TripSailor.com® Sailing Blogs

Lymington to Gosport on a bank holiday Monday, just like a normal weekend.

There are more boats out here than we’ve seen in the entire trip, I had forgotten what a crowded bit of water this is.

Vessel on the bow, on port tack, vessel on the starboard bow closing on starboard, go behind her, and then watch out for the other one…

Liz and Chris have phoned their family to be down on Gillkicker Point to see us come in. Skippers on the helm and knows these waters well but how close in can you go to that point? I thought they wanted to take pictures not shake hands.

Up the small boat channel into Portsmouth harbour, traffic everywhre..

Left hand down a bit and go for berth Sierra 3, got it!

Jump ashore and tie her up and were done (apart from the packing, cleaning etc)

Two Invincible class carriers opposite us, Illustrious and Ark Royal, and a strange shaped submarine, get the glasses out, foriegner, but isn’t that an Indian flag?  Yep, and it turns out that they got the Russians to build them 10 Echo class diesel subs. OK but she is still a long way from home.

Last check through the cabin and lockers, and where did all this stuff come from.

John calls Gary down for a chat and gives him his Competant Crew certificate, 850 miles , 12 night hours on watch, three or four passages over 60 nm, including one of 235 nm. That was one hell of an "In at the deep end Competent Crew course!"