Day 116  (30/8/13)  Ramsgate to Shotley (via Pin Mill)  (52/2109nm)

Depart 0600, Arrive 1600.

Wind SW F3/4. Sunny and warm. Sailed.

Wonderful sail, beam wind all the way - just perfect. Sailed down the Orwell to Pin Mill to wave to Sandra and friends sailing on Victor a Thames Barge.  Back to Shotley to end my circumnavigation.

Day 114 to 115  (28 to 29/8/13)  Ramsgate

Met Chris Blunkell NVCC (National Voice of Coastal Communities) member.  Discussed EA/Defra coastal policy and the formation of the Blyth Estuary Group.  He is writing a paper on community engagement in coastal policy.  Tomorrow I return to Shotley - the last leg of my four month UK circumnavigation. I am looking forward to returning home.  I have many wonderful memories of the beautiful coast, the sea, the harbours, the wildlife and the interesting people I have met along the way. The start of my journey does now seem a very long time ago. This is a very strange feeling!  

Day 109 to 112  (22 to 25/8/13)  Littlehampton

Caroline and Mike drove me around the area to see the sights including a visit to the east part of the Medmerry realignment site.  Mathew (son) and Claire et fam visited the boat and on the last day Caroline’s son Richard and Claire visited.  Littlehampton Harbour is an excellent place to stay – all the facilities you could want close at hand.

Day 113  (26/8/13)  Littlehampton to Brighton  (19/1979nm)

Depart 1300, Arrive 1800.

Wind NE F3. Sunny and warm. Sailed and motorsailed.

Crew - Matthew and daughters Kitty and Alice.  In the evening met Bron and Martin et fam in the West Quay (Wetherstones) pub in Brighton Marina.

Day 114  (27/8/13)  Brighton Marina to Ramsgate  (78/2057nm)

Depart 0800, Arrive 2100.

Wind NE F3. Sunny and warm. Motored.  Tried to sail when wind increased but it soon died.  The boat needs at least 12kts to meet tidal gates on this long leg.

Day 105 (18/8/13) Hamble to Chichester Marina  (31/1933nm)

Depart 1345, Arrive 2010.

Wind SW F4 Sailed. Sunny and warm.

Day 106  (19/8/13)  Chichester Marina

Took a bus to Bracklesham to see the EA’s £20million Medmerry Managed Realignment scheme. The EA are making a hole in the 400 year old shingle ridge to flood 800ha of SSSI grazing marsh.  This is part of the Government’s plan to realign (abandon) 500Km of rural sea defences by 2030. My guess is that a very large part of the remaining shingle ridge will end up inside the MR site blocking all the sluices.  One to watch I suspect.  Excellent curry in the marina Spinnaker Indian.

Day 107  (20/8/13) Chichester to Sparkes Marina (Hayling Island)  (6/1939nm)

Depart 1200. Arrive 1400.

Wind SW F3.  Motored. Sunny and warm.

Sparkes is a fine marina with an excellent bar and restaurant.  Went to see the EA funded £5million sea defence scheme designed by the East Solent Coastal Partnership.  Met the Partnership Project Manager Marc Bryan. The scheme was designed entirely in house (no consultant or EA design input).  Four new rock groynes and a 1km rock revetment.  67,000 tonnes of Norwegian Rock at £37/tonne delivered - an impressive sight.  Superb locally caught Gilthead Bream in the Piranha Bar followed by a very good  band later in the evening.

Day 108  (21/8/13)  Hayling Island to Littlehampton  (21/1960nm)

Depart 0700,  Arrive 1100.

Wind S F2. Sunny and warm (millpond sea) . Motored.

Met Caroline (sister) and Mike. Lunch at the Good Beer Guide listed pub brewery Gribble Inn at Oving. Barbecue in the evening of tender Sussex Lamb.  Alternator has stopped charging. Ordered a replacement set of alternator power diodes from the USA.  Luckily the marinas on my way back all have shore power to charge the batteries.

 

Day 99 to 101  (12 to14/8/13) Yarmouth IOW

Visited St Catherine’s Lighthouse, the Garlic Farm and the Sharon Orchard Cidery.  Excellent curry in Yarmouth’s Indian Tapas Bar.

Day 102  (15/8/13)  Yarmouth to Lymington Yacht Haven  (4/1889nm)

To Lymington to pick up a replacement for a faulty engine warning buzzer.  Met James, Alison and daughter Boo.

Day 103  (16/8/13)  Lymington to Point Hamble Marina  (13/1902nm)

Depart 1400, Arrive 1630.

Wind W F4. Sailed. Cloudy. Met Kerris (Fellow circumnavigator Rob Cowley’s partner and occasional crew).  Went through my trip photos.

Day 104  (17/8/13)  Hamble Point Marina

Rain and 20kt wind today. Off to Chichester tomorrow.

