Go east young man

0600
Slipped out of a raft of 4. Miserable bugger in X boat, most unhelpful and rude, seemed like a typical asshole that you get in the Solent not like us simple country folk. Bacon and sausage sandwiches on route.


0900
Failed to tell Vasgo the navigator our destination. He is very irritated.
Thoughts, Beaulieu for lunch, Cowes for overnight. In Poole Bay. Weather sunny with NE wind. Under engine.

1030
Rang Mary, she was off to dentist. Abeam of Yarmouth. Vasco navigating to the second. Decided that if The Gnome of Zuric, Ian, runs out of money he will have to sell his camera or body.He kindly offered to fund the whole trip.


1400
Lovely run up to Beaulie.
Moored Bucklers Hard sunny hot. £12.50 for a lunch time stop!! The working classes must rise up and seize the land from these bloated aristocrats! Pint in the pub and hot pasties on board, somewhat spoilt by a yacht "Airel" colliding with us. Women drivers!














1600
Motored to Cowes, no wind, moored visitors pontoon. Weird bird in next boat who broke her leg and missed the season and said her her water tanks are dirty and needed flushing and could she get out in the morning through the mile wide gap we left and and.... I need a lie down.

1900
Scrubbed up and walked into Town. Drinks opposite Marina, Roy on the Scrumpy. Jim having nightmares about sausages. Asked way to China China, other end of town. Found pub with two big attractions!

2130
"China China" good restaurant where the Maitre D spoke French, German and presumably Chinese. The Gnome matched him verb for verb in French and impressed us simple country folk who only speak Oldbury! Nice meal.

2200
Back to pub with the resolution that we would all look into the barmaids eyes and see what she looked like!
Pub duo guitarists, murdering Eric Clapton in the corner. Boys stayed talking to locals or rather letching over a girl that looked like that bird in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" who keeps telling you "Shes worth it" Returned to boat for relatively early night.





The crews motto was "Ever vigilant"

We are all off to Waymuff

Wednesday

0530
Early start again, heading out of Braye harbour and watching the sun rise. For some reason or another the boys did not think this was very romantic! Course to steer 360M.

0900
Crossing shipping lanes very busy. Jim making jam sandwiches and coffee. Sea slight sun warming up. Roy at helm. lan asleep below, Vasco at chart table discovering America.





1100
Mary 1st cake eaten with cheese by rough northerners. Celia's cake still to come, must encourage this inter cake rivalry.

1400
In great danger of completing phase 4 of plan A!!!

1500
Moored up town quay. There is a fishing competition and berths are limited. Walked around town. Very much like Weston super Mare, all Kiss Me Quick Hats, Tattoos and Candy Floss. Much nice tother side of harbour, which where we will take supper.

2000
So much for fine cuisine! we had fish and chips which was close to being indigestible, hence a huge run on my Gaviscon Cool tablets.
Found two more boats had moored outside of us, warned them we would be going at 0600 tomorrow. Girl in the next boat, a new X type yacht was chatty and relaxed about early start, so were the people outside of them.

Rotary meeting

Tuesday 0130







Woken by a text from Mary re wine and late Bed and Breakfast guest. Thanks love!!
Lay awake listening to the NE blowing, which is not the wind you want for laying in Braye habour. Decided to postpone the decision to go until midday tomorrow.
Must have slept as Vasco complained about the snoring! The nerve of the man!

0800
Bacon and eggs on board and a stroll around the crap restaurants of Cherbourg, admired the fish markets.









Coffee and back to boat for lunch. Wind dropping.
Put 1 1/2 litre of oil in engine and checked water.

1300
Slipped, tried to put at third reef in unsuccessfully. Easy sail with 6 knot tide, sunshine and NW 3knt wind, SOG 9NM.


Yet more cake cannot remember if this is Celia's or Marys but delicious in either case.

1600
Picked up a mooring in Braye Harbour, easy run in.
Water taxi to Braye. Walked up long hill to centre, in rush hour (One car). Drinks in smokers pub then went to nicer place where Vasco attended a Rotary meeting.


Supper, Starters for main course, served by smiling Slovak waitress.

2130
Water Taxi back to boat accompanied by two pissed loud mouths who were slagging off, on the phone, a woman called Corine.
Roy and I lying in the fore cabin looking for Uranus through the hatch.

France or America?

Vasco confident he can find America by contacting the spirit word, we keep telling him we only want France.





Monday
0300
No sleep at all! So got up at 0300 and made a lot of noise. Disturbed creatures started to emerge from their lairs










0330
Steady motor to The Needles in the dark.

0430
Wind building to 20 knots from the North West, Cold

0530
Seas building, Jim cooking bacon and sausages. Bacon roll good but Jim passed on the sausages.

0930
Started reefing sails, eventually, as third reef not in on luff, dropped main, lost Genoa sheet. Jim talked to the fishes,

1130
Received text from Grandma that we have two baby goldfish and I am a Grandfather.
Felt very proud and protective.

Managed to cross both shipping lanes without too many scares.

1230
Wind building to 24knots, 2 metre waves, uncomfortable but Nemo is taking it in her stride.

1530
Entered Cherbourg. Too tired to go into town for tea bags, so beer and Marys cake on board. Ian has done a Paul and prepared meal. Jim's sausages found in oven.











Not entirely certain what delicacy Ian "Jamie Oliver" Copely" has prepared for our delectation but reassured that Celia would have supervised preparation.









Excellent meal; Smoked meat (Forgotten name?) Coc au vin and Tart with custard with a very fine wine from the box! A toast was drank to the Chef, Celia and my Aqua Grand Children. Thoughts; Is P.J. going to be jealous, will it be spatulas at dawn or pork pies at sunset................
Worked out with Vasgo course to steer to Braye Harbour Aldernay, aware that we could get a 6+ knot tide trying to drag us south between Aldernay and the French coast.
Course to steer 296C for 12nm then 268C for 10nm. Vasco will be navigating so have every faith we should hit somewhere.

Surprisingly we all went to bed early, heartened by the knowledge that it would be a late start due to tide.

Avoiding the M4

Sunday 9th Sept
1030
Packed Roy's car, Roy moaning at size of my bags.
Picked up Ian and set off for Hamble. M4 east, inconclusive signs saying M4 closed ahead, come off at Bath junction. Find out later that Jim and Trevor delayed exit and were still near M4, as we were going through Salisbury.

1300
Weather light, NW winds, sun and continuing high pressure.
Took over Nemo and sent Roy and Ian grocery shopping.



Formulated PLAN A. Hamble, Yarmouth, Cherbourg, Weymouth, Solent. If plan A goes as badly as PLAN A Brixham, it will reach PLAN X subsection T.
Motored to Solent through yachts going home. What do they know?
Moored up in Yarmouth, fun with berth master re getting boys up at 0330. Put sign on window of boat warning potential rafters that we were serious.

1800
Meal liver and bacon and fish and chips. Boys pissed at 0300 start. Plotted course 180C. Boys started into wine box. Boys on 2nd glass, l see problems!
2130 all go to bed.
Lots of snoring from Vasco da Gammas cabin, kept kicking Roy thinking it was him!Vasco muttering "More sardines Julia, more sardines?"