UK Border Force encounter at open sea

Yesterday, at 11.00 AM after a quick final food shopping spree by me, we left Cowes and pointed Jennifer's nose towards Dover. It was nice to be back on the waves again but a little sad to see beautiful IOW disappear behind our stern, so much to see and so little time.

Early this morning, during my 3-6 AM watch together with Tore, we had an exciting encounter on open sea. A fast moving grey painted vessel with lots of antennas approached Jennifer from behind us with it's AIS (Automatic Identification System) switched off. Our location at the time was close to shore and Dungeness B, a nuclear power station (grid contribution: 1120 MW, start up in  1983). At 4.45 AM this grim looking vessel pulled up next to us. I asked Tore to alert our sleeping captain Lasse.

After a few minutes we could see a text in black on the side of the vessel, "UK Border Force". A sound signal was given and Lasse replied by making contact via VHS radio. A Border Force gentleman then asked him about our past and future destinations, number of people onboard and their nationalities. Lasse explained that he is the owner of Jennifer and that she sailed in the Caribbean in 2016, in the Mediterranean 2017 & 2018 and that our final destination now is Stockholm, Sweden.

The answers given to the Border Force people by Lasse was apparently satisfactory enough and they could conclude that we had no intention to harm Dungeness B in any way.

Walking on the Isle of Wight

Walking is not only good for your body and general fitness, but also good for your mind, soul and as a sleeping pill. After my 9 mile walk yesterday together with Tore I slept like a log. I have read somewhere that the Japanese are great  believers in walking as a balm for life and I do agree with them on that observation.

On the Isle of Wight (380 square km) you will find over 500 miles of path to choose from.  Detailed walking maps are available from the IOW walking society. Yesterday I was grateful to Mary for lending me two of her maps. They proved to be useful a couple of times during my walk with Tore. I tried to ask advice from one lady I met on the trail, but she was very quiet...

VIP visitors

Yesterday evening John and Mary visited me onboard Jennifer in Cowes Marina. Together we had a nice cup of tea and I had a chance to introduce them to my fellow crewmates.

John is a Second World War veteran. As an aircraft mechanic he was based in Ceylon, today Sri Lanka, during a three year period. Later, back in the UK, he worked for Hoovercraft most of his life. Ingemar was very happy to have a little chat with John and show him pictures of "his" Hoovercraft in Sweden.

John is, at the tender age of 96, the oldest visitor ever to step onboard Jennifer! Captain Lasse was very impressed by his mobility at that age.

The Medina Estuary Walk

Cowes is separated from East Cowes by the river Medina. Our marina is located on the west side of the river. Today Tore and I walked the long way between the two Cowes, a circular walk of approximately 9 miles/14 km.

The Medina Is home to many kinds of birds; grey herons, black tailed godwits, little egret and redshank - in other words perfect for bird watching.

After heading south, following the path of the old railway line between Cowes and Newport, we arrived at Bargemen's Rest Pub and could cross over to the east side of the river. Before starting to walk north, we stopped for a fish &  chips lunch in Newport. Very tasty at a very reasonable price, £5.40. Next door to the restaurant was a Oxfam bookstore and I bought an excellent book about the trains that used cover the same distance that we had just completed.

About halfway on our return hike we stopped for an fuel injection at the Folly Inn, a popular pub next to the river. In order to get back to Jennifer we crossed the river Medina via a floating bridge, a chain operated ferry. We willingly paid the fare of £1.50 per person rather than backtrack to the starting point.

Cowes is the place to be...

...on the Isle of Wight if sailing is your passion. The town is most famous for Cowes week which takes place in early August. The whole town is then transformed into an international venue for competition on sea - Cowes is not only the yachting center of the Isle of Wight,  but arguably the world.

Hungry and thirsty after sailing or sail watching? Don't worry, in Cowes (pop. 10.500) you will find more restaurants and pubs per square mile than any other town in the UK. Bon appetit!

Celebrating 55 years of friendship

In 1964, while working in kibbutz Sdot Yam (pop. 680) in Israel, I met Mary, a very happy and positive girl from the Isle of Wight. We have kept in touch ever since and she is still living on the island with her husband John.

Today I had a chance to meet them again for a little friendship luncheon followed by a grand tour around the island by car. A couple of month ago Mary & John celebrated their 50 year wedding anniversary in a rather unique way. They sponsored the installation of a wooden bench along a public pathway overlooking the rolling hills of the island. After a practical test I can confirm that the bench is a great place to rest your tired legs.

Good morning Cowes!

City view at 7.15 while enjoying an open air breakfast on onboard Jennifer in Cowes Yacht Marina. Only musical entertainment is a seagull concert.