The Solent at last

The Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth came into view as soon as we got past Selsey Bill. We motored on towards it until we had to leave it to starboard to make No Mans Land fort. It makes entering the eastern Solent a very different experience than it would have been the last time Robinetta was here in 1949 when Nigel Heriot bought her from the Parkers. We saw two gaffers, probably coming out from Chichester, one a Memory and the other a white yawl. When it came closer I could see an OGA number on the sail - 1007. I found it in the handbook - Hanser owned by Fabian Bush, the Rowhedge shipwright who also teaches at the Nottage and built Constance and helped build Molly Cobbler. Hanser is unusual in having a spritsail mizzen.

Fabian took our picture too. His are the best we have of the new sails and they were setting nicely. Here is one of them.

Once past the forts the wind came in nicely from the south west and we had a fine reach, punctuated by lulls, towards Cowes. I phoned Dave Pickthall on Ariel of Hamble and it turned out they were just leaving Portsmouth and we could see them. Unfortunately we got our lines crossed and I thought we would see them on the water and Dave thought we would meet in Cowes. When they went off ahead, we thought we weren't going to see them again and we decided to anchor in Osborne Bay for the afternoon and night. Then I got a missed call and voicemail. Too late. Sorry Dave.

Crow and Kestrel were already here and Bonify, Rosa, Windbreker and others came in afterwards.

Sheltered from the wind, Osborne Bay is a bit open to wash from big ships in the channel. But it's nice to have a quiet night, just the two of us, before the concentrated socialising of the OGA Golden Jubilee Festival which finally starts tomorrow.