Winch monkey

Our ace jib trimmer in practice at the weekend.

Red Funnel

Pretty much what it says on the tin. It was the hottest weekend of the year, the top deck was full of folks enjoying the short cruise over to Cowes.

Hamble Week

The hottest weekend of the year provided a great start to Hamble Week, a series of events and a regatta which dates back to 1868.

The town quay and fore shore was predictably packed, with music, parades, a crab catching contest, a market and other attraction.

The local Hamble Sea Scouts had brought along a load of canoes for their "Come and get wet" attraction.

Sunshine and people having fun around boats, what else could you ask for!

Thames RAIDERS

I don’t normally write much about other bloggers, but the Thames RAIDERS blog really tickled me as it’s got a historical and family context.

My Mum was a true cockney, born within the sound of Bow Bells before the War, she used to tell me about her childhood, when on Sunday afternoons they would usually have oysters, which had been brought up the Thames fresh from Brightlingsea and Whitstable. Back in those days and even back to Victorian years, oysters were a staple part of the Londoner’s diet.

Several times a week sailing boats would come up the Thames to Billinsgate with tons of freshly caught oysters to supply demand. The trip under sail, especially with light winds would normally take two tides, the boats waiting out the ebb at anchor. In extreme cases, with light or contrary winds, the trip could take as long as a week!

Fast forward 70 years or so, and some of the leading catamaran racers decided to set a new record for the trip, sailing Olympic class - Tornado catamarans. Shadowed by a rib and support team, they raced up the Thames 55 miles from Whitstable to St Katherine’s Dock.

Photo courtesy Thames RAIDers

To qualify each Tornado had to carry 12 oysters (a bit les than the 100 tons which their forebears would have carried). Needless to say the cats did the trip a bit quicker, covering the distance in just over four and half hours at an average speed of 12 MPH.

You can read about the second Thames RAID here, since then there have been trips to Ramsgate, Rye, Alderney, Cherbourg even a circumnavigation of the Isle of Sheppey.

I wonder if I can persuade Erica that we should get a Tornado as a replacement for Greta?

Shopping

Like a lot of men, I really don't like shopping. Most of the things I want I can get on-line, so I don't see the need to go into town with the crowds and parking problems, besides which I can usually think of a dozen things I rather be doing.

That said, Erica has been wanting me to help her choose a couple of chairs and look at rugs and a few other things for the house; which means a trip to the shops, one that I've been putting off for a few months.

Fortunately I'm really not that bothered about football (that's the game with the round ball) so we took advantage of Friday's England - Algeria game in the world cup to go to IKEA. It was great, the car park was empty, and even though we have to walk all around the winding IKEA store, it was empty.

Even the restaurant was empty, so we all had meatballs, before leisurely paying at the check out, no queues, no crowds, that's how shopping should be!!

And from what I hear, I didn't miss much, not seeing the match.

Cruise Ships

It was a change over weekend at the cruise ship dock in Southampton, and the late afternoon high water was ideal for an early evening departure.

It must have been a busy day as no less than four ships departed on the tide.

Below, the ship on the left of the picture has turned west around Calshot Spit buoy, while the one on the right is heading south down Southampton water on it's approach to Calshot.

Yet another liner (below) makes the turn around Calshot slightly obscured by the Warsash fore shore, while in the distance a forth ship heads eastward, along the Solent near to Cowes, having completed the winding "S bend" channel which avoids the Bramble Bank.

Round the Island Race

Today was the annual Round the Island Race, when 1800 or so yachts of all types and sizes race around the Isle of Wight.

We got up far to late for the start, which kicks off from around 6.00 AM onwards with the various classes staggered to improve the racing and to avoid problems with some of the bigger and much faster boats.

Here (above) late morning, the main fleet is rounding Seaview and the No Man's Land fort off the north eastern end of the Isle of Wight. They had already sailed west from the start off Cowes, around the Needles and south off St Catherine's point at the bottom of the island, this was the start of the home stretch back to Cowes and the finish.

Sailing close to the Wight shoreline, past Wootten on the final leg.