More mud!

When we set off on our coastal adventure I never expected to see so much mud! I guess that's what you get for exploring tidal rivers. It's getting a lot more busy around Cowes now in preparation for Cowes week which starts on Saturday. It was good fun watching the boats moving about outside The Folly Inn yesterday. A lot of people head up river for lunch or an evening meal and then sail back to their mooring for the evening. Watching them trying to set off after a couple of drinks can be quite entertaining! Around 8pm a very impressive speed boat around 40 foot long moored alongside us and it's passengers disembarked already somewhat wobbly! I think the owners had been taking them for an evenings cruise - at very high speed! They headed straight for the pub where I imagine a stiff drink was quickly ordered! They piled back on the boat a couple of hours later and headed straight back out to sea.... rather them than me!!!
We tried to have a long lie in yesterday as we knew we couldn't get up to Newport much before 12pm. As is usually the case we were wide awake and got up to wait for the tide. We set of with intrepidation watching the water level. It was pretty low so we had to follow the channel carefully. In addition there were three sailing schools out in force for us to avoid. The trip went without incident and we reached Newport Harbour about 12pm. We expected the harbour to be quiet. We didn't think there would be much for the sailing yachts in a place so dependant on tides. We were wrong. We passed boat after boat after boat, all with ridiculous gaps between them! It's amazing how invisible you can become when assistance may be needed. Trying to catch the attention of someone on a boat so you can ask them if they could move up a little proved impossible. We eventually reached the end of the harbour and realised there was virtually no room to turn around! We weren't sure what to do for the best so Martyn just gave it a go and turned her round on a pin, thank goodness! Still, we had a problem. We travelled back on ourselves still trying to see if anyone was willing to help without success. We found one space where someone had just left, would we fit? Martyn didn't think so and one of the boats had it's tender tied up behind it. We thought it was worth a try..... Martyn moved in nose first, the tender gently moved out of the way, would the back fit? At one point it looked impossible, then, we were in! 42ft of boat in a 44ft mooring (or something like!) It really was an impressive bit of boat handling! The owners of the boat with the tender never even looked our way even thought they were aboard! We spent the next half hour waiting to be told off by someone. We were OK though, the guy from the Harbour Masters office came to see us and said there was no problem. He then started asking people to their boats where possible to allow more people in. It really is unfair that people use so little thought and follow that by being ignorant when it is clear that people need assistance. They clearly forget how awful it can be to arrive at your destination with no room at the Inn! Anyway enough of the moaning, this is supposed to be fun! Newport is a pretty good place and the Harbour guys are really cool and helpful. We have electric, water and a full range of shops including a really good Morrisons! All for the princely sum of £14 a night, now that's what I'm talking about - almost like a BOGOF compared to what we've been paying! So a minimum of two nights is a must. There is a small issue with children fishing from the pontoon but there seems to be quite a few people around. Did I mention the mud? This harbour dries out completely at low tide so once again we spend a lot of time sat in the mud. Good job she's an elephant, I think she enjoys it really!
A lot of boats have left this morning, I imagine they will be heading for Cowes in preparation for the excitement of Cowes week. We're not sure what to do tomorrow. The weather is good enough to get across to the mainland, however we feel like staying put for a couple of days. Our next weather window is Monday so we may stay and catch a bus into Cowes at some point to join in the fun!

Comical weather!

We had a lovely evening in Bembridge at The Baywatch Inn. We bought a bottle of wine and sat next to the beach as the sun went down. We had expected it to be quiet being a Sunday night but the place was packed, so the food must be good!
We have been doing the usual weather checks and seem to find that a good dose of rain, sun, wind, calm, good visibility, poor visibility fore 2, 3, 4 possibly 5 is pretty much forecast for the next few days! This being the case we decided to head for Ryde, approx 5 miles from Bembridge. We chose our time in accordance with the tide (Ryde Marina dries out) and the windfinder website. After the usual game of dodgems with the local sailing schools we made our way back to open water. One thing that was a big surprise on this trip was the depth of water. We were a long way out with still only 6 or 7 feet below us. Not wanting to get too close to the shipping lane we followed the shallow until we reached the channel for the marina. Just as we turned into the channel we saw the hovercraft setting off. The hovercraft is based right next to Ryde marina and takes 10 minutes from Ryde to Southsea - that's an hour for us! We were fine where we were but there were two sailing boats just crossing to the channel from the West side. It looked pretty close from where we were but they all missed each other. We entered the marina and were shown exactly where to berth by the Harbour Master. We expected it to be quiet here for some reason but it was crazily busy! An enormous catamaran followed behind us. I've never seen anything like it before or apparently so difficult to manoeuvre! We found out the boat was only four weeks old so extreme caution was required around it! Once again we had neighbours alongside but of a similar variety to ourselves. A classic wooden motor cruiser which had just been re-launched after about ten years. It was all good fun and very exciting!
Being in Ryde on our boat was very strange. We know the place itself very well after attending one of the biggest scooter rallies in Europe there on a yearly basis. Just walking through the streets without them being full of scooters and scooterists and without the ever present smell of two stroke oil was unusual to us to say the least! We missed our friends at that point quite badly.
We had a good time in Ryde, the Harbour Master was an absolute star. That being said we were quite keen to move on and get round to Cowes so we could explore the River Medina. The weather forecast was similar to the day before so once we were floating we should be OK as long as we were back in port before 1pm (ish).

