Newtown River to Yarmouth
12th July 2017
Passage Time 1.5 hrs
Distance 4 milies
Wind av 20 knot
Gusts. 28 knot
Sea State Moderate
We woke to another pleasant day, although after the heat of the last few days, it did seem a bit cooler. We dressed and had breakfast and were visited by the National Trust harbour master to collect our £22 dues (the receipt he gave us was produced on an old style bus conductor’s ticket machine). We then took the inflatable up the river and tied up at Shalfleet Quay. The sun was now out and so we followed the narrow coastal path up to the New Inn on the main road. As this was not yet open and we didn’t need to visit the local shop, we walked back to Shalfleet Quay (total short walk 1 mile). We motored back to the boat and spent the next 20 mins bringing the outboard engine in and tying the inflatable boat on the stern ready for our short trip into Yarmouth.
The wind was starting to build as we readied ourselves to leave the river. We followed the buoyage out without trouble, but once out on the Solent, we decided not to raise the sails as the wind had now increased to about 23 knots, the sea was confused for us with wind over tide and it was raining lightly. It was just as well we were only going about 3-4 miles. About half a mile outside Yarmouth, Carole went below to radio in to the harbour, then returned on deck to put out the fenders and check mooring lines. Once inside the harbour, we were met by two berthing masters, who we followed to our berth. We were then ably assisted by three friendly chaps to get tied up, which was great as the wind was still blowing strong.
Once we were all settled, Chris visited the office to sort out codes, etc while Carole made a list of what was needed from the small supermarket here. We were cooking roast chicken for dinner tonight – a proper dinner. On visiting the supermarket we were pleasantly surprised to find that they have really upgraded their shop since our visit last year. Lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and a good selection of everything else from cereals to wines and spirits and their prices, although not comparable with our big shops, are at least not crazy. We bought what we needed, then between us we prepped dinner, then while Chris completed the job, Carole went up for a lovely hot shower. Dinner was good and afterwards, we put the tv on to watch some of the tennis at Wimbledon (a brilliant match between Nadal and Muller, which unbelievably Muller won). Carole then washed up and after a final drink, we slipped into our beds for a good night’s sleep.
We woke to a very grey, damp day with the wind blowing strong. After a cuppa and breakfast, Carole washed and dressed and baked some little fruit cakes while Chris resolved some problems at one of his contracts. With the oven on, we were nice and warm and snug below decks while the wind blew and the rain came. Once the final few cakes came out of the oven (Carole almost forgot about them, so they are just how she likes them – nice and brown), the rain had stopped and Chris went up for a shower.