Well the boat was lifted out of the water and took a couple of days to repair. We had to borrow the parts from another boat and somebody drove up with them all the way from Brixham. The boat was out of the water overnight so we had sleep on it when it was sitting on its keel, some 8 feet up in the air. See photos of boat being lifted.
Unfortunately the repair work meant we missed a couple of days sailing on the Rivers Orwell and Stour and a chance to practice our boat handling under sail and do some blind navigation (eg as though you were in fog). Nevertheless we were fortunate to get the boat fixed so quickly and not delay our return to London.
I was skipper taking the boat from Harwich to Queenborough on the River Medway where we picked up a buoy for the night. This navigation into the Thames Estuary approaches was fun, dodging in and out of the shoals and avoiding the large ships, using only compass and charts. Again the weather was perfect for sun bathing, but not sailing under sail - so we motored. When we arrived we opened a beer in celebration of having sailed around Great Britain (see photo below). Although we were not yet home in St Katherines Dock, we had so called "closed the circle" of sailing around Great Britain by sailing into the River Medway, where we moored at the start of our passage.
As I write we are motoring up the Thames, about 45 miles, to pick up a buoy by the lock gates to St Katherines Dock. The locks don't open until around 5:00pm, so we will have an hour or so to wait and enjoy the views, and no doubt reminisce about our trip.
A short while ago we passed underneath the QEII Bridge - the bridge was completely full of cars and lorries stationary in a long queue. This was a gentle reminder of London life - I have rarely been in a car, watched television, seen a queue, stayed more than a few days in one place, for three months.
Update 4:00pm
Well, as you can see from the above photo, we have arrived and are tied to the buoy by St Katherines Lock so all that remains is to motor into the lock, and I have been given the honour of taking the boat in this final few yards.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog, I have certainly enjoyed sailing around Great Britain - it has been everything I had hoped for, and more. I am very fortunate to be able to make such a trip, coastal Great Britain and Ireland have many wonderful places to visit, fascinating history and friendly people. By sailing you usually go right into the centre of the historic city or town as most were built up around their harbour. With my folding cycle and Rough Guide Travel Guides I made the most of each visit.
Finally, a sincere thank you also to all of you who contributed to my chosen charity, Link Ethiopia via JustGiving. If you haven't yet contributed but would like to, please visit http://www.justgiving.com/chrisveys
I have now both cycled from Lands End to John O'Groats (in my twenties) and with this trip sailed around Great Britain; all that remains is to walk across it (Wainwright's Way) - to do all three ie "cycle, sail and walk" is a bit of a personal goal for me! but please don't tell my close family !!
Regards,
Chris