Our neighbours left around 11am, apologising for the smoke.... ha ha... if only they knew how smokey we were!! Just as we set off it began to rain, and blow. At least we were inside so the rain didn't matter much. We had an exciting 5 mile trip around to Cowes. We had to pass the hovercraft, the fast cat, the Wightlink ferries in and out of Fishbourne as well as the ferries in and out of Cowes. Firstly to dodge was the hovercraft, I was on lookout, it wasn't moving so no problem. I sat down and out of the corner of my right eye I saw it, the fast cat - it's fast! We had no option but to increase speed at this point and hope it was heading for where we thought it was heading. A few tense moments later we were out of the way and sweating a little. Eyes in the back of your head are needed around here!! Next job, Fishbourne and the Wightlink ferries. One ferry was in port, one waiting to go in. The one in port started moving, umm, not so sure what will happen here. Sure enough the ferry in port was heading back out for the mainland as the one waiting headed in. Trying to gauge its possible path I said to Martyn "What's your plan?" "I'm just going to keep my course across" he replied. I looked at him, looked at the ferry, looked at our speed, looked at the ferry. "Do you think we'll make it?" "Dunno". Gulp! Martyn looked at me and said "Do you want me to turn around and pass behind it?" "Sounds like a good idea" I replied. I was wrong! It turned out that the course the ferry was taking meant we would have been well out of the way before it got anywhere near. Now we had to deal with wash from both ferries. It was lumpy, bumpy and choppy. Water was thrown all over the place. Yet again I must make my apology to Martyn and promise not to interfere on matters of navigation! It was flipping big and fast though!
We turned the corner and were met with the amazing view of Cowes, and another really fast ferry! It was so fast though that it was in port, turned around it's passengers and was just starting on its return journey as we passed it in Cowes!
You can go out in the calmest of weather and the wash of one boat can cause you the biggest problem. We battled with the wash of a variety of different boats, speed boats, pilot boats, big cruisers even the yachts motoring cause a wash. It's all good fun though and you get a bit of a buzz with all the excitement. Cowes is a very expensive place to moor so we thought we would head up river to the Folly Inn. We are again without shore access, apart from the dinghy! We also have no electric or facility for water so we will just spend the day chilling and make our way into Newport tomorrow where hopefully we can re-charge our batteries and stock up the fridge. At last we don't have to worry about the comical weather for a day or two!

Isle of Wight - not via Wightlink!!!

We walked for miles yesterday and awoke achy (yes I am rather unfit!)and to the sound of rain on the roof again. The plan was to get up and away for around 10am. After pressing the snooze button on the alarm twice I reluctantly got up and went for my shower. As I got off the boat the lady who owned the boat next to us advised me that the berth holders of the mooring we were on were due back around 10.30am - better get a move on then! The weather looked a bit dodgy to say the least! Black clouds dominated the skies and the rain started to fall again. What would we do? I got back to the boat and told Martyn that the berth holders were on their way back and we would have to move one way or another. We checked the forecasts, we now use four different websites! All looked OK except for one which was forecasting moderate seas and force 4 to 5! This was enough to put serious doubt in our mind. Ever since the Dungeness trip we have been more than wary of relying on just the Met office forecast. We ummed and aarghed for ages, the skies got blacker. Martyn went to the office to see if they would have another berth if we decided to stay. We were told there was room and initially decided that if neither of us was sure we shouldn't go. OK - let's move on to the other berth and stop for another 2 nights....... or poke our nose out and see what happens, we can always come back in! We decided to give it a go we didn't really fancy another night at Southsea. There was something strange and a little claustrophobic about the marina. The people were lovely but we just didn't feel comfortable there. We headed back out, through the wibbly wobbly channel and towards the imposing looking Isle of Wight. The sea state was very strange, sometimes calm, other time rolling, then choppy. The sky looked as though at anytime we would be in for a storm. We crossed the shipping channel with caution, both on lookout. We saw a pilot boat heading back into land and immediately starting looking for the moving ship! All the ships remained at anchor and we passed through without problem. As we approached Bembridge it got busy again, everyone appeared to be coming out as we were coming in! I never cease to be amazed at the age of some of the kids out there sailing without a care in the world, I wish I could remember what it was like not to be so scared sometimes!!

We followed the channel in looking for the visitor pontoons which weren't hard to find. We fit perfectly on the end which is where we always like to be - out of the way! Bembridge is very pretty but dries out so we have been back on the mud again! There are some amazing houseboats here. We have done the usual trek for provisions (why am I not a size 10 yet?)and had a quick look around Bembridge. It's picture postcard stuff here. We have a neighbour, it's really common to raft up down here i.e. moor side by side. So far that has not happened to us - until now. Not a problem for us but I do feel sorry for the people on the small fibre glass sail boat tied alongside! They seem like very nice people so I hope they don't mind too much! Tonight we are going for a walk along the beach - weather permitting and tomorrow we might head for Ryde, the town that hosts the annual scooter rally and home of The Cod Father - the fish and chip shop Martyn always insists on going to when we're are there! It was quite apt that we should see a group of scooters riding through Bembridge this afternoon - they are a little early for the Bank Holiday though!

Southsea - I can see the Isle of Wight from here...!

Yesterday we arrived in Southsea. I have been very keen to get to here following time spent googling the place on the Internet.
We made our way to the entrance to the channel for Southsea marina, as we did so we heard a radio conversation between a marina and a boater. The boater was asking for permission to enter an unidentifiable marina for an overnight berth and was being advised that there was no room at the Inn! Oops! Could that be Southsea? We had not considered that it might full and didn't have a plan B! We were quite close to the boats at anchor on the channel and the channel itself. I have mentioned before that it is all but impossible to hear the radio and be heard with the engines running so we have to all but shut down the engines to use it. This presented a problem, the flow was fast and the boats were very close. Martyn got us steady enough to radio through and we held our breath hoping to hear a different voice on the radio to the one declining a berth. We needn't have worried we recived confirmation that they had room for us and gave instructions of where could moor up for the night. One thing that happens on a regular occasion, this being no exception is that nobody can hear the name of the boat correctly. The Northern accent probably doesn't help down here!! We really should have given more thought to the name of our boat it causes endless confusion over the radio. We have not yet to be asked for it to be spelled phonetically but that day is bound to come, hope Martyn's ready!

