...and so another Jolly Boys cruise comes to an end after four hugely enjoyable days in the Solent .. yet again it was an absolute cracker with everything from torrential rain and force 5, to brilliant warm sunshine and force 2... good food, good company, a cracking boat, and a huge amount of laughs and banter....
Day 1 (21st) : Portsmouth to Yarmouth
Picked up by Dave at just after 8 in the morning we all accumulated at Rod the Mod's place, collected Smithy, and went on to collect t'other Dave (who was joining us this year) and were on the boat by 10'ish.
Uncannily Smith'y ended up with his own cabin again (how
does he do that?) but without a doubt five is the absolute maximum in a 34' boat, even one as comfortable as this one, which was once again "Ocean Waves of Albany" a Halberg Rassy 342 (with the tiller steering option)
 |
| Not ours - but this is the same make/model.. |
... the 'double' at the back is small and really not made for two blokes, Smithy got that, me and Dave shared the main, Rod and t'other Dave took the pilot berths in the main cabin...
 |
| Dave and I's "pit" for the four days |
So quick chat, store the kit, scramble into wet weather gear and cast off, headed for the sea - took a serendipitous decision to take in two reefs and were pleased we did when we got out of the harbour because, despite what Bramblemet is telling me now, it was a breezy grey, wet and miserable day, but without a doubt we saw some of the best speeds we had in the whole four days on this day. I think I put the benchmark in on this day with a 7.5 through the water (roughly 9.5 or 10 kts across the ground) we were absolutely tanking it as we had at least 2 or 3 knots of tide under us all the way from Portsmouth to Yarmouth (we were thinking Cowes, but we steamed past there so quick we only caught it out of the corner of our eye!)....
Arrived Yarmouth about 4'ish after what was an exhilarating sail, but cold and ready for a cuppa.. cuppa was followed by warm shower, and then we were ready to go - so Rod suggested the
Royal Solent [clicky] for a beer before dinner - lovely clubhouse, amazing views, but poor choice of beer
Dinner that evening was in the
Wheatsheaf [clicky] - recommended
 |
| Bar area is behind the windows just under the name - guarantees a brilliant view while supping your beer! |
Distance: 26.35 miles (cumulative total in the mileage tab at the top of the page)
Wind: F4 gusting F6; SWxS going S
Sail Plan: Double reefed main & #2 jib - engine for manoeuvring...
Speed: GPS track says max speed was 9.5 knots - average speed 6.1(!) knots
 |
| Yarmouth in the grey..... |
Day 2 (22nd) : Yarmouth to Cowes (via Southampton Water)
Slept reasonably well (not a one of us doesn't snore like a strangulated sow - must be an age thing!) up for breakfast and a plate of bacon and sausages later we were ready for anything. We'd had a bare bones plan to try for Poole, but the wind gods were not playing ball (light and on the nose) and there'd be no useful tide until after lunchtime, so an alternative plan was come up with (sorry Phil, no beer in Poole!).. The UK press has been full of stories about the new cruise liner
"Harmony of the Sea's" [clicky], and as we'd never sailed up Southampton Water we thought we'd go and check her out...
 |
| ...what a difference 24 hours makes |
Started sunny and a short sail got us to the mouth of Southampton water but the wind was foul and on the nose so engine on for the trip to the top where we stood in awe of the sheer size of the monstrosity... mucking huge.... three cruise liners were in, in total, as Cunard's Queen Victoria was in as well, can't remember the other one but equally huge... we were all in agreement, none of us would go on one!
 |
| That red thing on the back is a ten storey water slide....! |
We were looking forward to the run back down the water, but sod's law of course the wind went round 180' and the engine stayed on as we raced the torrential rain behind us for the open Solent where is was surprisingly sunny - engine off and a brisk sail took us into Cowes.... we opted for East Cowes, cuppa, slice of Smithy's missus's carrot cake (superb!), shower and we were ready for a beer (
the Anchor) and a curry (
Saffron) both recommended....
Plot for the day..
Distance: 36.27 miles (cumulative total in the mileage tab at the top of the page)
Wind: Started WNW, went round almost southerly, and then went back again (all in the time we werein Southampton Water!); started F2, went up to a solid F4
Sail Plan: Full main & genoa - lot of engine as winds were foul both ways in Southampton water...
