Following the early sighting noticed at reference 1, HMS Marijuana did not reappear. On the other hand, we did have something steaming north across Sandown Bay. More or less on the horizon as seen from Yaverland, with an impressive wake, possibly a frigate, looking a bit small for a destroyer. Fast. Oddly we could hear it, although it must have been a few miles away.
Then, apart from the usual line of cargo ships waiting for their turn at Southampton, we had what looked like an oversized barge, heading south with a dozen or more windmill blades. Presumably heading out to some off-shore wind farm for installation.
No monster cruise liners spotted heading out into the Channel from Southampton.
No monster yachts, sailing or otherwise. Although we did see a large Bermudan rigged sloop heading west past Portsmouth with black main and white spinnaker set in what looked like a light breeze. Plus a much smaller and older yawl. Not even very much in the way of jet skis and kiteboarding, more affordable sports, sometimes popular at Yaverland. Just the one kiteboarder who had not yet learned how to go in both directions, so he rode from right to left and waded back from left to right. Rather closer to swimmers than I thought proper.
With the only other boat of interest being the one snapped above, at high zoom, standing guard outside Fishbourne when we left. about the size of a modest fishing boat. Don't recall ever seeing such a thing before. Search turns up references 2, 3 and 4, but nothing more positive about what such a boat might be doing off Fishbourne.
PS 1: I got the idea that HMS Victory was still stripped down to her main masts. Which rather put me off visiting: if one is going to make the effort, you want her to be at her best. Maybe next year.
PS 2: to me a Bermuda rigged sloop is a simple yacht with one mast and two triangular sails, main sail behind the mast, foresail in front. Spinnakers allowed. Two foresails and you have a cutter, formerly usually gaff rigged. But reference 5 makes it all sound much more complicated. Two masts and you have a ketch, a yawl or a schooner, depending.
PS 3: a little later the FT offers me a windmill blade barge. But I think mine had the blades arranged head to toe. Plus it is in the wrong place. But maybe a dozen or more was overdoing it a bit.
References
Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/07/hms-marijuana.html.
Reference 2: https://www.rebelmarine.co.uk/guard-vessels.
Reference 3: https://www.commercialribcharter.co.uk/guard-boats/guard-boat-hire/.
Reference 4: https://safetyboatservices.co.uk/services/guard.
Reference 5: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermuda_sloop.
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