It really blew during the night so we were glad we had fitted the snubbers to the mooring lines. We had not intended to leave today and woke up to find a gale warning for Wight on the Navtex that fitted with the other forecasts we had. The rain was not scheduled to arrive until late in the morning so we took an early bus out to the Needles. We walked out to the end where the National Trust runs the historical gun battery there. Unfortunately it did not open until 10:30 but we still enjoyed walking around and taking in the views. The post Second World War/Cold War rocket testing station at the Needles was something we were not aware of. Fascinating, and apparently the UK’s only satellite (called Prosperro) launched on a British rocket and is still in orbit.
We walked back along the coastal path and it started to rain just as we were returning to the bus terminus at the Alum Bay tourist attraction. Although we would normally not have darkened its doors we were grateful to shelter in the cafe and have a hot drink as the rain hammered down.
Soon on the bus and went all the way to Newport where we headed to the Quay Arts centre. The art was “interesting” but nothing really grabbed our interest but we had a really pleasant lunch in the cafe/restaurant. Then after a little bit of shopping we took the bus back to Yarmouth and Harvard. Richard cold and wet went for a hot shower and we even started the heating in Harvard, which did help. The wind howling through the rigging and horizontal rain!! Ah, the British summer but at least as the bus driver said we need the rain. Not sure what we are going to do now. The south westerly winds look pretty strong for the next week or so with multiple low pressure systems coming in so we are discussing returning home to wait for a better forecast. Will keep you posted.