Cowes in the rain

We left Poole in the early morning having discovered the 'downside' of the marina with the palatial loos - the prices!!!  Nearly double what we have been paying elsewhere.  It was a really good place in other respects though, and Poole harbour is pretty good too.

The weather forecast for the day was for torrential rain, but in fact while we had a couple of heavyish showers en-route it really wasn't that bad.  Unfortunately the thick mist obscured what I know to be some lovely views of the Needles as we whizzed through the Hurst Channel with the tide behind us.

Cowes start line

Once into the Solent we discovered that it was Cowes Week.  This is the main fixture of the sailing calendar for those who like to race, as opposed to we who prefer to sail with a mug of tea in one hand. It was packed with hundreds of boats and there were several races taking place simultaneously. A gigantic oil tanker was also leaving Southampton Water and carving a path through the middle of it all. Goldfinch managed to zig-zag her way though, hopefully without spoiling anyone's race and we arrived in Portsmouth at lunchtime.

Off now to Mike & Chris's for a very welcome hot bath and a sleep in a real bed.  Luxury!

Chris leaves us today.  My son Dan joins us on Sunday and Mike's Daughter Rebecca on Monday.   We expect to return to our starting point of Ipswich on Wednesday or Thursday - weather permitting of course.