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Thursday 9 September 2010

We were all set to leave Cherbourg to cross the Channel on the morning of Sunday 15 August but decided to abort on the strength of a last minute weather update, with rain and fog forecast for the day, and a gale warning for later. We were glad not to have left, having later heard from Emsworth Sailing Club’s Chris and Jean Morrin who did go and reported a pretty unpleasant trip. The weather for the rest of the week was much the same as the southern part of the UK, with a lot of rain and wind. We had the occasional lull but never for long enough to make a run for it across the channel.

With the Solitaire du Figaro finishing in Cherbourg we had plenty of live bands and loud music into the early hours. There was also a lot of daytime entertainment with Jack getting a chance to play rugby avec les Français. Caroline was on the touchline studying the form of, not her little soldier, but the rather dashing referee with piercing blue eyes. During the match, Jack managed to get into a fight with a wasp who left his mark on the back of Jack’s neck. Much to Caroline’s delight the referee came to the rescue. After a bit of first aid from the Croix Rouge, Jack got back on the pitch and finished the match. He is almost as good at talking through the try that he scored as his dad used to be – he has a great future in the bar after the match. Jack and Grace were frequent visitors to the bouncy castle and we all enjoyed watching the acrobatic mountain bikers – plenty of dust clouds, crashes, carnage and more Croix Rouge.

We had the chance to catch up with Tony and Anne on Eagle, who we met a couple of weeks before in L’Aber Wrac’h. They keep their boat in Cherbourg which they were packing up for the season ready to jump on the ferry home. We nearly went with them.

Whilst in Cherbourg we visited La Cité de la Mer, which like all the other aquariums we have visited on our travels, claims to be the biggest in Europe. We enjoyed a tour of Le Redoutable nuclear powered submarine as well as an exciting simulated trip to the bottom of the ocean. Although Caroline came out with a touch of mal de mer, it is an attraction worth visiting if you find yourself spending any time in Cherbourg. During our stay we made friends with Ricky, Donna and Reanna aboard Platypus and had a cracking game of rounders on the 'plage vert' next to the harbour. They were busy planning their passage to Guernsey for the last week of their summer holiday before returning home to Hayling Island for the start of the new school term. After an outing to the local swimming pool and a session of ten pin bowling to celebrate our wedding anniversary, the weather outlook was looking much improved.

On 28 August we departed Cherbourg at 6.30 a.m. in a west/north westerly force 3-4 in a moderate sea state left over from the big winds earlier in the week. Visibility was excellent, but by the time we had cleared the west bound shipping lane, the tide had turned to give us a fairly rough ride with a force 6 wind over tide all the way into the Needles. As we approached Hurst Castle the wind eased and the sea calmed down.

While we were deciding whether to head for Yarmouth or Lymington, Martin and Amanda Wadhams appeared from around the corner aboard Indigo of Beaulieu, looking magnificent. She was dressed overall (Indigo that is, not Amanda), festooned with bunting and horn blowing to welcome us home – what a sight! Along with our escort, we headed into the Solent for Lymington, where we were lucky enough to berth alongside more friends. Coincidentally, the Emsworth Sailing Club cruiser fleet were enjoying a weekend rally to Lymington and gave us a very warm welcome home. In our excitement, we left our AIS switched on overnight, draining our batteries. Fortunately we were able to get a quick boost from one of the ESC boats, giving us just enough power to start the engine. On Sunday morning Jack jumped ship and stowed away aboard Indigo of Beaulieu for a short hop across the Solent to Newtown Creek where we met up with Doug, who is now the proud owner of Martin and Amanda’s original Indigo (a.k.a. ‘The Trawler’). Doug and his son Blake were rafted up alongside Mark and Liz Rushall in Ragdoll. After a spot of fishing and much toing and froing between moorings in inflatable dinghies, everyone settled down for supper aboard Indigo of Beaulieu. First course was Jack’s sea bass caught in the entrance to Newtown Creek.

An early start on Bank Holiday Monday morning, fair breeze and favourable tide made for a fast passage back to Chichester Harbour and into Emsworth Yacht Harbour for another warm welcome from Susanne, Gary, Larry and Alice along with the Brooke-Jones clan. On Monday evening we were delighted to be invited to the Summers’ house for supper, where we enjoyed a magnificent roast dinner.

Xaloha is now unloaded, Caroline and Paul are back at work and Jack and Grace are back at school. After 16 months afloat, 3,000 snapshots, a few gallons of gin and some 4,000 miles of sailing, the Fiskies are pleased to be back home and are busy rattling around The Old Dairy and catching up with friends and family. We look forward to some autumn and winter cruising around the Solent.

We hope you have enjoyed the log as much as we have.