The wind had eased over night, and though it was still from the west it was only 22nm to Brighton. I always expected that the prevailing south westerlies would be a problem as I came along the south coast ft I went clockwise around, but its better then having them against you down the Irish Sea. The choices are to sit it out and hope for favourable winds or motor into it when it isn't so strong. Today was the latter.
Turning right out of Eastbourne you meet Beachy Head straight away.After yesterdays winds I wondered how rough it might be as there would be wind against tide conditions. Beachy head is another headland to treat with respect, but having gone a good way outside it, it was fine. There won't be many of you who will see Beachy head at 6.30 in the morning from the water, so this is what it looks like.
The dark clouds were a worry for a while, but they soon disappeared and the sun beat down. From the headland, the high cliffs continue to the small harbour of Newhaven and then they start again and run through to Brighton. I motored along close to the beaches in 4-5m of water, enjoying the flattish water there.
I knew that Brighton marina is one of the biggest in the country, but I didn't have a sense of it on arrival. The visitor's berths are near the entrance and the resident berths are further on in different compartments of the marina. They had been dredging and had removed most of the fingers on the pontoons, which made the place seem quite deserted from what I had been expecting to find in August.
There has been a lot of property development along with the marina. There are loads of the ubiquitous apartments with water frontage and some very bijou houses with their boats parked in front, within the inner lock area These people whove had the where with all to buy into the dream. There is also an ASDA, a casino a shopping centre and restaurants. In the sunshine people were walking up and down the promenade between the apartments and the pontoons.
Despite having all the facilities on tap, I find it hard to warm to places like this. I was keen to get into the town proper. The town centre is about 2 miles west of the marina, so out came the bike again.In Sam Steele's book the "Circumnavigator's Guide" she talks about using her bike 3 times. She either didn't go far from the boat, or spent a lot of time walking or using buses or taxis,
In town I did the usual touristy things like walking out on the pier and visiting the Lanes.
Inevitably I was drawn to the arty stuff. On the beach, there was quite a few permanent sculptures like this one of a lilo and flip flops.
I've now answered the question I posed a few blogs ago about how the amount of public art compares between Brighton and Scarborough-Brighton wins by a mile.There is also a lot more of other sorts. There are the galleries in the arches at the back of the beach and incidental stuff like the glitter balls hanging in this beach cafe.
In a redundant church, Fabrica hold art events. At the moment there is an installation by Stephane Cauchy called "Cascades", It seems to so often fall apart for me when I read the blurb. It seldom ever makes sense. What happens is that each of the buckets slowly fills with water and so rises and falls depending on its weight compared with the others it is connected to by a series of pulleys. At some point each bucket tips then lifts suddenly until it slowly refills.
It is an interesting if slow moving spectacle. So far so good. I even shared the information pamphlet's note that this is the installation provides... "a wonder and meditative calm amid the summer frenzy", especially considering how hot and busy it was in Brighton today but,what does This mean?
"In highlighting the symbolism, dynamic movement and material change in everyday occurrences, he produces a poetic parallel to common place expedience within which we might glimpse other magical or psychic forces at play"
In the Museum and Art gallery, as a potter, I found much more comprehensible the pottery collection left by the wealthy George Willets.
At the end of the 19th century he collected hundreds of pieces of pottery and grouped them and categorised it into 26 themes. The one that caught my eye was the "Conviviality and Teetotalism" theme.The first was entitled "Ale Bench (1830)" of a couple quarrelling after drinking.
The second, "Gin and Water" shows a figure with two sides. On the one is the fine, smart one drinking water, and on the other..
On a less moralising note, this flask was more in favour of drink
I didn't go in the Royal Pavilions. It was about £10, its was too nice outside and I didn't know what time Joe would reach Brighton. It's one hell of a building though.
Joe finally found me at tea time. He had just got back from travelling in France and Spain. He had been put up for a night on a £1M yacht in the south of France by a friend who as a summer job captains the boat for the owner who doesn't know what to do. Now my son, who has had no time for my sort of sailing, has suddenly become interested in upgrading his "competent crew" qualification into "Yacht Master"! He even talked about doing a leg with me.We had a great Indian meal in the Chilli Pickle. It had a menu unlike any I had come across.
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