The channel to Southsea marina is something of a challenge, I would not recommend attempting it at night or in fog. You are so close to other boats and the channel twists and turn, the entrance is something else! We are quite narrow comparatively but still had concerns over the width of the entrance. We got in without drama though, always a bonus! The people that run this marina are some of the friendliest we have met so far. We were made very welcome, paid our dues and headed off to the local shop for provisions. We didn't do too much for the rest of the day. We had a walk to the beach, watched the Hayling ferry and discovered some very unusual houseboats, some of which appear inhabited, some don't. Many look like old lifeboats but have so many holes in them you would need more than a draft exluder to keep them warm. They are way above the point at which the sea comes in so at least they won't sink! We had some entertainment for the afternoon, unfortunately at the expense of a boat owner. The yard lads were moving a boat from one end of the marina to the other. Disaster struck when it fell off the trailer blocking the road and causing chaos for around four hours - oops!!! Martyn was fixated watching the drama that ensued. A crane was required in the end. Not quite the Goole Boathouse way.......

Today we thought we would walk into Southsea, it looked picture postcard on the Internet, that's if you can find it! We walked for quite some time along the seafront without problem. There was some sort of carnival going on, although no posters to tell you what for! We located Southsea shopping centre and I have to say I was a little disappointed! I expected lots of unusual shops and was met with the usual high street garbage! We spent most of the day walking for miles trying to find places. The inevitable happened on the way back, we got lost! Martyn had been told that the place to be was Albert road. We had already tried to find it in the morning without sucesss. We eventually found it around 6pm this evening and then got lost again trying to get back to the marina. I'm beginning to believe I don't do inland anymore!

What really amazed me today was the view on the coastal road from the marina to Southsea front. The Isle of Wight is so prominent and the sail boats just seem to fill the horizon! It makes for a nerve racking scene when you think you will have to navigate it very soon! We watched the Isle of Wight ferries in and out and found ourselves at the ferry terminal where we have been so many times on the scooters. As we passed by I remembered how excited and relieved I used to be to arrive here! It was the end of the big road adventure and the beginning of a five day party with good friends and always the promise of making more! I feel quite sad that this year we probably won't do that, at least not by scooter!

Itchenor, to Chichester, to Southsea!

We are enjoying exploring the harbours around the Solent, however there appears to be little in the way of an Internet connection! Even at Chichester it was a struggle so I apologise for the lack of news in recent days! We have been still been on the move.
Ichenor was good fun and lovely and sunny. Martyn spent most of his time in the dingy - I'm still not convinced it will seat us both without sinking and am waiting for a less public place to test it out! We managed to do a few jobs including some painting, not that you can tell now. Mostly we bummed about doing nothing. It's a great place for it as the boats passing by appear as an endless stream. We sat happily for hours watching them pass. We now know that our batteries are pretty much at the end of their life. I refer only to the batteries that supply the lights, fridge etc. We were on candle power by the second night listening to the fridge trying to squeeze some life out. We were ready to head into Chichester Marina for a good old recharge and a warm shower!
We had been in Itchenor a day longer than originally planned so didn't leave until Wednesday, it just happened to be my Birthday so I was looking forward to a tea time treat at the on site restaurant.
Martyn had phoned through just before we set off and we had been advised to tie up on the visitor pontoon outside and head up to the office to be allocated a berth. Just as we released the ropes we spotted a sail boat heading down the channel in the same direction we wanted to go. We let it through and followed it on route to Chichester. It was slow.....! Approx 2-3 knots! We got behind the only boat we had seen on the channel in two days doing less than 8 knots! Chichester Marina can only be accessed 5 hours before and after high tide, not really a problem. Access is usually by a lock but at certain states of tide they have what they call free flow when both gates are open and you just go through if the light is on green. We had got up early to try and hit free flow... Guess what? We missed it - we really are far to polite some times! It wasn't a problem, I'm just not a big fan of locks. The boat in front tied up on the pontoon and went in to sort their berth out, we followed. We entered the office and stood patiently awaiting our turn. The lady from the sail boat turned around to look at us at one point, so I smiled hello and received a look that is quite hard to describe. Something resembling horror and disgust! Very charming. As I said maybe we should start to be a little ruder! They even insisted on going through the lock alone. It really is a shame that some people must try so hard to be unpleasant! I wasn't about to let it ruin my day though. The people in the office were lovely and we got a discount on the mooring which made up for the unpleasantness of the woman. Locking through was quite amusing. We didn't know the protocol for this lock, everywhere seems to have one though. I was ready with my bow line to tie on, Martyn usually gets the stern. Except the lock keeper was trying to hand me a line and insisted it went on the stern. So I am in the wrong place, doing the wrong thing as usual. We got sorted in the end and awaited the big ascent.... I think we went up half an inch, it was so funny! All that palaver for half an inch!!
We found our berth easily enough and Martyn went to sort the electric out. We had been given a code to enter into a bollard on the pontoon to get the electric, it didn't work! We had been using the inverter at Itchenor so Martyn set about going through everything on the boat that might be the cause of the failure. No joy! He eventually called the marina and by the time I had had my shower power was restored. All was well again, and it wasn't our fault! It turned out that electrical faults are quite regular. Not surprising considering the tale Martyn told me later. As I headed off down the pontoon I overhead a chap on sailing boat preparing his crew for a trip out. He was giving them their instructions and advising what would happen as they left the berth etc - all very authoritative and knowledgeable. When I got back to the boat Martyn was giggling to himself. He too had heard the chap talking to his crew and watched as they released their lines and set off.... With the electric lead still plugged in....! The lead actually broke off leaving the plug in the socket! Apparently the chap was last seen quickly pulling in the wire quickly trying to disguise the event! It doesn't always pay to be too clever!
We knew there was a small shop on site where we might pick up a few provisions so we headed off to stock up. We would have been fine if we only needed cold beer and a navy times! We made do with our existing provisions and went back out to enjoy a couple of drinks in the bar. A lovely day was had and I greatly enjoyed my Ribeye steak later that evening. We drank the final bottle of champagne which had been given to me as a good bye gift, after that it was 'goodnight Vienna!' Neither of us can remember going to bed! I blame the champagne!
We awoke to the sound of rain on the roof. We had intended going back to Itchenor on Thursday for the cheap mooring but neither of us were moving too quickly. We missed the morning penning out time and decided to stay and head into Chichester for the day. We thought we would walk.... Shouldn't take long.... We arrived in Chichester around 3.45! We had left around 2pm.. Chichester marina? Not so close to Chichester!!! We followed the canal path which was OK but quite overgrown in places. There were lot's of moorhens and ducks, it was a bit like being back in Hebden Bridge to be honest. We were quite tired when we arrived so stopped for refreshment before heading into the city. I have to say I thought Chichester was lovely! So many nice shops and buildings, we were quite impressed. We had some tea at the Slug and Lettuce before getting a taxi back. It was all a bit frivolous for two unemployed people but I made the excuse that it was still my birthday!

