The advance party arrived in the Hamble Marina Wednesday afternoon, welcomed by the Fairview team for handover.  Our two yachts Modernist Lady and Par Excellence were moored just beneath Banana Wharf and we stowed our gear  then relaxed with drinks as it was a beautiful sunny day - what could be better? Later when all the crew had arrived we made our way into Hamble village for a our evening meal at The Bugle where we dined outside. Having five new HOEOCA members, introductions were made and passage plans were discussed then a short walk back to the yachts for an early night.

Thursday mid morning Modernistic Lady made passage toward Yarmouth, Par Excellence a sail to the east of Cowes.  The passage to Yarmouth, was particularly breezy with a downpour just before berthing, the rain continuing for some time. That didn’t deter us as we viewed the town's dream properties. We then set sail to Cowes for the evening, having pre booked berths at Shepard’s. We knew we might have to raft up, but fortunately Modernistic Lady managed a direct side pontoon berth and Par Excellence a third place out on a raft. That evening we all dined at the Red Duster and the food was good with excellent service.

Friday was windy with occasional rain and we remained in Cowes for retail therapy plus a walk to Gurnard. On our return to Shepard’s we invited Par Excellence crew for afternoon cream tea, it’s a good life.  We also received a visit from fellow HOEOCA member skipper Roger Shilton and the crew of Starstreak, his Contessa 32.  That evening we all dined at the Pier View, again, another good meal and evening.

Saturday morning Par Excellence had an early departure as the inner rafting yacht wanted to get underway. Modernistic Lady departed later into a gusty and wet passage to Lymington Haven for our evening berth and we were later joined by Par Excellence as they had moored for lunch in Newtown Creek. After a stroll into town we joined up for pre-dinner drinks aboard Par Excellence, together with the skipper of Starstreak, then made our way for our our final group dinner at the Fisherman’s Rest, just a short walk from the Marina. Once again the food and service is recommended.

Sunday, no surprise wet and windy, and after refuelling we made our way east to view the start of the Fastnet Race. As we made our passage to the Hamble we saw plenty of competitors bashing and crashing West on their way down the Solent on the start o their passage to the Fastnet Rock.

Back in the Hamble, with the fast running tide through the Marina, we experienced a challenging mooring - pictures in the photo gallery, including tracks.

Would we do it again? Oh yes -  great sailing, great company and great food. Who could ask for more? Hopefully we'll have more fireworks and the Red Arrows next time.