lisilou
Well-Known Member
Decided to leave the bigger boat on it's berth today and take 'Bob' for a trek up to the upper most reaches of the Hamble...destination The Horse & Jockey pub.
In the 5 years we've been on the Hamble, we've never ventured beyond the M27 bridge but today seemed like the perfect day for a slow meander up the river and perfect it was. Idyllic in fact.
Off we set in Bob, our little fold away tender, equipped with electric motor (for that stealth approach) and oars for that 'just in case' scenario. Made our way up there on a rising tide a) because obviously we needed water to be there when we arrived and b) because going against the tide with our little electric motor would be a bit like wading thru quick sand if I'm honest!
The weather was perfect, the scenery beyond the bridge just got better and better. I had no idea how lovely it was. Little beaches dotted along the way; the only sounds were birds singing and the occasional ripple and splash of canoe paddles; friendly waves in abundance from rowers and canoeists alike. It was like a scene out of Swallows and Amazons or perhaps Tales of the Riverbank (??).
View attachment 41537
Anyway, we were making good progress at around 4 knts for most of the way until it became clear the battery wasn't going to last the distance (it wasn't fully charged) and so we decided to make use of the oars for the last little bit (I say WE...I mean Chris
). Got to the fork in the river...left for Botley, right for Curbridge. Curbridge was where we were headed so on we went and it felt like we would never get there but then....there it was...the welcoming view of The Horse & Jockey
View attachment 41538
and there, just a few yards ahead was a tiny little pontoon, perfectly clear for us to tie straight up to and disembark.
We stood there for a few moments, taking in the surroundings and patting ourselves on the back for our humungous achievement (trust me...after an hour and 20 minutes in a tender, it felt that way!) before deciding to bring Bob up onto the bank for safe keeping while we sat and enjoyed a few drinks in the sun.
Bob
View attachment 41539
Great trip out and what a lovely pub to have at the end of it. Really friendly bar staff and we had a friendly chat and a bit of a laugh with some of the locals too. We did have to grab a cab to the Hedge End Halfords to get another battery so we could get back (Chris wasn't over enamoured with the prospect of rowing back...Woose!). So...battery swapped and off we set on our intrepid journey back to Swanwick. A fully charged battery saw us doing around 4 ish knts (at a guess) and got us back in an hour. I have to say Bob coped admirably and he's a lovely little boat to pootle around in. Thoroughly recommend it as a peaceful and slower alternative to a blast out on the Solent.
L
In the 5 years we've been on the Hamble, we've never ventured beyond the M27 bridge but today seemed like the perfect day for a slow meander up the river and perfect it was. Idyllic in fact.
Off we set in Bob, our little fold away tender, equipped with electric motor (for that stealth approach) and oars for that 'just in case' scenario. Made our way up there on a rising tide a) because obviously we needed water to be there when we arrived and b) because going against the tide with our little electric motor would be a bit like wading thru quick sand if I'm honest!
The weather was perfect, the scenery beyond the bridge just got better and better. I had no idea how lovely it was. Little beaches dotted along the way; the only sounds were birds singing and the occasional ripple and splash of canoe paddles; friendly waves in abundance from rowers and canoeists alike. It was like a scene out of Swallows and Amazons or perhaps Tales of the Riverbank (??).
View attachment 41537
Anyway, we were making good progress at around 4 knts for most of the way until it became clear the battery wasn't going to last the distance (it wasn't fully charged) and so we decided to make use of the oars for the last little bit (I say WE...I mean Chris
). Got to the fork in the river...left for Botley, right for Curbridge. Curbridge was where we were headed so on we went and it felt like we would never get there but then....there it was...the welcoming view of The Horse & JockeyView attachment 41538
and there, just a few yards ahead was a tiny little pontoon, perfectly clear for us to tie straight up to and disembark.
We stood there for a few moments, taking in the surroundings and patting ourselves on the back for our humungous achievement (trust me...after an hour and 20 minutes in a tender, it felt that way!) before deciding to bring Bob up onto the bank for safe keeping while we sat and enjoyed a few drinks in the sun.
Bob
View attachment 41539
Great trip out and what a lovely pub to have at the end of it. Really friendly bar staff and we had a friendly chat and a bit of a laugh with some of the locals too. We did have to grab a cab to the Hedge End Halfords to get another battery so we could get back (Chris wasn't over enamoured with the prospect of rowing back...Woose!). So...battery swapped and off we set on our intrepid journey back to Swanwick. A fully charged battery saw us doing around 4 ish knts (at a guess) and got us back in an hour. I have to say Bob coped admirably and he's a lovely little boat to pootle around in. Thoroughly recommend it as a peaceful and slower alternative to a blast out on the Solent.
L
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