"Are you sat down... I thought we'd got to the boat on Saturday"
This was my wife on the phone to me at work. I've had the boat 4 years or so and she has been on her twice so this was amazing - volunteering...needless to say I agreed.
We set of early together with the dog (Suki) and a picnic, leaving two boys fast asleep and totally unaware.
I got the boat ready whilst the dog had a run and promptly handed the tiller to my wife to take Daislebee out of her berth and down the marina into the lock. No dramas in the lock, helmed as though she had done it many times before.
She maintained the helm as we picked up a buoy in the Itchenor Reach for breakfast - very posh, croissants and coffee, before we set off for East Head. Suki was no trouble at all. gazing generally from her as they say in Ireland, or dozing in the sun.
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| Breakfast being prepared |
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| Suki enjoying the cruise |
East Head was quite crowded as you'd expect on a sunny weekend but we dropped the anchor and inflated the dinghy to get ashore. As usual , once ashore we realised we'd left important things aboard so I rowed out, nearly boarding the wrong boat - another blue Shrimper had come in and anchored just behind us.......
Once properly ashore, we walked along the beach only to encounter a certain Richard Goldsmith, on his Coaster Egret, who was assisting a West Wittering sailing club event. Introductions made we continued round to the main Wittering beach for an ice cream but soon escaped from the madding crowds, walking back along the western beach, looking across to Hayling Island.
I rowed out again for lunch, followed by a snooze on the beach..at least for some...what is it about spaniels..they never stop and will run and fetch a ball all day long....
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| "Come on throw the ball" |
We returned to the boat for a very civilised cup of tea with only one moment of drama...Suki had played with the ball all day and when we boarded Daislebee I carefully placed the ball in a cockpit pocket without her seeing. She in a moment of panic, thinking we were going to leave her ball in the dinghy, leaps from the boat to the dinghy to fetch it, just as I let the dinghy go on a long painter.The tide was running and she is not a fully competent sea dog by any means so before she could jump again I pulled the dinghy back alongside and she scrambled back in to the boat.....
Tea and cake were had in a leisurely fashion, but not without more mooring dramas in the anchorage. A 25 - 30 ft yacht raised anchor and got caught by the tide and swept down onto Cape Cutter with the yacht going one side of the Cutter bowsprit and her dinghy going the other. The Cutter dragged on her anchor and the tangle of boats were swept down towards a group of yachts that were rafted together. With much shouting and pushing they fended off and the miscreant fetch up against a large yacht further down the anchorage. The owner of the Cutter arrived from the beach at speed in a little Rib and set to untangling the mess.
We departed, with Caroline at the helm again, and headed back up the harbour and into the marina. We ended up eating at the new Cafe at the marina - pleasant but very slow - quite a few upset customers - some who seemed to have been waiting over an hour, only to be told that the kitchen had run out of what they had ordered. A shame as the venue is ideal and the staff bright and helpful - I hope they get it together.
We eventually got home by about 11.00 feeling like two teenagers who had run away for the day....
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