Sailing the Solent
Day 5 – Thursday 4 July
Our last day…we sailed back across the Solent on our last sail back to the Hamble and home.
The award for most competent crew member went to George for sailing skills, concentration and consistent awareness. Charlotte achieved the award for seamanship.
Day 4 – Wednesday 3 July
The day started early and after checking the shipping forecast we headed out of Portsmouth harbour, popping in to Haslar on the way to see the post WW2 ‘T Class’ submarine.We then had a lovely sail towards the Needles before heading back to Yarmouth Harbour where we all rafted together for the night. Once moored we headed to the Royal Solent Yacht Club for a cold drink and game of cards overlooking the Solent. We then had dinner in ‘On the Rocks’ where we cooked our own steaks over hot coals and reminisced about the highlights of our trip.
Day 3 – Tuesday 2 July
After breakfast we sailed down the Beaulieu river against the strong tide. We saw a MK1 Spitfire as we sailed to Portsmouth harbour where we moored up at Gunwarf Quays under the iconic Spinnaker Tower, adjacent to the superyacht Amaryllis (owned by the founder of Microsoft). We then cooked dinner on board and ate al fresco on deck before heading to the cinema to watch the new Spiderman film.
Day 2 – Monday 1 July
Cowes to Beaulieu…another stunning day with good wind (force 4-5). Today we practised man overboard procedures (with Bob the fender) and put down anchor at Osborne Bay – beautiful view of Osborne House where Queen Victoria lived.
In the afternoon we sailed up the Beaulieu River, making sure we made it ‘over the bar’ (sandbar) before the tide was too low. When we reached Butlers Hard we moored up and pumped up the dinghy. We then practised dinghy rowing which ended up with having to carry the boat back over the mud as the tide was too strong.
We finished the day with a barbeque on the lawns overlooking the river. Tomorrow…Portsmouth.
Day 1 – Sunday 30 June
Today we sailed from Hamble to Cowes. We had sunshine and wind – the perfect combination for sailing. Everyone was learning the ropes today – literally!
We spent the day learning to tack and jibe and finished the day walking around the little shops of Cowes and cooking dinner back aboard our yachts.
