Link to Matt Littlejohn's event photos
Seven Wanderers gathered at Keyhaven Sailing Club for the WCOA Solent cruise on Sunday 22 July.

The weather forecast varied from F3 to F5, but the former turned out to be correct with ideal conditions for a day spent exploring the Western Solent in dinghies.

First to arrive were Graham and Wendy Davies who delivered their boat on the Saturday and camped locally overnight, with the Cordery’s from Calshot SC on the beach early on the Sunday being first rigged and ready to go.

Andy Peter briefed the crews in the sailing club at around 10:15 and by 11:00 the fleet were picking their way out from the quay and into the channel that wriggles out through the saltings into the Solent.

Graham in ‘Yella’ from Keyhaven led the fleet away using his local knowledge to navigate the narrow channel between the moorings and show everyone else the way, the rest of the fleet finding their way out short tacking across the channel and bouncing off the shallows on each side, trying to avoid dropping onto the many yachts on moorings.

Once out into the Solent the fleet gathered at the exit from the haven and then shaped a course in glorious sunshine across the sparkling Solent, aiming for a point on the northern shore of the island somewhere between Yarmouth and Newtown creek. The sea was calmer than many had seen the Solent previously and traffic was minimal as the fleet crossed the open waters off Lymington.

The whole fleet kept very close together throughout the day and many great opportunities for sunlit boat to boat photography arose, not least when the Cordery family broke out their colourful spinnaker on their steel plated KeriKeri for the first time, and regally processed amongst us from the back of the fleet amid much good-natured comment and cheering.

Some tidal ‘popple’ over the Hamstead Ledge just to the west of the Newtown entrance was not enough to push the fleet out round the starboard Hamstead Ledge can, instead we cut the corner through the tidal disturbance, hardened up and zipped into the channel under some strengthening puffs which had the boats throwing up good sized bow waves.

Some anxious moments encountering yachts leaving the creek were followed by a testing beat in gusty winds up through the moorings and anchored boats to a beach tucked away to the west of the harbour, sheltered by an oak wood where boats were left anchored on the waterline and BBQs were set alight for a very peaceful and relaxed picnic ashore. The trip down from Keyhaven took only 90 minutes or so and we were now well ahead of the tidally led schedule for the day.

After lunch, three boats left the beach to explore the tidal creeks to the west of the harbour including Mike Hamilton’s ‘ Orinoco’ and Niall Doherty single handing in his steel plated boat.

By three the whole flotilla were back on the water with reefs pulled down after the gusts experienced on the way in and heading back out the channel to the Solent. With the wind backing more southerly everyone managed to make the northern entrance to Keyhaven in a single close reach from Newtown, in perfect sailing conditions. The Cordery’s shook out their reef early during the passage and everyone arrived back at Keyhaven within minutes, continuing the unusually tight formation sailing shown in the morning.

With a gently shelving hard beach and easy access to dinghy park and club the derig was relaxed and followed by sociable drinks at the bar by most participants.

An excellent day afloat for all the participants in near perfect conditions throughout enabling us to explore a very quiet and beautiful creek on the Isle of Wight as well as completing a reasonably lengthy passage on open waters.

Many thanks to Andy Peter (‘Salt Peter’) for hosting the cruise and crewing / helming aboard ‘Joshua’ with me for the day (Substituting for my usual nano crew who were left at home after the dubious forecast), and to Keyhaven YC for their warm welcome and facilities. A grand day out.

Tim Robertson W1038