Saturday 23 May
Leaving Old Harry we had 6-10 knots from the North West and we soon got Lily the Pink up to drift us along happily at 4-5 knots.
We have learned that a very tight cable makes all the difference for unwinding Lily so we tighten the spinny halyard and the tack which helps the sheets and sail slip off nicely.
We saw guillemots in their chocolate plumage and enjoyed overtaking other boats.
We gybed perfectly a few times in the boiling tides off Hurst.
We were very lucky to get a berth in friendly Yarmouth Harbour.
As this weekend is the Old Gaffers regatta and the Sea Shanty weekend.
Loads of pretty wooden gaff yachts in the harbour and off the pier.
The pier was almost destroyed by wood-boring insects called gribbles and it was rescued in 2007-16 by a lot of local effort and the National Lottery.
It now remains the oldest wooden pier in the UK, originally built in 1876.
Yarmouth is very pretty with a 17th century church, replacing those burned or sacked by the French.
We enjoyed the Sea Shanties and watched the ‘Not a Mermaid in Sight’
who had a talented recorder player and a woman with an amazing very low voice – we need to learn all the words to this one!
And the even more extraordinary Shalfleet Singers with excellent guitars, banjo, fiddle and this amazing instrument called a nyckelharpa!
We ended a perfect day with fresh fish at Salty’s restaurant. We were last here over 20 years ago when Angela enjoyed their very good value lobster.
I am so happy to have finally got La Bamba to Yarmouth – because it’s just opposite Lymington we tend not to come here – a great shame!