Going Home

4^th June 2009

(Gibraltar)

We haven't really done too much since we arrived here, just pottered really. Fliss has finished her underwear shopping and has made a few forays as far as Morrisons. We went to the chandlers and looked for engine mounts and turning blocks for the headsail sheets (ours are well past their prime) and were met with no success. I did however splash out on grease for the stern-bearing (to go in the greasing 'gun') and a new stern light since, when I bought Naz, the survey indicated that I needed a new one. It has taken me 7 years to get around to it!

These items now fitted, I have washed, polished and cleaned Naz who deserves it for taking us around the world and I am now half way through re-fixing the puncture in the dinghy floor - my original attempt being unsuccessful.

Yesterday, we were invited for a cuppa by a couple of chaps on a boat a few places further down the pontoon. They are out for the week and have not managed to get sailing due to strong winds in the Gibraltar Straits. We went aboard their rather fancy Jeanneau (or however you spell it) and the owner showed off all his whizzy kit including his AIS that Fliss is keen for us to have. Only after some slightly criminal activity of supplying him with unlicensed software did I learned that he was a judge and his friend was a solicitor. However, he was thrilled with the goods and we celebrated with a few too many drinks followed by a barbeque on the pontoon with a number of others moored here.

The likely Lads

Today is another lazy day and the weather forecast is telling us to stay put for a good while yet. It may be possible to do some overnighters once the wind eases a bit but there appears to be no let-up in the WNW airflow over the whole region. Night sailing will reduce the effect against us and it looks as though we will be burning a lot of fuel to get as far as Cabo de Sao Vincente and probably further. The fuel here will be a little more expensive than Tunisia but otherwise is said to be the cheapest in the Med.

We learned that the ship that is pressed hard against the cliffs at Europa point came to grief in October when they had hurricane force winds here. It had engine trouble at the time but fortunately no one was killed.

We will be here for a while and might therefore eventually summon up the energy to go for a walk around the rock. There-again, we might just sit and idle our time away. I could always sit on deck and slowly sand back the grab rails prior to another few coats of varnish.

6^th June 2009

We have had another lazy day reading and wandering around the town. Tomorrow, we will re-provision and get ready to move. We need to get out of the marina just to even pretend that we might go! It has been too good being landbound for a while with all the necessary and luxury items easy to hand.

The dinghy floor seems to have stopped leaking and so the repair, although not pretty, seems to have worked. I will leave it inflated until we leave and see if it slowly deflates. With it inflated outside of the dinghy, I have worked out that it could have many other uses...A blow-up bed, Li-Lo and surfboard.

This is the last stop for cheap fuel and alcohol. When we leave the marina, we will top up with diesel and tonight at 6pm we go to the booze shop and hopefully have our order fulfilled and delivered. The really cheap stuff comes in plastic bottles which is just what we want onboard.

8^th June 2009

We paid up at the marina and then moved to the fuelling dock where we re-filled with fuel (284 litres for 196 GBP). The fuel is now leaking profusely into the bilges from the port tank (air breather pipe, inspection hatch and taps) . Something that has needed fixing for a year now but we need to stop, get to chandlers strip Naz down before we can effect a fix - therefore impossible whilst always on the move. We shall run on the port tank until it stops and then mix the bilges with soap and pump more pollution overboard.

After re-fuelling, we moved to the anchorage and had a chill-out afternoon. The plans are to move the 12 miles to Tarifa tomorrow and then push onwards to Faro on Wednesday when we might get some favourable winds. We would try the run to Faro tomorrow but the tidal streams will not allow us past Cape Trafalgar before they turn against us and, being Springs, we would have to battle against 4 knots at worst. So, Leave tomorrow at 8am and then Wednesday at 8:30am to be in Faro sometime Thursday. The weather down the Atlantic coast looks pretty nasty until Sunday and so there is no rush to get to Cabo Sao Vincente.

