Coming Home
Tamarisk
Wed 12 Jul 2006 13:28
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We got back to Woolverstone at about 1700 on Sunday
9th July - 362 days after our departure. We'd covered around 12,000 miles,
visited 12 different countries, 34 islands and spent around 70 nights at
sea. The last day, coming back from Ramsgate, was one of the least
comfortable of the trip with winds of 35 knots, awkward tides and lots of
shipping.
 Passing the White Cliffs of Dover
 A relieved (and now beardless) Tim steers us
into the Orwell past Felixstowe docks. The children knew there would be friends
and family to meet us and could hardly contain their excitement. We'd left
Ramsgate at 0600 and Eddie was asking 'how long til we get there' regularly from
about 1000.
 Anna got all the courtesy flags out and Eddie
insisted on his Skull and Cross Bones
 There was a great turn-out for us on the pontoon at
the Royal Harwich. It wasn't the easiest of gaps and Tim didn't manage the
most elegant of approaches but we got in safely enough.
 Anna announced our arrival with the
foghorn
 Tim's sister-in-law, Angela, took some of these
pictures (the better ones)
 Lots of people had brought bottles. It was lucky we
couldn't drive home - as a result, of course, of not owning a car.
     The children showed their friends over the boat.
The mums and dads stuck with the booze in the cockpit or on the
pontoon.
 Some of the Chelmo contingent gave us a lift
home. The house was bare but clean and tidy (thank to the efforts of
Granny, Grandma, Sally and Robbie) and ready for us just to flop down. As a team
and with lots of help from friends and family , we had made
it.
We're now back in Webbs Terrace. The old phone
number is back on. The mailasail email address still works but we'll get
something new soon. The children went back to school on Monday and really
enjoyed seeing all their school friends
again.
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