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A little out-of-date?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...