4th – 13th August
With our two junior shipmates (Daniel and Bobby) we prepared to leave Brighton after breakfast to catch a fair tide to Eastbourne. We slipped our lines from our berth. Carole made sure all the fenders and ropes were stowed away before heading out as there was quite a swell outside the breakwater. To make it a bit more complicated we had to keep out of the way of the dredger in the entrance channel.
Both of our young crew were up in the cockpit holding on tight. The sea was a bit livelier than we would have liked for their journey but we knew that this would settle down after a few miles. The wind was blowing SW F5/6 which caused a few waves to break over the bow. Daniel did not feel comfortable with this so Carole took him down below and got him comfortable in one of the rear cabins. For a while Bobby thought it was fun being bumped about, but it was not long before Carole took her down to join Daniel and soon both were sound asleep (which was just as well). As expected, the sea and wind eventually eased and in no time at all we were sailing past the Seven Sisters and the Birling Gap where our two young crew have often been with their mum and dad. Beachy Head Light House stood out in the sunshine with Eastbourne just around the corner. We soon approached the lock for Sovereign Harbour and radioed in to join the next lock-in.
Once in the lock the Berthing Master (do not call them Midwives) allocated us a berth. There was plenty of Marina staff about that day as in the early hours of the morning the duty lock keeper opened the wrong lock gate when the tide was very high and caused the sea to flood into the marina. This had so much force that it ripped out “D” Pontoon and all the boats, causing everything to spin off hitting the marina wall at the far end. We were glad we have stayed that extra night in Brighton.
We spent our first day here with Daniel and Bobby keeping us amused with their drawings and diary. Sally, Tony and Liam arrived mid-afternoon after setting up camp with their caravan and tent at Normans Bay, near Pevensey. It was very quiet once they left for the night!
Sally et al joined us mid-morning and after lunch we walked into Eastbourne to check out what was going on in the town this week. We found out that the Air Show was on from Thursday to Sunday and so we decided to make a day of it on Thursday, as we thought this would be the less crowded day. We had a look round the RNLI museum and shop and then on the way back enjoyed tea and cakes / ice creams. Liam spent the night on board with us and was no trouble at all as we all sat quietly reading our books. The next morning we had breakfast and then finally persuaded Liam to have a shower before we headed out with the family.
We again walked into Eastbourne and paid a visit to Sally and Tony’s favourite seafood shop. We bought small pots of everything going from baby octopuses to garlic prawns and then walked on to find the chips to go with them. We sat along the front with our goodies and enjoyed our feast in the fresh air. The afternoon started to turn cool, so we headed to the Park where the little ones had some fun on the swings and slides, etc. We then moved on to the field which had goalposts for a game of football, luckily with a fairly soft football. Then it was back to the boat for supper.
The next day we all went to the Sovereign Centre for some swimming and pool fun. Here there was a flume, wave machine and an area where you were allowed to jump in off the wall. We stayed here until we were wrinkly and then headed off to Pizza Hut for a pizza and salad treat.
Thursday started with a light mist which came and went and came again. We walked in along Eastbourne seafront expecting to hear the sounds of the airplanes, etc. which were part of the Air Show programme. Unfortunately, the sun did not do much to burn off the mist and fog, so eventually the day’s programme was cancelled. Apart from Chris and Tony, we rolled our trousers up and had a paddle. If we had bought our swimsuits, we would have swum (although in the end Liam did in the shorts he had on). We had promised ourselves a visit to the local Wetherspoons as it was their Curry Night and Chris wanted to try their vindaloo again to see if it was as hot as it was the last time. So we set about making ourselves reasonably presentable and off we went… And yes, the vindaloo was as hot as before!
We had a day alone on Friday to catch up on chores, laundry and cleaning. On Saturday, Sally came and picked Carole up and they both enjoyed a well-deserved aromatherapy massage at a fitness and well-being centre in Eastbourne. They then picked up two big spider crabs, some other seafood, salad and fresh bread for lunch back at Normans Bay. Unfortunately Tony was feeling unwell, but everyone else tucked into the crabs and after a couple of hours all that was left was the shells and the smell.
We then headed to the beach for a swim. The wind was whipping up the sea and the waves were crashing into the beach. However, this didn’t stop the kids from running in, although it wasn’t long before Daniel and Bobby had had enough and Liam was left in on his own. Carole decided to get in, too, but the breakers were so strong that it took her 3 or 4 attempts after being knocked down to get out to Liam. Once out, it was fun launching ourselves through the waves but eventually she had enough and came into shore. The current was pushing Liam towards the breakwater and we kept calling out for him to move away from it. As he was making his way back in, though, a rogue wave caught him and knocked him down and if Sally had not acted as quickly as she did, Liam would have been in trouble. A second wave caught them and this time Carole was there, too, to help both get back on the beach safely. As you can imagine, Liam was checked over, then sent back to camp with his tail between his legs. On Saturday evenings the “Chip” van calls at the campsite, so we had hot chip butties and salad for supper before heading back to the boat for an early night.
Sunday was to be our last day at Eastbourne, so Carole made cakes for the afternoon for Sally, Tony et al. Later, we had big bowls of fresh fruit salad and squirty cream. Then it was a walk round to Asda to buy bread and milk for our trip to Dover next day. We said a fond farewell to Sally, Tony and children who would be staying on in Normans Bay until the end of the week.
We put the tv on and watched/listened to the Closing Ceremony for the Olympic Games. It was then time to settle down for the night ready for next day’s sail to Dover
