19th July 2013

You might have heard already, but the weather’s been quite nice in England.  Last weekend, I jumped at the chance to get out of London and head towards the coast, in search of any kind of breeze.

My parents, along with some friends, had planned a little sailing trip – meet in Southampton, sail down to Lymington on Saturday and return on Sunday.

Sunshine, sea, sails…

On Friday night we went to the Jolly Sailor in Bursledon, which is just outside Southampton.  It’s a pub that’s right on the water, with beautiful views.  To get there, you have to walk down a very long set of wooden steps, but it’s worth it.  Inside is cosy and welcoming, and they serve proper food.

Sardines, butternut squash and onion croquettes, mezze board.

Roast cod and chorizo salad, falafel and haloumi burger, fish and chips (with battered peas!)

After dinner, I tucked into my cabin on the boat and went straight to sleep.  I always sleep really well on board – I love the sound and movement of the water!

The next morning we went for a spin in our friends’ power boat…

and then returned to the yacht and prepared to set sail!

Out into the Solent, and then away…

Obviously I was hard at work…

It’s the best spot!

We moored at Lymington Yacht Haven.

Champagne on deck – before dinner at Haven Restaurant in the marina. 

The yummy mummies had their white skinnies on…

I’m always scared the boats will fall off those big wooden stilts.

Luckily, we had the food to distract us, which was amazing.

Pan fried scallops with sweetcorn purée and curried pea fritter…

Wood pigeon breast with rye bread and watercress salad with red wine dressing…

Pan fried turbot fillet and Solent crab cakes

I couldn’t stop raving about my main course: monkfish tail, with olive oil, mashed potatoes and clam sauce.  The clam sauce was a total dream, and went perfectly with the mash.

All this, and a gorgeous view across the Isle of Wight – the clearest we’d ever seen it from here.

Sunday dawned sunny (again!) and we made a relaxed passage back towards Southampton.  We anchored up for a long lunch – sunbathing and reading the papers.

The skipper decided that swimming was on the agenda.  The sea… has not warmed up like everything else.  Let’s just say it was fairly refreshing.

The sail home was calm, and I got the train back to London with salt in my hair, happy and tired.

What have you been up to in the sun?