlissingen ahead



.1145  Abeam Goeree & Westhoofd.  9 ships to starboard. Wave height 2ft, with occasional “bump” 16kn.  AOK.

.1200  GPS dropout on PC system. Needed to reset Imray program, losing temporary rhumb lines. Must draw them in permanently on future passages. AOK

The beach to the East

.1230  At GB1, Roomspot approach. Passing another motorboat (a rare sight, these days).

Sea now lively; Dry; Cloudy. AOK.

.1300  At ZBJ (no sign of the marked MD1)  Brighter.  AOK. Change course to “Kaloo”

.1315  Following marked channel.  Kaloo/OG3 in transit abeam.

.1400  Unnecessary “depth anxiety” approaching Vlissingen  Arsenaal marina.

.1415  Tied up in allocated pontoon berth 31.  Fine. If overcast.  Marina fee E22.30 pn, incl “8amp” electricity (which cut out, later).

The Marina entrance

 Wifi free but only at clubhouse.  Facilities good, but few in number. Excellent on-site resytaurant for dinner. People watching. Stroll. DVD of “Martin Chuzzlewit”. Another great day.