SERENE SEA SCENE

The waters where I got aboard the Pearl 62 are off Hampshire, England. Nosing out from Berthon Marina, you can bear left or head due south. The former course takes you into the Solent, a stretch of protected water between the mainland and the Isle of Wight. South takes you past Hurst Point Lighthouse and Hurst Castle. From there, a marked channel tracks for several miles down the island’s western shore to the Needles, which is where we cruised.