We have had an amazing couple of days. I haven't been able to update the blog as we have been without electric again. We couldn't wait to leave Swanwick Marina after the poor excuse for a welcome, however for the first time we were both stumped for a destination. The weather on the Solent wasn't forecast to be good in the near future so we didn't want to go far. Martyn came up with a mad idea. We had tried to get into Southampton Town Quay marina but were told they were full. They did however offer a temporary mooring for a couple of hours if we wanted - free of charge! Umm, we needed motor oil and a few provisions but didn't want to pay marina prices for the oil. Martyn decided to phone the Elephant Boatyard to see if they could fit us in for a night, they had to do a check and ring us back but said it shouldn't really be a problem. The plan was, head round to Southampton Town Quay marina, get into town, buy motor oil, head back round and stop at the Elephant Boatyard. So that's what we did - three hours later - we were moored up in the Elephant Boatyard. It was an interesting trip to say the least. We underestimated how choppy Southamton water would be compared to The Hamble as well as just how close the Fast Cat berthed to the Town Quay Marina. The port for the Fast Cat is actually adjoined to the marina! We survived with just a few extra grey hairs to show for it and a large tub of nicely priced motor oil from Lidl!
We had been told that when we arrived at the Elephant Boatyard we should just find a space and moor up.... not so sure about that one, what if the berth holder returns? It was a worry that was soon cast aside once we found a space and pulled in. We were met by a lovely chap who explained that he was surprised to see us as he was looking for a 42 ft boat with a huge mast - our mast hardly counts as huge! It was so refreshing to be welcomed by a smiling face. We soon realised that this was indeed a very special place, not just because of the name. The chap brought his partner round to show her the boat. I guess they don't see many boat like Elephant Daze down here. We discovered that the boatyard was in fact the one used for the programme Howards Way and that their boat actually featured in it. We were told that Tom Cunliffe, the chap who wrote the Channel Pilot book we have been using to navigate this area has his boat there. We were even more impressed to discover that Sir Robin Knox-Johnston has a boat there too. So much boating royalty in one little boatyard! We felt very privileged to be allowed to stay. It turns out that the only reason they had space for us was because the owner had most of the boats from there over in Cowes for the racing. Sometimes you can be in the right place at the right time! We stayed an additional night due to a bad weather warning. We were in the virtually the same place that we had been in at Swanwick Marina yet it felt like a world away. The grass is sometimes so much greener!
The Boatyard is home to some very beautiful sailing boats, many of them wooden, it was a real pleasure to look at and admire true craftsmanship instead of the usual factory made craft lined up row after row. I believe we could have stayed there forever but the owner doesn't like liveaboards apparently - plans scuppered!!
This morning we had to decide what to do again. I had saved enough battery on the laptop to be able check the weather before leaving. Two weather forecasts gave an approx force 3, however the met gave a severe warning, 3-4 then 5-6, the usual vague rubbish we have now become accustomed to. We had to leave the Elephant Boatyard as we needed to get electric, showers etc. We had two choices, head out to Gosport and see what happened or stay on the Harbour pontoon for three days. The cost of a marina in the area was £40-£50 a night. We really didn't want to pay that, neither did we want to be stuck on the river with nowhere to go!
Martyn said his goodbyes to the chap from the yard, he got a sneaky tour of the boatshed too so he must have liked him! We left the boatyard and made for the open water. It was busy, there were so many ribs and boats full of people heading across to Cowes, strange, we were so worried about the weather yet these people were flying across the Solent in overinflated dinghies without life jackets! It was mad, small powerboats came out of nowhere, the wash sending us flying. The worst was yet to come. We had passed lots of 'floating hotels' on the way out of the channel i.e. huge motor cruisers packed with people already in the party mood preparing to head off to Cowes to watch the racing. Our initial concern was over the weather so that was forefront on our minds as we headed out. It looked OK, we battled with the speedboats and picked up the course for Portsmouth. Then it hit, rolling beam on, deja vue... Coffee pot under the bed, oregano still missing in action. I wedged myself between the fridge and the sink catching things as they slid from side to side. My heart was racing "Are we going back then?" No answer, "Martyn, are we going back?" "It's just wash from those boats over there" he answered. I looked across and saw the floating hotels, nose in the air flying towards Southampton. Just as things started to calm down a huge gym palace decided to pass us. Martyn turned to hit the wash head on, up and down, up and down.... still better than side to side though! He was right, it was just wash, the sea state was choppy but not uncomfortable. We had been so busy thinking about waves and wash we were right on the sailing boats before we knew it. They were everywhere, they were racing, they were part of Cowes week! Martyn did a great job negotiating his way through them, closer to Cowes we could see a big race in action, we think it was the Americas Cup - there were helicopters in the air and motor boats following. It really was quite an amazing sight and we felt quite privileged to be part of it - not sure they were too happy that we were in the middle of it though. Especially the catamaran who changed his course right in front of us and would have been a feature on the side of Elephant Daze if Martyn hadn't found some extra power to get out of his way! All this before we started to negotiate the entrance to Portsmouth! We thought we had the route sussed, until the Fast Cat started heading right for us, we changed course and moved out of his way. Then came the Wightlink ferry, no problem, he's in the shipping lane, we just keep to the outside, until he changes course and heads right for us! You think you're getting the hang of this ferry business and then it all goes wrong. The thing with Portsmouth is that there aren't just a couple of ferries, there's loads of them. This includes cruise liners and cross channel ferries, it's mad! You really do need eyes in the back pf your head. After all this excitement we reached Gosport Marina where the usual confusion followed. Some marinas are relatively straight forward and the berthing instructions easy to follow, not this one. There are two entrances to start with, we immediately tried to get in the wrong one. We did reach our destination however and are now fully charged and washed! While we were sat chilling earlier Martyn spotted the Hull and Humber Clipper just outside the marina. It's always nice to see something from back up North and this was no different. Tomorrow we head to Port Solent, weather permitting so we'll see what trouble we can get into on route!
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