This short trip started by a proposed visit to Southampton with a business friend. It seemed a shame not to hook the boat on and get a sail during the afternoon. It gradually dawned on me that it might be worth taking it a stage further and camping overnight somewhere in Southampton Water.

So during Friday afternoon, friend and self launched from Warsash, sailed pleasantly across to Calshot at almost dead LW sailing into, and out of, the grey muddy creeks on this side. I believe that one member sailed past a rally up Ashlett creek and missed it. After trying to find the right gully to sail up and wondering which fork in the river to take, I can well believe it. Obviously it was marked on the chart (which we had left ashore). The tide was on the flood as we reached back towards Warsash. Hauling the boat up the shingle hard some way we stretched our legs by walking up the hill for a welcome cuppa. My friend helped to load the dinghy for the night out and then bid his adieu.

Sailing out into the Solent again on my own I reckoned I had about two hours before dark and I hoped to get some way up Southampton Water before anchoring in one of the creeks on the Hythe side. It is always a mystery to me why it takes almost a week or more to get things together for even one night out. But this seems to happen most times. Luckily I can get my 12ft. dinghy under cover and then I start putting everything in that I think I'll need, gradually thinning it out if I reckon I can do without. Lastly packing it all in waterproof bags and lashing them in. For sleeping I have a home-made sleeping bag from a feather filled eiderdown and interior sheet, well covered by a warm ex-army blanket. This lot rolls up well and is very warm.

I used to sleep on the bottom with my legs under the thwarts but this got a bit cramped and uncomfortable, so I made up two 6ft. long floor boards 12" wide of ¼"ply. These pull out when I'm ready and lay across the thwarts and over the centre plate box. I also have an odd piece of 2" x 1" batten as an “in between” support across the plate box. So the ply panels are supported approximately every 18" or 24" giving me a flat board 6' x 2' to lie on and well above any rain which might get blown in from the stern opening. The boat, being glued ply clinker, no water seeps in through the hull.

The cover goes over everything, is made of P.V.C. on nylon cloth and is very durable though a bit cramped for long periods. I've been loath to fit exterior hooks for the lashings so I fold the cover up concertina fashion with the cords right round the boat, put it on from the bows and draw it over the mast in its crutch. This is really weatherproof and no draughts get in and - providing the high lee end is open – does not produce much inside condensation. It also weathercocks in any wind during the night if we're still afloat.

However, to continue slowly into the setting sun (literally). I had to start finding somewhere to kip for the night before it got too dark for me to see where I was going to settle. Finding a small inlet just below Hythe, I lowered the sails and rowed around testing the bottom for a flat piece and no lumps or sticks. Suddenly the water started to ebb quickly and I touched bottom as it swirled over the mud. It returned about a minute later in a choppy fashion and filled the inlet quickly. It took a moment or two for it to sink in that a big liner on its way to dock had passed recently and its wash had had this effect.

This happened several times after I had secured the boat but I was able to hear the small breakers along the edge of the saltings before it reached me and I steadied the stove and plates till the wash subsided a little. Just in this mud inlet there appeared to be small beaches but on closer inspection at low water these proved to be deposits of small shells. Thousands of them. I managed to get my meal of hot soup and pre-packed salad, followed by cake and coffee eaten and cleared up before we finally settled on the ooze, and as it was, by that time, black outside, I settled into the bag and slept well.

Peering out the next morning all that could be seen was a wet mist above the reeds and not a breath of wind. I think one of the good things about this dinghy cruising is the smell of bacon and eggs cooking in the early morning, it always seems to have a special flavour.

With the tide creeping in again I got everything packed away again and the boat wiped out. By the time I had the mast up the burgee was just blowing out a little so we upped sail and glided out into Southampton Water again. I had planned to get back to Warsash about midday and it took over two hours of ghosting over the double tide to do it. It was so calm that I even managed to brew up a mid morning coffee. Closing Hamble spit as the tide was starting to ebb I thought it would be best to row into Warsash. Sure enough, just as I had dropped sails the wind came in and settled down to a steady force 2 for the rest of the day. Unfortunately I had to leave then but it was a marvellous day.

Each time one goes cruising more is learnt. Next time I go I'll remember to get further up a creek out of any wash, it's also a good plan to leave more time to find a place for the night. Time always gets short when it's needed. Not an extensive cruise by any means but a good night out and a try out of new odds and ends and ideas in the boat which makes it interesting.