Yacht Seaduction 2023

Saturday 19th August

We slipped our lines just after 6.30 am and headed east out of Yarmouth, with our destination being Port Solent. We were planning to enter the Marina around high water on free flow. The wind was a steady W F4/5 which took us through the Solent with the tide. Chris wanted to top up with diesel for our journey home so we decided to call in to Gosport Marina to use their self-service fuel berth. We arrived on the fuel berth but we needed to be a bit further on as we were at the wrong pump, so we used our mooring lines to move along and eventually tied off at a better place. Once we worked out how to use the payment system we filled up. Once we had put the pump nozzle back, Carole discovered that we had diesel on our shoes and lines. The diesel must have been spilt on the fuel pontoon before us and so we had to wash our shoes and the deck before we could do anything else. We were not best pleased! We made sure we told the skipper of the boat who followed us on to the pontoon that there was a problem and once we were off, Carole telephoned Gosport about it, too, so they could sort it out. As we motored along, we could see in the distance a dark cloud heading our way but unfortunately we did not pay any more attention to it. As we approached the lock we were asked to take the waiting pontoon with another yacht as the lock was not, as predicted, on free flow.

As we tied up this big black cloud was now directly above us and within seconds it was torrential rain and hail stones. Carole was still on the pontoon holding the boat, but Chris managed to dive under the canopy and secure everything in the cockpit and get on a waterproof jacket. Unfortunately it was too late for Carole to get shelter that quick, and she was now soaked. After a minute or two she managed to slide on to the boat and hide from some of the hail stones. Within 10 minutes the rain had eased but we were both soaked. We then proceeded into the lock – dripping. We found our new berth which was only a few up from where we were last time and we tied up easily and then we both had a hot shower on the boat and put some dry clothes on. Heaven.

Carole then stripped the beds and sorted the dirty washing into bags and after a good few hours of to-ing and fro-ing to the laundry room, had completed her, hopefully, last lot of laundry for this trip (fingers crossed).

Meanwhile, on board, Chris was busy washing deck shoes and some of the affected lines in washing up liquid to remove any diesel residue. He then took a walk to investigate the music filling the air and discovered that there was a festival celebrating 40 years since Elvis Presley’s death. This meant that most of the restaurants and pubs were very busy with people of all ages having fun. When we eventually left the boat to get supper, we found an empty table for four at the back of the Wetherspoons pub, The Sir Alec Rose. While Chris went to order our food, Carole sat quietly waiting for her well deserved gin and tonic. An older lady approached, enquiring if her and her friend could take the two spare seats at our table to eat their meal. Carole said of course and soon she was joined by two very likeable ladies (Brenda and Kay) who were Elvis fans out for the evening. They had had more luck placing their order at the bar than Chris as their food arrived before Chris came back with our drinks! We then spent a very pleasant half an hour chatting with them, before they headed off to enjoy the entertainment downstairs. They most definitely left us smiling. We then strolled back to the boat for a game of cards and a cuppa before heading to bed, very tired but happy.

Port Solent to Gosport

Sunday, 20th August

We were awake by 7 am and after our first cuppa and biscuit, we made use of the beautiful facilities and showered and dressed before many began to stir. After breakfast, Carole tidied away while Chris topped up the water tanks and visited the Marina office to advise our departure around high water. Chris radioed in to request lock-out and after a slight delay due to the gates being closed for pedestrian access, we motored through on free flow. We joined a few other boats heading into Portsmouth Harbour and went past the newly commissioned Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier which is moored here at the moment. Carole then radioed into Gosport Marina to request a berth for the night. After a few minutes’ delay we had a reply and then continued in to the Marina and tied up nicely for the night. We then got ourselves ready for a trip to Aldi with our trolley to make our last shopping trip before we go home. Half an hour later we were back – shopping was put away and lunch was on the go. After a bowl of mussels and a crusty roll, we then chilled-out, writing up our blog and listening to the pitter patter of the rain (not sure that was in today’s forecast).