Rounding off the year’s sailing
12th July to 12th October 2026
After a happy August, living in my house rather than aboard Henrietta, doing things that normal folk do when living on land and not working (eating, walking, chatting, washing, putting the bins out, and so on), and after fixing some of Henrietta’s broken bits, I locked out of Exeter Canal and spent a few more weeks sailing hither and thither.
In part it was a nostalgic end-of-season sailing trip around some of the English Channel’s popular places that I’ve seen on and off over the past sixty years. In part it was just to quench my unceasing nomadic restlessness. (Also, when you have a mild sailing addiction it’s hard to stop.)
Here’s some bits of what happened.
Though, come to think of it, why should you be remotely interested in what happened or what I did? So I’ll just show you some pictures and add a few comments.
The ever popular Square & Compass, convenient break when walking the Coast Path
Back west through the Solent again to Lymington where I pick up two friends, both experienced sailors, Christopher and Andrew. Between the three of us there’s a combined age of well over 200…lots of experience!
We sail back to Poole next day where I drop off crew, and then spend a night and day on Brownsea Island squirrel-watching and marvelling at a fine rainbow
Before sailing back, retracing steps, across the Channel to France (having realised I didn’t have enough wine) and the Channel Islands
It’s getting chilly in October and normally busy anchorages are empty …
I leave next day for a tiring windy sail to an old favourite, Cawsand, near Plymouth. It’s all been quite rushed using weather windows that grow less common as autumn arrives.
And now Henrietta is back in the calm fresh water of Exeter Canal, where she’ll spend the winter. I walked home on Monday, happy to have enjoyed the final 600 miles of this year’s journey in familiar waters.
