WE ARE SAILING

A group of adventurous members set sail across the Solent.

What better place on a sunny day than to be out on the water. After all we live on an island and have a proud maritime tradition littered with names like Drake and Captain Cook. Also, this summer there has been no shortage of sunny days to tempt Elmbridge u3a’s Adventurous Activities Group.

So, we chartered a 53ft long Bermudian sloop for the day, sailing out of historic Lymington harbour. It turned out to be a fantastic experience and was later voted our best trip of the year. Russ, our skipper, impressively tanned from many months at sea, could not have been more helpful in making sure we enjoyed ourselves and we were safe while we did so.

After leaving Lymington we headed for The Needles, probably the most famous landmark along the UK’s southern coast. The three impressive 98ft high chalk sea stacks lie off the western tip of the Isle of Wight. On the way, we passed close to historic Hurst Castle, the Tudor fortress built by Henry VIII to protect the Solent.

The Needles are aptly named. Full of sharp rocky edges and surely every yachtsman’s nightmare. But as we saw they are also a perfect haven for seabirds and there were many cormorants perched high up in a line drying their feathers.

Russ also took us into Alum Bay for a close look at its striking multi- coloured sand cliffs. In Victorian times, people loved to use the bright coloured sands in layers in bottles or to make sand paintings.

Now it was time to raise the sails to catch the wind along the northern coast of the Isle of Wight. The breeze was gentle and the sea was calm. There can be fewer better ways to spend a relaxing hour than lying on the deck, soaking up the sun, and watching the land drift by. Eventually we moored up for a picnic lunch provided by Russ – and the chance for a refreshing swim by jumping off the boat.

Mark Dowdney