Newtown Harbour – first impressions

03/20/2015
by kelewis37
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Solent / UK

Beautiful Newtown harbour is on the Isle of Wight roughly half way between Cowes and Yarmouth.  It’s managed by the National Trust and is a stunning natural harbour and nature reserve.  It’s one of Tom’s favourite anchorages and he has visions of being the only boat moored in the harbour.  This is never the case, though if you arrive mid-week it’s usually quieter.

Shalfleet Quay

Shalfleet Quay by Kathryn Lewis

It’s beauty, shelter and beaches make it a popular spot; even on a rainy Easter weekend which was when we last visited.  We’d sailed across from Chichester and made the entrance as the sun was setting.  All the moorings were taken and we had to creep up the channel to find a safe’ish anchorage.  In the end we were on a shorter chain than we’d have liked and Tom was on deck in the middle of the night to make sure that we didn’t hit our neighbouring boats when the tide turned.

The following day we secured a mooring and went roaming about. At the top of the tide you can get a decent way down the river in the tender.  We moored at Shalfleet Quay and walked the mile or so to the nearest pub The New Inn at Shalfleet.  It was a lovely walk in the spring sunshine.  We were glad we’d reserved a table in advance as the pub was fully booked for lunch.

After lunch and the walk back to the tender we took it across to the original New Town village and walked up to the church to survey the harbour.  It was a perfect Easter Saturday, the sun warming our back, and the waves glinting in the sunshine.

Newtown Harbour

Newtown Harbour by Kathryn Lewis

There isn’t much at Newtown except the harbour, the quay and the pub.  There’s no water and no electricity and no showers.  However there’s abundant wildlife, beautiful beaches, woodland and all sorts of flora and fauna… and boats.  You can row, swim, walk, paddle or relax in your cockpit, read a book and watch the world drift by.

Black Headed Gull

Black Headed Gull by Kathryn Lewis

Cowes – things to see and do

03/13/2015
by kelewis37
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Cowes is, of course, a hub for many sailing related activities from learning to sail for the first time through to world class racing.  Cowes is also a good base for exploring inland as there are frequent buses to all parts of the Island as it’s well connected through the island bus service.

Whilst I would like to explore further around Cowes all I’ve managed so far is a few walks along the coast towards Gurnard.  Below is my wish list of things that I would do in Cowes if I wasn’t participating in a sailing regatta.

Osborne House – Queen Victoria’s home which is on a grand scale and not too far from Cowes.  Regular buses and taxis will get you there.  If you don’t fancy paying the entrance fee then sail from Cowes to Osborne Bay and admire the building from the comfort of your boat or swim from Queen Victoria’s beach.

Tour the towns of the Isle of Wight – take the No. 1 bus to Newport from the Red Jet Ferry Terminal and then take your pick of the towns: Ryde, Freshwater, Sundown, Shanklin, Ventnor.  There are also train services using old London Underground rolling stock to link Ryde and Shanklin or a steam railway from Wootton to Smallbrook Junction.

Walk – the many many miles of footpaths.  The Ordnance Survey maps are readily available and there are walks to suit every disposition.  These are the top five walks but many more can be found using local guide-books or advice from the tourist information office.

Seaside – of course there’s plenty of seaside and the beaches of the Isle of Wight are well maintained.  There are guides available that describe some of the best.  A few of these such as Gurnard and Osborne Bay are close to Cowes.

Sights –  there are plenty of other sights but top of my list is the dinosaur museum.  I’ve no idea what this is but it’s new and a dedicated museum for dinosaurs.  I’ll be lobbying to visit this at some point this year.

Cowes – food

03/12/2015
by kelewis37
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Solent / UK

Food is plentiful in Cowes.  You won’t get much by way of fine dining but you will get good atmosphere and something to cater for everyone’s tastes.

There are a wide variety of restaurants along the Cowes High Street.  Walk out from the marina and turn either left or right and within a few hundred yards there will be a pub or a restaurant or a yacht club that’s able to take you and your crew and give you food and drink.   There are also two well stocked supermarkets, a greengrocer, some bakers and a butchers on the high street.  The smaller shops may be closed on Sundays.

We’ve eaten well at the following restaurants.

Upriver from ISC

Upriver from ISC by Kathryn Lewis

The Anchor Inn

Directly outside the pedestrian entrance to the Yacht Haven.  It’s busy so if you want to guarantee a seat at a table then book ahead.  There’s the usual standard pub menu but it’s reliable and a fun place to be.

