So you already know we made it back to Chatham and completed our mission. When last I wrote from the boat – we were coming down the East Coast and motor sailing with the wind and current on our nose. Well – that persisted, and we motor sailed, not helped by our lack of confidence in the head sail, which meant we resisted using it. We passed as close as we could to the coast line, reducing the effect of the current and avoiding the shallows that are a feature of this coast. I had hoped to call into Lowestoft to see my family who live there, but time didn’t permit. However, as I sailed past the port about a mile or so out to sea, I called my big brother. At first he didn’t pick up (it was 6.00 in the morning), but he called back shortly afterwards and we chatted about what was going on. Strange to think I was just a mile away – but so inexcessable. 
Our entry into Harwich was uneventful, even with traffic entering Felixstowe – which shares the same estuary as Harwich. We had to avoid the shallows that lead up to the mouth of the rivers Orwell and Stour, and we did. An hour after passing the entry marker – we tied up on the fuel dock at Wolverstone Marina. We had decided it would be great to spend our last night on the boat at a nice destination, and have dinner somewhere suitable and special. Pin Mill is a small village on the Orwell and still has a couple of working Boat Yards as well as a lovely pub called the Butt and Oyster. It’s a short and lovely walk along the bankside country from Woolverstone. And so that’s where we had our last supper.

Before dinner we sat outside enjoying a perfectly decent pint of Adnam’s Ghost – and chatted. To be honest, I got a little pissed off. There was clearly an evident degree of negativity in the two newest crew members. They thought they had been oversold this leg and their experience wasn’t what they wanted. There is no denying that the marketing hype and the reality of what could be delivered were not necessarily aligned, but a cursory look at a map and a bit of common sense would tell you that the actual passages needed to get you down the East Coast from Lossiemouth in North Scotland to Chatham in Kent would be very long. We had stopped at all the places mentioned – but they had to endure a lot of sailing – or should I say “motor sailing”. They repeatedly  commented about not sailing as much as they would have hoped – well that’s life when the wind isn’t cooperative – you have to either wait or switch the engine on! Unusually for me – I just went quiet and left the group to the discussion, which developed into a broader conversation about the terrible course of modern life and the intrusion of technology, specifically cell phones and social media. Now, I have some sympathy with this point of view, but as presented that night, it sounded like even more negativity and like a gathering of the United Society of Luddites. I felt myself starting to fill with annoyance and eventually said the most bizarre thing: “There are more positive things in my life than negative. I have more happier things happen to me than sad. I enjoy way more of my life than not enjoy and I am way more thankful than regretful”. This was all true – but may be a little out of place in the conversation. Nevermind, I have a feeling that while this did strike the group as being an odd thing to have said, it was also perhaps a little poignant, because the tenor of the conversation changed and we started to talk about how much we had enjoyed parts of the last week. I carefully rejoined the conversation and the world seemed happier to me.

A little detail to share. As we walked to the pub that night, I chatted with one of the two guys who had joined us at Lossiemouth and he talked about his view on the necessity to wear a neck tie at all times and accompany it with a jacket – and by doing so, it shows that one is worthy of doing a particular job, or just generally being part of a respectable and responsible society. At first, I thought it was a tongue in cheek conversation, but it wasn’t. He is an active, very recently retired school teacher who until this last week had been teaching sixth form kids and imparting this message. This guy is an educated and very decent man. I had enjoyed his company for the last 6 days. I thought he was normal.

“What marks the difference between you and the man who turns up to clean the drains – is the way you dress. He dresses appropriately for the job he does and so should you for your job and position in life”. I quote this verbatim. I don’t fully understand it. With this sort of advice coming from a school teacher, I am at a complete loss as to why any kid would feel the world wasn’t in tune with their needs and wants. It’s commonsensical – surely. If we all go back to wearing a coat and tie, the world will be a more respectful place, youth employment will be cured (along with cancer) and we will see tolerance and respect abound. We’ll also be able to sail without wind. I can’t help myself – in the words of the great Count Arthur Strong himself – Idiot!

AT 10.00 the next morning, after further messing with the head sail, we slipped lines and headed down the Orwell and back into the North Sea headed to cross the Thames Estuary. We raised both the main and full head sail as we drifted down the Orwell and as soon as we said goodbye to Felixstowe and Harwich our sails filled and we had the sail of our lives, knocking off hour after hour at 8.0 knots plus. We sailed happily through the shallows off Clacton and into the Thames estuary. Eventually off Shoeburyness, we had to furl away the head sail and power up the liquid wind and head across the Thames approach and over to the Medway. The night turned a little chilly and as the sun went down we said hello to Sheerness and the start of our last few miles back to Tonic’s home. With a strong current against us, we cut each corner as close as possible, in order to make it back into the Marina at an acceptable time. 
And so we did, as you know, make it back at shortly after 9.00pm. The crew fully agreed that we’d had the best day’s sailing anyone could have asked for and so the sins of previous days may have been forgiven. We’d managed a wonderful day, behaving like real sailors and not a neck tie or coat were insight!

Almost 7 weeks earlier, we had crept out of the Marina and through the lock at 4.00 am in the morning headed for France and the start of our Journey. Now we were back and while this had been massively testing, we had endured and succeeded. No matter what, we had now done something that few do – we had taken a sailing Yacht around the entire coast of Great Britain (per the child like map I posted a few days ago).

And so now I have been back on land for several days and nights and acclimating back to life ashore. It’s going pretty well – but it is a little strange. I had no idea how tired I was – am!

There were days out there when I just wanted the thing to be over with – and now I have moments when I just wish I was back out there. I’ll get over those! Oh yes I will!

As I said in my previous posting, I will take a little while to reflect and share some thoughts about the entire adventure, so if you’re interested, stay tuned, but I can give you one little insight – I’m starting to think it might just turn out to have been life changing after-all! 

Pip pip for now,

N
Post Script: I got an e mail from Barclay tonight asking me to stay in touch and declaring how much he’d enjoyed his time with me, especially in Wick. So what did I do? I told him exactly what he needed to hear – I sent him a note thanking him and suggesting we should stay in touch. I know, I know – but what can a man do, especially one who’s life has just been changed!