Position:  50:44.00N 01:17.00W

Well we have finally set off!  We locked out of a grey Shoreham at 0930 on Weds 2nd July, and motored into greyness - 5kts of westerly breeze and a flat sea.  I thought this was a fitting way to start a trip like this - very understated.  It even started to rain!  Dad and Will (my brother) came to the harbour entrance to wave us off - a few tears were shed, but the way I look at things, it is one step at a time and we're simply sailing to the Solent.

An uneventful trip to Selsey in 3 1/2 hours, and the wind started to fill in from the South as we passed through the Looe Channel with the tide under us pushing us along at 8 kts.  The girls all went to bed and slept - I kept myself busy by cleaning the cockpit which was still covered in a layer of dust from our time in Southwick. 

I hoisted all the sails and we motor-sailed through to the Forts guarding the Eastern entrance to the Solent, by which time the sun came out and we turned the engine off, and had a lovely sail up the Eastern Solent past Portsmouth, Ryde, Wooton Creek and Osborne Bay.  We had the Solent pretty much to ourselves - mid-week sailing reminding us that we are on holiday! 

We had decided en-route to head for Cowes, then as we got closer, we decided to head up the Medina River past Cowes, and finally moored alongside the Visitors pontoon off the Folly Inn.  It was beautiful - totally silent, very few boats there, just a few Mirror dinghies racing up & down.  We pumped the dinghy up and went ashore for a cracking meal with the kids playing on the shingle beach whilst Sarah and I had a drink.

It doesn't feel like we have left for a years' trip, it feels like we have just gone for a sail - which was how I had hoped it would feel, rather than some emotional farewell.  I am sure it will feel different when we set off across the Channel.  Or perhaps when we sail to Lymington and see Sarah's parents and sister, and my Dad for the last time.

The girls are doing well, and Sarah spent an hour with them today doing "school" - counting, and drawing pictures.  Both girls seemed to love it.  It gave me time to do some jobs such as putting more backstay tension on and fitting service valves on the aft cabin sink taps to stop the girls draining all the water without us knowing.  The job list is never-ending.  There have been a few tantrums so far (from the kids!) but I think a lot of it is tiredness - it is difficult to stick to a landbased routine on the boat and they often don't go to bed until 2100 - but then are very tired the next day.