The Pier View

Always busy, you’re guaranteed that you’ll bump into someone you know.  Again, reliable pub food.  Book ahead if you want to guarantee a table.

The Red Duster

This restaurant is a bit of an institution.  It’s not fine dining but the food is plentiful and they will happily accommodate large groups.

Well Bread

This cafe and bakery was new to me last year.  They bake fantastic bread that keeps well.  I trudged up here in the pouring rain but it was worth the trip as the crew appreciated the wonderful bread; welcome after spending 4 miserable hours in big seas and strong winds.

Tiffins Cafe

Just next door to the pedestrian entrance to the yacht haven they do bacon butties.  You can eat in or take away.

The Island Sailing Club

This club is always welcoming and they have a lovely restaurant and bar on the first floor that overlooks the harbour.  The restaurant can be fully booked at busy times such as during the Round the Island race weekend.  They also do fantastic barbecues.

Royal Corinthian Yacht Club

I only seem to come to this club for formal dinners but they do these brilliantly.  Nothing beats a summer’s evening sitting on the terrace drinking pink gin and looking down onto the Royal Yacht Squadron.  The club has recently merged with the Royal Ocean Racing Club so it’ll be interesting to see whether that changes things.

Cowes – first impressions

02/24/2015
by kelewis37
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Cowes is one of the sailing capitals of the world.  Home to the famous Cowes Week racing, the start of the Fastnet race and the Round the Island race.   The prestigious Royal Yacht Squadron looks out over the harbour entrance and it’s start line is used for many sailing races.

Rainbow over Cowes

Rainbow over Cowes by Kathryn Lewis

As a mecca for sailing there are numerous prestigious yacht and sailing clubs.  The town is on the Medina River, Isle of Wight.  It looks North to Southampton and is in the centre of the Solent.   There’s still some ship building and maintenance yards, along with sail training and sail and powerboat racing for boats of all shapes and sizes.

The town itself is relatively small with the high street containing a range of usual high street shops and restaurants.  These are interspersed with chandleries and shops for sailing specific brands such as Henri Lloyd and Musto  who use  their shops to exhibit their latest range of clothing and waterproofs.

The entrance to the harbour is changing as there’s an outer protective sea wall being installed.  This should protect the harbour better from the north-north easterly gales that can be dangerous to the moored boats.  The Cowes Yacht Haven is our usual mooring if we’re in Cowes.  We only seem to be at Cowes for sailing regattas and a berth at the Haven is usually included in the package.  Further up the river there is Shepherd’s Wharf marina which is quieter and East Cowes Marina but you need to take the chain ferry to get to Cowes from here.  Further up the Medina are numerous moorings as far as the Folly Inn a Pub about 2 miles from the harbour entrance.

First impressions are of a vibrant community both on and off the water.  The harbour is busy as there are two ferries operating: a car ferry and a fast passenger catamaran.  What with those, day sailing boats such as the Dragons and Etchells and all the other boats coming and going you need to hold your nerve and follow the Col Regs to ensure safe passage.  I’d like to say that it’s quieter off season but there are winter and spring sailing regattas so it’s fairly busy year round.   If you’re looking for a quiet night with a bottle of wine and good food then you’ll need to go to Newtown or Beaulieu.

Cowes Yacht Haven is a marina geared for visitors.  There are lots of berths and when it’s busy expect to be moored alongside at least another boat.  Boats of all shapes and sizes will be in here for one reason or another they could be victualling before an off-shore race, cruising boats using it as a stop off point, using it as the centre for day racing series or simply taking in the scene.  The marina itself is functional, the showers functional and recently refurbished.  During Cowes week and other blue ribbon events during the year the hard standing is used for shore-side parties so it can get noisy.

The shoreside entrance to the marina is directly from the high street so it’s a very short walk to the shops and restaurants which makes it popular with sailing crews.  The Red Jet passenger ferry is only a 5 minute walk away – again a good location to collect crew members from the mainland.

The Pier View and the Anchor Inn Pubs are geared towards sailors – they’re large and efficient. The yacht clubs also welcome visitors and we’ve been welcomed at the Royal London Yacht Club, the Island Sailing Club, Royal Corinthian Yacht Club (recently merged with the Royal Ocean Racing Club).  We’ve been to the Royal Yacht Squadron for formal events and the view from their lawn is superb.

