Setting off from Lymington for the Isle Of Wight. Great weather but at this point I didn't realise that I'd made a really bad choice of day to paddle in the Solent.

Picture taken by friends in a RIB

Hurst Castle. Just after here there was a group of boats bobbing about. I asked them what was going on and they told me it was the day of the offshore power boat race and they were waiting to watch the speedboats pass by on their way to Torquay. OK I thought I'll wait and watch too before crossing over to the IOW. They came speeding past and after the last one went by, all the boats watching dispersed. Right I thought, it's time to cross.

So I crossed the kilometre or so. Not long after I got there a second batch of speedboats came through ! Phew lucky or what.

Landing at Alum bay

There was some wind and I sailed towards Yarmouth. This was a DIY sail that worked well but was quite a bit bigger than the Flat Earth sail typically seen on a sea kayak.

Sooner or later those super fast speedboats would be back and I had little idea of when that might be. I could be crossing in their path so I reasoned that with the sail up I had a better chance of being seen.

The leading boat! But the wind had got up to a good force 5 and I was struggling to hoist the sail. I had to hoist it whilst sitting in the kayak on the beach then push off. My first sea kayak, a Rockpool Alaw Bach, didn't have a skeg and the sail was trying hard to point me upwind. I had a hell for leather broad reach back across to Lymington pushing very hard on a stern rudder all the way. Luckily I made it with no near misses from the other racers.

Arriving amongst the moored boats I had a some fun getting the sail down as it was flapping wildly

Only a short paddle the next day, no pictures