We are back onto our old Imray charts and have already rubbed-out pencil marks from three years ago. We are now re-tracing old steps but in the difficult direction. It is funny that I cannot remember winds from directly astern when we came down here but the weather at the moment is certainly bang on the nose at the moment!?!?

10^th June 2009

We managed to sail yesterday for about 15 minutes until the wind died and then headed us as we entered the Straits. The wind was so flukey that it tacked the boat automatically every 15 minutes or so and we therefore kept the engine on for the whole run. We started off with about a knot of tide with us but soon lost it to about 2.5 knots against us. The advice that we had been given was to hug the Spanish coast and to sniff out the Westbound current by moving towards or away from the shore - apparently a couple of hundred yards may be all that is needed. We moved quite close to shore and spotted the shear-line between the currents and soon had 1-2 knots in our favour that we kept all the way to Tarifa. We anchored on the Eastern side in calms and had a look around the town which is quite pleasant if you find yourself into the older backstreets. Whilst there, a whale watching tout caught us and told us that the weather will be good today (and also calm) but poor on Thursday when the Levanter blows through. The Levanter is the Easterly that we wanted and so we have stayed today. We had another wander around the town this morning looking at all the windsurfing and kitesurfing shops (Tarifa has a reputation for strong winds) and then returned to Naz as the wind had already turned Easterly and was picking up. We motored around the Southernmost tip of Europe and dropped the hook around the other side of Tarifa where we are no longer on a lee shore.

Playing with the Locals - Tarifa

Tarifa

11^th June 2009

We awoke at 7:30 with the wind blowing hard outside. We were glad that we had moved around Cape Tarifa yesterday.

With just the reefed headsail set, we set off at 6-7 knots with a load of current against us creating wind over tide conditions that were a bit messy. The forecast from Tarifa gave F7 at Tarifa but significantly less elsewhere and we slowly lost the wind and passed Cape Trafalgar with light airs dead downwind at 4.5 - 5.5 knots under full sail.

12^th June 2009

We lost the wind somewhere just past Cape Trafalgar yesterday afternoon and had to motor all night. I thought that we would start getting headwinds since we had wave action against us but they failed to materialise and the sunrise brought light breezes that we managed to sail for a couple of hours today before it died again. We arrived at the anchorage at about 10:30 after surging against the rapids and overfalls at the entrance to the Faro lagoon at half-ebb tide.

We are having Bolognese tonight made with bacon since it is the only meat that we have on board and has managed to survive the warm fridge conditions. Tomorrow, we will head to Olhao in the dinghy to get some more provisions and have a look around. Now, it's time for a chill-out and early night since we have the usual problem of single-overnighter fatigue.

13^th June 2009

The forecast has changed its mind and it might be possible to start heading North on Tuesday. So we upped the hook this morning and started heading Westwards in preparation. We are heading towards Portimao at the moment (8 degrees 32' West) where we will try to find a sheltered spot to anchor and will then head West again to give us good proximity to C de S Vincente. No wind to speak of and so we have been motoring again although there is a swell from the SE that could make anchoring a pain.

Somewhere along the route, we will need to re-provision and that will probably be at Baleeira (8 degrees 55' west) since the shops will close for Sunday tomorrow.

14^th June 2009

We anchored inside the moles that form the entrance to Portimao yesterday and the surroundings are quite pleasant except for the Grand Prix Jet Ski championships going on here all day long. We went into town to get some shopping in and that is all we have done. The skies are cloudy and it is hot and sultry.

The weather keeps changing its mind about next week but we may have the opportunity to run North around about Wednesday so we shall head West tomorrow in preparation.

15^th June 2009

After a struggle with some ropes caught around our chain, we got the anchor up and started to leave only to find someone on a nearby boat jumping up and down and waving furiously. We motored over to see what the fuss was all about. It was John Owen from the Emsworth Cruising Association (to which we belong). We chatted for a while whilst holding station and then sailed off towards Baleeira. After not very long, we decided that we really should go back and invite this him for dinner and so we returned and dropped the hook again.