Hamble River – first impressions

02/22/2015
by kelewis37
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Solent / UK

We needed to get the hydraulics fixed on Trouper.  That meant a visit to Hamble Yacht Services as they know the boat and had originally installed the hydraulics.  We decided to make a long weekend out of the chore.  Friday morning we set off on the early falling tide.  Getting up before you’ve gone to bed, as they say in Monty Python, is not much fun but we were rewarded with a calm, warm day and Chichester Harbour looked like a publicity shot for the Caribbean.

The light airs meant that we motored for some of the way.  Once past Portsmouth we stayed snug to the Portsmouth coast and rounded into Southampton Water.  Then we had to take the sails down and motor from the entrance to Hamble River.

It was the first time we’d taken Trouper up the Hamble; we’ve both done the trip in numerous other boats.  The marinas seem to get larger every year as it’s a prime location to keep a boat with easy access to the Central Solent.  You pass all manner of yacht and powerboat from the small to the huge from the sporty to the staid.  It’s a beautiful river but I think nearby Beaulieu is a calmer spot to visit.  Needs must and the boat services available due to the high volume of boats moored here are some of the best in the UK.

After passing Hamble Point and Port Hamble we moored at the visitors berth at Hamble Yacht Services.  There was a strong tide running which made the mooring interesting, especially as we had to move Trouper to a different mooring so the work on the hydraulics could be attended to.

The marina is a relatively short walk into Hamble village where there are a wide range of restaurants and pubs.  Port Hamble is a more pleasant marina with better shower and shoreside facilities.  Hamble Yacht Services is where you get work done and so there’s less attention paid to modern conveniences.  In particular it’s where Swan owners seem to get work done.  We had time to snoop around the other Swans that were either on the water or in the yard.  All very large and very beautiful.

To stop Tom from getting too many ‘bright’ ideas (also known as upgrade ideas) we left the folk in the yard and walked into the village.  We ate lunch in the Bugle Pub and by the time we got back the work that we’d thought would take most of the day was complete.  We were left in the position of wondering whether to stay or go.  In the end, with a sea breeze in full flow, we decided to head over to Beaulieu and had a good sail out of Southampton Water and up the Beaulieu river before the rain caught up with us.

Lymington – things to see and do

02/08/2015
by kelewis37
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Solent / UK

Lymington is on the edge of the New Forest.  The New Forest was established by Royal Charter in about 1069.  Obviously they’d run out of interesting names; or perhaps they didn’t think about future-proofing the name.  Anyway it was originally established as a Royal Hunting Ground.  Luckily this has meant the relative preservation of a now unique habitat.   It was also the source of the Royal Navy’s oak timbers for ship-building until they moved on to use steel.  There are also New Forest ponies and donkeys.  The ponies are a special sub-breed notable as they’re so small.  All this is just a five minute bus-ride away from Lymington.

New Forest donkeys

New Forest donkeys by Kathryn Lewis

There are many other villages and towns to explore within the New Forest area including Lyndhurst, Brockenhurst and Beaulieu, to name those nearby.  Each has it’s own character and they are connected with bus and train routes to Lymington. There are plenty of places to hire bicycles and there are many signposted walks through the New Forest. There are also things to see and do from Lymington. Walk to Key Haven – Lymington used to harvest salt and the salt pools are still in evidence there’s a gentle walk that starts at the Lymington Yacht Haven and follows the edge of the pools to Key Haven.  If you persevere along the shingle spit you can get out to Hurst Castle which is one of Henry VIII’s many defences in the solent area. Hurst Castle – one of Henry VIII’s many defences built to keep out the French and Spanish. Lymington Salt Water Pool – I’ve seen the sign to this for many years but sadly this is still on my wish list as we didn’t get to Lymington during the Summer Season when it’s opened.  I’m fascinated to see what the pool is like from the inside. Yarmouth – sail or take the ferry over to Yarmouth and see Lymington from the other side.

Lymington – food

01/31/2015
by kelewis37
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Food / Solent / UK

Restaurants, pubs and takeaways are plentiful in Lymington.  Over the years we’ve been visiting some have come and gone.  There was a great restaurant off the High Street that was in a converted methodist hall and had a piano installed half way up a double-height wall… sadly that’s gone.

