Plague

[jamesjermain]

Hi, did everyone have a super, scorching weekend afloat?

We pottered down to Yarmouth where we picked up the last buoy outside the harbour. Left at 1130 the following morning and once again we were not bothered by the harbour master asking for mooring fees

But the weekend was rather spoiled by a plague of hover flies which clouded the central Solent on Saturday. I've never seen anything like it since we were invaded by a swarm of Saharan moths while becalmed in mid-Atlantic.

The hover flies were no more than a nuisance but I must have had 100 in the cockpit at any one time and the boat needed a good hose down when we got back.

JJ

 

[Rachelle]

Wasn't it awful?!

Likewise we had fantastic sunshine and enjoyed relaxing up Newtown Creek but the flies on the beach drove me to distraction. In the end I resorted to an extremely refreshing dip in the water.

Very impressed with the New Inn's menu plus the staff were really nice.

Rach

 

[Guest]

I had a similar experiences with the hover flies en route from Portsmouth to Bosham although once we were moored up they seemed to disappear! A dip in the Solent off Bembridge was a welcome relief from them on the return journey.

Bosham quay was idyllic on Saturday night by the way!

Dave

 

[Guest]

Yup, we were attacked by grim legions just to the west of Cowes. By the time we reached Beaulieu, the survivors had retreated, leaving bloody corpse-strewn carnage on the decks.

 

[Guest]

Had simular problem off Lincs coast with ladybirds a few years back-- the grand kids enjoyed squashing them but not the scrub down later.

 

[robp]

Interesting thing was, that they were only out over the water. They weren't in Lymington, or close in to Priory Bay or Chi harbour. Did wind up with bites though!

Rob

 

[steve_cronin]

And there was me....

... sitting on the newly constructed (Yacht Club Verandah themed) garden deck - HOW SAD I hear you cry! - suffering withdrawal from over a quarter of a century's Solent sailing, when on the radio came tales of 35mile tailbacks on the M3, a ten miler on the M27. He-He thought I, perhaps I made the wise choice after all to go to Greece less often but for longer. Wasn't totally sure though a nagging doubt still perisisted so I just got on with planning the tide free Saronic Gulf trip for September when we will spend £280 of the £4900 mooring fees we have saved this year alone on on air fares.

Reading JJ's posting though just finally did it. What time did you have to put domestic reasons before sailing just to get a parking place? It was around 3.30pm for Yarmouth as I remember last year and 4.30 in Studland if you wanted to be within rowing distance of the shore. Then the flies! Yes I remember the flies although it has been a few years since they were that bad.

Each to his own!

Steve Cronin

 

[robp]

Re: And there was me....

They were still coming into Lymington Town Quay at 5.30 - 6.00. Know what you mean though. It's always at the back of your mind. It was more of a termination to an afternoon's drifting this weekend though.

An ethereal glassy sea on Sunday morning in Western Solent but a reasonable blow (10 knots) in the East in the afternoon. Traffic down to about 30 MPH on the "Witterings" road but nothing worse. You must be the tiniest bit jealous??

Don't they have flies in Greece then?

 

[Grehan]

This weekend

I hope everyone here had as good a weekend as wot we did.

Anchored off Bembridge beach saturday p.m and watched a zillion boats heading up the channel. Bembridge closed, fully-occupied, apparently but this didn't bother us.
I was worried we'd chosen some awful spot, 'cos of the lack of any boat anywhere near us. Peace and relative quiet, plus some fireworks later on. Sat on the beach for a couple of hours during the night (lift keel scores again!)

But Priory Bay up the coast was packed with anchored vessels. What's going on? Did we make some Big Mistake?

Whatever, it all worked out super duper although a bit more wind in the sails on sunday would also have been good. Langstone entrance jam-packed with jetski thingies roaring up and down. Madness.

As I say, hope you all had a good weekend.

 

[Guest]

We don't have that sort of thing in the South West, but we did experience a massive bloom of bright white algae at least 100 miles long and 10 miles wide. Totally harmless, but it did turn the sea milky white for a while.

 

[Adrian_Morgan]

Re: Plague; not up here

That’s it. Done the Forth. Having been charitable it’s time for the brutal truth. It’s no wonder no one cruises on Edinburgh’s backwaters; Granton to Dunbar (the only deep water harbour worth a damn) takes six hours, and that’s a long way for fish and chips. The return journey was more like ten hours, against a Force 5 that was more like a 7 at times, and ebb tide for half the time; and one of those seas we sailing writers like to describe as “square”. And not a solitary, single other yacht to be seen out there anywhere.
Naturally, the little boat behaved like a star, although 30 miles against a Force 5/6 in the Firth of Forth is not to be undertaken lightly it did have its moments. Brilliant silver seas against the sun and rainbows shed from the bow spray. Not so great when the skies darkened, the sea took on that hard, steely black and the wind increased. Sailing at its best and, at times, close to its worst.
So, with no deep water harbours between the bridges and Dunbar, save Granton, a commercial harbour that is desperately in need of a facelift, and a yacht club that was closed (for goodness sake) on Sunday evening when we arrived tired and in need of a drink, I can see why the Forth is ignored. However, no hover flies or traffic jams. Swings and roundabouts, I suppose.

 

[steve_cronin]

\"Tiniest bit jealous..|\"

Well I sduppose I could be but with an average temperature in Athens in November of 17.5C maybe by that time in the season I will be thinking differently!

As to flies, they warned me about "sand flies so small that normal hatch netting mesh is too big" well we have only had a couple of hornets so far and oh yes the cats on Simi who like nothing better than stowing away on yachts and travelling to other islands.

Steve Cronin

 

[Guest]

Re: Plague; not up here

The Forth has quite a few attractions, but like any cruising area they can pale after you've done them a few times. It's strange that Edinburgh doesn't have a port geared up to leisure craft - that'd make the Forth more on the cruising map, maybe. Port Edgar's in a spectacular location with the bridges, but a long way from the city. With shoal draft there're quite a few places - Aberlady Bay (luvverly), Cramond and North Berwick or (not so nice) Musselburgh.

The Forth has quite a bit going for it, really, but it's a long way up or down the coast to get to other hives of sailing activity, and given the choice most people head for the West coast. For those who aren't already on the East coast of Scotland, I guess the Forth isn't on the way to any popular cruising ground, except maybe Norway (for the hardy).

A fair summary?

 

[robp]

Re: \"Tiniest bit jealous..|\"

Good luck to you. I keep looking at the Med but don't know if I'd ever do it. Cats?? Well I suppose it could be "take on a cat to swallow the...., that swallowed the...etc.

Thunderstorms coming up Thurs/Fri!!

 

[stiknstring]

James, It was a fantastic weekend without a doubt. We left Dartmouth Saturday late morning and were besieged by these flies until we reached Studland bay early evening, then nothing - maybe they repose early. Sunday, the little b-----s followed us all the way down the Solent to Portsmouth. Wife was convinced we had a nest of the blasted things aboard. Happy to hear that this is probably not the case. Must have killed 200+ of them by the time we got home.

Did see a 20 foot long basking shark 3.25 miles SW of Portland Bill though - now that was something!!!