Thursday, August 11, 2016

The wind of change...

Today (Wednesday) Columbus announced we were heading out to discover new territory...Bembridge!

I had an early lecture today so early in fact that I was still in bed (berth), today's subject was waves, oh maaaan, you have no idea how many different types there are and how they are formed etc etc, I may need to do a refresher on this module though as there is no point in trying to teach me anything before my brain has woken up! However, this was the only lecture today as we had important sailing to do...

Bill and Robin weren't too hungover today so after a shower, a couple of cups of coffee and chain smoking for half an hour they we're ready to go off into town and do it all again!  It turns out that they are near neighbours of ours at Shamrock Quay so they may become our new best buddies!...they detached themselves from our boat and we waved them off as they went in search of fuel...

We had a quick chat with the nice charter boys (probably the same age as us, just skinnier) on the yacht behind us, Andy wants an electronic diving platform like theres, they watched me cast off  like a true professional and also waved us on our way...

We set off at noon to get into Bembridge, which is on the opposite side of the island (Isle of Wight), between 2 & 5pm as this is a tidal harbour, but I can't tell you why because my lecture on tides and how they are affected by the moon and the sun (yeah right, next you'll be telling me there are leprechauns at the ends of rainbows and buying tickets to Glastonbury!) isn't until tomorrow...

The water was calm and the wind had dropped, there wasn't much sun today but it was warm, so it was a pleasant crossing (journey!), we stopped a couple of times for Andy to take pictures of boats and me of seagulls and have a quick bite of lunch, we also went on a bit of a detour because Andy spotted a new yacht which "flies above the sea's surface" (yes Andy, of course it does, it's magic like those other things you mentioned earlier - maybe I shouldn't have given him the dogs travel pills afterall) and guess what, it just happens to be sponsored by Land Rover...
(Andy's Note:  This isn't it!)



Bembridge beach (which I intend to have a picnic on tomorrow) had just come into view when disaster struck...dun dun durrrrrrrh....the f*#%$€¥* ~#{>^%*$€+¥*ing chart plotter (sat nav for boats, just pictures of land beneath the sea though no annoying talking woman) stopped working! OMG! would we be stranded in the sea forever, will we have to mayday mayday mayday (you have to say everything 3 times on the radio, must be because all the harbour masters are old and can't hear you the first 2 times) for sea helicopter rescue???...no Andy, just calm down and stop shouting, why don't you go old Skool and use the maps (charts!), which of course he can do because he's done at least 3 courses...so we get into harbour safely (Bustaaar and I kept a low profile at the back of the boat, best to keep a distance from agrivated Bears), phew! And what a beautiful place it is, quiet and set in sand dunes/common...

After such an eventful morning I though we could have a gentle stroll across the causeway into town, which we did, but the town wasn't where I thought it was and we ended up walking for hours and hours, well maybe only one hour to reach a pub for a pint (Andy has no idea why he always falls for my "it's not very far" protestations, oops)....we got a taxi back!...

We have a prime mooring on the final 200 meters of pontoon, close to the harbour ferry.  The harbour is very busy so we have a lot of people traffic passing us, no topless sunbathing tomorrow 8-)





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