ALONGSIDE AT LAST
Aquila
Alan and Sarah Bennett
Tue 24 Jun 2008 13:16
|
50:09.21N 05:03.90W
We secured alongside Falmouth Visitors' Yacht Haven
at 2315 last night - the diesel having held out, and the wind having failed to
put in any meaningful appearance!
If there had been any wind it would have been
a fabulous sail close in around the Lizard and up to Falmouth - as it was, we
had to motor the whole way, thus doing our final 23hours under power.
However, the tides co-operated, turning eastbound just as we approached the
Lizard, thus giving us an extra 1.5kts over the ground at the crucial point (the
skipper claims to have timed the departure from Bermuda 22 days earlier to
achieve this, but strangely nobody on board believed him!). At 2100 a very
faint northerly appeared, giving us another half knot, and we entered Falmouth
Roads in high spirits, finding a berth alongside the fuelling jetty - to
discover a notice saying 'out of diesel'!!!!
Pippa and Myf were on the jetty to meet us,
which was fabulous. We enjoyed a glass of bubbly (and the
skipper and Ian a Talisker or two) in celebration. Myf and Ian then
disappeared to a B&B, and the remainder of us enjoyed the first quiet
night on board after 22 days and 9 hours at sea.
Any thoughts of a lie in were dispelled at 07145
when the harbourmaster turned up saying we had to move as the fuel barge had to
be towed to the refilling point. To cut a long story short we moved 3
times before breakfast, but the boat was refuelled and re-watered. A full
English breakfast ashore in a cafe was then especially
enjoyed!
Ian and Myf left us after breakfast - once again,
thank you so much for all your help and support. Hugh and Nikki are
expected around tea time, and Tim and Anne sometime thereafter, so we are
looking forward to a good dinner ashore tonight. The plan thereafter is to
sail tomorrow to catch the 0700 favourable tide around Dodman point, with Alan,
Tom, Tim and Hugh on board bound for Dartmouth, some 70 miles to the east.
Sarah will travel back to Dorset with Anne, and meet us at Poole YC when we
arrive there - probably Thursday evening.
Alongside in Falmouth Visitors' Yacht
Haven
 |