It was a very slim chance that we met up since he has only just returned from England after having to attend a funeral there. What a small world it is.

16^th June 2009

37 degrees 01' North, 8 degrees 55' West

We motored with a very light Southerly past Lagos and then the wind did a complete flip and started blowing from the North North West. A reef was quickly put in the main and then we started putting a few rolls in the headsail. With the wind hard from this direction we instantly decided that it would be unwise to poke our heads around Cabo De Sao Vincente and made for Baleeira. Eventually, we decided to do away with the headsail altogether as we were screaming along at over 8 knots and could not be bothered to put the second reef in the main with just a short distance to go.

So, we have dropped the hook in the same spot that we did on the 29th July 2006 and it is blowing just as hard now as it was then. The good thing about this anchorage as opposed to the one round the next headland is that you can feel the full force of the wind here and therefore can tell when it eases up. If it does ease overnight then we will get going again and head for Sines.

17^th June 2009

We found the wind abating at Baleeira and set off again only to be caught in more strong winds just around the corner. The wind was a straight Northerly and we thought that heading into it and the Ocean swell would be very uncomfortable so we dropped the hook again just inside Cabo De Sao Vincente with the view of leaving at midnight if things abated. At midnight, the wind was still howling in the rigging and so we went back to bed again.

At 04:30, we were awoken by the Portugese Navy - 4 men in a RIB from their mother ship. We had forgotten to put out our anchor light (oops!) and they wanted to know who we were and why we did not have a light on. They were pleasant but checked all our paperwork etc etc. They also checked the date on our flares and found them out of date as of Dec last year (oops again!) and then checked my ICC certificate that was also out of date (oops, oops!). I did not realise that the ICC ran out.

The winds had abated and turned Easterly and so we decided to lift the hook and set off. We had a good sail around CDSV at 7+ knots and then it all petered out again so we put the engine on again. It was still playing up and having serious problems with higher revs. After a while of fretting and fiddling with the throttle, I decided to turn it of and wallow whilst I changed the filters. They were changed back in Simi and the sight glass was clean as a whistle and the filter does not look clogged but the change seems to have done the trick. Now I just need to find somewhere that sells filters for the D2-55 since I have no more secondary filters left.

We have 37 miles to go to Sines and the time is 11:00, we are hoping for some wind that we can use to get us there.

18^th June 2009

we anchored next to a German sailing boat last night and he gave us a wave and seemed to be wanting to tell us something. Since neither of us had our dinghies launched, I called him on the VHF and found out that, just outside the harbour, his engine had failed and he had to have a tow into the small inner harbour where we are anchored. It turned out that his filters were blocked and the local police had told him that another yacht has had the same problem only a couple of days ago. He had filled up in Almeira just up the Med side of the Spanish coastline. I told him that we had the same problem and that we were going to get more filters today on the assumption that we would need one set for every 30 hours running until we replaced our fuel.

This morning we all took a taxi to the local engineering outlet and I got 5 primary and 5 secondary filters and the Germans were less lucky with filters for their Nanni diesel but did get secondary filters.

20^th June 2009

Yesterday Evening, we picked the hook up and headed off in light airs Northwards. The Germans (Klaus & Brigetta on 'Santa Maria II') had left half an hour before us and radioed to say the seas were calm. We thought about going all the way to Peniche but decided to call it a day at Cascais and arrived there at 5am and went back to bed. Santa Maria II only motors at 3 knots and so we had passed them relatively quickly but we were surprised when they arrired at Cascais 5 hours behind us. It turned out that they had opted for Peniche but found 20 knot headwinds, rough seas and fog past Cabo Resa and Cabo Roca and had decided to turn back.

We went into town - which is very nice and chic, bought some supplies and then invited Klaus & Brigetta over for drinks and snacks before getting to bed early.