Last season we went to the following…

Stanwell House Hotel

This fine hotel has a great fish restaurant in the front of their building.  It’s pricey – expect to pay London prices – but there’s an interesting menu and a good wine list.  We stayed the night too.  Whilst the room was pleasant with a view over the garden the heating didn’t work and it wasn’t a pleasant room to sit in.  I’m sensitive to the cold and when I’ve been working outdoors all day I do like to warm up again.  Luckily the bathroom was well fitted out and there was plenty of hot water.

The Kings Head

A very pleasant pub that is a short walk from the marinas and on the lower end of the high street.  Lunch and evening are both good times to visit.  We made the mistake of not reserving a table on a Saturday night so couldn’t get in (even in March) so to be on the safe side you’ll need to make a reservation.  The food is fresh cooked and has the usual variety of pub-style meals typical of a coastal town.  For lunch I had an excellent pint of prawns with great bread washed down with a ginger beer and bitter shandy.

Ship Inn

We arrived via train one wet and windy Friday evening and the Ship Inn was the closest pub between the train station and the Berthon marina.  So we stopped for a quick bite to eat and were pleasantly surprised.  The pub patio area is usually really crowded so we’ve often walked by to one of the quieter pubs further up the high street.  The food is fine, reliable and a good variety of options.  The service is welcoming and it’s surprisingly spacious.

Lymington Fish and Chips

I’ve walked past this Fish and Chip shop on the High Street numerous times but it was only when we couldn’t get a table at the King’s Head that we stopped here for fish and chips.  We were late arriving (the fish and chip shop closes at 8:00pm) and were the last customers.  However our fish and chips were fresh cooked and not at all rushed.  We couldn’t eat in so we walked back to the boat which is about a 10 minute walk.  The chips were still crispy and it was perhaps the best fish and chips I’ve ever eaten.

Lymington – first impressions

01/26/2015
by kelewis37
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Solent / UK

Trouper’s home port used to be Lymington and it’s one of our favourite spots in Southern England.  When we’d initially dreamed about buying a boat we said we’d keep it in one of the marinas in Lymington.  Tom’s father kept his day boat, a Hawk 20, at Lymington so we used to sail regularly from Lymington across to the Isle of Wight to: Yarmouth, New Town or Cowes as day sails on the little boat.  However it’s at least a three hour drive from the East-end of London and the XoD that we sail is kept in Chichester.  It was inevitable that we’d need to move Trouper.

Once we’d taken ownership we decided to keep Trouper at the Berthon Marina over the first winter.  This was mainly a practical decision as we’d decided to copper-coat the hull to cut down on future anti-fouling work.  Also, we didn’t fancy taking Trouper to Chichester in the November and December storms.

Trouper with winter coat

Trouper with winter coat

Instead we travelled down for day trips to visit Trouper and undertake maintenance jobs such as putting the cover on, cleaning the decks, polishing the hull and greasing the seacocks.  Once everything was winterised we had time for a brief rest before reversing the jobs to get her ready to put to sea.

The Berthon marina is an easy walk into town and we did manage, in between the jobs, to enjoy our time in Lymington.  There’s a fantastic range of shops and restaurants and the Berthon Marina is brilliant.  The staff are enormously helpful, there’s every facility you can think of to fix your boat or you including the most fabulous showers on the South Coast.

The majority of our time was spent ashore but the marina berths are also good, with shore power and plenty of berths for visitors.  It’s a protected harbour as it’s a 30 minute motor up the Lymington river and in the rough winter storms of 2013-14 and we were confident that Trouper wasn’t going to be damaged.

In the Summer there’s plenty to see and do ashore as Lymington is on the edge of the New Forest and the Solent so there are water-based and land-based activities.  The limiting factor is time and imagination and, let’s face it, sometimes you just want to read a book in the sunshine.

Spring storm approaching

Spring storm approaching

We sailed Trouper to Chichester in late March 2014.  It started as a beautiful day with sunshine but high winds.  A storm passed through whilst we were off Wotton Creek on the Isle of Wight and we had the full range of high winds and rain.  We realised, at that point, why she’s called Trouper. We saw 40kts over the deck from the West and, even with only a scrap of headsail, we expected some reaction to the increased wind or possibly a slight broach.  We had nothing, Trouper maintained her course.  We felt very safe.

Beaulieu things to see and do and secrets

01/24/2015
by kelewis37
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Solent / UK / Uncategorized

I‘ve already mentioned that Beaulieu is small and relatively quiet but there’s a surprising amount to see and do.

