12th Sept: Satvir Kaur Conversation

I over-booked myself on Saturday 12th.  Early in the year I’d booked on the Shieldhall Cruise where she would steam alongside the paddle steamer Waverley.  Then when I got a circular from our local MP Satvir Kaur inviting me to a coffee morning, “The Big Southampton Test Community Conversation”, and I thought I’d go along. I had been impressed with her when she was in charge at Southampton Council and I was interested to see how she was getting on as an MP.

Then I got a phone call about a cross Solent Swim asking if the Stone Point station could be opened early.  The swim was planned to start at around 9am from Gurnard S.C. to Lepe.  It seemed an odd time to do it being on a flooding spring tide but since it was being organised by Stanswood Beach Rescue  I assumed they must know what they were doing.  The tide would not turn until around 11 to 1130am so they would have to be in the water past thhat time to return westward having been swept to the east.  I was therefore very surprised when I learnt they planned to actually finish between 11 to 1130.

I decided I’d have to miss the Shieldhall trip since that would allow me to have the station open, if not registered with the coastguard, at about 08am (I actually got there at 0730).  Peter B. who was on the morning shift arrived at 0900 so we signed on with the Coastguard who were unaware of the swim, although they had, we were told, been informed.

I went to the Coffee morning and later got a text that the swim had been abandoned after 50 minutes “just off Cowes Roads”, which was where one might have expected them to be by that time.  To be fair the wind had strengthened quickly that morning and was now force 6 gusting 7.

I was impressed with the Coffee morning and managed to get a word in with Satvir afterwards about the potential for climate change on the time scale of mortgages to result in blight on house prices and deterioration of the St Denys area. Photos here are from her Facebook Page.

To my pleasant surprise I was sent an email voucher for going on a Shieldhall trip next year, I had assumed that I would have forfeited the money.