Hamble Point Marina and the Solent
Arrived at Hamble Point Marina (near Southampton) at 11:12 am on Tuesday May 18, with the ship's log recording 750 miles for the 6 day passage. The final couple of days were quite eventful, passing the cliffs of Dover (white indeed, and quite impressive) and sailing through the narrowest part of the English Channel. This is one of the most heavily trafficked seaways in the world, and we were constantly on the lookout for tankers, ferries, and fishing boats using our AIS transponder. After rounding the southeasternmost part of England our final day's course was predominantly west against westerly breezes. We tacked our way up the coast for a while, and then decided to hug the shoreline and motor rather than bash directly into the waves so that everyone off watch could get some sleep. At daybreak on Tuesday we passed through the Looe, a narrow channel that leads into the Solent where we will be spending the next several weeks. This is quite an important area for English sailors, the site of many naval battles going back to Henry VIII and a modern day sailing Mecca. Englishman Robert Knox Johnson left from here in 1968 to become the first person to circumnavigate the world non-stop and single handed, and there are many classic races that begin and end here.
We celebrated our arrival with a delicious lunch of fish-and-chips, washed off the boat, and then said good bye to Chris and Phil. It was wonderful to sail with them; they really helped us sort out many of the rigging systems on our boat and provided expertise and local knowledge for the challenging passage.
Kitty and I spent the rest of Tuesday and Wednesday exploring the quaint seaside village of Hamble and meeting up with the Hallberg-Rassy rep to complete our orientation to the boat. Then on to the many projects required to get Ithaka set up for the remainder of the trip. We launched the dinghy and the outboard engine started with only minor angst - major victory. We took the dinghy up-river to trip to the local chandlery and bought blocks, line, and other gear we need. The next few days are forecast to be quite stormy, so we will stay at the dock and use the time to become more familiar with the details of the boat, go shopping, do laundry, and maybe visit the River Rat, a local pub.
Comments