This morning we were up early again ready to diesel up and head for Southsea. We had quite an audience this morning on the lock. I have to say the lock thing really makes me giggle, when you're used to places like Ocean lock and the lock at Hull Marina the protocol seems excessive to say the least! We had two people waiting to give us the ropes this morning and make sure we were in the right place, all for a 30 second descent! We were back into the channel through all the boats and back out to sea. It's such a different feeling when you get back on the big water. I would highly recommend the Chichester channel to anyone wanting an adventure, there's so much more to go at than we did as well. It's a very beautiful place and one that I would love to go back to.

We followed a very nice Dutch sailing boat out to sea and set on our course for Southsea, literally just around the corner (or buoy!). I'll tell you more about our adventures here later!

Venturing into the unknown......19/07/2010

We left Brighton at 5.30am this morning following a rather late night trying to get the most out of our time at Brighton. We awoke bleary eyed to a red sky, not the best prediction for the day and set back out to sea. It was still a bit choppy following the terrible winds from previous days but nothing to be worried about. I made some undrinkable tea - guess the water is very hard in Brighton - yuk! Then made coffee which we drank with the now traditional breakfast chocolate. It's a winner - honestly!
We followed the coastline, passing Brighton Pier, Shoreham, Worthing, Littlehampton and Bognor Regis. It was all lovely the colours of the morning sky made everything look extra nice.
We looked ahead of us and both decided that the land mass we could see must be Selsey Bill, considering the size of it. For some reason we both had it in our heads that Selsey Bill was rather large. We had been going for some time, making good speed. There was little in the way of traffic to watch so we just enjoyed the view. At some point near Bognor Regis Martyn turned to me and said " I don't know where we are..." "What do you mean? There's Selsey Bill in fron of us". I looked at the GPS and the paper chart, he was right. The large mass in front us wasn't Selsey Bill. Selsey Bill was the low land to our right... good job we're not sailing round the world! What we were looking at was the Isle of Wight! Neither of us expected it to be so big or so close to the mainland. You wouldn't believe we have travelled to the Isle of Wight almost every year for the last 12 years or more! You lose your sense of perception sometimes out at sea, we were heading in the right direction at least so there was no problem, just a surprise!
As we turned the corner things got a whole lot busier. We were among commercial traffic, alongside sailing boats, motor cruisers and fishing boats. We could see ferries in the distance but luckily for us we wouldn't be getting anywhere near them, not just yet anyway!
We arrived at the entrance to Chichester Channel and it was pretty busy for a Monday! Doesn't anyone work in this country anymore......(joke!)!? Trying to judge navigation around sailing boats is not always easy, they change their course and speed unexpectedly and it can be quite nerve racking trying to ensure that you don't upset them. This is not really an option for us as we seem to upset them just by our presence on a regular basis. Not all of them I must add, but a large percentage unfortunately.
Working our way up stream towards Itchenor was heavy going. We followed a sail boat doing around 3 knots and didn't feel comfortable to pass so stayed behind until he eventually pulled in somewhere. On arrival at Itchenor we came across a section where boats were moored up on buoys all through the channel, you had to try and pick the best route through. This was coupled with the local sailing schools and countless number of tiny children in sailing boats everywhere. It was terrifying for us, when you see two tiny children, around 5 or 6 years of age in a tiny plastic sailing boat heading right for 18 tonne of steel boat that you are in charge of, with nowhere else to go.......!
We all survived non the less and we located the visitor pontoon at the far end of Itchenor, it was lovely and empty! We moored up sorted out the harbour dues and mooring fees and finally settled down to some breakfast at 11.30am!
We had a surprise visitor too, Paul and Denise from Goole. Martyn used to work with Paul at Goole Boathouse so he was very happy to see them. The pontoon we are on is not linked to land but they arrived just as Martyn was on his way to the harbour office in his dingy. I believe a quick half at the pub with them was consumed before they headed back 'oop North!' Hope you had a good journey home - sorry I didn't get to say "Hi!".
So, Itchenor, never really heard of it before if I'm honest! It's somewhere near Chichester and it's actually quite lovely! We have no electric, no facility for water, no fancy toilet or shower block and no immediate neighbours. What we do have is sunshine, lots of food and enough alcohol just to get us through the night without entertainment. We also have each other for company and lots of boats to watch passing by. Things could be so much worse!

Time for chapter two of the adventure.....

