Steaming Trains and Sun Kissed Seals

Sunday 5 August to Tuesday 7 August

Noss on Dart was so beautiful we ended up staying a couple of days, with a promise to each other that we would spend a bit of time catching our breath before Plymouth and the big departure.

It just so happened that our pretty little marina was set in the midst of woods and through those woods came the Dart Steam train, blowing it's horn as it came round the corners.  We could see the steam through the trees and hear the horn from where we were moored, so we decided to go and explore.

Off we headed along the footpath into the woods where a local farmer had put up a sign saying ‘Beware Basking Adders’. We weren’t sure whether it was a sign intended to put people off walking through the woods or whether it was for real. Either way, we weren't taking any risks so letting Mark go first for a change, we proceeded with caution!

Walking through the woods, we managed to find a lovely spot to watch the train come through, although it did involve going off the beaten track and clambering through undergrowth (we'd forgotten about the adders by now!), clinging onto trees for dear life so you didn’t slip down the bank onto the track.

           

The clamber, scratches from thistle and slippery slide was worth both the view of our moorings and the view of the train coming through, with steam chugging and whistle blowing.  The grandchildren would love it.

With footage captured and feeling rather pleased with ourselves we clambered back up the bank. Hmm, have to say, going down was easier!

Back at Offbeat we had a restful day, just pottering around as neither of us could ignore the list of jobs that still needed to be done to make Offbeat ready for the Biscay crossing.

Just as we were going to settle down for dinner, there was a bit of commotion on the Pontoon.  Being nosey I went on deck to see what was going on. The local seal had turned up and staked her claim to the landing edge by the side of the Pontoon, which in itself was a sight to behold.   People were scurrying to get their cameras to take photos, but they needn't have rushed, she was there to stay.

Like a seasoned celebrity, Lady Seal turned from side to side whilst having photos taken.  This lasted a few minutes and then she got bored and started hissing at us. I can only imagine what she was saying in seal language! So, after being duly dismissed everybody dispersed and went their separate ways.

Next morning we were up with the birds and heading off to Plymouth, so with a twinge of regret at not being able to stay longer, we headed down the river Dart and back into the English Channel.

We didn't mean to go to sea!

Monday 30 July  to Sunday 5 July 2018

After spending a wet and windy weekend in Gosport, Mark announced that we needed to go to Port Solent as there were jobs needed doing on Offbeat and there was a marine superstore on site.

Oh dear, this was going to be expensive!

As the wind was still against us, we had to motor sail up the river to the marina.  Relatively uneventful journey except for going past the newly launched largest aircraft carrier in the fleet.  It was pretty impressive and was guarded by two police boats which got very twitchy when anyone went to close to them.

It was a very pretty marina and they just so happened to be celebrating their 30th birthday, so lots of flowers and bunting around the marina. The marine superstore was a 5 minute walk away from the boat so Mark was happy and I was happy as there was an abundance of cafes, restaurants and shops.

We even managed a date night, at the same place as the monthly Ferrari meeting.  It made for great people watching, especially at the end of the evening when the cars had to reverse out, there were some nervous glances exchanged by owners!

We ended up staying 5 nights, but there’s only so much Chandlery and shopping you can do (especially when you’re limited for space), so on Saturday 4th August we set of to Yarmouth on the Isle of White where we were going to stay overnight and head off to Dartmouth on Sunday.

It was a beautiful glorious day and we could see for miles. Unfortunately though there was no wind so we were under engine.

Coming out of Portsmouth, we turned right and headed towards The Solent.  After poodling along for about an hour, I saw something unusual on the horizon.  I couldn't quite make it out so got the binoculars out. To my utter horror I saw an horizon full of sails, thousands. It was only the start of Cowes week and we hadn’t realised it! Oh my was this going to make for interesting sailing.

I have to say, that I was rather disappointed when we arrived at Cowes and found that most of the yachts were halfway up river Itchen heading towards Southampton. Still, we got to see Cowes at her finest and managed to dodge the yachts still racing in The Solent. And no, we weren’t going to be able to stay in Yarmouth either.

So, what was plan B?

Whether it was a mixture of sun or exhilaration at being back on the water and moving, we came up with the idea of going straight to Dartmouth. Mark was on the helm, so I was charged with passage planning. Given that there was still no wind and very light winds forecast, we would have to motor most of the way, but should arrive at Dartmouth around 10am the next day.

