we had a fab weekend.
Left southampton 5pm ish Sunday, motored over to Cowes with the new prop on, and having failed to get into the Folly for dinner (well, we got in but huge queues that would have made us late for the lock into Island Harbour, we just had a quick drink and moved on.
Locked into Island Harbour with ease and found a visitor berth, £17.50 for the night for a 7m seemed OK I guess, especially as the boat turned into a home from home for the night, see pics. Was just as comfy as a tent and enough space to lie with legs between tubes and console, but winter job has to be an extension to the raised bow area to make a bathing/sleeping deck
Island Harbour looks like a relatively new marina, nice facilities, the Restaurant/pub had only opened 2 nights before and was very good value.
Also, for anyone looking to camp, they have an area to pitch tents for about a fiver a night - Gareth, thanks for the tip
Off to Warsash to pick my Dad up on Monday morning, trip over to the Needles, then on to Poole for lunch. Was an absolutely glorious day, seas state varied nicely , good lunch at the blue pub on the waterfront (I have a feeling it's called the Hoy? - I meant to check after last time, but it is nice in there
)
Then back to the solent and home after a bit of prop testing on Southampton Water. But more of that elsewhere.
I had been planning a low fuel usage weekend, whoops, 107nm covered, about double what I had planned, but never mind, the Needles and Poole were on impulse and comments from the old man about never having thought he'd be going to the Needles on a rib then onto Poole for lunch made it worthwhile
Pics:-
1) Sunday night looking down the Medina towards the folly
2) A bit cramped but doable, the rasied deck at the front needs extending at some point for more comfort
3) With cover in place almost as good as a tent (I say almost as I had drops of condensation fall right into my earhole when lying on my side
Not a nice way to be woken up.
