We were always going to do the initial testing down at Calshot anyway as the ramp there is much bigger but now we have a parking space confirmed there, I decide to let LTSC know that we won’t be needing the space now – Pork Chop (the Spitfire) has been collected and is now having a new life in Scotland so there seems little point keeping it.
I drop an email to them saying as it all appears to be too difficult I will give the space back, and lo and behold I get a reply in about twenty minutes!
Considering the average response time has been a minimum of 2 weeks and generally a lot longer since December this is quite impressive.
I am told the space has already been re-allocated – all this within 20 minutes, while actually be of any use to me over the last 4 months has clearly been far too hard.
I’m glad I’ve done plenty of rescue dinghy duties for racing that I don’t participate in, along with helping at the summer regattas losing another valuable days sailing and helping get new members to join up by extolling the virtues of the club.
I have no idea why I expected anything less – actually thinking someone might be interested in helping me after I’ve helped them has always proven to be a forlorn hope.
Calshot Activity Centre is about 40 minutes away from home instead of 20 minutes, but we will be launching straight out into the Solent without having to navigate up and down the Lymington river. No more trying to avoid the ferry – especially painful in light winds – and no reversing out from the ramp into the river like we were having to do with Pork Chop.
Anyway, I think all round that this will work out rather well for us!
Calshot Activity Centre opened in 1964 running its first watersports courses in May of that year. it now has all sorts of sports catered for including all sorts of watersports, an indoor velodrome, the largest indoor climbing wall in the south of the country and indoor ski slope.
The Castle (as seen above on the left) was commissioned in 1539 by King Henry VIII who ordered it built at the end of Calshot Spit to defend the port of Southampton. Its strategic importance continues to now and there is still a military presence in Calshot, though the castle is no longer manned!
Calshot is also notable for it role in the development of aircraft and flying boats particularly. The Royal Flying Corps established Calshot Naval Air Station at the end of the spit and this was also at one point in time the home to Lawrence of Arabia!
The Calshot Lifeboat Station was established in 1970 – nice to know they are close by although hopefully we will never have to avail ourselves of their amazing volunteer services!
This is almost directly opposite Cowes on the Isle of Wight with the entrance to the river Hamble across the other side of the main river here.
The lagoon behind the spit dries out very significantly at low water but is used by various boats for overnight mooring as it is a little bit more sheltered.
Looking forward to getting Skippy out on water soon!