So, minds madevupbwe steered a course direct to Dartmouth.

Sailing past The Needles was quite a sight to behold, given that they are such an iconic landmark, we felt as if we were truly heading west now.

Our first night sail together without any other crew was just magical. The sunset was stunning, the sea was calm and when the moon came out to keep me company in the early hours of the morning I felt at peace with the world.

     

I desperately wanted to see the sunrise, but after 4 hours on the helm I was done in so it was with reluctance I went below and slept.

When I awoke a few hours later, the sun was up and the views were stunning.  We had moved inland and we could see the Devonshire coastline. Even Simon the cat was happy!

Entering the river Dart was absolutely breath taking.  Having come from Suffolk we are used to pretty views, but these were something else.

Seeing all the little coves and houses set into the cliffs, together with the castle with a church as a backdrop are scenes that neither Mark or I will forget.

We headed further up the river, past the town of Dartmouth and the grand structure of the Royal Naval College towards our final destination of Noss on Dart where we planned to spend the night.

Gusts and Guests

Friday 27 July to Monday 30 July 2018

I know, I know, I’ve been very tardy keeping the blog up to date, but it’s been a busy few weeks.

After arriving safely in Gosport on Friday 27th, we secured Offbeat into her berth in the marina and sorted the admin with the marina office.  The wind was picking up a bit so we put the cockpit tent up, opened the beer and wine and settled down for a quiet evening.

Ha,ha. Little did we know the next Pontoon was where the party boat left and arrived from. Sitting having a quiet drink in the cockpit, we were rudely interrupted by the party boat arriving back with some very merry people on board, including Saffron who was struggling to make it down the pontoon in platform shoes with 25 knots of wind knocking her sideways! Her friends found it highly amusing and I have to admit it was entertaining watching them all disembark from the boat, in shitty weather conditions and steaming drunk.  I was also slightly jealous of their party trip, it looked as though it had been a good one!

After a bit of a restless night because of the wind, we were up and about relatively early as the first of our visitors were arriving.

Mark went off to do some washing and when he returned he was very excited. “Guess who I’ve just bumped into?” he says, “who?” says I, “”Robin and Dave Tonge are on Carina, moored up a couple of pontoons down”. For those that don’t know, Mark and I used to belong to Adastral Park Sailing Club and Robin and Dave are members and old friends. Carina is the club yacht and they were en route back to Levington Marina and had stopped in Portsmouth for a crew changeover. As they were staying the weekend, we planned to catch up with them on Sunday but it goes to show, you never know who you’re going to bump into when you’re on an adventure.

Jo and Dave, our first official guests arrived at lunchtime and in true Parker tradition, the first thing we did was to head to Portsmouth for food and alcohol. A few hours later we left the restaurant and thought it would be a good idea to go up The Spinnaker.

It just so happens that I suffer from vertigo and Jo hates heights, so I don’t know if it was alcohol or bravado, but we walked across the glass floor of The Spinnaker which gives a bird’s eye view to the ground.  Looking back, I cant believe we did it, but I'm sure there will be plenty more times on this adventure that I will think that.

If you haven’t been to The Spinnaker, it is well worth a visit as the views are spectacular and we could see Offbeat in her mooring in Gosport.

We had a lovely afternoon in Portsmouth with Jo and Dave and headed back to Gosport early evening for more drinking and eating.


It was with a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye that we said goodbye at the end of the evening, but with a promise from them to visit ‘on the other side’ very soon.

Saturday night saw the strong winds arrive and whilst we had made Offbeat very secure, the constant pull on the lines was troublesome so early Sunday morning Mark got up and braved the elements to attach snubbers to the lines. It made life as comfortable as snuggling into your duvet in the middle of winter.

There is only one word to describe the weather on Sunday morning, Pants! Not only was it blowing a gale, it was pouring with rain too.

Hey ho, such is life living on a yacht, we had food to buy and a Chandlery to visit. The wind and rain was against us walking into town, but at least it blew us back to the marina with all our bags of shopping.

Sunday afternoon saw the second of our visitors that weekend when the lovely Robin came to visit for a cuppa. It was particularly special for Mark as he and Robin had spent many hours on Offbeat doing the refit and although we had said our goodbyes in Ipswich, it was quite fitting that we should bump into him at the start of our adventure and he would see Offbeat at her finest.

