Remembering Stuart

My friend died very early in 2020, over the years we sailed together and enjoyed the occasional evening sipping whiskey. This was a bottle of 12 year old single malt Stuart had given me for a birthday present so it seemed like a fitting tribute to put a ship in it.

 His yacht was an Oyster 43 named Porcelain (last seen locally preparing to head off to the Caribbean with a new owner) so something modern with fore and aft sails seemed more appropriate than a traditional square rigger, plus I like schooners and the additional mast and length seemed to fit the bottle pretty well.

As with many projects life and work get in the way and the parts stood neglected at the back of my office for far too long, but it's finally up and sailing and a nice reminder of days spend with a good friend and mentor.

Shipping Lanes

I'm sure with the optical foreshortening that the two small yachts are no where near the shipping lane, but it's a useful comparison of the types of vessel that share the same and relatively small piece of water. 

 Taking the deepwater shipping  exiting Southampton Water and taking the channel west of the Bramble Bank, before turning east along the Solent and out past the remains of the Nab Tower. Ships operating have a moving exclusion zone 1000 meters ahead and 100 meters to the side, any vessel under 20 meters in length or any sailing vessel is strictly prohibited from entering the zone.

@61

Having attained a few years past 61,  I thought to take issue with the shop owner, "who are you calling antique" but then read the rest of the sign.

 

Classics at Locks Heath

Interesting Morgan at the local Locks Heath classic car rally

More substantial than the three-wheelers but significantly smaller the the later popular Plus 4 and Plus 8's which the model 4/4 with flat radiator was introduced in 1948 and were built until 1955 with both Coventry-Climax or Standard engine.

As with all Morgan's light weight equates to good performance even with the 30-40 HP available from the circa 1200cc  engines 

Altogether different approach to what I think was an Impreza, I've always been amazed how some people can keep the engine bay spotless.

Another English classic below, you can imagine and English road trip back in the days before motorways, picnic hamper for lunchtime stops along the way

 Nice Austin 7, with a display board showing the very extensive restoration, probably better now than when it came out of the factory

 Interesting hot rod with some interesting acknowledgements sign written on the bodywork - drivers Laurel & Hardy, mechanics the Chuckle Brothers..

 

Autumn Mists

Keats' Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness gave a spectacular showing with  morning mists filling the river valley.

 Having slept in a little later than usual, the sun was already burning the mist off from the higher ground, but along the river cloaked stillness remained.

Golden leaves both hung heavy on the trees and carpeted the ground, a few late fruits still on the blackberry bushes. There's a Dorset tradition that after the end of September the devil owns the blackberries which naturally become very sour due to the lack of sunshine to ripen with the shortening days.

As the mist lifted on Bursledon pool the mist still hung on the nearby woods.

 

Evening Calm

With the nights drawing in with the change of season, Hamble Sea Scouts held the last evening boating activity which ended with a clear and still twilight. 

Once the boats were put away there was almost no movement in the creek.

I recall the colours were a little darker and more intense, but that's the price of auto correcting software  in modern phones, which makes taking these pictures possible.

 

Donkey Path

The donkey sanctuary sadly closed in 2025 following the death of the principle, in all the years I can remember there were a couple of garden gnomes on a fallen tree by the entrance to the donkey field ,which I thought had disappeared until I noticed this one tucked away in a nearby tree trunk.

 Nice to see he's still there, we all miss the donkeys though.