Never touch another man’s snubber

Well the slow trek eastward has started, though there is much to see yet!

We left Lymington at midday after noticing an interesting comparison with water supplies!

At Cowes Yacht Haven the taps are marked ‘not drinking water’ but the staff say it’s fine to drink. It’s an EU regulation to have those signs because they use plastic pipes, they say.

In Eastbourne the hoses have been removed because the water company say the regularly used hoses harbour ‘germs’ and might mysteriously backflow into the high pressure main! So you have to use the dodgey, occasionally used, dirty old hose you keep in your bilge.

But in Lymington, home of great showers and dubious hire bikes, neither the EU or the water board regulations apply …. cavalier water tank filling seems to be the order of the day!

Don’t get me started.

After Schrodinger’s Brexit it will be better. Or the same. Or possibly worse!

There was little wind as is so often the case – should I get a motor boat and be done with it! … sorry delete that heretical outburst… so we motored with flapping sails for the most part, though we did get right in the middle of the Sunsail Racing Fleet who, equipped with enormous spinnakers the size of hot air balloons, and a preferable wind angle, were making good progress… but with a fair tide we made good progress too.

As usual I was surprised at the comparative size of the IOW ferry and the Lymington channel

The original plan was to head for Southsea Marina but we then decided there would be more to do by revisiting Gosport.

On arrival we were given a berth that came with someone else’s pre-made mooring lines.

I normally don’t like to use those because they’re set up for another boat. However I know that Gosport can get bouncy so when I spied the line with big snubber attached I pounced!

Oh dear. The result was black marks down the side of the boat and black hands that won’t wash clean.

I’m not sure if it was just a very old snubber or an unauthorised mooring line sting operation. It reminded me of those telescopes that promise a naked lady but just give you a black eye!

So Gosport it is.

The starlings have all come to roost on the rigging and we’ve just heard from some friends who are here tomorrow so there is a brunch to look forward to!

Good job we made the switch!