It wouldn’t be a post by me if I didn’t slip some politics in it. Yeah, I’m never going to forgive that lot of braindead racists as long as I live.

Anyway, that proximity to the port was a factor in deciding to apply for tickets to the 2026 community open day being held at Portsmouth International Port this weekend just gone (June 13th for people from the future). To be fair, it was only a small factor, as we’d likely have gone anyway. We like being by the sea, we like pretty much anything to do with the sea (not everything; see later in this post for that), and we’ve kept this little bit of information under our hats for a long time but we really enjoy going on cruises so we’ve developed an interest in ships in general. It’s true. Don’t tell anyone. The tickets were free but limited in number, and the event did sell out, so if this is something that happens again and it seems like something you’d like to visit then do apply as soon as you can.

There was a lot of noise coming from the port area as we approached and this turned out to be because there was some kind of protest going on by under a dozen people. I’m sure that whatever they were protesting about was important to them but protests that are against organisations but which impact the general public are self-defeating in my eyes. Any sympathy for the cause is eclipsed by a general sense that for these sorts of protestors it’s more about being the centre of attention and getting off on emotional reactions from strangers as opposed to doing anything actually productive about whatever it is they do or don’t like. Kinky, yes, but also irritating.

We had our tickets checked, the camera bag glanced in, then proceeded upstairs in the terminal to have ID checked for visitor stickers, and were then ushered past a second security checkpoint while others were directed through it for more thorough bag-checking, presumably because we clearly had nothing large enough on us to worry about.

We proceeded down and out where there was more noise, but this time more welcome too, provided by the rhythmic drumming of Batala Portsmouth. We’ve seen them a few times before at Pride events and they had been due to perform the week before but Portsmouth Pride had to be cancelled due to the terrible weather on the day. No chance of that in the port as we had glorious sunshine.

Most of the people who’d already arrived for the open day in the port were either watching and listening to the drummers or queued up at a small stall set up by Ambassador Cruise Line. Ambassador had erected a spin-to-win wheel with prizes of branded tote bags, sunglasses, and hats on offer, and this proved very popular. We’d end up seeing a sizeable percentage of people happily carrying their purple bags around during the day. We decided to skip the queue to start with and see what else was going on.

We very briefly had a look around a Wightlink catamaran ferry, although there wasn’t a whole lot to see, and we’ve been on these vessels – or similar ones – plenty of times. There was a chance to nose around the bridge on it but it was packed with a few families so we popped our heads in, shot a few photos from the upper deck, and left.

Far more interesting was the bunkering vessel, Whitstar. Anyone can get on a ferry, but who gets to explore a bunkering ship? It was fascinating to actually wander around the gangway between the labyrinth of pipes used to transport fuel and fill ships up when they’re in port. We’ve been on enough cruises to see this happen – open decks are closed off during the operation but balconies provide a great view of the activity – and seeing where it all occurs from a different angle was something we’d not expected.

On our way towards the aft of the bunkering vessel we were treated to a water salute by a tug boat. It wasn’t just using its fire-fighting water cannons to show off as it was also performing doughnuts in the harbour. Different. If you use Instagram and if you have the wherewithal to find the link to our Instagram page (it’ll be on this page somewhere unless you’re visiting in the After Times when I’ve deleted it in a fit of rage) then there’s video of the tug boat performing doughnuts and giving a water salute amongst our reels.

I believe the flags were out because it was the King’s official birthday.

We had a nose around the bridge of Whitstar and I kept a careful eye on my wife as she finds knobs and switches and buttons irresistible, and has a tendency to twist, flick, and press them if she thinks she can get away with it. She behaved herself.

We got off the bunkering vessel just in time for the harbour tour boat to return to dock. During the community open day, boat tours were running every 45 minutes, lasting about half an hour, costing £5 for adults but free for children. We’ve lived in Portsmouth all our lives and never done one of these things even though we have cruised through the harbour a few times and seen many of the sights of the naval dockyard and surrounding area before. There are details on some of the warships in these two previous posts covering a sail into Portsmouth Harbour on CMV Astoria and a sail out of Portsmouth on Scarlet Lady so I won’t repeat any of that information here.

Our Portsmouth Harbour boat tour coincided with the arrival of Brittany Ferries’ Mont St Michel arriving. She would chase us back to the port. We often take a look at the ferries as cheap breaks to France or Spain, and the base price is good, but the necessary extras mount up and we end up realising we could cruise for less and get so much more.

We were happy to see some work by local street artist legend, My Dog Sighs, decorating a cargo container, and happier that there weren’t people standing in front of it so I could actually take some photos. A lot of kids had been pushed up against the artwork by parents in search of a picture of their sprogs as we’d been heading towards the boarding area for the harbour tour.

There were trucks and other vehicles used in and around the port for logistics reasons all set up so that people could clamber aboard or ask questions about them. We left that sort of thing for the families.

Our last bit of exploration around the port was aboard Challenger 5, a yacht operated by the Tall Ships Youth Trust. The yacht was only officially named and launched by Princess Anne a week earlier. My wife stayed up top and chatted with some of the people up there who were tucking into ice creams to combat the warmth of the day, but I ventured inside for a nose around. We like ships and we like most things about the sea, as I’ve already mentioned, but yachts are not for us. A lot of hard work unless you’re a fan of just drifting coupled with cramped spaces and zero privacy doesn’t equate to our idea of fun. Each to their own, and all that.

On our way out of the port we saw that the queue for the Ambassador Cruise Line prize wheel was far shorter now so we lined up and gave it a spin each. We came away with two tote bags and had a little chat with the woman there, trying to see if there was any chance that Ambience would ever sail out of Portsmouth. No idea, sadly, and it’s a shame as she’s a lovely ship that we can’t wait to get back on. We’re going to have to wait until late 2028, though. However, we will be cruising out of our home port next year on Ambition.

We left the community open day at Portsmouth Port through the terminal, passing by and nosing at a number of indoor exhibits set up for the day: maritime careers; ocean clean-ups; that sort of thing.

Having gorgeous weather helped, of course, but it was fascinating regardless to get down to the port, out onto areas usually out of bounds, and explore aboard a number of different vessels. A lovely time was had by all.