Page 14 - Yachter Spring/Summer 2020

14 CRUISING REPORTS
THE “ROCK THE BOAT” CRUISERS RALLY TO BEMBRIDGE
The “Rock the Boat” cruisers rally to Bembridge Harbour was our first visit to beautiful Bembridge.
It was a lovely June morning and the promise of a good forecast for a sunny weekend that didn’t disappoint. After dodging a few racing boats on our sail down the Solent, we arrived just off Bembridge at the tide gauge and hastily checked the live tide height gauge on the web and made our
way up the buoyed channel into the harbour. I’m always a bit apprehensive entering a new harbour that dries for the first time, but we negotiated the dogleg without a hitch and were greeted by the marina staff on the end of the pontoon who directed us to our berth alongside Serendip4.We rafted alongside
and soon had three other boats abreast of Cimsoc (my Steel Bruce Roberts 39).
We decided to take the water taxi across the harbour entrance to the beach and shorten the walk into town where we enjoyed a spot of lunch at the local pub.We headed back to start the evening with a few drinks on the quayside and listened to the band who were excellent.
The next day we had a walk along the beach and an ice cream at the Baywatch
café, relaxed and enjoyed the view across the bay. Bembridge is a beautiful place and we will be planning a trip back this year.
David Miller-Crook