This morning, we set off at 7am in flat calm seas and followed 3 other yachts that were headed North. As we approached Cabo Raso, we watched as one yacht with sails up heeled over hard and the other started hobby-horsing in the swell. A bank of fog ran all the way down the coastline and the white water was quite visible - it was still blowing hard from the North. We did not particularly want to bash hard to windward for the next 40 miles to Peniche and so did a prompt about-turn and headed back to the anchorage. On the way in, we met Santa Maria II and they also turned around. The forecast for tomorrow is for lighter winds in a more useful direction and we shall have another go then. Of course, the strong winds and fog could just be a local phenomenon but we did not want to test out that theory! Maybe tomorrow?

So we are having a rest day today and then tomorrow, hopefully, we will get as far as Bayona or even beyond. What we don't want is a NEasterly breeze since we will be headed East of North!

22^nd June 2009

05:30. 40 degrees 47' North, 9 degrees 20' West

Yesterday, we have had very little in the way of wind since leaving Cascais and the bit we have had has not been of much use. Fliss managed to squeeze some power out of the sails whilst I was off watch but the sails would not play properly for me later on. Sunday was very foggy and I spent the whole day staring at the radar. The sea was flat apart from a gentle swell and I kept staring at weak images on the screen and trying to see them in real life by peering through the mist. I eventually worked out that most of the images were fishing pots that gave an echo almost as strong as the small plastic day-fisherboats that tie up to buoys whilst the men drink beer and play with their rods.

However, the mist eventually cleared as we passed Berlenga Island and we had a good view of that beautiful island that we visited 3 years ago. We were sorely tempted to stop but we really must get the miles under our belts whilst the conditions are not trying to push us the wrong way. Ho Hum!

At 01:10, I was playing with the laptop when there was a thunk followed by a barely discernable change in engine noise. I moved around listening to the engine and could not work out whether I was just hearing things. I then noticed that our speed had dropped over half a knot but the engine was still revving at the same speed. I checked the Aries rudder with a torch but nothing had snagged on it. We were still going too slowly so I put the engine in neutral, waited until we stopped and peered over the side - surely enough, there was a bundle of orange rope hanging off the prop. Putting in reverse did not clear it and so I had to wake Fliss who held the torch and assited whilst I climbed down the rudder with a bread knife tied to a stick to cut it free. I am glad that the water is not too cold in these parts and that there was no wind and no sea running.

At 04:30, a bit of breeze picked up on the beam and we managed to turn the engine off. It increased a few knots and had us yomping along at over 7 knots for some time but is slowly dying now even though we are still maintaining 6.5 knots. Let's hope it continues as it is for the rest of the day.

41 degrees 33 North, 9 degrees 13 West @ 14:30

We made good progress last night and have sailed well until now. The wind is dying a bit but we are still getting along. The forecast for Finisterre is 'Rough to Very Rough', seas 2.5 to 3m coming from the East and, although the wind is set to die off by tonight, we don't want to poke our noses around the cape to meet the mess coming at us. So, we are now headed for Bayona and hope to be there before dark although the entrance is lit and we remember the layout from being there last time so I don't suppose it matters if we arrive in the dark. Hopefully we will be able to sail all the way and find a suitable spot to drop the hook just past the marina.

If the forecast bodes well tomorrow than we will set off mid morning and head straight for La Coruna on an overnight passage that gets us around the cape in daylight.

23^rd June 2009

We arrived in Bayona at about 9:30pm with grey overcast skies and dropped the hook outside the marina. We decided not to move on today as I have had a bit of a cold and was a little tired as a result. Since we have stopped here and can re provision here, we have decided not to go to La Coruna but to go to Camarinas and wait there for a suitable time to cross the Biscay.

