Ryde

[looking west towards Ryde Pier]

It was very hot for a good bit of the time that we were in the Isle of Wight, too hot to be sitting on a beach all day, whether or not we went so far as to go swimming. Which, as it happens, was good at Ryde at high tide: clean, clear water over sand.

[looking west again. Benches with shade]

So, for getting on for half our time, we settled on Ryde. A north facing place with a long esplanade, lots of sand and a good supply of cafés, toilets, benches and shade. Ryde in the morning, with umbrella, back to Brading to snooze through the heat of the day. Which meant some early starts by holiday standards.

Rock cakes not as good as those at south facing Yaverland, as noticed last year at reference 1.

[something underground at Puckpool Battery. Magazine of some sort?]

Bacon and egg baps very good at the café in Puckpool Park, as noticed last year at reference 2. Bacon perhaps just a little salty for our taste. What appeared to be an older father with an autistic son, perhaps 20 or so. The son was not being difficult on this occasion, but we were reminded that it would still be hard work.

Most of our refreshments from the various cafés, but nearly fell for Yelf's hotel (a pleasantly old fashioned  place in Union Street) and on another occasion for the noodlarium on the front. Actually fell for the Ryde Castle, where we were treated to a wedding. Lots of fancy dress - including one older chap in a smart suit, nipping out for a roll-up from time to time.

No sign of the heavy duty water works of last year, also noticed at reference 1.

Some on shore, low tide dredging. Probably something to do with the channel out of the yacht basin.

Several modern racing yachts, sloop rigged, with very tall, black mainsails. On one occasion, one appeared to be rolling up its foresail to tack, presumably quicker than carrying the clew of a big foresail around the mast.

[Originally commissioned by the lawyer and passionate yachtsman Charles Plumptre Johnson, Moonbeam of Fife III was built by the UK shipbuilder William Fife & Sons in 1903 as Moonbeam III. With the story at reference 4 being that it was originally rigged as a yawl. Very sumptous interior with lots of top-notch brown wood. Seemingly now owned by a foreigner]

[racing at Harwich in 1935, lifted from reference 5. With what looks like a Thames barge, on the horizon behind. All too rich for Mr. Langtry of reference 6: he blew his modest fortune on much smaller yachts. The public cuckold of the famous lilly and he made rather heavy weather of it. While I never made it to a Thames barge, having to satisfy myself with a childish outing on a Norfolk wherry]

Several old-style racing cutters, gaff rigged, maybe not as big as those snapped above. Big main sails with big booms and failure to duck when tacking could easily be fatal. Must cost a fortune to run these days.

One three masted, gaff rigged schooner. Got confused by the gaff sails without topsails in the first instance, making it four masts. On the ferry which took us back to Portsmouth, we got a much closer view of it tied up next to our ferry dock. Quite possibly something to do with reference 3, although they don't seem to offer any nice shots of their boats there.

Plenty of cargo ships. Some ferries off to the continent. Some cruise liners. No naval action.

We wondered, without coming to any conclusion, about the catamaran ferry which ran to and from the pier head. I don't suppose it drew much water, but then at low tide there wasn't very much either.

[a new beach hut on the way in. They seemed to come in various sizes. Some, for example, had storage space underneath and some sported chimneys]

All in all, a bright, sandy and happy beach. All sorts there. Children, young people and older people. Oiling rituals. Some swimming. Some serious encampments, although we did not see a primus stove. All things considered, not much sunburn on show.

PS: I remember, years ago now, getting my shoulders badly sunburned by swimming in shallow water off Hunstanton's north beach. Shoulders wet enough to keep cool, but but not deep enough to block the UV. That apart, a handsome beach with red and white striped cliffs.

References 

Reference 1: http://psmv4.blogspot.com/2021/07/back-to-yaverland.html.

Reference 2: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2021/07/ryde.html.

Reference 3: https://www.tallships.org/.

Reference 4: https://www.maritimeviews.co.uk/byy-biographies/johnson-charles-plumptre/.

Reference 5: https://www.merseamuseum.org.uk/.

Reference 6: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2022/02/the-jersey-lily.html.