For me, I’d set myself the challenge of cooking a Sunday roast on Offbeat, her and my first one together. After a bit of thinking and planning, the dinner was cooked. Roast beef with all the trimmings followed by Apple crumble and custard.

Bit of a success I think!

British summer at its best!

Friday 27th July to Monday 30 July 2018

After spending a very pleasant evening out in Brighton, we had a leisurely start on Friday morning. We had a lie in until 8am!

We both love Brighton and wished we could have stayed longer, but we are keen to get to Falmouth as soon as possible, so sacrificed a weekend of fun in Brighton!  

We left Brighton en route to Portsmouth at around 10am. We new that we would be motor sailing all the way to Portsmouth as the winds were blowing in from the west and we were heading west.

The weather was fair and forecast was good, so we settled down for another dull day of motor sailing. 
   

                         

Mark spent the morning below busying with man stuff and I was on watch, playing spot the next crab pot. 

Nothing much to report when Mark came on deck at around 12ish, just how many crab pots I'd spotted.

As we were quite away off land, there wasn't any scenery or people watching to be had, so I went below and made lunch.  However, I had noticed clouds starting to form in the distance and pointed them out to Mark. My instincts were telling me something was brewing and it wasn't just the tea.

By about 2.30pm, the clouds had really formed and were getting darker. I said to Mark I thought we should get our oil skins on as I had a feeling that things were going to get interesting.

 

By the time we had put our oil skins on, the first thunder storm had taken hold, the rain was lashing down, the wind had whipped up and the sea was getting angry.




There were a couple of times when visibility was really poor and we listened on the radio to people notifying the coastguard that they were in the Looe Channel (which is narrow, shallow and with rocks either side) and that they may need assistance.  Luckily they didn't. 

The squalls lasted a couple of hours and made for interesting sailing, certainly different than the previous couple of days of windlass calm seas.

Entering Portsmouth harbour on a Friday afternoon at about 5pm was like being in a parallel universe. On one side was a fort flying a pirate flag, on the other side was a fort with a wedding taking place.  Mix this with ferries crossing the channels with car alarms going off, hovercrafts flying past and hitching up on the beach and cloud formation that looked like something from a sci-fi movie, I was glad when we motored into Haslar Marina, turned the engine off and had a very large glass of wine!

Flying the flag for Pirates

Watch out for flying Hovercraft

There's a storm a brewing! 

British Summer at its best

Brighton Rock

Thursday 26th July 2018

Dover to Brighton was a hot and windless trip. The thermometer showed 43 degrees C in full sun in the cockpit .

We improvised shade with an umbrella and sheets which made the temperature bearable. 

Nonetheless, motoring over calm seas soon got dull though, so we took turns sheltering in the cabin, which benefits from three fans. Bliss.

We passed two key headlands today: Dungeness and Beachy Head. The contrast between the two is amazing.

Dungeness sits low and long, its strange shingly bleakness overwhelmed by the huge nuclear power station.

Beachy Head

Beachy Head on the other hand is a huge and beautiful piece of geography in its own right.  They have just one thing in common; their lighthouses are dwarfed by their surroundings. Can you spot them?

Our other milestone today was crossing the Greenwich meridian. We switched from our familiar Eastern longitude to the more exotic and adventurous Western longitude.

The run to Brighton is dominated by more chalk cliffs. And lots of Dutch yachts. Really really lots. More than English yachts, which is nice, cos I like the Dutch. Except they don't get queuing, well not the English way. They do queuing,  but then let their friends in front of them . Or their Dutch compatriots. Or... well, you get the picture. Luckily Teresa is both more diplomatic AND assertive than I am.  At the point I started effin' and jeffin', she steps in and says "if you you have passports and ships papers to deal with, could we go  first? We'll only be a minute." Ten minutes later, he regrets letting his mate go in front in front of him. 

Anyway, queuing beefs aside, Brighton Marina is good. They are managing to fit in an endless stream of visiting yachts, the showers are spacious and there's tons of bars and restaurants to choose from, if you like restaurant chains, anway. Pity we won't get to see the city, because we're moving on to the Solent today to take shelter from some strong westerly winds that will block our progress towards Cornwall.

