Recent content by Dab

I have done it in the past on a visitors buoy at Itchenor.

I recommend the humble Bic MATIC. They are 0.7mm and although HB if you press lightly they are easy to rub out. Technically they are disposable but from memory they come with 3 leads per pencil and you can can refill them if you want to. I have normally lost or broken mine by the time they...

I went to Lymington the weekend before last. Parked at the swanky new Town Quay pontoons, sat in the sun on a mostly empty pontoon to eat my lunch, and finished it off with a delicious ice cream from one of the shops in the little lane between Town Quay and the High Street. Plenty of point...

In the meantime, does any one know of any harbours/marinas in the Solent that are allowing short stay visits apart from Lymington.

I would like to get back on the water at some stage in the next weeks. I am not interested in staying on the boat overnight, but I would like to visit somewhere, at least for a short stay alongside, and maybe go ashore. Most of what I can find on the internet suggests that almost all the...

I see Cowes Harbour Commission have updated their website and will be open on Saturday. In their updated NTM they have provided links to 2 pieces of Government guidance. The second is a set of DEFRA Q&As on Marine Leisure. In the first paragraph it states that watersports can be practiced on...

Every time time I go sailing someone else has been on the boat before me. I always plan to check the echo sounder setting (keel or waterline) before leaving the pontoon. Sometimes I forget, but about 10% of the time it is not what I expected and has to be re-set.

I have got a pair of Gill i4 fleece salopettes. They don't have a shell like Buffalo gear but I wear them as a mid layer. I am thinking about trading up to a pair of Crosswind salopettes, which have a water proof outer, so would be a bit more versatile- they seem to be a similar price to...

Another vote for buoyancy aid, and Decathlon. The one at West Quay is pretty close. If you do get one from there I would would avoid the cheaper ones and go for this one. A bit more buoyancy, better adjustability and you will find the pockets useful for snacks/ phones/cameras etc.

The UKHO tide table for Portsmouth is also published every year in the Langstone Harbour Guide. Link here.

For me its about the usage, not the media and I do it the same way whether I am walking, cycling, driving or sailing, which is broadly north up for planning and course up for navigating. Unless using a really big screen I find that planning is easier on paper. All the writing and information...

On the same boat I have used tape with a loop at one end and simple lengths of old sheets (9mm ish) and on a different but larger boat have the used the clip on ladder rack system. I found using lengths of old sheet with a reef knot the simplest way. The tape with a loop looks cleverer, but by...

If you are happy with the theory to the level of the Day Skipper Shorebased course, which is the same syllabus for power and sail, then all you need to add to your existing understanding is how to sail a sailing boat. If there any any gaps in either of those you may not be ready for the Day...

Although you say you are not a fan of formal training, unless you can find someone to crew for then courses can be quite a cost effective way to get on the water. If you want to get a boat and base it in the Solent, then the best preparation for that would be sail in the Solent. Chartering a...

Although as a bertholder PhillM must know Ocean Village better than me the last time I went there (in a semi long keel 34) we were given a berth round the back which was pretty tight. There are parts with more room so if you want room to manoeuvre make sure you ask for it. Hamble Point has got...