Flying visit to see Fram

The small Hurtigruten cruise ship Fram was visiting Portsmouth today for the one and only time, at least in 2013, and scheduled to sail at 1600. I wasn't sure whether she'd be leaving the Solent via the Nab or the Needles and the various Solent shipping movement websites, such as QHM, weren't helpful in that regard - if I could have found out and it was the Needles, I'd have gone to Yarmouth, thereby saving myself the cost of parking and the ferry fare - so I decided to err on the side of caution, especially as the weather continues to be nice, and go to Portsmouth.

Brittany Ferries' Normandie left at 1445

Fram left on time at 1600

And meets Commodore Goodwill in the slightly murky distance

Commodore Goodwill entered the Swashway Channel as I walked back to the hovercraft.

I made the right decision, Fram went via the Nab.

I needn't have hurried too much for the 1645 hovercraft back to Ryde, the bloody thing - the offender was Island Express - had broken down so I had to wait for the 1700. No big deal and only slightly irritating, it wasn't as if there was an hour between departures.

On my way home, while driving along the downs, I could see Independence of the Seas in the distance, on her way from Southampton to Le Havre.