Day 97  (10/8/13)  Lymington to Yarmouth IOW   (3/1885nm)

Depart 1130, Arrive 1230.

Wind W F4 sunny & warm. Motored.

Walked to the Royal Solent Yacht Club for a pint of Sharp’s Doom Bar and admired the fine view of the Solent.  Much bar talk of Cowes Week and tomorrow’s Fastnet race.

Day 98  (11/8/13) Yarmouth IOW

Saw the Fastnet multi-hulls race past Yarmouth.  Just in the lead was Oman Air followed by the massive Spindrift 2.  I shall follow their progress on the internet.

Day 97  (10/8/13)  Lymington to Yarmouth IOW   (3/1885nm)

Depart 1130, Arrive 1230.

Wind W F4 sunny & warm. Motored.

Walked to the Royal Yarmouth Yacht Club for a pint of Sharp’s Doom Bar and admired the fine view of the Solent.  Much bar talk of Cowes Week and tomorrow’s Fastnet race.

Day 98  (11/8/13) Yarmouth IOW

Saw the Fastnet multi-hulls race past Yarmouth.  Just in the lead was Oman Air followed by the massive Spindrift 2.  I shall follow their progress on the internet.

Day 97  (10/8/13)  Lymington to Yarmouth IOW   (3/1885nm)

Depart 1130, Arrive 1230.

Wind W F4 sunny & warm. Motored.

Walked to the Royal Yarmouth Yacht Club for a pint of Sharp’s Doom Bar and admired the fine view of the Solent.  Much bar talk of Cowes Week and tomorrow’s Fastnet race.

Day 98  (11/8/13) Yarmouth IOW

Saw the Fastnet multi-hulls race past Yarmouth.  Just in the lead was Oman Air followed by the massive Spindrift 2.  I shall follow their progress on the internet.

Day 95  (8/8/13)  Weymouth to Lulworth Cove  (8/1848nm)

Depart 1000, Arrive 1200.

Wind SW F2. Sunny and Warm. Motored.

Anchored along with six other yachts in this beautiful cove.  Many swimming and fishing.  The night brought a strong SW wind and an uncomfortable swell into the cove.

Day 96  (9/8/13)  Lulworth Cove to Lymington Marina  (34/1882nm)

Depart 0600, Arrive 1130.

Wind W F3/4 Cloud then sun, warm. Sailed.

Excellent Seabass in the Bluebird Restaurant.

Day 93  (6/8/13) Brixham to Weymouth  (50/1840nm)

Depart 0245, Arrive 1100.

Wind SW F2. Sunny, warm and windless. Motored.  Moored on Custom House Quay pontoon on the inside of a 4 yacht raft.  Weymouth is a fine town with many good shops and restaurants.

Day 94   (7/8/13)  Weymouth

Dinner with Mike and Kips, daughter Liz and her children Edward and Florence.  Off tomorrow to anchor in Lulworth Cove.

Day 90  (3/8/13)  Kingswear to Brixham  (8/1790nm)

Depart 1400, Arrive 1640.

Wind SW F4 Sailed. Sunny and warm.

Dinner of grilled sole in the Crab Quay Restaurant was excellent.

Day 91 to 92  (4 to 5/8/13)  Brixham Marina 

Provisioned and laundered.  Met a fellow sailor who knew the boat and had sailed to the Scilly Isles with John Oakeley, the first owner.  Off to Weymouth at 0400 tomorrow.

 

Day 87  (31/7/13)  Fowey to Salcombe  (41/1764nm)

Depart 1030, Arrive 1700.

Wind SW F4. Cloud and mist.  Sailed at 6kts for most of leg.

Moored on visitor’s pontoon some distance from the town.

Day 88  (1/8/13)  Salcombe to Kingswear (Dartmouth)  (18/1782nm)

Depart 1200, Arrive 1600.

Wind SW F2/3.  Sunny and warm with fog patches. Motorsailed. 

Sailed close inshore to see the beautiful beaches of Lannacombe, Beesands and Torcross. The 3800 tonne square-rigger barque Sea Cloud 2 moored in Dartmouth Harbour during the evening.  She carries 96 passengers and was built for her German owners in 1999. She left the following morning.

Day 89  (2/7/13) Kingswear (Darthaven Marina)

Took a ride on the Dart Valley Steam Railway to Churston to see the Torbay Steam Fair.  Arrived to see a beautifully restored 1909 Stanley steam powered car driving fast around the ring - apparently it can reach 45mph on the flat, not bad for 1909. Perhaps one of the most bizarre sights at the show was Willem Kelder’s enormous 9m x 3m 118 key fairground organ ‘Victory’ playing at full volume, Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven – quite stunning.  Superb Irish folk group ‘Black Velvet’ performed in the well stocked real ale marquee.  In the evening I took the ferry to Dartmouth for a walk and provisions from the Co-op.  Tomorrow afternoon off to Brixham in the sun.