Wide brimmed hats and factor 30 were the order of the day as eleven of us mustered on the beach at Eastney for a 9.30am start.
With the mercury rising as fast as the Spring tide we set off into the low sun that heralded a glorious day.
The cooling breeze was appreciated as we paddled out of Langstone Harbour against the flow.
We whistled up Chichester Harbour with the flow, recording a maximum speed of 9mph!
We had made good time as we passed the Langstone Pub and continued on to the narrow creek at the top of Portsea Island where we stopped for lunch and waited for the tide to ebb enough for us to pass under the low railway bridge at Hilsea. Sheltered from the breeze we could feel the heat of the day and Steve tried to tempt us into a swim, Liz couldn't resist but the rest of us were happy soaking up the mid day sun.
An impromptu stop.... Pete isn't trying to pinch one of the flags, he just fancied a closer look, but still came away non the wiser.
In the background a modern day stealth Warship of the Royal Navy, it's angular lines designed to assist in its avoidance of radar and missile attack. In the foreground, two vessels with similarly angled lines designed to assist with the avoidance of tennis balls, something that Pete had demonstrated earlier as Steves 'smart ball' was no match for Petes counter measures.
The strong spring flow aided our exit of Portsmouth Harbour, whilst the entrance was calmer than usual it still managed to provide some interest, of the lumpier kind.
P.s Our thanks to the English football team and all involved for being so predictable and not making us feel that we should have missed this fantastic paddle for fear of missing some good footie.
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