Thursday May 2, 2013
We were up early and down on Necessity by 8:15 to lock things up and then went with Martin to the swindlery for the parts for the job. That complete, we had an hour to wait till our car rental driver arrived to take us to the airport. He was young and seemed to have gotten his licence by mail judging by his erratic driving and poor clutch and break skills.
We have really enjoyed Crete – the island, the people and the food.
Arriving in Gatwick after a smooth flight over Greek islands, the Alps and the French countryside, we joined a very slow queue of non-EU passports which ate up the hour we thought we had to spare before our train to Southampton. It was a pleasant ride that took us down along the canals and through very green country till we followed the Test river down to Southampton. We hopped the free bus to the harbour where we caught the Red Jet Catamaran for the 30 minute ride to the Isle of Wight. Hugh met us at the ferry and we discovered Penny on the narrow old street, coming back from a meeting of the Lifeboat Society where she volunteers. The town of Cowes is like a theme park – larger than life Charles Dickens with yachting as it’s reason for being. We moved up the narrow pedestrian streets with 17th century buildings on all sides and ended up at The Cowes Yacht Club, one of many on the island. Here, drink in hand, we moved to the deck to watch the lifeboat launch. Next door is the Lifeboat station where volunteers man the RIB boat to launch in any weather assisting mariners in distress. Each Thursday there is a training session during which the boat is launched and rescue exercises are completed.
It was a short walk to their flat which is sandwiched between the London Yacht Club and The Royal Yacht Squadron and has a view over the mouth of the river that divides East and West Cowes. They have mirrors strategically located so that you can see the water from almost any place in the open kitchen and living area. We enjoyed the last of the sun and settled in to a fabulous rack of lamb dinner which Penny had prepared. She had taunted the local butcher saying that we Canadians considered our meat to be the best by far. Certainly, it was by far a superior lamb roast to any I have had in Canada! Totally tired we enjoyed a sleep on a comfortable bed for a change.
Brian in West Cowes, Isle of Wight