We ended up staying in Yarmouth for over a week – a delightful town where we enjoyed some good entertainment – especially at Salty’s, a tiny little pub restaurant with a resident DJ who had the crowd dancing on the tables!! We cycled to Newport and Cowes and also over to the Needles – where surprisingly there’s an old rocket launching test site!!

Yarmouth’s bustling downtown

The Needles – From Land

Laurie and I married in the Oldest pub in America (supposedly) – in Newport RI – so we had a couple at the Oldest pub in Newport, Isle of Wight…

Tony and Rachel stopped into Yarmouth on their way out to Southampton for the boat show and then dragged us (very willingly) up the Solent to Newtown River – a bird sanctuary – where unfortunately all the moorings were taken and the anchorage was too tight. I did however try anchoring, but when I realized that at low tide we’d be high and dry, we upped anchor – unfortunately by hand since the bloody windlass gave up the ghost again!

We left Newtown and battled the current up to the Beaulieu river and gained a slip alongside Saltwhistle III for a couple of nights at Butler’s Hard, a few miles downstream from Beaulieu..

Beaulieu is a beautiful little village and we dingied up to tour around Lord Montague’s place – and the National Motor museum. Beaulieu is in the New Forest, where horses and donkeys range freely – buggering up traffic and scaring the visitors (well, Laurie at least!) – all good fun!

Pretty Beaulieu

Typical house

Lord Montague’s Place

Laurie and I married in the Oldest pub in America (supposedly) – in Newport RI – so we had a couple at the Oldest pub in Newport, Isle of Wight…

Sweet!

Biters and Kickers!

Withies – navigation aids are painted twigs stuck in the river bank!

The National Car Museum had a Top Gear section!

Bloody Ponies

Tomorrow we move to the Hamble River – having secured a berth for the next few nights at teh Royal Southern Yacht Club (don’t you know) courtesy of Tim Harrington, OCC Port Officer for the area – what a service!

In the Hamble, we’ll prepare Toodle-oo! for shipment by Yacht Transporter, back to Newport – where she will likely arrive before I return from a business trip to India.

We therefore conclude our cruise shortly – but look out for a list of the greats and not so greats of the cruise coming up!