Foggy New Year

Friday 30th December... Fog, Fog, Fog....that's all i can say about today really! We came down yesterday evening, arriving about 9.30pm and straight to bed (well after a Rum and Coke of course). It's really calm, with amazing Force 0 wind. After a Saffy walk this morning, we spent a couple of hours playing with our new toy....the Parasailor. Did you say 'what's a Parasailor?' According to the manufacturer's website, it's a 'Spinnaker with a Wing' for safe and easy downwind sailing. Still confused?? Well once we've managed to fly it there'll be photos on the blog for sure, so watch this space. Meanwhile, here it is in the bag.....

Thesee's Christmas Present 

In complete contrast to the beautiful weather here during our last visit, the fog horns have been sounding all day long in the harbour. We assume from the ferries, as anyone would be completely crazy to go out sailing today. From the boat we can only just make out the channel markers in the marina.

So we stayed inside for the rest of the day, all three of us fighting for best position in front of the fan heater. Dean started making an inventory of 'things' which he has stored here there and everywhere in every nook and cranny he can find (or not find as the case seems to be).

Saturday 31^st December… We planned to get up at 6.30am, but one look outside and it was still foggy. Our plans to sail to Bembridge for New Year seemed in jeopardy. We switched the VHF radio on to listen to the QHM (Queen's Harbour Master) Channel 11 for Portsmouth Harbour shipping movements and information. By 7.45am visibility had improved greatly and QHM announced the fog alert had been lifted. So we sorted ourselves out and got the boat ready. The weather was still really calm and so Linda had her first practise driving the boat out of the berth.

We made our way out of the harbour, giving the QHM a wave on the way past. After all, he probably hasn’t seen anyone in the fog for over two days. 

Still dredging in the Solent

Once out the other side of the forts we headed south west. The wind was about 6 knots, the sea calm and we took the chance to try out the Parasailor. We could have done with a bit more wind, but on the whole we were very pleased, and we didn't break anything!

Peter the Parasailor

At 1pm (high tide) we approached Bembridge. It’s a shallow entrance and so we can only arrive at or around high tide. Linda was steering and didn’t realise she was a bit too far off centre when the boat touched the bottom and stopped! Fortunately we were only going slowly, and Dean quickly came to the rescue and managed to get us off the sandbank and on our way into the harbour again. Phew! That was a close call. I had visions of spending New Year at an angle of 45 degrees. Typically, there was a boat right behind us to witness women’s driving. Never anyone around when you do a good manoeuvre is there?

Tanker at anchor 

This afternoon we had a lovely walk along the seafront and around the sand dunes on the Duver. We love it here, and so does Saffy.

Of gorse it's Dean

Firework tree

Back on board Thesee, we got festive once again and raised the fairy lights up the mast. Linda had to laugh, she said 'Dean can fly the huge parasailor on his own, but those fairy lights need both of us'!

Well I’m writing this with only 3 hours to go to midnight and the New Year. Hope we can stay awake long enough to enjoy the local fireworks.

Happy New Year 2017 xx

Christmastime

Monday 12^th December…  Well it’s that busy time of year again, but we’ve still made time to visit Thesee.  No need to rush today though so we didn’t start out until 9.30am. After last visit’s escapades we’ve managed to take back control of the Blog from Saffy Dog, and she has had all her privileges removed including being barred from blogging, facebooking, and tweeting !!

It’s rather dull and grey down here in Gosport, but the water is very calm, virtually mirror-like. The fairy lights are going up the mast to brighten the place up…… The Cockayne family have arrived everybody! So we took a walk to view our pretty fairy lights from afar, and in the darkness on the way back down the gangway onto the pontoon Linda put her hand right in the fresh pigeon poo on the handrail. How lovely!

Tuesday 13^th December…  Today started with rain showers and whilst we waited for these to pass Dean gave Linda a spontaneous lesson in changing two diesel filters in the engine (a pre-filter, and a main filter). She also learnt where the diesel shut off tap was, and how to bleed the system. Mmm interesting…. Then we took a stroll to the Chandlery in Gosport to buy an anchor chain bag.

After coffee, biscuits, and then lunch we spent the day doing jobs around the boat, Dean finishing off his security grill fittings for the hatches. This job has been ongoing for a few months now, and I think he is glad to see the back of it. Late afternoon Linda took Saffy for her afternoon walkies. In the marina there is now one pub, one restaurant, and one coffee shop. They all looked very welcoming with their Christmas decorations and candlelit tables.

The weather forecast looks decent for tomorrow, so we are planning to take Thesee out for a sail about.