Blue skies over the white cliffs of Dover

Wednesday 25th july 2018

After two days of being anchored in the River Stour whilst we caught our breath, we weighed anchor at 6.30am on Wednesday 25th July. Oh my, was that hard work! I don't think either of us had been up and about at 5.30 am for the last year!

One of the key pieces of equipment for our refit was a manual windlass, one of those just in case purchases.  We hadn’t expected to use it quite so quickly,  but it proved invaluable when the electric windlass just stopped and we (Mark) had to pull the anchor on board by hand.  Thank heavens for a good boat jumble purchase as we may still be sitting on the Stour.

So, after a slight delay we left the River Stout and said our goodbyes to Harwich Harbour, Felixstowe Port and  Landguard bouy.

Our planned route to Dover was to go past the wind farms, through Fisherman's Gat, across the Thames Estuary and down the channel to Dover. Glad to say everything went to plan route wise, although the passage highlighted a few snagging problems but nothing too serious.

The wind was so calm that we had to motor most of the journey, although we did manage to get all 3 sails up at one point and turned the engine off for a couple of hours.

Seeing the white cliffs of Dover from the sea in Offbeat was a sight to behold. This was a major milestone for us because it was the first leg of our adventure, the white cliffs are a national landmark and it’s a turning point from heading south to turning west towards Cornwall. 

In keeping with our traditions, we celebrated by going to the pub and having fish and chips.

Goodbye Ipswich, Hello World!

Sunday 22 July 2018

On Sunday 22 July 2018 at about 1.30pm Mark and I finally set sail, leaving Ipswich on a glorious sunny afternoon.

We wanted our departure to be low key, as whilst it's a momentous step that we are taking, it's not a final goodbye forever to our family and friends. Having said that, we didn't slip away unnoticed as some of the neighbours were there to wave us off.

All ready for the off!

Rob, Nathan, Becky and Malcolm waving goodbye!

Heading out of Ipswich Haven Marina was quite emotional as we have spent a lot of time there and it has been home to Offbeat for quite a while. For me it was also very nostalgic as I grew up in Ipswich and have seen the transformation from working dock to vibrant marina.  

As we were passing the quayside, the sound of traffic and chatter took me back to days gone by, when we were children cycling along the dock trying not to get the wheels stuck in the train tracks, but hurrying along so we weren't late for tea.

Mark, leading the way.

Teresa, being nostalgic!

As we motored along to the lock gates, it made me realise that we were only 2 steps away from following our dream and starting our adventure .

The first was to go through Ipswich Lock Gate. No free flow for us, we wanted to do things properly! Unfortunately we hadn't taken into account that it would be a busy Sunday afternoon, so after what seemed like hours (but was only 20 minutes), we entered and tied off in the lock for one last time. Luckily, everything went smoothly and we managed to get a selfie for posterity.

The second milestone was passing under the Orwell Bridge.  Again it was a moment of nostalgia as I remember the bridge being built - we could see it from where I lived as a child and where we played on the River banks and in the woods. It was also a point of comfort when I was working away as I knew that as soon as I saw it, I was nearly home.  However, this time it was different, I was travelling away from it, which has a much more fundamental meaning.

The photo that I took was really important to me as it will be my comfort if I get homesick and epitomizes everything that's important to me in Ipswich. 

For Mark, his moment was passing the Orwell Bouy, which marks the entrance to the River Orwell. It is a river he has grown to love over the years and brought back memories of sailing adventures he's had with family and friends, through various seasons and weather conditions.

Mark often says to me 'Don't look back, you're not going there' and how true that is, especially now as this is is where our future lies.

The Final Countdown!

After years of talking about our dream of sailing off into the sunset, the day is rapidly approaching when we will lockout of Ipswich lock and not be returning for a very long time.

We are still doing final touches to Offbeat, but as we have achieved some key milestones this week, we have set a tentative departure date for Thursday 12 July.

Teresa agitating the ropes!

Mark agitating Terry and Nathan!

We have quite a lot to do in our final week, making sure that Offbeat is ready and fit to go and we have everything thing we need for our adventure. We will also be spending every evening  seeing all our wonderful family and friends before we go.

How's it all going to fit! 

Over the last few weeks, we've started to say our goodbyes to our family and friends and there have been tears, but with the promise of free bed and board to those that visit I think we'll have lots of visitors!