We went into town and did some shopping and then I did 2 runs with jerry cans for refuelling and that has been the sum total of the day except for another dinghy repair. We found that the dinghy was soft and then heard a hissing coming from the rear of one of the tubes. The engine to the dinghy was scratched-up in Cascais as the tide rose and jammed it under the concrete pier but we thought the dinghy was ok. Not so. There is a small scatch but enough to leak air so I have added another patch - we need to get somewhere to buy more glue - Falmouth here we come!

Off tomorrow to Camarinas (70 miles) and then wait and hopefully get on with some boat jobs.

24^th June 2009

We left Bayona at 5am and have had very little wind but what there was has been from the South. Even so, we have had to keep the engine on to make good progress so that we cover the 70 miles to Camarinas. So far, an uneventful journey and we hope to get in by 6 or 7pm. We now have tide with us giving 0.8 of a knot which is certainly helping and a very welcome rarity.

The weather pattern over the next 3 days is very good for crossing the Biscay but we are not mentally prepared for the run and want a few days relaxation instead. So, we shall stop at Camarinas and hope that the sun breaks out (it has been grey and cool the last couple of days). Looking forwards, Sunday might be a good day to leave but we shall see how the patterns emerge over the next few days.

No wind at sunset

25^th June 2009

The final leg into Camarinas was perfect as the wind increased enough and we also bore away from dead downwind enough to get the engine off and have a pleasant sail with up to a knot of current in our favour. It is windy cold and grey this morning and we are anchored just North of the harbour. Last time we were here, boats anchored inside the harbour but there are a number of pontoons now available for yachts and the only anchored boats are where we have now dropped the hook. I assume that anchoring in the harbour is now discouraged but we shall take the dinghy in and find out.

The weather is looking fine for a Saturday departure but we shall keep our eyes on it tomorrow since there is a nasty low pressure just West of the Azores. The view is that it will curve North and not affect us but we shall see.

26^th June 2009

Looks like a F6 or 7 tomorrow and, although it is in a good direction, we have decided that the low pressure system driving it (990mb) is a bit too close for comfort and will wait an extra day before departing so we can see where it is really headed. So, currently it looks as if we shall attempt the Biscay on Sunday.

We have done a few minor boat jobs this morning, went into town again this afternoon and also sneaked into the marina showers when no-one was looking and are feeling beautifully clean and fresh. We cannot remember the last time we had a shower.

We are glad to hear that warm weather is now with you. We were getting worried that you might not be able to sort out the damp and cold before we arrived back but we are feeling as though you are now making a real effort - thanks for that!

There was a new looking steel boat in the marina and the captain and crew were all gathered around the front looking at a big scrape up the bow. They had come into the marina, put it hard in reverse and shot forwards quickly into the pontoon. It was failure of the gear cable like you have had once.

We are trying to get Naz all clean and tidy before our arrival back. Unfortunately the water here is green and murky and Naz has a green and slimy skirt growing that is difficult to get off without erasing the antifouling. Never mind, she should look presentable for aour homecoming.

27^th June 2009

43 degrees 06' North, 9 degrees 12.7' West

we decided to move across to the South end of the bay opposite Mugia since the forecast is for strong winds tonight from the South. With luck, they will ease by the time we plan to leave tomorrow morning and we shall not leave until we get the latest forecast tomorrow to ensure that the F9 severe gales blowing in all areas around us are heading North and away.....

WARNING NR 331 , FRIDAY 26 JUNE 2009 AT 2045 UTC

GENERAL SYNOPSIS, FRIDAY 26 AT 12 UTC

LOW 1003 38N23W EXPECTED 992 46N17W BY 27/12UTC THEN 985 50N20W BY

28/00UTC.

FARADAY

FROM 27/18UTC TO 28/12UTC

FAR NORTHEAST, WEST OR NORTHWEST 8 OR 9. SEVERE GUSTS.

ROMEO

FROM 27/06UTC TO 28/06UTC AT LEAST

CYCLONIC 8 OR 9. SEVERE GUSTS.