Wednesday 14th December...  My word what a wonderful day for sailing. The sunny weather forecast lived up to expectations, and we departed our berth at 11am as per Linda's passage plan. The wind was South East Force 4. It was high tide, and after leaving the harbour we sailed our way along the Inner Swashway, and across the Solent to Osborne Bay on the Isle of Wight. At first we found ourselves almost drifting due to no wind, but about half way across the wind filled in and Thesee's top speed was clocked at 9.4 knots, wow! 

Here we are at anchor

Dean wanted to re-calibrate the anchor chain counter and so we headed into Osborne Bay (a very popular anchorage in the summer) and dropped the hook. We ate lunch outside in the cockpit and watched the cargo ships coming and going for an hour or so.

APL Temasek bringing cargo into Southampton

Sometimes it can be uncomfortable and bumpy here, but today was perfect conditions for anchoring. Here's a photo of Dean and Saffy enjoying the December sunshine. Today was one of the best sailing days we've had this year, we cannot believe it's Wintertime. 

No hats and coats today, ho ho ho

The return journey was just as good and as it was nearing low tide we took the Outer Swashway back into Portsmouth to be on the safeside. (It's deeper than the inner one). Time was getting on and the sun was setting, so whilst Dean was helming, Linda took the chance to get this lovely sunset photo. You get a thing about sunsets when you're a sailoress you know....

Sunsets at sea are the best

As it happened, a warship was following us into the harbour. Our mainsail was still up and we couldn't get the opportunity to go head to wind in order to drop the sail. So we had to just keep going until the warship turned off into the Naval Dockyard. 

Once back in the marina we wanted to put the fairy lights back up, as one of our neighbours had commented how nice they looked. Well everybody knows how tangled fairy lights can get and ours are 50 metres long! It wasn't an easy job getting them up the mast in the dark and Dean had one or two (...maybe more) temper tantrums during the process. Oh no....more rum and cokes needed quickly.

We'll be back soon Thésée....you can't keep us away for long xx

Newtown Creek

Saturday 3rd December...

Well here we are once more, I'm getting more used to coming here now. We called at Southampton on the way down today to collect some more rope. How much of the stuff does anybody need. A couple of meters for a good dog lead should be enough for any body.
Any way we managed to get the heating on straight away and the place warmed up to a nice temperature in no time at all.

I managed to snap a couple of quick photos to show you some of the jobs that were being done about the place, it's windy and cold and to be quite frank it's better in side so I retired to the main saloon for a quick afternoon snooze while they carried on.

Some of the Gosport rope mountain

The new lifting davit

Anyway once some of the jobs where sorted out we went out for a quick walk before dinner. I had a great time sniffing around some of the old buildings and the trees after the local dogs, then back on board for my dinner, yummy. Just thought I would have a quick blog while they make their own dinner and then we can have a laugh at strictly. They all look a bit lame to me.

Sunday 4th...

Well were here at last. I slept well last night all wrapped up in my blanket snug as a bug. A quick walk this morning for the usual sniff about and then we were on our way. A cold but chilly day with a nice 18 to 20 knots of wind. Dad ran with two reefs in the main and a reefed genoa for most of the way. The pair of them made a right pigs ear of trying to pick up a buoy in Newtown Creek. Mainly Dad's fault the way I saw it! Mum was great at the helm despite Dad giving garbled instructions. Anyway were here now and safely tied up for the night. Luckily the heating's on. I've had my dinner and watched the sunset for a couple of minutes, (too cold for more than that).
Looks like they want me to pee on the boat tonight as the dinghy has not been brought out for use to go ashore. I'll mess Dad about for a while of course as I normally do and then go back to bed. Pee on a boat...you must be joking.

Sunset over Newtown Creek

Monday 6th....

I had a bit of a restless night although it was peaceful, not a sound and pitch black. We all woke to the the sound of birds calling. We popped our heads out and watched a seal looking for his breakfast (sorry no photo) Dad once again tried the pee on a boat routine....nutter. 

 Mum looking for the seal

Sunrise Newtown Creek

Anyway we had some breakfast. Gravy bones for me of course. We untied the buoy at about 10.30 and headed to Cowes for some diesel.While Dad was filling the boat up Mum tried in vain to make me have a pee on the fueling pontoon, ha ha another nutter....

We had a nice motor sail back to the Ryde area and then sailed back into Gosport. As soon as we had tied up Mum took me for a pee...whoppeeee. Could have gone another few hours without I recon.

We had a nice walk to Gosport to pick up a few bits and bobs and then the pair of them caught me updating the blog...yikes. Hope I still get my dinner.

Blogging Saffy dog

At least my non peeing episode kept them from putting the fairy lights up!