We have been in Brighton now for five nights, tonight will make it six. When I envisioned our time in Brighton I saw blue skies, calm seas and drinking champagne on the deck. What we actually got was high winds, rain and waves over the harbour wall! The first thing we did on arrival was head to the pub to congratulate ourselves on reaching Brighton in our home made boat! We had a great evening although the details are a little sketchy following the champagne. I had saved the bottle given to me from work as a leaving present especially for this event it was lovely and provided us with a good nights sleep!
We awoke the following morning excited at the prospect of exploring Brighton. We had a lovely day and didn't think too much about the weather, we had a little rain but it was still warm and quite sheltered in the town.
We returned to the boat that evening just as the wind was starting to pick up. As the evening wore on it got rougher and rougher. The boat was rolling from side to side on the mooring. The big yachts were having a worse time of it, especially the ones rafted together. Waves were flying over the harbour wall and we were getting covered in salt water again - more rust! At one o'clock in the morning Martyn was out helping a French sailor next to us put out extra fenders. It was all a bit mad and has continued to be so ever since. I believe at one point it was gusting 78mph! We were amazed at how much it affected the water in the marina and the noise from all the masts was constant.
We have been surrounded by French, German, Swedish and Dutch boats during our time here. It's a bit like spot the English boat - that will be us then! It's great though. We watched a group of French sailors spend the day drinking and watching the waves come over the wall sat in their waterproofs. By the end of the day they were climbing up the masts, we still have no idea what they were doing up there but they seemed to be having fun! You can't beat a bit of crazyness every now and then!
Today, for the first time, motor boats have begun to turn up in the marina. Many of the sailing boats have gone. The sign of more motor boats moving is good for us, it means it's calming down - I hope!
We have had a great time in Brighton even though it's been a bit choppy! Martyn had an extra special treat last night. Elephant Daze is named after a song by Kirk Brandon from Spear of Destiny. By some amazing coincidence they were playing in Brighton last night, it would have been rude not to go! Kirk didn't disappoint even though the venue was so tiny, we were all packed in like sardines! We decided to forgo our bus fare home for another drink and walked the two miles or more back - it was worth it!
This trip has brought together so many things from our past, our present and will hopefully point us in a good direction for the future. We joked to some of our friends that we will be doing the scooter rallies by boat this year and although we have been in or near places that we have visited by scooter we have yet to be there at the right time! It's quite mad to think that we have actually achieved what we always said we would. At Brightlingsea we were close enough to swim to Mersea Island, Wallasea Island brought back amazing memories with some great friends and now here we are in Brighton! I love Brighton and it would be so easy to stay but I have an urge to stick my nose round the corner and see what happens on the next leg of the journey. This is supposed to be an adventure after all!

Brighton.......

We pulled in at Newhaven on route to Brighton, it was all a bit changeable out at sea and we didn't want a repeat of last week when it blew up badly! We quite liked Newhaven but it was so noisy with the ferry and the steel recycling point not to mention the seagull noises blasted out every hour over a tannoy, presumably to scare off the seagulls!
We thought we might have an evening cruise to Brighton the following day but the weather seemed to change every time we looked at it. I awoke at around 7am and peeked out to see thick fog. I could hear the raindrops on the roof and thought the best course of action would be to return to bed and forget about Brighton for today. The problem was that the weather was forecast to be bad until the following Sunday, a week in Newhaven? Umm a couple of days maybe but a week would be a struggle. We had a good lie in and re-checked the weather on the Internet. It didn't look that bad. The German visitors next to us set off about 11am, just as the skies cleared and the sun came out. It looked like the best time for us would be around 2pm so we thought we would get showered and tidy up then take a walk up to the harbour wall and see how it looked. It looked OK to me, the flags at the fort on the top on the hill were still. We decided to go for it and arrived back at the boat in time to hear someone on a sailing boat being told off by harbour control via the tannoy for entering the harbour without permission! Oops - at least it wasn't us this time!!. There was a huge ship coming in so we had to wait for that to clear before leaving.
It was a little lumpier than I had imagined, oh dear, sorry Martyn! Martyn hadn't been over keen to leave but I had kind of persuaded him and felt immediately guilty. What if it turned into a repetition of the Rye trip? It was only 6 miles but anything can happen within that 6 miles. Then we spotted the buoys, were they crab pots or markings for nets? We weren't sure but they were everywhere and with the lumpy sea it was difficult to keep on course and away from them. In addition we spotted two fishing boats pair trawling. They required a wide berth so we were trapped between the trawlers and the orange buoys. A couple of miles from Brighton the sea seemed to calm down although there were grey skies ahead. I looked back at where we had come from and saw the sun shining on Beachy Head - typical! We arrived safely and in good time though which was a relief.
We called Brighton marina and were given our instructions for where to berth up. This is always the most stressful, especially when you don't know the layout of the marina. We found the berth allocated and looked at each other, oh no! The berth looked only just big enough for us and was surrounded by very expensive looking sailing boats. Luckily we had a helping hand from one of the children on one of the boats and pulled in without issue.
So here we are, in Brighton. A place that when we arrived here by scooter back in the nineties I could only dream of arriving by boat. It's a special place to be!

Newhaven, not quite Brighton, but an adventure non-the-less!!

We spent a lot of time yesterday checking different weather forecasts, as usual they were all different! We decided that we had a weather window in the morning, providing we got up early enough. We had until about 11am to get into Brighton, considering it was only about 16 miles away we thought if we left around 8am we should be fine. We awoke to the sound of rain on the roof, an alien sound these days, we have have had rain only once during our trip when we were travelling from Wallasea island to cross the Thames. It didn't look good! There were bands of black skies above us but they looked mainly to be inland so we got diesel and locked out at 8am. The rain began to fall whilst we were in the lock but didn't last. We followed a fishing boat, which was away immediately, and a sailing boat motoring along without sail. Once out at sea it was reasonably calm but again eerily rolly, so far this has been a sign of bad seas to come, this time was not much different. Our aim was to head for Brighton however Newhaven was always an option if the weather blew up. We were both apprehensive, the sea didn't feel good and seemed to alter state often. We were only managing to pull about 5 knots so the going was painfully slow and we were more than aware of our weather window. As we approached the lighthouse at Beachy head the weather closed in. It was almost impossible to see where we were heading for, our stress levels began to rise, we didn't really say much apart from "Newhaven?" "Yes". We were about 6 miles away from Newhaven travelling about 5 knots, it would have been quicker to swim to shore and walk, but we persevered. The rain came down and the ferry leaving Newhaven didn't help the situation, even though it had left the area some time ago the wash was pretty strong. I kept looking back to see if the sailing boat we came out with was still with us, it was, I don't know where they were heading for but I hope they had a safe journey. We arrived at the Harbour and requested permission to enter, we are moored up at Newhaven marina and may not move now until after the weekend. It's not quite Brighton but it's a much better option than repeating our mistake of last Monday when we had the option of going in at Dover and didn't!
Newhaven is maybe a little like Goole in places but we have already found a great pub called The Ark and a place to buy locally caught fish really cheap! If we have to stay here a while it might not be so bad - maybe we can touch up a few of those rusty bits!!
Stay posted!

C'mon baby let the good times roll!

When we pulled into Eastbourne I didn't expect to be here for three days and I didn't expect a visit from a friend who was and still is a significant figure in both mine and Martyns' lives.

