Coastal capers 2026

Thursday 25th June ☀️

We left St-Vaast-la-Houge at 7am on our way to Cherbourg, a shorter hop around the coast. We arrived lunchtime and enjoyed eating on the boat. We paid for one night at the marina office then headed to the PAF office (Police aux Frontier) to have our passports electronically checked so that we could say au revoir 👋 to France 🇫🇷 the following morning. On our way back to the boat we found the older centre of Cherbourg, with traditional buildings, shops and cafes. We enjoyed our wander around then planned to have a swim in the indoor pool near the marina. We found the swimming pool on our way back to the boat but discovered we were unable to swim there as Richard would be unsuitably attired.

We didn’t rush to buy Richard some Speedos, obviously we chose to cool off with a beer in the shade. 🍻

We had our evening meal on the boat and watched a thunder storm pass through from the relative safety of the cockpit 😬⚡️⛈️

Friday 🌥️☀️

We departed from Cherbourg at 7am, and headed towards Alderney in the Channel Islands. We hoped this stop would shave 3 hours off our channel crossing. We arrived in time for lunch and after completing customs formalities, we enjoyed an excellent haddock and chips when we went ashore. We had a wander around the little town then enjoyed a refreshing swim from the white sandy beach. Not needing much to eat after our delicious lunch, we enjoyed a relaxed evening meal on the boat.

Saturday ☀️🌥️wind 3-15mph southerly followed by westerlies of nearly 30mph

Having woken early, due to gaining an hour back on British time, we left at 6am. There was little wind so we didn’t even try to raise the sails. We initially had the tide diagonally against us but managed to edge along at a comfortable 5 knots as we got further away from the islands. It was so calm that Maisie chose to sit in the main cabin for the initial part of the journey.

We had planned to cross the channel in a north westerly direction to reach Salcombe by the evening.

We checked the winds again for the following few days and figured that we probably would not be home until Tuesday. I noticed a 15mph wind was forecast for later in the day in a southerly direction, which would mean a good line straight to Falmouth. We decided to head straight home and for three hours (20 miles) we had a cracking sail reaching speeds of 8 knots. Unfortunately the wind direction changed to westerly and on our nose with gusts of nearly 30mph and rougher seas 💨🌊. We reefed in the sails several times.

We were relieved when we picked up our mooring at 8am 😊

Very much a great adventure, may need a holiday to recover 😀

Thursday 18th June ☀️🌥️⛈️

The Boulogne marina is edged by a weir that is also an eel hatchery. The tidal range is 7.9 meters which means as the tide falls a lot of water from the river behind is pushed into the harbour and marina. This causes sea foam which is a little alarming at first but harmless. This area of Boulogne was heavily bombed in WW2. We saw pictures of elegant Edwardian terraces that have ben replaced by flats. There are derelict buildings to the right of the harbour entrance where wooden shelves have been attached for seagulls to nest. It prevents them nesting on other buildings. The beach was very clean and near to the largest aquarium in Europe. I visited here nearly 25 years ago on a school trip. My first teaching job at a school in Kettering 😬

We walked from the marina towards the old town. We stopped in a lovely square for coffee then looked around the chateau and museum. The Château de Boulogne-sur-Mer is the centrepiece of a fortress built in 1231. The fortifications of the earlier Roman city are visible in underground passages.

The Boulogne-sur-Mer Museum, within the chateau, was founded in 1825. There are over 100,000 objects from ancient Egypt to Alaska, from pre-Columbian Peru to the English Channel coast. There were paintings of the Boulogne region and an Arctic Worlds art exhibition.

In a picturesque street we had soup des poissons for lunch, lovely, has been a while 🐟. We walked to the beach, lay on the sand and paddled in the sea. Dark clouds started to appear so we found a bar away from the sudden downpour and storm. We returned to the boat for a curry meal.

Friday ⛅️ 🌬️ 5-15mph

We departed from Boulogne at 7am after buying some fresh croissants near the harbour office. We had a steady motor sail. It was interesting near a new wind farm where we were asked to move slightly away via VHF radio. France seems to have different rules for distances around wind farms.

We arrived in Dieppe around 6pm in time for a quick shower and an evening meal ashore. Unfortunately we were reminded of how good the chips were in Belgium and the Netherlands 😬 We returned to the boat and Maisie. She has settled well to the sailing routine again. Tonight she enjoyed a few evening laps of the boat.

Saturday Dieppe ☀️⛅️

We had a wander around the street market that wound itself along many streets. After stopping for coffee we visited the Chateau musée de Dieppe.

We walked back and stopped for lunch near the harbour. We enjoyed gallettes cooked the Breton way (with buckwheat flour). After our delicious lunch we wandered along to the beach. The beaches are shingle similar to those opposite across the channel in Brighton and Eastbourne.

After a little food shopping we returned to the boat and caught up with family at home. I accidentally pressed voice chat on my family WhatsApp and lots of people answered, which turned into a video chat. Was lovely seeing you all 🥰 We had our evening meal on the boat with the brave Maisie.

Sunday ☀️☀️⛅️

We left Dieppe at 6am heading west. We originally planned to go to Honfleur today but tides made it very complicated. We have decided to stop at Fecamp tonight then head for Le Havre tomorrow. We will visit Honfleur by bus.

With the tides helping us we were motoring at nearly 7 knots most of the way so arrived a little early. We anchored in the bay for lunch.

We motored into Fecamp harbour at 1:30pm when there was plenty of depth. Fecamp is a fishing port and has a ruined abbey. We headed towards the ornate distillery, Le Palais Benedictine. Here the merchant, Alexander Le Grand developed the gothic style distillery in 1863, to manufacture and market Benedictine herbal liqueur using a monastic recipe. We enjoyed exploring the building and were told where to wait for the distillery tour. An hour of waiting later the tour commenced in very rapid French followed by a tasting. It smelt and tasted like brandy. We were relieved to escape to the beach afterwards.

In the evening, after several recommendations, we ate at La Boucane restaurant, opposite to where we were moored. Tender and meltingly delicious lamb shanks (cooked for 4.5 hours). There was live music serenading us when we returned to the boat. Maisie enjoyed the music too, upping her step count by doing at least 10 laps of the boat. I think she was looking for gaps in the netting we have added since her attempted escape in Eastbourne. 😼 A lovely evening.

Monday ☀️☀️

We left Fécamp at 7am, heading for Le Havre. A warm, calm and sunny day. We were sailing closer to the shore and saw the cliff archway at Etretat called the Falaise d’Aval.

We arrived at Le Havre after lunch and wandered to the nearby beach to have a swim. Was a really warm day, mid thirties, the beach was not pretty but we were glad to cool down. We enjoyed our evening meal on the boat with every available hatch open. It was so warm we were sitting outside until 11pm.

Tuesday ☀️☀️🥵

After a cooling shower ashore we departed Le Havre at 7am for a full days sailing. We decided to head for St-Vaast-la-Hougue, and a beach. Honfleur was more complicated to get into being up the river. We had a good sail but arrived an hour later than expected as the tide slowed us down towards the end. We arrived in time for an evening meal in the marina restaurant. Another warm evening. Maisie enjoyed her evening stroll around the deck so much that she was reluctant to return to the cabin below. Over 10 laps tonight, we lost count, I still think she’s searching for escape routes.

Wednesday ☀️☀️

We had hoped to take the amphibious boat to the Île de Tatihou just off the Hougue coast. On arrival we were told to buy tickets at the tourist office but after walking into town we were told all the tickets for the day had been sold. We saw so many other people turned away, it seemed strange they were only offering the 10 minute crossing hourly. As the tides are presently neaps, meaning low tide is not very low we thought it unwise to cross the causeway to the island on foot. The causeway was not visible at 11:15 but the oyster beds alongside it were, low tide was 1pm. In hindsight we may have been able to cross but would not have had much time there. Instead we walked along the coast away from the oyster beds. We headed for the Hougue tower, walked around (along with many French tourists) but discovered that it was only open at weekends 😬 The beach beckoned and a cooling dip in the sea. We enjoyed a delicious gallette lunch followed by ice cream sundaes. 😋.

We returned to the boat for a siesta. We cooled Maisie down by wiping her with a wet paper towel, she really likes it. 😻

Late afternoon we returned to the town for a few provisions. We found the emporium Gosselin, which was recommended by several guide books. We also managed to buy postage stamps at a Bar Tabac. We have had difficulties buying stamps and finding postboxes. We unfortunately missed two birthdays (sorry again Carly and Stanley) when in the Netherlands and have been unable to send many postcards home to the grandkids.

Thursday 11th June

We were able to leave Bruinisse relatively easily, the lock opened soon after we arrived.

We made our way to Willemstad via some worrying bridges. Richard had checked our mast height several times but it was still nerve wracking going under the bridges. Your eyes play tricks on you and you can’t believe you will be able to pass underneath.

It was rather grey when we arrived in Willemstad and we had a quick look around before there was a sudden downpour of rain. We retreated to the boat for our evening meal as few places seemed to be open.

Friday wet and windy 23-32mph

We were particularly indecisive this morning. It was wet and windy and Willemstad was underwhelming with very little open although they were digging the roads and pavements up. After much faffing we topped up with fuel and had a walk and coffee. We chose to go on the Northern side of the Haringviliet which had to be carefully timed with the bridge opening.

We had a good evening in Hellevoetsluis with a hearty steak meal at a restaurant run by a friendly Mancunian.

Saturday grey, still a little windy but fine

Well Heelevoetsluis was a little gem. We walked from the marina into town and had coffee and Dutch apple tart. Tempted by the museum we bought tickets for a fire service museum? 🤔 It was amazing, over three floors, firefighting history, equipment, fire engines and modern international disaster rescue. From my brother Shaun’s toy fire engine, horse drawn steam pumped examples, a Citreon DV2, a DAF car and full size modern examples.

Near the museum were three ships that you could visit. The first we looked around was built in Glasgow as a sailing ship but later had a steam engine fitted. It reminded us of HMS Warrior in Portsmouth. We then looked around a lightship that used to be found in the North Sea but has been replaced by a buoy that has far brighter LED lights. The interesting volunteers used to work on the lightship. They said there were 11 crew at all times and they worked two weeks on and two weeks off.

After lunch we explored the working windmill, climbing the many narrow steps.

We returned to the boat and motored across past the weir that is a barrier to the North sea and controls water from the Rhine. We tied up at marina Stellendam and had a quick wander ashore to the bird hide along the coast. All along the Haringvilliet estuary we had seen many birds. At the hide we saw terns, coots, spoonbills, crested grebes, a giant egret and oyster catchers.

Sunday, grey, winds 25 initially NW dropping to 15

We left Stelendam at 6am and headed to the lock and bridge waiting for our return to the North Sea. We negotiated the lock ok, this was one of the first where we saw a significant change in water level. We noticed this when we realised we had tied one of the ropes to tight 😬 We safely nudged Captiva out to sea where we had to follow a buoyed channel very carefully. The marina had assured us that the channel was regularly dredged to a depth of 4m. Unfortunately the onshore winds were a little higher than forecast so it was a nerve wracking and bumpy ride out to the open sea. We had planned to sail direct to Dunkirk, but that would have meant arriving at 11pm. We opted instead to return to Ostend for one night arriving at a more civilised 6:30pm.

Monday wind on the nose 28-15mph

We left Ostende at 7am with winds higher than expected and as ever on the nose, not at all what was forecast. Another long day arriving in Dunkerque at 4pm. We had planned to stay just one night but the harbour master was so welcoming and the area sounded so interesting, we quickly opted for two nights. We had a walk around one side and enjoyed a pizza.

Tuesday ☀️🌥️

We walked to the opposite side of the harbour entrance towards THE beach. We had lunch overlooking the glistening sands then went for a walk and paddle in the North Sea.

We walked towards the art museum but it was ferme on Tuesdays 🤔 We were relieved to find that the Dunkerque 1940/Operation Dynamo Museum was open. The Museum is housed in the curtain walls of Bastion 32, which is a symbolic location, as it played a significant role during the events of Operation Dynamo and the Battle of Dunkirk. The museum documents the events leading up to the small boats operation which resulted in 338,226 soldiers being rescued including 224,320 British and around 133,000 French soldiers, in June 1940 from the beach of Dunkerque. There were 41 destroyers (of which 6 were sunk) and numerous small boats (933 ships in total and 236 were sunk). The museum documents this incredibly poignant story. So interesting (as someone who never studied this at school), will never forget it.

Wednesday 💨 sur le nez

We left at 7am when tides were slack hoping to be pushed along by the tide for most of the journey. We needed to reach Cap Gris Nez before the tide reversed. Unfortunately we were about 30 minutes too late and spent two hours with 4 knots of tide against us so moving at 0.2 knots, sometimes sideways. We were relieved to eventually pass the grey nose and turn towards Boulogne Sur Mer. Our first impressions were that we would stay one night. We managed to find an evening meal but further research led us to believe that the town maybe worth further exploration. We opted for two nights.

Thursday 4th June winds gusting 25-30mph, sunshine and showers

The day started wet and windy so we unfurled our raincoats and set off walking along the very long beach to the Atlantic wall. We sheltered from a particularly heavy downpour in the cafe of an iconic hotel that is being restored.

We walked about 5 miles along the windswept promenade to reach the Atlantikwall Raversyde, one of the last remaining parts of the extensive system of coastal defences built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along the coast of continental Europe and Scandinavia. It was an interesting and extensive museum with some additional First World War history.

We caught a tram back to Oostende and enjoyed a belated lunch of Belgian waffles. Learning from our Ramsgate cruffin experience, we had one each 😋

Friday winds westerly 16-27mph

We had a relaxed start, a shower, a little laundry and boat cleaning. We found a place for a lunchtime main meal so we could catch the tide to Vlissingen. A delicious meal, they do very good crispy chips in Belgium. We untied at 1:30pm and motored Captiva out of Oostende. We kept one reef in the mainsail for most of the journey up past Zebrugge to the Netherlands coast. We turned into the Schelde estuary being very careful around the large ships also entering (200 to 300 per day). Then crossed the estuary to the entrance for Vlissingen and waited for the lock to open. Once we left the lock we motored up to the Jacht Haven Schelde. We had a restful evening listening to the music from the nearby Vlissingen maritime festival (Police, Queen and Fleetwood Mac tribute bands). It sounded a bit like some of the festivals that take place in Falmouth 😂

Saturday wet and windy

We walked into Vlissingen and despite the weather enjoyed seeing the tall ships and other interesting boats at the maritime festival. As the wind increased we sheltered in a bar then returned to Captiva for a fish curry. The winds had increased to 40mph so we decided against returning to the maritime festival for the evening music (just as well as we didn’t recognise any of it 😬)

Sunday Sun, clouds 15mph winds

We returned to Vlissingen to experience it in sunshine. We walked along the promenade where the shipping lanes are very close to the shore. There was a large group of very brave sea swimmers. We stopped for coffee before returning to the boat. We enjoyed our visit to the much larger, original, Dutch Flushing. 🇳🇱🇬🇧

On hearing that the bridge was about to open we readied Captiva for our first venture into the Dutch canals. The journey to Middelburg involved the opening of six bridges along the Walcheren Canal, mostly in convoy with other boats. We were following a traditional Dutch sailing boat for most of the way.

We tied up past the final bridge in the centre of town. After a walk around Middelburg, the capital of Zeeland, we enjoyed an evening meal in a Dutch pub. We both chose tasty “deluxe” schnitzel and chips.

Monday, grey start with rain later

After an unhurried breakfast we walked 4.5 miles to a village called Arnemuiden. We found that nearly everything but the supermarket was closed on a Monday. We topped up our food reserves then returned to Middelburg by train. All we had achieved was an increase in our step count 🙃 We had lunch in Middelburg where interesting places like the enormous museum were also closed on a Monday. We sat in the boat cockpit and watched a procession of 15 motor boats from Norfolk arrive when the bridge opened. The threatened downpours of rain followed, so we retreated into the main cabin for dinner.

Tuesday winds light then breezy mid afternoon, quieter in the evening

After breakfast we left Middelburg and made our way towards the tideless saltwater lake, Veerse Meer. This was once open to the North Sea but between 1954 and 1997 the inventive Dutch closed off the delta creating an inland lake reclaiming land from sea.

After navigating the Schutsluis lock we tied up near the entrance to Veere. There was a strong trading relationship between Veere and Scotland in the 17th to late 18th century. The large Scottish population meant that the first Scottish Kirk on foreign soil was built here.

Historically there was trade in Scottish wool, salmon and skins. We saw sheep in the surrounding fields and found a shop selling sheep related products.

After an enjoyable lunch, which included apple strudel, we motored along a windy Veerse Meer to Delta marina at Kortgene. Fortunately the winds died down in the evening.

Wednesday cloud and sun

After doing some washing and a few chores we motored along Veerse Meer towards the large Zandkreeksluis lock and bridge which is the entrance to the Oosterschelde. We were joined by the fleet of British yachts we saw in Middelburg. “More boats than the British Navy” was Richard’s observation. We were raised up by the lock which meant the lateral red and green buoys were reversed in the Oosterschelde as we had travelled uphill and were now going uostream. It is important when navigating to know this. It reminded us of our time in the Caledonian Canal, although more confusing here because the landscape is so flat compared to Scotland.

The Oosterschelde was a much larger expanse of water. We had to go around a mussel farm and saw large cargo boats traversing the water. We arrived at the lock entrance of Bruinisse and tied ourselves to the waiting pontoon. When the lock and bridge finally opened a massive barge that had filled the whole lock emerged. We then had to wait for another barge to enter then cut its engine. Once the turbulence had declined we entered the lock with four other yachts and a motor boat. When leaving the lock we had to wait for the turbulence from the barge to settle before we could exit, everyone wobbled around a lot. We tied up in the marina near the lock and enjoyed a meal (that included local mussels) ashore. A quiet and peaceful place on Grevelingenmeer in Oosterschelde National Park, rich in plant life, birds and seals.

Thursday 28th May Winds light and warm, again

We left Gosport marina at 6am.

The light winds and dealing with tides both ways meant wearisome progress to Eastbourne. It was particularly slow and lumpy leaving Portsmouth but we had some help from the wind towards the end of our 14 hour journey. We negotiated the Sovereign harbour marina lock and tied up at 8pm. If we wanted to sail the following day tides dictated that we would need to leave at 2am. We opted for a nights sleep 😴

Friday in Eastbourne

We had a morning of boat chores, laundry, boat cleaning and topping up supplies.

Leaving clean washing hanging in the gentle breeze we walked along the new King Charles III England coast path east towards Pevensey bay. We turned inland and followed the footpath to Pevensey village.

After a pub lunch we explored the fascinating Pevensey castle. Its many layers of history began in about AD 290, standing by the sea it was the biggest of the Roman ‘Saxon Shore’ fortresses. Still standing at full height are its impressive 500 metre long walls. In 1066, William the Conqueror landed and built a fortress within the Roman defences. In 1940, after centuries of abandonment the now inland fortress was back in service with machine gun posts cleverly camouflaged into its walls. The Régiment de Maisonneuve Canadian infantry regiment, the 4th Battalion of the Duke of Cornwall’s light infantry, the Home Guard and later US Army Air Corps were stationed there.

We caught a bus back to Sovereign marina and enjoyed a boat cooked curry. Maisie had another wander around the deck jumping into the front cabin through the open hatch. During another lap of the boat she leapt off the bow onto the pontoon then climbed on to the step of the nearby lifeboat. Richard gently lifted her back onto Captiva 😼

Saturday, light winds and sunny

So we prised ourselves out of bed at 1:45am and contacted the marina lock keeper. Richard started the engine and it turned over but didn’t start 😬 Richard had a look at the engine using an online check list taking the “bleed the fuel pump and injectors” rather too literally cutting his finger tip🩸By 3am we were considering returning to bed when with a final try the engine sprung to life. We guided Captiva into the marina lock then finally out to sea.

The early start meant the tides were favourable with us maintaining 5-7 knots. As we were approaching Dungeness an MOD patrol boat came beside us to tell us the Lydd firing range would be live at 8:30 and we were nearing the edge of it 😬 We had seen the area marked on the chart so altered our course slightly. We motored past the Dover entrance and then turned up the coast for Ramsgate. We filled up with diesel at the fuel pontoon before berthing in the marina.
A quick shower and a pizza in town was enough before returning to Maisie and the boat.

Sunday

We had a leisurely breakfast then walked to Ramsgate Station. We caught the replacement bus service to Birchington and met up with Dawn, a childhood friend, and her husband Paul. We had a fabulous day walking to Reculver and back sharing memories and putting the world to rights. We had drink at each end of our walk then enjoyed a delicious meal back at their lovely house.

Monday in Ramsgate

After a few boat chores we walked into Ramsgate for coffee and a proper cruffin. 😋 We first encountered cruffins (a cross between a croissant and muffin) when we were last in Margate. We haven’t been able to find the fresh cream version anywhere else since. Regrettably we decided to share one ( it was deliciously light)

Later in the afternoon we wandered along the coast to Broadstairs where we enjoyed a meal at the Royal Albion Hotel with my cousin Margaret, it was lovely to see her.

Tuesday winds SW 18-27

We left Ramsgate at 6am and enjoyed favourable winds and proper sailing. The winds and seas built up a little as we approached Oostende (Ostend) and we were glad to tie up in the Royal North Sea Yacht Club. We enjoyed our evening meal on the boat before settling down for a good nights sleep.

Wednesday wind 25mph grey skies

We made our way to the police border control office to register our arrival in the EU. From the nearby station so we caught a train to Brugge. We walked tour the market square and visited a Salvador Dali exhibition.

We wandered along to the police border security to check in with our passports. They didn’t stamp it this time, just checked our fingerprints. We caught a train from the adjacent station to Brugge just 15 minutes away. We explored the market square and a Salvador Dali exhibition.

We followed a suggested walk around Brugge from our guide book then stopped for lunch back in the square. To walk off lunch we climbed the 333 steps of the Belfort bell tower.

For our evening in Oostende we sampled the traditional mosselen met frietjes (mussels and fries) 😋 Then a little walk along the seafront before returning to the yacht harbour.

Thursday 21st May wind SE 10 then increased to 18 E

After a good comfortable nights sleep at home we ( Richard, Sue and Maisie cat) boarded our well laden boat and dropped our mooring at 9:50 am. It was a calm but misty start as we said farewell to St Anthony’s light house and headed east.
We had planned to anchor at Cawsands but the wind turned easterly directly into the bay. We headed to Queen Anne’s Battery marina. We tied up at about 6:30pm.

Friday light southerly winds

After breakfast we walked to The Box art gallery in Plymouth. We viewed the excellent Beryl Cook exhibition there. Mostly her work, shows the lives of ordinary people around Plymouth where she lived. It evoked memories of growing up in the 1970s. She captured life in a humorous but affectionate way.

We left Plymouth early afternoon and enjoyed a gentle motor to Salcombe which has an interesting entrance. There is a sand bar meaning you have to approach on the west side by the marked channel. It was low tide and was the first time we had seen such large waves across the entrance.

After that bit of drama we found a very calm peaceful mooring further up the river. They call the mooring The Bag ( no idea why?) We were lucky to be invited to tie up alongside another Starlight yacht because they were part of a rally of Sadler and Starlight boats. We were invited for a drink with other owners and as ever boat misfortunes were discussed 😬

Saturday winds light southerly

After breakfast in the sunny cockpit we motored steadily to Dartmouth. We anchored between Dartmouth and Kingsbridge. The river Dart was bustling with ferries, speed boats and yachts. We saw the Waverley paddle steamer chugging by. We treated ourselves to a special evening meal at the chefs table of the Andria restaurant. It was a delicious and memorable birthday evening with interesting company and excellent food.

Sunday light north easterly wind

We raised our anchor at 6am to continue our journey eastward. We mostly motored to Portland Bill near Weymouth. The harbour is one of the largest human made harbours in the world. It is enclosed by Victorian breakwaters and Chesil Beach covering an area of approximately 2,500 acres. This gives natural protection and reliable sea breezes, making the harbour one of the best sailing and watersport locations in Europe.
We arrived late afternoon and tied up in the large modern marina. We had a brief stroll to Chesil beach clambering up to the top of the pebble slope to see the shoreline. After a beer stop en route we returned to the boat for our evening meal.

Monday winds mostly 16 easterly

After breakfast in the cockpit we made our way towards the Isle of Wight. We managed some reasonable sailing but mostly had the engine on as back up. A warm sunny day ☀️ We managed to find a marina berth in Yarmouth harbour and went ashore for our evening meal. We sampled On the Rocks, a restaurant where you cook your own food on very hot stone slabs. Delicious 😋

Tuesday light winds very warm

We took a break from the constant sailing and got some much needed sand between our toes, salt water and exercise. We caught the number 7 bus to Allum Bay arriving at a cliff top similar to Lands End with gift shops, food, amusements and the tourist tat you expect at such a popular location. Avoiding the queue on the chair lift we walked down the wooden steps to the pebble beach below. We sat and enjoyed the view of Alum bay and Needles lighthouse then climbed up part way to join the coast path. Very quickly we were away from the crowds and walking through green fields and dappled woodlands. A pebble and sandy beach proved tempting so we stepped gingerly into the cooler than expected sea. Confession, this was our first sea swim of the year, which is shameful really. After drying off and lunch in a cafe we continued to another beach and much needed refreshing dip. After showers using the excellent facilities at Yarmouth marina we ate on board. Maisie maybe enjoyed our company or the crunchy seabass skin 😻

Wednesday winds 15mph and easterly

We didn’t rush to leave Yarmouth in the morning as we had the tide against us in the light easterly winds. After waiting for a yacht that was rafted on to us to leave we topped up the diesel and edged out of Yarmouth harbour at 10:15am. We motor sailed along the Solent keeping to the edge of the channel but still making slow progress in the adverse tide. We had intended to head for Chichester but decided it was easier to stay in Gosport marina. After tying up we caught the ferry to Portsmouth for a quick meal in the early evening sun. We returned to Captiva to enjoy the cooler evening air sitting in the cockpit with Maisie. She was quite lively tonight, exploring the decks and getting unnervingly close to the pontoon. Contemplating jumping ship? Surely she would never leave Richard 🙀

After reading lots of books and maps we have planned to sail along both sides of the English Channel from Flushing in Cornwall to Flushing (Vlissingham) in the Netherlands

Why Flushing to Flushing?

A bit of history. Flushing in Cornwall was originally known as Nankersey. It was expanded in the 1660s by Dutch engineers from Vlissingen, a port city in the Netherlands. They built its stone quays and lent the village its name, Flushing which is an anglicised version of Vlissingen.

We started loading the boat a few days before our anticipated departure. We took a water taxi from Mylor to make transferring some awkward items onto the boat a little easier. Making conversation, the water taxi gentleman asked where we were travelling to. He then informed us that some of the Dutch canal network was closed 😬

All the best laid plans……….

After checking the canal situation we have decided to continue with our plans and hope to do a smaller part of the Netherlands 🇳🇱 and a little more of Northern France 🇫🇷