CHARCOT

IMMINENT TO 27/18UTC

IN EAST, SOUTH OR SOUTHEAST 8. SEVERE GUSTS.

PAZENN

FROM 27/15UTC TO 28/06UTC

IN WEST, SOUTHEAST 8. GUSTS.

Not exactly an Azores high going on out there. However, the winds are set to be no more than F4/5 in our direction and we shall again check tomorrow to see how things are shaping up.

From the sea, Mugia looks like it was designed in the 1960s with old-style mid-rise apartments - not very pretty. However, once you walk into the centre it is very pleasant with old granite stone buildings and a nice atmosphere. The local church on the headland is very pretty and there was a wedding taking place. We stood and watched the bride arrive with her long flowing dress and veil billowing in the wind.

We went wild and crazy and had a beer at one of the seafront cafes to say 'Goodbye' to the continent and are now back on Naz with Fliss preparing a pizza for later. A British boat is anchored inside the harbour and they have invited us for sundowners at 6pm so we shall go for an hour and then get to bed early ready for our next passage. The harbour has quite a few mooring bouys inside and we did not want to drop our hook in there amongst the inevitable anchor-fouling concrete blocks that will be scattered on the bottom.

28^th June 2009

43 degrees 18' North, 9 degrees 09' West, 12:00 BST

we had a nice drink with Colin and Annie on their Warrior 40 and managed to leave after an hour so that we could get some shut-eye. Not so! The wind picked up as the predicted front went through and it gusted fiercly off the land making Naz dance backwards and forwards with the end of the harbour wall only 500m behind us. Fliss went to bed but I stayed up on anchor watch as the rain fell in curtains (very nice as it will have cleaned the Red Sea muck off the rigging).

The wind veered at 4am and I went to bed having only snatched snoozes for the previous 6 hours.

This morning, all was calm and the sun was shining. We picked up the forecast again and decided to leave for England - 460 miles to Falmouth. We are now goosewinged with just enough wind to keep the sails set and with the engine on. The forecast is for calm weather today and tonight with 15-20 knots tomorrow and the day after Southerly or South Easterly. Let's hope the forecast is correct since it is still kicking up a stink to the West. Colin had the 500mb weather charts and he said that the reason these lows are not running up the English channel is due to a static high (at high level) that has killed the jetstreams that drive these systems. He suggested that this phenomenon will remain for the forseeable future and we hope it does.

Colin and Annie left England in April and are heading for the Med. They have no plans except that they will sail to wherever for the next 11 years by which time they will have reached the age of 70. Now that's the way to do it!

29^th June 2009

45 degrees 30' North, 7 degrees 55' West

We had some motoring yesterday followed by a bit of gentle sailing and then back to motoring as the wind eased off last night. This morning, the breeze slowly filled in and we turned the engine off just before dawn. I went to bed at 7am and when I awoke, we were storming along at over 7 knots on a broad reach with full sail. It has continued in this way so far and is due to remain like this until tomorrow morning when we expect to lose the wind again. So we are eating up the miles whilst we can and now have only 297 miles to go to our waypoint at the Manacles.

30^th June 2009

47 degrees 02' North, 6 degrees 59' West 03:30 BST

A good days sailing but the breeze departed at about 9pm and we have been motorsailing since. It is a pitch black cloudy night with some rain which makes life a bit tedious especially as there is a bit of shipping to look out for. We are thinking of turning around and heading back to the warm and dry.

We were going to meet up with Ian and Kathy in Falmouth. Ian left the Azores singlehanded on Saturday and his wife Kathy is in Falmouth with a bad back - I think we mentioned them earlier. We don't think that Ian will get to Falmouth before we need to leave and so, unfortunately, we will probably miss him.

