Now significantly later on: so far as the forecast is concerned the rainy things have certainly fallen off the cloudy things on my Met Office chart and the colour of those cloudy things has turned to white.
Unfortunately, in the real world, it is still raining heavily here (I could have boated home from Christchurch where Mrs A was warbling in the Priory this evening). I'm not convinced that the Met Office has got it right (and I've left her there with a view to collecting her on the boat in the morning
). (Not really!)
I can confirm that Christchurch has many good places to eat: unfortunately, very few (or rather none of which I'm aware) at which to moor and go ashore. That makes the incentive poor for me and my entrance rate (1 out of 3 attempts) is on the low side. It does help having the entrance buoyed at this time of year but you still need to run broadside to the waves for a stretch which is OK if you know where you're going and the waves aren't too big!
I'm going to give the weather another call in the morning but am keen to go and, all things being equal, fancy the idea of being shouted at by the harbourmaster at Ashlett Creek tomorrow which (weather permitting) should be accessible from 1.15 pm with a view to trying The Jolly Sailor (oo er matron
).
That will give another notch for me (the harbourmaster's shout rather than the jolly sailor!) but perhaps we could meet somewhere beforehand if your're launching earlier?
David
