Homeward Bound

Adventure_iceland
Tue 2 Sep 2008 20:22

Adventures first mooring line, one of four, was safely secured to the pontoon at Poole Yacht Haven at noon today.  It had been a long old night, with wind holding steady from the South West at Force 7, occasionally going to a Force 8 with a big rolling sea and the odd breaking wave into the cockpit.  The last 36 hours have been a long old slog!  The relief on some of the crew’s faces was evident, if not dismissed as just being tired.  But the little smiles soon shone on their faces as they were back to normality.

 

Breaking waves in a Force 7 – Sporty as the Skipper calls it!

 

All the nice fresh food has long been eaten and our big freezer has been emptied and cleaned.  Every meal for the last couple of days has been made up of tinned food, slightly bland but warm and wholesome.  The hours ticked by as quickly as the miles and when the call came for all three watches to be on deck to help get the yacht ready to come along side, a hive of activity was seen as the crew burst into life.  We were to come along side port side too and all the watches attended their station, be it bow, stern or mid-ships.  It is now that we can see all the training has been worth while as very little voices are used to direct the scurry and ‘Touch down’; we are on UK soil again after a long old journey.

 

    Not long till home!     

 

Admin is the order of the day from now on in, cleaning, showers, emptying two weeks worth of rubbish (Stu is not happy with the skipper as he is now minus a deck shoe after being told not to leave it on the galley floor, and it found it’s way into the bin!), and all kit accounted for.  Everyone has now had a nice warm shower, and we are all going out for a crew meal where we do not have to cling onto our bowls and cups at the same time, and only have 20 minutes to eat it!  Poole to Gosport tomorrow, then it is time for the deep clean of Adventure to turn her around ready for her next crew and voyage.

 

A Merlin off Lands Ends conducting exercises – the RADAR can deceive you!