coast | alan frost photography

Sailing in the Solent

Sailing in the Solent

Because I live near the south coast, I have lost count of the number of people who over the years have asked – “Do you sail?” To which I reply – “No, I don’t”. I prefer to look at the sea and not be either in it or floating in a boat on it. Having said that, if a sailing friend offers a trip on the water then subject to the weather being reasonably calm, I will more than likely take up the invitation.

My wife and I accompanied some friends last year and we sailed from Chichester Harbour across the Solent towards Bembridge on the Isle of Wight. We anchored in the bay just off Bembridge to enjoy a very pleasant lunch before setting sail for the return journey. I know I like it to be calm when on the water but on this occasion there was hardly a breath of wind and what liitle wind there was to be had, was apparently blowing in the wrong direction. So the engine was fired up and eventually we arrived back in the sheltered waters of Chichester Harbour. The calming influence of sailing was rather spoilt by the constant thrum coming from the outboard motor not to mention the smell from the fumes of the diesel engine. Nevertheless it was a very pleasant way to spend the day and we kept dry, which is always a blessing.

It was late September and the light was beginning to fade. There were clouds gathering but the late afternoon sun danced on the water as I looked back towards the Isle of Wight and took this shot. A reminder of a very good day out and I can understand why sailing appeals to so many people, but I think I will stick with my hobby – photography.

Blakeney to Morston…..along The Peddars Way or Norfolk Coast Path

Blakeney Harbour

For a variety of reasons we didn’t go on holiday this year until the middle of October, so when we finally got around to deciding where to go, we thought we would visit a part of the UK which was not known to us. We chose the North Norfolk Coast and stayed in a pretty village of Weybourne which we were reliably told by the locals was pronounced ‘Weben’. A short drive from here is the small harbour town of Blakeney and one of our favourite walks started by the jetty and followed the Peddars Way footpath to Morston.

For this entry I have chosen to include a selection of images taken over a number of days, which hopefully capture something of the essence of this rather beautiful part of the UK coastline.

‘Broadchurch’ – 100 steps + 180 degrees = 2 very different images

‘Broadchurch’ cliffs
In truth the spectacular Jurassic coastline at West Bay in Dorset.

The fishing village of West Bay to the south of Bridport in Dorset was the ‘film set’ for one of the best television crime dramas for many years. With Olivia Colman and David Tennant in the leading roles, the series was called ‘Broadchurch’ after the fictional town in the story. In the opening episode the body of a young boy was found on a beach at the foot of some spectacular cliffs.

The fisherman’s hut

Fisherman’s trailer hut

This hut on a trailer is not the most attractive, in fact from a purely aesthetic point of view some might describe it as plain ugly or just a shed on wheels. However from a photographic perspective I was drawn to the subject. I asked myself what it might be used for and did it ever move from its isolated position on the shingle beach at Weybourne on the North Norfolk coast.

When I took the shot It was a beautiful autumn day, with clear blue skies almost devoid of any interest but for the small cluster of clouds immediately above the hut and a couple of gulls as they flew above the shoreline. For me both the clouds and the gulls make the image. Without them the hut on its own would not be so interesting.

Thanks to everyone who has started following my blog recently.