We locked into the marina, so far one of the quietest, or so I thought! We had arrived on Friday and thought that there was not much going on. I was wrong, this is one of the busiest marinas I have ever been into in my life! Boats from all over Europe in and out, local boats, including fishing boats sharing locks. I have never seen as many boats rammed into locks together. Two locks were in use on Saturday, one sea bound the other inbound it was an amazing spectator sport.
I digress, we shared the lock with a couple from Leeds on arrival. They have spent the last forty years living here and have just retired to enjoy their boat. This is a common theme, not just in Eastbourne but all the way through our trip so far, lots of retired people. We get various reactions, there are the negative and positive about the boat and the negative and positive about us as people - we are under 50 which seems to be below the acceptable age! Eastbourne has so far been about 80% negative about the boat and maybe 50/50 about us. It's a shame.... It doesn't help that the salt has been very aggressive and we are starting to look very rusty, we have lost a lot of paint from the hull, to the ignorant onlooker it looks as if we haven't maintained the boat for some time, ignorance is sometimes bliss and provides a great soap box on which to make comment, but you and I we know better.....What amuses me most is when a couple pass by and the chap stops to have a look. The lady with him will be looking at the big white plastic boat somewhere in the vicinity with the sunbathing platform and he will be looking at Elephant Daze. Elephant daze might not be pristine white, and made of plastic but we built her, we live on her and we love her. How many people can say they built their own home?

Anyway, less of the negative, these marinas just get a little claustrophobic!

Yesterday we had a visitor, a visitor that I am very glad to call a friend and one whom back when I first met Martyn I would never of dreamed of having the privilege of calling him so.

Back in 1989 I met Martyn at a party in the woods above Hebden Bridge and he wooed me with a rendition of blue suede shoes. The same blue suede shoes that he was kicking against the wall when I got dropped off at Hebden Bridge train station by my friends mum. That was the first time I saw him. I can honestly say that right there and then I knew I'd met my soul mate. What followed was endless hours listening to music, walking up and down the hills of Calderdale between Midgley, Old Town and Hebden Bridge. Music was the key, we travelled all over watching local bands but Sunday was the day we would sit and listen to our record collection. This was when I developed a passion for The Clash. They were awesome. I spent my Saturdays at the Piece hall in Halifax searching for albums and singles I didn't have and Sundays trying to learn all the words to the new songs. For me The Clash carried me through my teenage years, the voice of Joe Strummer and Mick Jones, the gorgeous Paul Simmonon. They were before my time but it didn't matter. It was my world and I could relate to most of what they were saying. They made a video called 'Rude Boy' it took us ages to find a copy but when we did we watched it over and over. I imagine it's cult film now and one of historic and social interest. The central character is a man called Ray Gange who follows The Clash on some of their tours. There are some great scenes with Ray and Joe Strummer that should be marked in history. Back in 2007 we attended a festival called Strummercamp in Manchester. This festival was to celebrate the life and music of Joe Strummer and the music of The Clash. I couldn't believe it when I spotted Ray Gange on the Friday evening in a quiet bar. I was even more impressed the following day when he came to talk to us. To most of you reading this it probably doesn't make a lot of sense, to us it's important. We met him again the following year at Strummercamp and were really chuffed he remembered us. Ray is a great guy who we get on with really well. We could talk for hours and hours. Yesterday he came to see us on our boat, he caught the train from London then a taxi, just to see us. Take us back to to 1989 watching 'Rude Boy' for the first time and tell me then that in 2010 I would be having my tea with Ray Gange. I wouldn't believe you! If you're reading this Ray I hope you don't mind the reference. It was a lovely evening, hope there will be more of them.

Eastbourne, it's been surprising!

Time to dip the toe back in......

We said goodbye to Rye with mixed feelings. It was lovely in the town, peaceful in the quay and great to have the option of so many nice places to socialise if we so desired. We did however get a little tired of being on the mud, not so much the mud but the the harbour wall. It has been really hot down here for the last few days but it got cold at night in the harbour and we only had mud for a view.

I can't speak for Martyn but I personally was quite anxious at the thought of going back out. I had bad dreams last night and woke up early, pondering the day before us. We checked out the forecasts, they all varied, our best bet was to get out early and get back into a port by 12pm. This is what we decided to do. We headed back out to sea passing boats still on the mud, abandoned wrecks, fishing boats and a huge container ship. We paid our remaining dues to the Harbour Master - still the best one so far - and headed out. As soon as we hit the sea again I started to feel nervous, it was quite calm but eerily rolling. It was very similar to the day we left Ramsgate and for me it wasn't a happy feeling. We continued on past Hastings and Pevensey Bay, we passed crab pots again for the first time in ages and finally picked up speed on the entrance to Eastbourne! Needless to say we made it here without any major problem but I wasn't happy until we reached the inner Harbour. The wind had started to pick up and we were beginning to see white caps (mini waves). It was the right time to head in. I think in future I will listen a little more to my instinct and be less reliant on what the weather man says. We knew today would be OK in the morning and not so good by the afternoon. Considering the number of sailing boats that have followed us into Eastbourne this afternoon with crew wearing waterproofs we made the right choice!

So we are in Eastbourne, land of the retired, land of the new build! I have no idea what Eastbourne actually looks like as we are a fourty minute walk away! I can tell you that the new housing seems to be populated with retired people and the visiting yachts are from all over Europe, and there are lots of them! We appear to be the only visitors from the UK. It seems that the Europeans like Britain more than the Brits do, or are the British yachts all over in Europe? Answers on a postcard please! Maybe we will be able to answer that question for you next year!

Tonight we contemplate whether to make Brighton our next stop or head for Newhaven, Newhaven would be much more of an adventure I think......................

Mud is good!

