Hot evening in the Solent

I hadn't yet seen either MSC Opera or Silver Whisper although they have been visitors to Southampton this summer. My sister and her two kids had decided to come over to take advantage of the spell of nice hot weather and hit the beach, but this evening they were returning home so I took them to the Red Jet, although I went via Cowes seafront to photograph MSC Opera. I timed it perfectly and arrived just as she rounded Calshot.
Unfortunately the lovely hot weather plays havoc with any photos taken at a distance and the photos of MSC Opera, in particular, show quite a lot of heat shimmer.

Click for largest.

After dropping the relatives at the Red Jet terminal we (my aunt and myself) returned to Queens Road to wait for Silver Whisper. HMS Monmouth (a.k.a. the 'Black Duke'), a Type-23 frigate commissioned in 1993, sailed past heading west.

The usual ferries were busy, as the holiday season is now well underway.

My sister and nephews were aboard Red Jet 3 as it pulled away from Cowes heading back to Southampton

Silver Whisper is quite a cute little ship, but one it probably costs a small fortune to sail on. Her destination tonight is Bordeaux.