Portsmouth (Part 1 of 2)

 We docked in Portsmouth at a spot that couldn't have had a more different vibe than Bristol. Both are historic cities, but instead of cobbled streets, in Portsmouth we were docked in an outlet mall! The city is one of the biggest naval centers in England, but we were in an isolated commercial bubble rather removed from the history. Oh well, we're nothing if not adaptable. There was a Musto (British sailing clothing maker) outlet there; several of our crew got themselves new foul weather gear in this port. We also went shopping on one of our days off. Already had good quality foul weather gear, but lost ourselves in a cooking store. Found some excellent quality baking pans in a "miniature" size that was perfect for our boat's oven, and not available in the US. However, one of the things that made them excellent was their thick construction. I questioned the cleverness of my purchase as I realized I would have to carry that extra weight through Europe until we got home! 

We’re docked beside this massive observation tower. It’s not often we are located next to something that makes us look small! Our main mast is 33 meters above the water surface to the top of the flagpole; the tower is 100 meters. From certain angles the swooping curl of the tower is reminiscent of a sail. 

The tower is dramatically illuminated at night.

Old meets new. The Fastnet race ended just a couple of days before we docked, and the winner, a high-tech vessel named Black Jack, was docked just off our stern. Our captain, who is a sail racing enthusiast, was delighted.

The management of the tower offered our crew free visits, which we happily took. The view from the top was expansive! Actually kind of cool that it was a stormy day the day we visited, we could see the rain a long way off. 

The tower includes a glass floor, and as it turned out we’re docked so close that the only way to see the ship is through that floor. 

  

Took me a minute before I was willing to let go of the handrail and walk out to the center of the glass. What the brain knows via science can’t always convince the hindbrain’s instincts!

Nearby is the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, and the modern naval base. Lots of different kinds of ships, of different eras, represented here; follow the link above to learn more about them. The dark-hulled sailing vessel is the HMS Warrior, and undergoing preservation just off to the right (on land, and out of the photo) is the historic Lord Nelson's HMS Victory. Fun fact: the area was heavily bombed during WWII. Hitler gave explicit orders not to damage this vessel, however. He expected to win the war and in his arrogance ordered the Victory spared so he could accept England's surrender on its historic decks. We all know how that turned out!