Following our last shenanigans we thought we should have some time to gather our limbs and wait for the weather to improve. We have spent the past three nights in Rye, near Camber Sands and have really enjoyed it here. I've referred to Brighton before as a big Hebden Bridge by the sea, this is closer to the mark.
We arrived soggy, cold and traumatised and were met by one of the nicest Harbour Masters so far. He was so chilled out and even offered me a donut - what more can I say? We got permission to proceed into the Harbour and did so gratefully. The visitor moorings at Rye are with water for approx 4 hours within every twelve so you have to tie up to the bank and set your ropes to allow for this. Most of the time is spent sat in the mud with access to shore via a very rickety wooden ladder - note of caution to anyone planning a visit by boat - don't wear white and then attempt the ladder - unless you like green stripes! The Harbour is a big tourist attraction for locals and visitors alike. It's quite amusing when you get to the top of the ladder and clamber ashore in front of two old dears eating their fish and chips thinking you've just climbed out of the river! It's not the most ladylike entrance I've ever made!! Maybe not the least lady like either when I think about it!! We read the visitor notes and tied up accordingly, we stayed in whilst the water went down just in case there was a problem hitting the mud, we had escaped one disaster, we didn't want to push our luck! Operation clean up commenced. The boat had literally been turned up side down during the trip, books and photo albums came off shelves, food was destroyed, we have still items yet to find! Everything was wet through, but we were still in one piece and Elephant Daze had survived.
We drank well that night and had a kebab for tea, it tasted grand, we spent the night marvelling at our survival. We awoke to find ourselves in this fabulous town of Rye and set about our discovery of the town. There are 45 pubs / restaurants in this town ummm, sounds like our kind of place, we may be here some time...... The town is based around a hill, yes a hill, down South! One of the key features is Mermaid Street, a long cobbled street on a very steep hill, not good when you've being living in one of the flattest areas of the North for a long time! Non the less it's pretty and quirky, and yes it has a pub! It also leads up to the tower which overlooks the river. It's all very historic and completely unspoilt. It has a great atmosphere and people are very friendly. There's lot's to go at, including art galleries, junk, sorry antique shops, retro shops and did I mention the 45 pubs / restaurants?
We found ourselves moored up next to a chap on a sailing boat who we had followed into Ramsgate, he invited us out for a drink on Tuesday evening. We met up around 8pm and headed for a lovely looking marina bar, overlooking the river. The chap had been round to see the owners before hand and they had advised that they were officially shut but would open up for us..... It was a great spot and we could see our boat from where we were sat. We drank warm Strongbow and swapped tales of our travels. We are always trying to find out new information from the people we meet along the way and this chap was very familiar with the places we are looking to explore. The only thing that worried me was that he didn't think we would be very welcome in many places around Portsmouth / Southampton. Guess we'll find out for ourselves! We had a good hour with him before we called it a night, then we got talking to the owners of the bar, they were great characters, they own some of the moorings below the bar, so we cheekily asked if there would be a spot available..... we may be back!
I have to say that I don't have any exciting stories to tell about our stay here, only that it is a place full of history, art and has a lovely quirky feel about it. Oh, and it's all a bit muddy!
Tomorrow we plan to head for Eastbourne, the weather looks calm for the morning so we will take our chances, then it's Brighton........... Who'd of thunk eh?

Rye - a safe harbour - thank goodness!

We had three nice relaxing days in Ramsgate, yesterday was exceptionally windy so we were glad we had the extra day. We had such a good response from all the boaters there, people wanting to know some history of the boat and congratulating us on the work we had done. There were people of many different nationalities, Danish, French, Dutch, German and so on. It was actually rare to hear an English voice! The nightlife was a little too lively and expensive for us unemployed folk so we saved our socialising pennies for Sunday afternoon and enjoyed a few drinks around the town.


We struggled to get an Internet connection whilst there, we rely on it for our weather forecasts and right up until 10pm last night we were trying to get connected. That being said the marina posts Met office forecast on the board so we could just use those in the morning. I will never, ever leave a port again unless I have checked all three of the forecasts we now use. We left Ramsgate, everything was lovely, pot of tea and some chocolate, this has become our routine, chocolate as an aperitif to breakfast! We made good speed and good time, we survived Dover, that's a busy place! We had initially thought of having an overnight stop there, but me watching the pennies said it might be more economical to head straight for Rye, considering the forecast was so good....... Martyn, I can only apologise! We passed Folkestone, which looked very nice, it would be a good place for a marina we thought as things started to get a bit choppy. We realised we were making much better time than we predicted and thought we would slow down. The earliest we could get in at Rye would be 3 hours before high water, which was at 5.30. So I made Martyn a sandwich, prepared the salad for our tea and we basically chilled out for a bit. Bad move.... We approached Dungeness and it really started to get choppy, when I say choppy I actually mean water over the deck. What should we do? Dungeness sticks out quite a lot so we thought if we could get round quite quick we could maybe shelter a little. By now things were getting quite scary, but at least we were hitting the waves head on. We were spending so much time trying to ride the waves that we didn't realise we were right in the middle of the firing range, and guess what? They were firing....! The first we knew was when the safety boat came alongside. they were trying to radio us but between Martyn trying to concentrate and the noise of the engine we didn't have a clue what they were saying although a look on the GPS gave us an idea. In the end I had to open the door and speak to them and we were advised that we needed to change our course with immediate effect. This meant we would have to turn back where we had come from. At this point we were already wet through as the water was coming straight under the windows into the boat, nothing much inside had moved as we had some control going into the waves. The change in course meant heading back out into the deep water, beam on. Some of you will understand what that means, for those who don't, if a wave hits you on the side of the boat, the boat rolls, it's very uncomfortable, the contents of the fridge and anything else ends up on the floor. After three attempts of trying to put everything back in the fridge I gave up and left it all on the floor - it was the safest place. We had to go so far back out into the rough water, they said they would guide us by radio the quickest way through but we couldn't hear a thing so we followed the limits of the firing range as shown on the chart. It was a long way round. We would hit one wave, two waves then the big one that flew under the window and soaked us. Every time it happened was like the first time you jump in the
sea, it was so cold! Turning the corner and heading for Rye brought it's own problems, we were back to beam on again, not just beam on but stern on as well, even worse, but at least land was in sight, if we can just make it in there then we will be OK. Needless to say, we survived, although the salad I made earlier was full of soil from one of my plants so that end up in the bin! We have nearly located all missing objects, I'm sure rest will make themselves present eventually. At one point today I did wonder if the last blog I wrote would actually be the last!
Today we were stupid, we didn't do our research and very nearly lost everything. We won't be doing that again. We will be in Rye for a few days and will not venture out again until we are 100% happy that we will be safe.


