The Itchen and Hythe over Easter

[dpb101]

The object of the week end was to tie up with friends from Kent who were staying in Southampton for the week end.
So we drove to Mercury Yacht Harbour to use their slipway (as snapped by Jokaboat elsewhere!) and went to the Jolly Sailor up the Hamble for Lunch before running around to Ocean Village where we were booked in for two nights.

Loads of good places to eat and drink nearby including these on the waters edge:

And the night gave me a chance to try a pic of my cockpit 'mood' lighting:

which actually is of better use than the standard lights as they consume so little power and light more of the cockpit.

Anyway, we took our freinds for a trip up the Itchen.

Past the home of a few of this forum, at least one name being recognizable:

We continued up as far as we could till it got a bit shallow (it was only half tide):

On the way back down we couldn't help but be amazed at the number of homes that seem to have their own boat yard in the back garden. They are not in a particular salubrious part of Southampton, and arn't the sort of thing to feature in posh waterside property magazines, and from the street they are very ordinary, but I wouldn't mind living in one:

And I bet this sportsboat gets more than 50hrs use a year........or it should!

And why let a boat come to this:

After our trip up the Itchen and showing our passengers the site from where the Titanic sailed, we crossed to Hythe and took a mooring for a couple of hours in the marina (not the only ones from this forum on that pontoon by the look of other posts):

After a couple of drinks at the marina pub:

We left Hythe on free flow:

And returned to Ocean Village.
The trip was a good way of spending a few hours on the water with friends who may not have appreciated the wilder side of sportsboating that a trip to Cowes may have presented them with, and the Itchen is always an interesting place to explore as there is always something new to see!

[Matt13]

Great Pics dpb101, how far up the Itchen are those houses, ive never turned left out of Saxon Wharf yet , liking the mood lighting

[JORIDAPILOT]

Anyway, we took our freinds for a trip up the Itchen.

Past the home of a few of this forum, at least one name being recognizable:

We continued up as far as we could till it got a bit shallow (it was only half tide):

Good pics of your day out.
We also turned up river first thing but after half a mile the echo sounder was reading little over a metre so common sense prevailed and we turned round. It was at that time only an hour beyond low tide, so hardly surprising.
On another occasion we have been beyond Cobden Bridge where there are still boats moored at the bottom of people's gardens. It does begin to get really iffy beyond the end of the boats, I can remember as a child, just, dragging my Dad's dinghy up the riverbed back to Woodmill on a low tide.

I am glad you enjoyed your day out.

[Warpa]

That pic of the houseboat with the sport boat moored up are 'next door' to where im moored (Cobden Bridge) The pic below of the boat left in a state is quite common on that river, there is one oppisite me on the mooring and im sure with new covers and a good machine polish i could bring it up like new. Only downside is if the boat is left like that then the most expensive part...the engine will also be badly neglected