Hovercraft flights

 We were going over to Lee on Solent on Saturday morning and passed the Hovercraft Museum which was having a very busy day including demonstration flights from the slipway adjacent Daedalus in partnership with Hovertravel.

 Seen here heading out into the Solent.

Having never been on a hovercraft I floated the idea that a trip would make a good Dad birthday or Christmas present, there are still some dates coming up this year.

Hovercraft Museum

Hovercraft Ride Days 15-minute demo rides on one of the Hovertravel Hovercrafts! 

 16th October 2021 

13th November 2021 1

1th December 2021 

 Plus there's a Hover Halloween season, event who knew there were haunted Hovercraft

Italian Job

I've had a thing for Italian motorbikes going way back to the days when my school friend Clive had a Garelli moped, a complete contrast from the Mobylette I owned. While my school friends were buying Hondas, Yamahas and Suzukis, I was lusting after the single cylinder Ducati desmo despite the fact that I could only afford an aging Royal Enfield - well at least it was a 250 single. 

Objects of desire were the Moto Morni 350 V twin, the stunningly beautiful Moto Guzzi 750S3 and the fabulous MV Augusta. Of all the two wheeled Italian objects of desire it was the Laverda was top of my list, just like this spotted up near the green recently.

It was on a black background H plate which suggests it's 1969.

Two tone

I spotted this at a local marina thinking I've seen a two tone boat like that somewhere before.

  Later remembering it was The Sailing Frenchman one of many sailing youtubers who sailed an Ecume de Mer - Ann Alie to the Caribbean, now moved on to crew super yachts and race Mini Transats.

Ann Alie was had a similar colour scheme but was fitted with a bow sprit and without the contracting sheer.

Autumn days

 Recent days have seen perfect autumn weather, the mornings misty with a heavy dew settled on cobwebs. The sun breaking through and burning off the mist and the day moves towards a sunny midday. 

 

 

The early trees are starting to turn yellow and brown, chestnuts are falling, bushes are scattered with berries. This picture pretty much represents the day.

 

Jets - captions?

Caption competition

 

The best I could come up with :

The ultimate garden ornament

The gnomes have moved on from fishing

Normally boys toys, maybe these are his and hers?
 

Shilling?

I'm reasonably sure this pretty yawl is a willow Bay Boats "Shilling", she sits on a drying mooring at Emsworth just below the millpond.

 

I think she's called Marjory, and is either new or very well kept, the colour scheme is great.

 An ideal day boat for sailing around the protected waters of Chichester harbour.

Things could be worse

But probably not much.

Walking along the river for a lunchtime break and my eyesight being not what it was, something seemed not quite right going on over at Swanwick hard.

 

Sure enough the owner of the van was having a bad day. The side of the hard changes to deep, soft mud really quickly, very easy to get a wheel caught and then.

I had to go back to work, hopefully they got out ok, HW is at 17.22 so they had a bit of time.