So far Rye is looking good. The Harbour Master was a very lovely chap even though I was soaking wet and probably smelt of Eau de' sea water! As I type we are moored up in Rye making our descent onto the mud at Strand Quay where we will spend a few days thanking our lucky stars that we survived and hoping for calm seas at the end of the week. This wasn't the kind of adventure I hoped for, but at least I know Elephant Daze can handle it - even if the contents don't fare just as well!

Get me back out to sea!

After three days inland we'd had enough. Rochester was fine, Medway Bridge Marina was a village in it's own right, and the bar well - nuff said! We had a fine time, but I was starting to get itchy feet. The muddy, silty banks of the river were no comparison for the beaches we were now used to. I might also add that there was a rather disturbing pong when at low water, it's best not to consider the source of the smell!

We had two options, the weather forecast was not much better than when we entered the Medway. Friday, once the preferred option was not looking so good. We thought we might try Queenborough, just off the Isle of Sheppey. At Queenborough we would be tied onto a Buoy for the night, with the dinghy being our only option for getting ashore. We gave ourselves two options, one, Ramsgate, two Queenborough. The thought was that if we got onto the Thames and it was a bit rough we could turn back and head in to Queenborough. We stocked up on provisions and set off round to the diesel quay, keen to get back off the river and into cleaner water.

That was the plan..... We fired round to the diesel quay, we were almost there. I was stood up front, rope at the ready when..... stop! We were back on the bottom, flipping rivers!!! I looked down as the engines continued to try and run, huge swathes of silty dirt, with what looked like pieces of wood swirled around us. Martyn managed to back us off the bottom and we decided to head for Gillingham where we knew we could get diesel outside the marina. That would have been the end of it if the slurry hadn't clogged up the filters on the engine. A clogged up filter meant that the gear box and exhausts had no way of cooling down so we had to try and stop in the middle of the river and clear them out. We thought initially it was only the one engine, it was actually both. I managed to steady the boat with one engine running whilst Martyn had his head stuck under the floorboards sorting out the other. Eventually we got the worst of the two clear enough to continue to Gillingham - phew - what a palaver! The river was very low all the way so it was slow work but we made it and radioed Gillingham for diesel.

You meet many characters when you travel from place to place and boating is certainly no exception. The chap that came to refuel us looked like he had worked there for some time and was great at giving advise. He thought it was a good day for a trip to Ramsgate and advised a six hour trip - he was spot on. At the point of re-fuelling Martyn had managed to put the mast back up but still had the floorboards up trying to complete the cleaning of the filters. "I'll untie the ropes jump on" Oh no, the back rope was off, we only had one engine running, then the front rope. Martyn had to jump into action quick and get the second engine going. The guy had thrown the ropes on board but they were also slightly hanging over the side. We usually take the back rope off completely to reduce the risk of it falling in the water next to the props, but I couldn't get to it and didn't want to fall in. I secured it as best I could and attended the front ropes. It was all getting a bit 'Carry on boating'! You can't beat helpful people eh?! Martyn managed to get the back rope off eventually and we continued our course to Ramsgate.

There are many Martello towers on this stretch of river and all of them have what appear to be abandoned boats surrounding them, at low water it really is an unusual sight. We passed Sheerness with it's many tug boats and the sunken ship that sits just outside the Medway channel. You can just see it's masts sticking out of the water like a ghost ship!

It was a slow course, travelling at only about 6 knots, we would have had to wait an additional three hours to get the tide to help us and take us up to 8 knots. It didn't matter, it was a very enjoyable trip, choppy at times but nothing to worry about. It was nice to be able to pinpoint Whitstable, Herne Bay and Margate. It would have been good to have taken some better pictures but we were too far out for my camera. As we approached the North Foreshore we passed a ships anchoring ground where a huge naval ship sat among the tankers. It was a spooky site with none of them moving. As Martyn commented later, you really do get the feeling that they're all watching you!

We began our approach to Ramsgate Harbour. Believe it or not, I had no idea that a ferry came in and out of Ramsgate! So what happened next was a big surprise! We struggle with our radio as the boat is so noisy inside. Martyn has to stand on a box with his ear to the radio if we are under power, one day we will fit the sound proofing! This means that usually I have no idea of incoming transmissions. Martyn had spent the day before preparing for the approach, however it was quite busy with lots of fast moving boats. I think we timed it quite badly, just as all the boats from the wind farms were coming back in and anyone else who had been out to sea that day. We reached the small vessel waiting area and radioed for permission to cross the channel and enter the harbour. 'Channel' should have been a clue to me, but I just thought general shipping channel as we had come across many times before. We made contact with the Port authority who told us just to come straight in, no need to cross the channel. Martyn looked confused, I was confused at his confusion. I could also see some extremely fast boats heading our way, creating a big wash, now we don't take wash from the stern very well, it all goes a bit roly poly so I was worried. Martyn quickly accelerated and we began to head for the harbour entrance, then we were called! We were asked to change our course and move out of the channel as we wouldn't make it before the ferry, ferry? What ferry? Ooh that big white thing behind us! No problem, we were just slightly embarrassed about being too slow - well she is called Elephant Daze! We turned around and headed out of the channel, good job we did. We spotted a boat heading our way at some rate of knots obviously trying to get ahead of said ferry. This was the biggest wave yet, the front end of the boat went right into the water and then threw it right back over the roof, the balsamic vinegar was almost a victim, but I got to it just in time - well saved! It took us a few minutes to compose ourselves, before asking for permission to enter. It was granted along with an apology for the inconvenience, bet it was some sight watching Elephant Daze plough into that wave. Following the usual confusion of trying to contact the Marina on entry, and another partial grounding, we finally got berthed up for the night. We did so just in time as the wind got up and the rain came down, a well needed refresher for both us and the weather.