While the work is slowly paying off and we are seeing amazing progress, another summer is slipping away. We are keeping our eye and focus on the future but with such lovely weather and autumn around the corner, we downed our tools, packed up a few provisions and took the weekend off. Our destination for the weekend - Newton Creek (River), Isle of Wight. Newtown Creek is a large natural inland harbour found on the Isle of Wight's north western coast, named after the nearby village of Newtown. It is so peaceful and is surrounded by nature - we love it there.
We left our mooring in Fareham (top of Portsmouth Harbour) on Friday evening on the high tide and picked up a buoy near to Portsmouth mouth and slept for a few hours waiting for high tide at Newton Creek. We woke with the sun, had a couple of obligatory Bailey’s coffee and set off.
The Solent was quiet and like glass and it felt so good to be out on the water again. We got there in no time, travelling on average 6.5 / 7 knots through the water and probably about 9 knots over the ground, with the tide.
There are limited buoys available once you are through the entrance to the creek, but plenty of space to anchor. We managed to get a buoy and this added to the relaxing mood as we settled down for the weekend.
I immediately made myself comfortable on the “new” back deck. With no wind and strong sun, the umbrella was a treat. The inverter immediately got to work on the ice machine and the lithium batteries we fitted kept the fridge going. Patrick even experimented with one of the solar panels, rigging it up temporarily so as to keep the fridge batteries topped up.
The cable from the solar panel still needs to be extended as the panels will be fitted to the top deck, so for the weekend the solar panel lay next to me on the back deck. I didn’t argue, as it was playing a very important role in keeping my wine chilled. It also kept Patrick busy while he checked on how much it was charging the batteries (this was the first time using solar power on the boat).
Friends sailed over and joined us for a BBQ and a few card games and fun was had by all as we watched the sun set in a tiny peace of paradise.
And Sunday we did it all again - why change something that worked so well !!
But sadly Monday morning came round and we had to return to “land life” and work. We know this is only for a little longer and this weekend kept our enthusiasm and excitement going and reminded us of why we are working so hard to get the boat finished.
Out for a survey
We had Deux lifted out for a survey, which itself is always stressful. We have had the whole aft section replaced with new steel but we did hold our breath a little as the surveyor measured the rest of the boat. The thought of sections failing the survey filled me with dread, but all was good. Almost all areas measured were between 2.9 and 3.1 mm thick. I think we can feel safe knowing there is about 3mm of steel separating us from the deep waters! As the boat was on the hard, we replaced the anodes and gave her a quick coat of antifoul. Patrick, with the help of a friend, fitted the rope cutter and she was back in the water ready for us to continue with the rest of the work.
Our marina has an old crane to do the lift out and I hold my breath the entire time while it lifts out and moves the boats.
Patrick always insists on being there to supervise and this time I was so glad he was there. The front sling was positioned too far back and the front of the boat tilted forward. We were assured there was no chance she would slip out, but Patrick was not taking any chances. She was lowered down, the slip moved forward and all was good. As usual the crane made me so anxious as it bounced and moved the boat, but all was well. She was placed securely on the blocks and we got on with the jobs.
An "exhaust-ing" problem
With the planning, designing and building of the galley underway, Patrick needed to address the on-going problem of the exhaust. The pipe runs from the engine, down the starboard side of the boat to the aft section and out. It will need to be boxed in as it will run behind all the galley cupboards. However, the end section of the exhaust pipe, that joins the outlet has always leaked. The leaked water has continually dripped onto the fixed block of the steering cable, causing rust and would also drip / leak into the new galley cupboards. Patrick gathered up the necessary bits - a new piece of exhaust pipe, a few new and improved clamps, some cutting instruments and a bottle of Baileys (for coffee).
It worked ……. successfully installed new exhaust pipe section - tested and approved.
Meet you at the bar?!
The discussions and plans for the galley have started! It seems like we have had this empty, unforgiving steel shell-aft-section forever but this is exciting and I can’t wait to see progress. There is a lot of preliminary and prep work still to be done, so I have to be patient, but we have also started planning the bar area and this has kept me distracted.
