Although we had been looking forward to a lay day today, we were keen to rendezvous with relatives in Brighton, and decided to make the short trip round Beachy Head. We again took an inshore route, picking our way through the fishing markers - but feeling favourably disposed towards them as that morning we had walked along the seafront to the co-operative fish stall and stocked up on fresh local seafood. As a shopping experience it proved an attractive alternative to the trolley gridlock at the on-site Asda. We passed close to Seven Sisters, the southerly edge of the South Downs, but saw no-one practicising their hills on the steeply undulating paths.

As we approached Newhaven a thick fog came down, with visibility reduced to less than a quarter of a mile. We had to rely on the radar to avoid ferries en route to Dieppe. It did give us a chance to try out the automated fog signal on our new ICOM M601 DSC-VHF, with the two-minute signal broadcast over the loudhailer. As we neared Brighton Marina, we could see barely a boat's length ahead of us and were only a few metres from the harbour wall before it came into view. What had started out as a simple coastal hop ended with us inching blindfold into the sanctity of the harbour.

For us no stay in Brighton would be complete without a trip on the Volks Railway and a tour of The Lanes, and a warm sunny Saturday saw us joining the throngs promenading along the seafront and enjoying the traditional fishsmokers at the Kings Road Arches.

Cruising Statistics

Distance: 20 nm

Total to date: 352 nm

Avg Speed: 8 knots

Duration: 2:30 hours

Wind: S2

Diesel: 100 litres

Mooring: £23

Electricity: Included

Charts

SC5605