The crew of Cassiopeia - chartered from Fairview Sailing - had provisioned efficiently for our week’s cruise by ordering on-line and arranging delivery to the marina. Everything was still in the crates when we arrived which cut down the amount of ‘lifting and shifting’ dramatically with an added bonus of the crates fitting neatly into the storage space on our Bavaria 37 thus reducing the need to unpack everything.Sunday night in Hamble kicked off with pitta bread and houmous starter followed by Greg’s chorizo casserole with pasta which was really simple to prepare and very tasty. Monday night found us moored in Royal Clarence Marina in Gosport, next to Dee Caffari’s Aviva, where Toby prepared a hybrid chilli con carne from kidney beans and haricot beans which was much appreciated after a fast sail down from Hamble.
Following a beat towards Cowes on Tuesday morning, which include a hi-line recovery exercise with Coastguard Rescue, we moored up in the Medina river for an excellent lunch of sausages in pitta bread accompanied by succulent cherry tomatoes and rocket in the cockpit. After a blustery afternoon's sailing, with winds gusting over 30 knots, we headed for shelter at Bucklers Hard in the Beaulieu River. Here, Neil prepared an onion salad starter, cooked us pork in disguise served with mashed potatoes and carrots and served up a cheesecake which set us up nicely for an after dinner walk along the river path to the Master Builder for a nightcap.The forecast for Wednesday was still F6/7 so we abandoned our original plan to sail to Poole. Instead, we put 3 reefs in the main and sailed into Christchurch bay then onwards to the fairway buoy. Plans to have cornish pasties and beans for lunch were abandoned when the gas ran out and with rough seas giving 3-5m waves, we opted for a quick cheese sandwich instead. Returning to the Solent at about 8 knots, we headed for Yarmouth with the wind whistling through the rigging. Tonight, the galley had the night off and we eat ashore at Salty’s instead.
With the south-westerly wind still blowing a hooley, we stormed up the Solent to Wooton Creek then dropped the anchor in the shelter of Osbourne bay for lunch of cornish pasties and beans – this time cooked with a full gas canister. After practicing anchoring and MOB under sail, we headed for the relative calm of East Cowes marina and Neil’s sweet and sour chicken with rice. Neil had used a whole chicken which he jointed. The extra chicken pieces where cooked in the oven, with a special marinade of tomato ketchup and brown sauce, to have as a midnight feast when we returned from night sailing practice later on.
During the week, we eat mainly cereal and toast (courtesy of the electric toaster when on shore power) for breakfast varied with bacon butties one day and a full English breakfast on the last morning. Lunches were simple sandwiches or heated sausage rolls / pasties supplemented by a cup-of-soup - ideal for sailing in strong winds and moderate to rough seas.
PS no hats were lost overboard!
Photos by Toby Denham
