End of Atlantic crossing from Florida to Ramsgate

Passed the Lizard at 4.15am, having raced the forecasted F9 for the last two days. I’ve won by 8hrs as the gale is now due at lunchtime, so the storm stay sail stayed in it’s bag. All secured in Falmouth Yacht Haven. Log for the trip 3701.

How clever is this present from John and Mary Mortimer which John painted? RT from a photo overlaid with extracts of maps of all the places we’ve been in her. A present for my 60^th, I love it.

Waiting for the Easterly in Falmouth, which followed the gale, to pass. Met Julie and Rick, a retired heart surgeon, from Florida who have, over several years, probably cruised more of Northern Europe than most Europeans! Supper on board their Hylas 49, Believe.

Left with a view to getting the best out of the forecast Westerly. Initially, wind in East but that soon died.

Good sailing in South Westerly 4/5 and finally 6/7.  Decided not to stop at Studland as there was a chance the wind would die before I got to Dover.  

South East of the Isle of Wight at 1am, found myself in the middle of a very large fleet of race boats presumably having started a weekend race in the Solent earlier on Friday evening. Berthed in Dover, too rolly to anchor out. Little point in carrying on to Ramsgate as the tide was turning and the strong wind would make it quite rough for a while.

After a lie in, moved up to Ramsgate. Light wind so ended up motoring but arrived in time for a beer in the club! Once Kate returns from her 4 day jolly to Marrakesh, we resume a conversation we started late last year concerning our future cruising plans. The upshot is that we have decided we may have reached the end of the road with our beautiful Bowman and so we will prepare her for sale once she’s lifted at Ramsgate.

Back to the flat and try to get warm! Colin helps with carloads of stuff from boat to flat.

Lift out, with Colin “fending off”.  What a surprise to be back here again!

All safely nestled in cradle and we dash off to London to see Miss Saigon.

Now the hard, and heartbreaking, work begins. Several more carloads make their way back to the flat, and we are fast running out of space! These next few weeks will be spent varnishing, polishing and repairing, getting ready to part with her. If she doesn’t sell in Ramsgate, we will make one last journey with her to Berthons in Lymington to coincide with the preloved boat show, but I can’t imagine she won’t be snapped up by some other lucky adventurers.

Well,this month a paltry 257nms from Falmouth to Ramsgate and 13757nms since she was lost home.

In total we’ve travelled 41651nms in her, by the log. Quite a few of those miles were scary, some were just plain boring but most of them were fabulous. We’ve visited places we never would have seen any other way, met some amazing people and made some great friends amongst the sailing cruisers’ family.

Who knows what is next for us but, as Mike would say, “it’s early days”!