50:21.5N 03:34.6W

Neroli has returned home!

She set sail from the UK on 1st July 2001 and has therefore been away for over nine years. During that time she has sailed extensively in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean and also crossed the Atlantic twice.

The voyage home from St Lucia was over 4,000 miles and, including two weeks of preparation time in the Caribbean, kept five of us occupied for a period of three months. My sincere thanks go to each member of the crew for the time they have devoted to the project, for their skill, their commitment and above all for their friendship. It has been a wonderful period in my life. Thank you all very much for making it possible.

The last leg from the Azores to the UK was more about completing the task than had been the case on previous legs which I believe was partly because we were nearing the end of the voyage and partly because some of us were under some time pressure to be back in the UK.

In addition, for most of the time on this leg, the weather was disappointing. The sky was almost continually cloudy and overcast which meant that we hardly ever had even a glimpse of the sun, the moon, the stars or the planets which in turn meant that we were just more focussed on getting the job done. We enjoyed ourselves enormously but, unlike the leg from Bermuda to the Azores, the opportunity to connect with the universe at night, which is one of the most pleasing dimensions of ocean sailing, was sadly missing.

However towards the end of the crossing, we were blessed with one perfect day of sailing when the sun shone, the sky was pale blue, the sea deep blue and the wind was exactly the right strength and in exactly the right direction. For the whole day we ran under spinnaker close to the limit averaging well over seven knots and on two occasions surfing down waves at over ten knots. We all agreed it was one of the best day’s sailing we had ever enjoyed. Neroli seemed happy to be going home.

At 7.30 pm yesterday we were met at the entrance to Dartmouth by my sister and her family who came out in a small boat to welcome us. After a dinner of some very welcome fresh fish we are now securely berthed in the Dart Marina. Neroli is home and the job is done.

 I am sure I speak for all of us when I say the voyage has been a wonderful and memorable experience. We will all go away a little older and a little wiser. The voyage from my point of view was marked by the very sad fact that while we were at sea two good friends died. The loss of George and Peter reminds us to value the life we have been given, to grasp the opportunities we are offered and to cherish the friends that we make along the way.

Charlie Tongue

8^th July 2010