The aft section comprises both galley and guest sleeping area, so we are challenged in how much we can fit in there. We have decided to create a small bar area in the main saloon area by converting on old cupboard. This way we will have space for the all important piece of equipment - our icemaker. Also drawers for glasses and bottles. For more info and a view of what we have planned see the video below
Cowes, Isle of Wight : Day 4 : Hometime
All good things come to an end - and our lives (and fur-baby who had to stay behind with family) were waiting for us. We long for the days where we could just keep going, but for now we will continue working and getting the boat ready for that day…..
The predicted winds for later were 35 knots gusting up to 40, so we decided to leave early, while it still looked calm out there. Our mooring back in Fareham is also tidal, so we are restricted in when we can get in or out, so it was an early rise, quick pack-up and goodbye-see-you-later to our friends and we set off.
It is always special to watch the sun rise out at sea and I spent some time reflecting on a new year, the past days and how much we are both looking forward to travelling full time.
We never got to visit the gin distillery or the wine farm. Or to do the Historic (Beer) Walk (!!) which I only found out about at the end of our trip [sounds like an excellent way to do a pub crawl and learn the history of the area]. And all the more reason to come back.
So thank you Cowes, you were great (sorry about the mess) and we will be back !
Cowes, Isle of Wight:Day 3. New Years Eve
With another late start, I felt I could really get used to this life. Until Patrick brought me a Bailey’s coffee in bed. Then I knew I could definitely get used to this.
We made our way back into town and joined friends in The Coast. As it was minutes away from lunchtime, I felt comfortable ordering an extra strong Bloody Mary and a plate of crumbed calamari - which was delicious. We took our time finishing lunch and then explored a bit more of Cowes and the other marina - the “posh” one that we would probably not be allowed to enter into.
Most of the day was relaxed - I got a few hours to do some relaxed reading and Patrick chatted to friends about “boat stuff”.
For dinner we managed to get a table at an unassuming pub that turned out to serve the most delicious burgers and chips and also gave us the best service. Thank you The Pier View - your patience with us was outstanding !
Making our way back to the boat, through the high street of Cowes, we passed crowded pubs, many with live music. As we hadn’t made reservations at any of them, we had to settle with dancing in the streets - much to the delight of the guests at the window tables.
We saw out 2021 in the best way we knew how = Friends, love, laughter, boats and the clinking of glasses. It had been a strange year following an even stranger year. We all hoped for a better one.
Cowes, Isle of Wight: Day 2
We had a lovely night on board, slept so well, despite wind and rough water. Patrick got up once in the night and added an extra line as just one was taking a lot of strain. We were also moored up on the outside berth and the ferries coming into East Cowes did create a bit of wake. But after having spent so many years on the hard, or tied up in the marina, these movements were very welcome - we had missed this!!
With “boat life” setting in and “land life” miles away, we stumbled out of bed after 10h30 am - just to make the obligatory Baileys coffee and to decide what we wanted to do for the day. We got so far as deciding to have a second cup of Bailey’s coffee and that was as far as proper plans went.
We did eventually have a quick shower and dressed warmly to join friends for brunch in town. We got a table at Jolliffes Eatery. The old building was beautiful and according to the staff, the original building was a bootmaking business established in 1853 and went on to make the shoes for the Royal Family. The building is also frequented by a little ghost named Ursula, who haunts some of the properties in the area. For more info I could check out the Cowes Ghost Map, but I thought I would rather not know any more than I did already.
We wandered around Cowes for a few hours, marvelling at the old buildings and quaint shops (and avoiding any potential ghosts).
A phone call later in the afternoon confirmed that another group of friends had made their way over the Solent and were coming into Cowes - the more the merrier !! It was a rougher crossing for them than what we had experienced the previous day but we soon got the boat tied up and warmed them up with large Baileys coffees. (We fortunately have a large supply).
We had a lovely curry later that evening (thank you Spice Central), followed by a few drinks on board. The evening drew to a close with nostalgic tales of our various adventures and mishaps over the years together and how much we looked forward to a different year following the one we had just been through.
