Sailing Season

The sailing season got off to a good start with the nice weather we've had during April.

On one of the best days there were over 40 kids out sailing at the Hamble River SC peanut and cadet sessions.

Holly Hill Park

I've lived within a mile of Holy Hill park for 12 years and have never visited until last week. The historic parkland preserves around 35 acres of woodland, ornamental gardens, a grotto and lake which were part of the Holly Hill estate. Created around 1870 it's believed that Joseph Paxton laid out the gardens which diverted a small tributary of the Hamble river on the eastern bank of the Hamble.

The entire park is very peaceful and relaxing, especially so down near the lakes which are populated with ducks and other wildfowl and I understand terrapins which must have been introduced to the area.

There's a splendid carving, I hesitate to call it a totem pole. Presumably a more recent addition.

Well worth a visit  http://research.hgt.org.uk/item/holly-hill-woodland-park/

Low water stroll

We took a stroll along the shore from Hill Head to Lee on Solent at low water recently on a fine but slightly chilly day in early spring.

It's interesting to see how the landscape is revealed at low water, the sculptural effects of the tide and currents, the wild life, undisturbed far away at the water's edge.

Sarsen Stones (Tertiary Quartzite) littering on the shingle beach below the tide marks , apparently carried down and deposited during the ice age.

Details of some more recent structures reaching out into the Solent and which require a warning marker at high water.

Despite the pressures of development all around, this little stretch of the Solent remains quiet and connected to nature.

Waterside retreats

Walking along the foreshore by Hill Head a few of the houses have summerhouses or I guess you could call them cabanas on the edge of the shingle beach.

Above definitely a cabana, if it had palm roof it could almost be a tiki bar, then again if you look closely there's a wood stove to keep things warm which is probably just as well given our climate and the fact that all these huts face the prevailing wind.

Modern garden building design (above) meets North African inspired concrete (below)? There are two of these structures which apart from the decorative bricks over the door and windows made us wonder if they were wartime structures?

Any one of the above would be a great place to watch the sun setting over the western Solent with a beer or glass of wine and something cooking on the barbecue.

Nautical Names

Which also demonstrates that the Bursledon Blog is committed to diversity and equality.

Scuba Do

Finally having waited three long years to be old enough and tall enough to try scuba diving, Joseph went along for a "Bubblemaker" try a dive session at our local Andark drive school on his eighth birthday.

He was the youngest by a long margin, and got a little nervous earlier during the briefing when Mummy had to fill in the disclaimer which acknowledges all the risks involved with diving.

But once in the pool with the rest of the group he followed the instructions and was soon getting his confidence

After a few more exercises he was away and loving it.

Unfortunately PADI doesn't allow open water diving in the sea until he's 12, but there is a "kids diving camp" in the pool coming up in June which mum will be booking him onto.

Mum and Dad were watching from the poolside  thinking we might have to dig out our old diving gear which has been in storage for a long while.

Buggy

A brief automotive interlude - an immaculate Myers Manx beach buggy.

Bruce Myers is credited with original VW based beach buggy using a fibreglass body back in 1964 since when over 5000 have been built.

While Chichester harbour isn't exactly southern California, and the opportunity to take this out on the beach locally is pretty limiting, it's certainly a nice way to get out and about on a spring morning- cue Beach Boys

Birdham Gaffers

Spotted at Birdham Pool on a bright spring day, not quite ready for the season, the blue boat below is curiously called Black Lady, perhaps her black transom is a clue to a former colour scheme.

Definitely black in working boat colours, I did read the name but forgot to write it down.

This may or may not be a gaff yawl, but I'm betting that it is when the mast comes back from presumably winter work, very pretty.

Hot diam

No,not a spell check error but one of the one design Diam 24 trimarans spotted down at Hamble Point recently.

the design was prompted in part by the choice of multi hulls for the Americas Cup, and no doubt some of the other extreme racing machines which have emerged in recent years.

High tech, high performance, one design multi hull for a crew of 3 to 4 which disassembles and can be stored in it's own box container between races. Looks like a lot of fun.

Visibility Poor to Very poor

The marine forecast definitions for visibility are:

Very poor - less than 1,000 metres
 Poor - between 1,000 metres and 2 nautical miles

It was probably on the boarder line maybe just over 1000 meters at the entrance to the Hamble, normally there are clear views across Southampton water to Calshot and Cowes on the Isle of Wight beyond.

New hi performance sailing boat using stepped hydroplane technology

The stepped hydroplane concept, normally used on motor boats introduces air below a boat's hull so that less of the hull is in contact with the water and more area is planing

Spotted this on a trailer in a local marina recently with what at first sight looks to be some kind of  new fangled jet drive, but in fact on closer inspection was revealed to be based on the same principle as the stepped hydroplane, namely to introduce air onto the trailing edge to reduce friction and increase speed.

Clearly this latest design is a much more sophisticated method for controlling and intoroducing differentiated air pressures into the water flow.

At the bow the retractable bowsprit combines what look like water pressure sensors as part of the system.

Can't wait to see it in action.