Calm sea

Winter sailing - an all to rare opportunity between the rain and gales we've had this year.

Wishing that 2020 brings calm seas and good winds as we voyage through the next decade.

Sailiing on the mill pond

With the boats laid up for winter members of Emsworth Slipper YC were taking the opportunity for Sunday racing on the mill pond.

Rounding the mark, despite the skippers sailing from the shore a few looked cold, with their radio control sets tucked into a sort of giant mitten and no doubt keen to get back to the club house.

Local mud

While we can't compete with the east coast, Emsworth is one of our better low water locations.

Safely settled on the soft mud, it looks like this dinghy is in need of a scrape and clean below the waterline.

The 1960's and 70's were a boom time for small bilge keel yachts like this one, still looking in good shape and hopefully giving pleasure to it's owner.

Merry Christmas

Wherever you are and whatever you're doing have a great time.

Lobster pot Christmas tree -Emsworth quay

Winter Solstice

Which apparently happened at 04.19 today Sunday 22nd December in the northern hemisphere.

Taken a few hours after along the millpond in Emsworth

And out along Fisherman's causeway.

The mill pond.

Dory

Traditional dory sadly now doing duty as a roadside exhibit at Courseulles Sur Mer.

The dory was a popular, traditional beached launched fishing boat with a long history along this part of the Normandy coast. There is an Association des Doris at nearby Hermanville Sur Mer. Loads of good photos on their Facebook pages.

SUP's

I do like paddle boarding but it can be exhausting.

Old Portsmouth

While Joseph was at a trampoline party, we took the opportunity for a early evening walk around Old Portsmouth.

There was a fine view of the Solent from the old fortifications, a yacht making the entrance in the fading light and magnificent sunset.

The Spinnaker tower and Gunwharf, just to the left you can see HMS Warrior with Christmas decorations lighting the foremast.

Still my favorite pub the Still and West.

The whole area around old Portsmouth and the Camber has been improved since we last went with art and craft shops and cafe's installed in the old fortifications and of course Ben Anslie's Americas Cup base.

Fowey again

Despite a frantic autumn, October and November have flown past, we did manage to get down to Fowey for Mrs BB's birthday.

And perhaps as if in recognition of the tiny window of opportunity the weather which was causing flooding in other parts of the country, was fine and settled

The view from our house was spectacular.

Foxy

There's been a couple of what look like young foxes playing in the field at the edge of the woods we overlook and coming into the garden this autumn.

Seen above enjoying a bit of late season sunshine on the roof of an old abandoned field stable.
 

And getting quite comfortable under our oak tree.

 
This morning with a hard frost on the ground one of them came right up to the house looking for scraps Mrs BB had put out for the birds. The magpies and crows who are normally the first to swoop down were all keeping a cautious distance.

Omaha

We've visited the Normandy beaches a few times but had never visited Omaha beach until this year.

American troops landed on two beaches names Charlie and Dog Green at Vierville-Sur-Mer  where this monument provides a poignant reminder.
 

Either side of Vierville are sheer cliffs, while the beaches were heavily defended.

The channel as seen from the massively fortified emplacement on the nearby Pointe du Hoc.