Off to Cowes, Isle of Wight to see out 2021 : day 1
After 3 years of working on her, we finally got to spend a few days and nights away, on board Deux Poissons. We set off from Fareham on Wednesday 29th December 2021 at a little after 06h30 heading for Cowes, Isle of Wight. With forecasted South Westerly winds of 25 knots, gusting to 30, and fog, we were ready to test both the boat and ourselves. Conditions were as predicted, but the fog cleared a little and we had visibility of about 3 miles across the Solent. We headed towards Ryde and the lee of the island, so it wasn't too bad for a first time out there since 2018! Once outside of Portsmouth Harbour we averaged about 6.2 knots and made it to Cowes in a about two and half hours. We got the boat settled in / tied up and set off to explore Cowes and enjoy a much deserved and celebratory beer.
The last time we were in Cowes it was towards the end of summer, years ago, and the whole place was pretty busy. Today, mid-winter, cold and drizzly it was considerably different but still as pretty as I remember.
Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. It has been home for international yacht racing since 1815 and known for the world's oldest regular regatta, Cowes Week, which occurs annually in the first week of August. There is plenty else to do and visit here; Osborne House is a former residence of the British royal family and a popular tourist attraction, there are a few museums and I managed to find the location of the Isle of Wight Distillery and home of Mermaid Gin!! Not too far from Cowes and a quick bus ride there and back.
But for today we planned to stay local. A couple of friends had confirmed that they will make their way over to Cowes to join us, but with the wind picking up both today and tomorrow, we thought to just wait to hear what their plans were.
We found the perfect place to do just that. The Union Inn Pub was warm and cozy. The fire was blazing, the beer was delicious and it was the perfect way to start our holiday.
But we had been up since 6 o’clock that morning, and we needed to find some food. We wandered back up the high street and found a table at The Coast Bar and Dining Room. The pizzas were delicious (Patrick had fig, goats cheese and honey!!) and the beers here were just as good.
Finished with lunch and on the way back to the boat, we were tempted by the promises made by Cowes Ale House = Mulled Cider to warm us up (add Rum as a choice) = yes please !! A delicious and warming drink (and promises fulfilled) which went down really well. Luckily and before it got too “messy”, we got a call from one group of friends to say they were coming into Cowes, having made the crossing in some horrible wet and choppy weather. Reluctantly we said goodbye to the Ale House with promises to return soon.
Mike and Anne on Tekoa arrived not too bedraggled after a rough sail over. Once they were all secured and tied up, we spent a bit of time catching up. Then off to grab some fish and chips for dinner, a few more drinks to celebrate something and then off to bed.
It had been a good day. We felt exhausted and with the wind and the rocking boat, I was sure I was going to sleep well.
Time to get away for a few days
After a lovely Christmas with the family, we packed up the necessary (ice maker) and the unnecessary (watches/clocks) and prepared for our “first” trip on the boat. She now has a complete new engine (well completely reconditioned) and almost a completely new steel hull. New electrical system and new navigation set up. It could be that WE are the only “old” things on the boat now!! We have been working solidly on her for almost 3 years and it was hard to believe that the last time we left Portsmouth was in September 2018.
We spent the day on the boat, mostly cleaning - there was plenty to be done. But she cleaned up beautifully. We dusted off the bicycles and tested those out too (well mostly tested ourselves using them - all good, but not sure how I will feel climbing “back into the saddle” tomorrow.
Got into bed early to watch a movie. We have added a shelf at the end of our bed for a laptop as we won’t be installing a TV in the the boat. Couple of glasses of wine (to test the ice maker) and an early night - blame the bike ride !!
Tested all the navigation lights
We are hoping and planning to spend some time away on the boat between Christmas and New Year as it has been 3 years since we have done this. Over the months and years one of the many things that we have had done is a complete replacement of the electrical system. We tested the navigation lights this weekend and looks good to go - anchor, steaming, port and starboard lights all working !!