We saw, and almost ran-down a huge whale this evening. It was black, had a stubby head and old-ladies gill-like neck. It was acting very strangely on the surface and there appeared to be what looked like blood in the water. After we had passed, we watched it spouting again and again as though it was exerting itself at the surface. We looked in our identification book and decided that it may have been a Long-finned Pilot Whale. Fliss suggested that it may have been giving berth - we could not otherwise account for the strange behaviour since it has no predators.

We had instant noodles for dinner last night which is a far cry from the delicacies that you were tucking into. Both of us were hungry again by midnight and had mustard sandwiches with ham garnish. We are looking forward to getting to Falmouth and having Cornish pasties and chips.

1^st July 2009

As we approached Falmouth we were stopped by Her Majesty's Customs who gave Nadezhda a serious checkover. They must have been on Nadezhda for well over an hour looking for drugs & people. Naz has been swabbed for traces of Class A drugs and finally we were given a clean bill of health. They found our tobacco supplies which was ok as it wasn't duty free but they didn't comment of the 70 odd litres of booze stashed in the bilges.

Friendly people & it's good to know that they check long distance boats. The reason we were checked wasn't that they tracked us in but the amount of sailing paraphernalia on the back of Naz.

6^th July 2009

We have been utterly lazy over the last few days and have not moved from the anchorage in Falmouth. Having said that, the weather has been gusty, cold and rainy since we arrived and has not encouraged us at all. It is now blowing F8 and the showers, when they arrive, are heavy and merciless.

It is promised to be down to a F7 and reducing tomorrow and so we will probably go as far as Fowey.

Today, I have been updating my CV and logging my presence on the internet jobsites. I also called up some people from Fujitsu and found out who was the latest director of the Post Office Account. It turns out to be an ex-boss of mine and so I called and re-introduced myself. Alan D'Alvarez knows me and said he would call back in the next few days - if there was anything suitable he would recommend me. Let's hope.

We are hoping that Ian on Ariel finds his way in today. It is about time that he got here from the Azores since the wind has been behind him for most of the way. Still, if he does arrive today, I would imagine that all he will want to do is sleep.

Yesterday, we managed to find about 2 hours to go for a walk around Pendennis Head. The rain held off apart from some light spitting and we got back to Naz just before the heavens opened.

9^th July 2009

The day before yesterday, Ian arrived back in Falmouth after having a bit of a wild time in the Biscay with waves breaking into the back of the boat. When he arrived, he had not slept for 48 hours and his eyes were glowing red. We spent the evening with him and Kathy and left early yesterday for a good sail to Salcombe to meet Bobs and her Friend who arrived an hour before us. They spent the evening on the boat and we all had pizza for dinner. They went back to their tent by taxi at about 11:30 (late for us!).

Today, we met up with the girls again and had a nosy around Salcombe. We were just starting out for a walk and looked down at the river to see two boats alongside Naz and people running on deck. I ran down, got in the dinghy and powered over to find a gaggle of harbourmasters. Apparently we had been reported as dragging and the guys on board had just lifted our anchor. Someone doesn't know the difference between swinging and dragging since there was no wind, the tide was fairly slack and, with the hook up, we did not move from our position (40 metres of chain in 5 metres of water!!). I picked up a buoy and when we went back to the boat, we re-anchored and I put one upstream and one downstream so we hope that we will not be confusing people in future.

Saturday looks grim in terms of weather and so we shall leave here on Sunday, stop at Studland and then leave Studland at about 10:00 to go to back to our old mooring.

13^th July 2009

Welcome Home!

Mum & Dad met us at our old mooring and we tied up and celebrated with a bottle of champagne.

Entering the River Hamble

Can someone take our lines?

Flying our 'Brag Flags' of visted countries

14^th July 2009

A telephone call came from Fujitsu. The day after arriving home it seems that a budget has been approved for me to start work. The words “We want you to start as soon as possible” gave me the willies since even the concept of working seemed remote after 3 years on a boat. We needed somewhere to live, suits to buy, transport to arrange et etc.

Still it was very, very welcome news.