Safe and Sound

Serafina
Rob & Sarah Bell
Mon 26 May 2014 22:58

Sun & Mon – 25th & 26th May

 

So the good news is that nothing went wrong at all and we had the most superb trip home.

 

Started by walking from the hotel to the airport terminal carrying our very heavy bags and were concerned that we would arrive hot and sweaty, but the hotel had made it clear that we really did not need a taxi.  We had arrived there at night and had no idea how far in fact this walk might be, and happily it turned out to be about 50 yards!!

 

Checked in and Sarah was horrified to find nil duty free shopping options, but the flight with American Airlines to New York went very smoothly and it was a pleasure to fly with them and we were afforded a superb view of Manhattan as we approached the airport.

 

This northbound flight had arrived slightly early so Sarah had the chance to do some frenzied hunting in the shops, but we only had a 2 hour stop-over before were being invited to make our way onto the American Airlines Boeing 777 bound for London Heathrow.  This was very large aircraft that was running at about 20% of capacity so we were spoilt for choice and room.  But the real bonus came just after we had taken off as we were then treated to an outstanding sunset over the iconic view of Manhattan again from the air and as we headed up the Long island seaward shore, the view and colours over the city and the water continued be ever more stunning.  We had not expected to be flying along quite this route and so the wonderful clear evening skies meant that we could enjoy identifying loads of the places we had visited during the past two summers cruising up the east coast of the USA all the way up to Canada.

 

We were spoilt for choice with dozens if in-flight movies to choose from ( I would still be up there given half a chance) and then there was the free wifi – a cruisers delight at 37,000 feet.  We were plied with free drinks and presumably it was because there were so few of us flying today that they gave us so many.

 

The flight was smooth and uneventful and we arrived in Heathrow 30 minutes early.  Europcar were brilliant (their website had let us down 24 hours earlier) and in no time at all we were speeding north up the M40 in a hired bright red Ford Fiesta arriving in Worcester at 1000 hours (just under 2 hour drive).

 

Now we have to wait for Serafina to arrive in Southampton (scheduled for 12th June) and we will be there to sail her to the brokerage yard (Berthon) in Lymington.

 

This would seem therefore to be a fitting point at which to pause the blog and consider what awaits us in the next chapter of our lives and then we can return to write the final posting  after the last short trip up the Solent in mid-June.