Boating up river

The water does get shallow quickly but if you have a tender with outboard, kayak or even a stand up paddle board then you can pootle up river all the way to Beaulieu village at the top of the tide.  There is a public mooring available on the right hand riverbank (as you look at it) at Beaulieu village.  From here the small village boasts a number of cafes, shops and restaurants or if you’d prefer then picnic by the river bank.

We have a new outboard engine for our tender so we took it on engine trials taking the last of the flood tide in early evening to survey the northern stretches of the water. We were struck by the fabulous houses with gardens falling into the river on the Eastern side of the river.  Lucky them.  Once we arrived at Beaulieu we drifted back on the start of the ebb arriving at Trouper just as it was getting dark.

Photo of Beaulieu River

Beaulieu River by Kathryn Lewis

Walking

There are plenty of walks in the local area.  There’s one that is signposted from the edge of the boatyard and if you follow it four miles you’ll end up in Beaulieu village.  On our third visit to Beaulieu this year we did this walk.  It follows the riverbank for about half the distance before cutting across the fields to take the more direct route to Beaulieu.  Once we arrived in Beaulieu we stopped for tea (how English is that) before turning around and walking back again.

Downriver

There’s a river cruise that operates from a pier at Buckler’s Hard.  This guided tour takes about 2 hours.  On our second trip to Beaulieu with Trouper we decided not to do this but to take our friends on a similar tour using Trouper.  We gave them a taste of seafaring life teaching them knots and how to tie on fenders in between pointing out which houses we’d be prepared to live in should we win the lottery any time soon.

Secret

It’s not much of a secret any more but the Beaulieu estate was used to train British Spies during the second world war.  The estate and surrounding area was, apparently, good for covert training.  Houses within the estate were then used to support simulations to help the spies develop their skills. There’s a very interesting exhibition at the Beaulieu National Motor Museum on this work.

Other things to see and do

Beaulieu National Motor Museum & Beaulieu Abbey – well worth the trip but there is an entrance charge, once inside there’s a variety of exhibits from cars to the Abbey and House and Garden and an exhibit on training English spies.

Buckler’s Hard – this is adjacent to the marina and is a single street, preserved to show what a ship building town might have looked like if Nelson came to visit.

Exbury Gardens & Exbury Steam Railway – I’ve never been to these but I’ve heard the steam engine from our mooring.  Now I know what this is I’ll aim to visit.

Beaulieu – food

01/18/2015
by kelewis37
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Food / Solent / UK

The dining options are limited in the Beaulieu area.  There’s the Master Builder’s pub and then in Beaulieu village there’s Monty’s and The Terrace at the Montagu Arms.  The latter is their michelin starred restaurant.

We’ve eaten at both the Master Builder and Monty’s this year.  Monty’s was an excellent experience.

Midsummer's eve Beaulieu

Midsummer’s eve Beaulieu

Monty’s
Some friends of ours met us at Beaulieu on mid-Summer’s day to help celebrate the longest day. This meant we were chauffeured to Monty’s rather than walking.  We’d originally wanted to dine at The Terrace but it was fully booked for a private party.  My memory is a little hazy on what we ate and drank but I do remember that we were delighted with our experience at Monty’s.  The atmosphere was welcoming and not too formal.  We sat around oak tables that were laid with fine cutlery and glasses.  The menu was brief but with a good balance of options so even our vegetarian friend was catered for.  The wine list was excellent.   We were back on the boat to watch the sun go down on a beautiful mid-summer’s day and plans to repeat the trip soon.

Master Builders 

We had an impromptu stop in Beaulieu later in the Summer  We’d planned to spend the night on the River Hamble because we’d thought that fixing the hydraulic system would take most of the day.  In the end the work took an hour so we had the afternoon free.  We set off in strengthening Westerly for Beaulieu.  When we moored we saw some dark clouds on the horizon but decided to walk over to the Master Builder for a quick drink before supper.  We arrived just as the first drops of rain started to fall.  So a quick drink turned into a longer stay with pub food included.

The Master Builder’s food has varied over the years and the service has been known to be variable with stories of long waits especially when it’s busy.  They have a dining room as well as the pub.  We choose to stay in the pub and had burger and fish and chips.  Both were good and arrived quickly.  We even bumped into some boating friends who keep their boat on the Beaulieu river and had been out taking their dog for a walk.  Sadly they got soaking wet so decided to try to dry out by having a drink with us.

Would we go back?  Yes of course, we’d think carefully about whether we’d eat at the pub based on current word of mouth as the food and service have been so variable over the years.