Speed: GPS track says max speed was 7.7 knots - average speed 4.8 knots
Day 3 (23rd) : Cowes to Lymington (via Beaulieu)
Monday and not at work - how sybaritic is that! Only one night to go, we all like Lymington (and I think t'other Dave was hoping the East European, young, Helen Baxandale lookalike, was still working in the Chinese
)
Tides would be kicking in about lunchtime so brekkie, papers, lounging, and talking bolleaux for a few hours was the order of the day before heading down river for the Solent....
 |
| ..beautiful morning in East Cowes.... |
The sailing was top notch - a decent breeze and it was sunny, couldn't ask for more, and we had an excellent few hours before making a decision what to do for lunch - either Newtown Creek, or Beaulieu... Beaulieu edged it and we picked up a spare mooring for lunch just past the first bend on the entrance river (and were still caned for £7.50 for the privilege!)... absolutely beautiful and easily as pleasant as Newtown last year... so quiet, all you could hear was birds and waves...
Two hours later we dropped the mooring and headed to Lymington...
 |
...big, wide, open, Solent in all it's glory - looking west to the Needles (left) and Hurst (right)
|
 |
| ..two Dave's in their element.. |
..phoned ahead and got a spot in the Yacht Haven in Lymington - yours truly has some history at Lymington so I opted to take the boat in - what they didn't tell us was that the pontoon we were on was a mite shallow in the entry, and as I approached I didn't see the (tiny) signs to my left (not surprisingly, because as well as the size you had to be parallel to see them!) and we gently came to a halt.... either way what a
mistake-a to make-a.. no harm done - burst of power in reverse and this time I came in closer which made the turn into a tight berth more right angled than I would have liked, but hey-ho - no one died, nothing broken, and we got in - but I still have unfinished business in Lymington....
 |
Grounded here... notice the tiny sign at the top of the break which tells you to keep 10m clear of the breakwater.. well the channel's only 15m wide!
|
All done - time to put the kettle on and decide what to do for dinner.. so after two heavy'ish meals a decision was taken to go light and simple, and after a shower in what must be one of the nicest showers I have
ever been in we wandered off to do exactly that... beers (I thought) were good in the
Mayflower (really nice pint of Otter Bright) but damn expensive (£4+ a pint!), and the others were saying they didn't feel too good after there's (different beer)... food was in the local Wetherspoon's and I think it safe to say it was average at best, plentiful but not as warm as you'd like - but it was cheap....
 |
| Lymington Town Quay... mooring available here too... |
Plot for the day..
Distance: 25 odd miles (didn't have the track on all the time - cumulative total in the mileage tab at the top of the page)
Wind: Top end F3 into F4 at beginning and end, but only F2 while we were moored up; NWxW through N
Sail Plan: Full main & genoa - engine to manoeuvre... err, and get us off the mud bank...
Speed: GPS track says max speed was 6.8 knots - average speed 4.3 knots
Day 4 (24th) : Lymington to Home (via Cowes)
...and so the final day dawned warm and sunny and it was time to head for home... we did toy with the idea over breakfast of going home via the back of the island, but for the same reason as all the other days we wouldn't get a good tide until well after dinner, which would make it a very late finish, on possibly not enough water on the home pontoon so we junked that idea....
What we got instead was a day of good sailing in the Solent in sunshine, with some chat, tea & cake....
 |
| Gurnard ahead - Cowes just around the headland.. |
 |
Newtown Creek entrance just to the left of that yacht
|
 |
| Smithy looking for a MacDonald's |
 |
| As is the universal way we ended up in a "race" with this guy... but he knew what he was doing.. unlike us.... |
...and that was largely it... finished up the provisions for lunch, bit more chat, enjoyed the views of the Medina in the sun, and a few hours later dropped the lines and headed for home... almost one tack once we'd motored to just short of Fishbourne so as to improve the angle, but again the wind gods were kind and it must have top end of a F3 all the way down the Swashhway before turning for the entrance and the small boat channel... very confused waters at the entrance to the harbour, it was springs, so there was a lot of water shifting out, but I've never seen it so fierce..
Moored, tidied up, decanted, re-watered, and then home by 7... I slept well...
The plot..
Distance: 26 odd miles (didn't have the track on all the time - cumulative total in the mileage tab at the top of the page)
Wind:F3 in the morning, solid F4; E going SE around lunchtime
Sail Plan: Full main & genoa - engine to manoeuvre and get us into Portsmouth..
Speed: GPS track says max speed was 6.8 knots - average speed 4.3 knots
The whole plot:
