Cruisers at Calshot

On Wed 16th Sept we met at Calshot in the hope of completing the 5th and final cruise of the season, with an ever-changing forecast it was decided that Friday looked the best day. Six cruisers arrived on Wed in brilliant sunshine and a gentle breeze, the water looked very inviting so Andy, Joe and I rigged up and sailed off in the direction of Ashlett and were soon landing at the Jolly Sailor, after a swift pint we headed back up the creek and in no time landed back at Calshot. The water was now disappearing fast so out came the bikes and Nick and Fiona joined us for an ice cream ride to Lepe where we were joined by Keith and Mary. As it turned out Friday's cruise didn't happen so we are claiming this as our 5th cruise, although half was completed on 2 wheels.

Wed was a lovely evening so we had a socially distanced BBQ and watched a spectacular sunset over the fast disappearing power station. 

A ghostly Queen Mary 2 also sailed past with no passengers on board. We also decided that due to local advice it wasn't advisable to make the trip to Lepe as conditions on the Solent were not suitable for cruising. This advice proved right.

Thursday dawned bright and breezy and we enjoyed some great sailing in the lagoon. The NE gusty wind made it tricky but we all mastered it in the end.

In the early evening 5 of us cycled off road to the Jolly Sailor in Ashlett, only to be told on arrival that they were not serving food, so we headed up to the village of Fawley in search of a pub and found the not very inviting looking Falcon Inn. The moral of the story is not to judge a book by its cover as we were treated to restaurant quality food at pub prices, including fresh Brixham mussels and posh Fish and Chips, I would recommend a visit if you are in the area.

Friday dawned again on our campsite with bright sun and a strong gusty NE wind and an angry looking Solent. The aborted cruise now looked a wise decision. Most people took to the water in the lagoon with various sail sizes and with varying degrees of success, but most enjoyed the challenge.

Richard