Well hello again, just a little bit to add to Rowena's adventures. We have finally been up the Beulieu River! For those who don't know we had a bit of trouble there when taking our motorboating test, so much trouble the instructor had to take the helm!! Any way with no trouble at all we negotiated all the green and red marks and had a lovely berth in the little marina, it was very peaceful and quiet up there, only one blot, we had to buy all our provisions before we went in the dreaded Tesco in Lymington, Paul got a 'bargain' 3 bottles of red for £6.00! He comes to drink the red and its so bad even he can't drink it, so off he goes to the pub for a proper bottle, £14.99 and a pint in the pub later he is happy, but I am not!

So all we have to do now is go to Newtown Creek, another disaster from the motorboat test, but that will have to wait, even I agreed it was far too windy when we were down there 2 weeks ago.

All the summer clothes are now off Rowena, and it will soon be time to cover her up for the winter, ah, still we have had a marvelous summer and are now looking forward to 2010!! Bookings being taken now!

Well Rowena is back in her home berth. We had two good days and went from Dartmouth to Weymouth, the tide was with us all the way, even around Portland Bill which was a bit scary! Phil drove to Weymouth, but where was he when we were mooring up, sitting on the sea front reading! So we had to manage by ourselves. Up at 5.30 again the next day to leave for Portsmouth, poor Phil has to get up then too and go to the car to carry on sleeping! The tide was even better 12 knots going up the Solent a record this holiday! It was very strange leaving Rowena after 8 weeks of adventures, but I'm sure we will be back soon.

Well here we are still in Dartmouth due to some force 8 gales that have been around, hoping to move on Saturday to Weymouth, then Sunday to Portsmouth, but all that may change if the wind does not die down.

Phil is a wanted man in Dartmouth after accidentally (he says) going into the ladies for a shower at the marina! He was a bit worried to start with because we told him to act natural as really he should not be using those showers, in his haste to get out of sight of the marina man he went into the ladies, used the loo and was heading for the shower when a lady came in. Who would be more surprised, we are not sure, so Phil pulled his cap right down and legged it! He came back in the little dinghy almost on the plane!

We have also had to ask him not to treat the little dinghy as a trampoline, he jumps in from Rowena, all 18 stone, and the poor dinghy not too mention us wobbles all over the place, gently does it we said.

Well here is Phil enjoying his hols, after taking 9 hours to do a 31/2 hour journey, we think he got lost around Birmingham! The life and soul of Rowena! The first day he arrived it was raining, I don't think he had thought about wet weather, because in a few moments his jeans and trainers and anorak were soaking, they have been lying around Rowena drying since. In fact it is very hard to get him to do anything, we went for a walk yesterday to Dittisham and he moaned, when we said we were going for a walk to Dartmouth Castle today he didn't want to come, but we persuaded him, other wise he would see nothing of Dartmouth. And now I have to feed him and that is a mammoth task! Happy days.

We had some awful weather whilst in Dartmouth, the tail end of a hurricane which meant that all water taxis stopped running, there where waves on the river and we had to go in Venture, it was too rough for the little dinghy, to rescue Nige and Sharron from the land, where they were soaked to the skin. Despite this we managed to enjoy ourselves, we went to Torquay on the rib, Jake went crabbing and Lara went to the pub with the men! We also tried some diving just out of Dartmouth.

Well here are all the 'Beestonts' enjoying themselves in Dartmouth, we had a lovely regatta, the red arrows have to be seen to be believed the tricks they get up to, the helicopters displays were marvelous even if we did get a bit wet, and the fireworks out of this world. Dartmouth was so busy we were glad to get back to our little oasis of calm, Rowena. We said goodbye to them on Sunday and hello to Phil Lance.