BOAT, BED & BREAKFAST
You don’t need a big boat to go cruising for a week round the Solent, just a 6m RIB, a list of B&Bs within walking distance of a berth, a credit card and a desk fan!
COWES Berth: Corinthian Yacht Club Bed: The Fountain Pub Meal: Shooters Hill
YARMOUTH Berth: Yarmouth Harbour Meal: Gossips Café
NEEDLES Berth: None, just passing Location: Entry to the Solent
BEMBRIDGE Berth: Duver Marina Bed: Pilot Boat Inn
Throwing a couple of bags in the back of the car and heading off touring for a few days is something we really enjoy doing. It gives us a chance to explore new places and get away for a few nights. So it was one of those eureka moments when we looked at each other over an evening drink and decided to do the same thing in our boat instead.
We are lucky that our 6m Brig, Hurricane, is kept two minutes away from where we live in Christchurch, Dorset, on her trailer at Avon Marina, so the plan was to leave from there and aim for the Solent to revisit some of the places we’ve been to for day trips but never stayed overnight. This needed an element of planning... well, a lot of planning. I had this vision of pitching up at places only to find there were no spare berths in the marina or rooms in a nearby hotel.
It was trickier than I thought finding hotels or B&Bs within walking distance of a mooring but gradually the plan came together. Now we just needed the weather to be on our side. Getting things booked up meant committing to dates but I did make sure I had cancellation deals with the hotels and the marinas if the weather turned foul. Thankfully, we were in luck, the hot weather over the UK wasn’t going to shift for a week or so.
THREADING THE NEEDLES
We packed our smallish bags and headed down to the boat to pack her up. She is a cinch to launch down the private slipway there and once the trailer and car were tucked up for the week, we slipped our lines and cruised down river to Mudeford. I love this gentle start as it gives me time to make sure the boat and engine are in good shape before we reach the open sea whilst enjoying the peace of the river.
With the trailer tucked up for the week we slipped the lines and cruised down river to Mudeford
Our first stop was Cowes but we headed for the Needles first. The weather was lovely, a bit of a chop with a F3-4 breeze but Hurricane hit her stride at 20 knots and we were over there in no time. We always enjoy the sight of this great natural wonder and consider ourselves lucky to be so close. After a while just drifting and taking it all in, we decide
