|
John writes: What a
difference a day makes! Two days ago, we were swimming in the
Gulf Stream, at an extraordinary 32 degrees C water temperature. This
morning we were pushing headwinds through the fog towards Newport, with
the sea temperature down to 19 degrees C. The last part of the trip
wasn't much fun, and we were ready to get here. But here we are in
America, with a peculiar sense of unreality that we have actually
sailed here. Life ashore seems slightly strange.
Eventually we had our customs and
immigration clearance, said good bye to Bill and Donald, and moved to a
lovely anchorage by the Ida Lewis yacht club.
And what a joyful surprise...anchored
just 200 metres away was our very first Discovery 55, now called Sula. We
left a message on board, and the new owners, Australians David and
Heather came over. They have already sailed the Pacific for 2 years
and have owned 23 boats before, of which they have built 6. They
have been giving Sula some TLC, and will now be cruising north up to Maine
for the summer, so we hope to see much more of them.
It was great too that we were able to
contact an old flying friend of mine here in Newport, and we hope to meet
up with them tomorrow. Made an appointment with a dentist to sort a
filling, and researched "dongles" for wireless broadband...quite a busy
first day! Normal life goes on...
Then the cloud lifted, and the sun
came out...and what a transformation. The harbour is filled with lovely
sailing boats including many classics. The picture, taken this afternoon,
may give an idea.
Time now for an unbroken night's
sleep! | 
