Cowes is, of course, a hub for many sailing related activities from learning to sail for the first time through to world class racing. Cowes is also a good base for exploring inland as there are frequent buses to all parts of the Island as it’s well connected through the island bus service. Whilst I would like to explore further around Cowes all I’ve managed so far is a few walks along the coast towards […]
Cowes is one of the sailing capitals of the world. Home to the famous Cowes Week racing, the start of the Fastnet race and the Round the Island race. The prestigious Royal Yacht Squadron looks out over the harbour entrance and it’s start line is used for many sailing races. As a mecca for sailing there are numerous prestigious yacht and sailing clubs. The town is on the Medina River, Isle of Wight. It looks North […]
I‘ve already mentioned that Beaulieu is small and relatively quiet but there’s a surprising amount to see and do. Boating up river The water does get shallow quickly but if you have a tender with outboard, kayak or even a stand up paddle board then you can pootle up river all the way to Beaulieu village at the top of the tide. There is a public mooring available on the right hand riverbank (as you […]
Sailing to Beaulieu through the Solent – approaching from either the East or the West – is a magical experience, especially if you arrive in the late afternoon as the sun is beginning to fall. There is a bar that restricts arrival time as you don’t want to get stuck in the entrance or wait around for enough water to get over the bar. Once you’ve made it over the bar there’s a clearly marked […]
Salcombe has a reputation for good food. I was keen to just get some fresh bread and meat as our last shop had been at a cut-price supermarket in Plymouth. Whilst they had done a good line in fruit and veg I wasn’t so keen on their meat, fish and dairy. Over the course of three nights we visited a fair range of foodie places ranging from coffee shops through to fine dining. Here’s the […]
I sail Trouper, a Swan 43. She was one of the last ever built in 1989. She’s had two previous owners and I, along with my partner Tom are the third. She was an impulse purchase last year. We’d gone to have a look at some second-hand boats and well… extending the mortgage and making savings elsewhere means we’re now the owners. I like sailing to places that I can’t get to as easily any […]
On Land 