Journey's End - for now
Tillymint.fortescue
Fri 28 Aug 2009 06:38
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37:05.86N 008:39.68W
Friday 28 August - yesterday was our last sailing
day. Very reluctantly we left our quiet anchorages and beach filled days behind
and completed the 15 miles to our last port of call at Lagos. The sun shone and
the wind blew and for a moment there we thought this day was like all others.
The approach to Lagos is beautiful, cliffs and caves and turquoise waters but we
haven't got time to explore, the dinghy is stowed and the ritual of a marina pit
stop awaits. We made a flawless parking manoevre, the crew working with
seamless fluid motions, anticipating the skipper's instructions, no raised
voices, polished, professional....Oh alright, I know I'm getting a bit carrried
away but it was a very nostalgic day, the last time we would do everything that
had become the familiar routine of our live-aboard life for the last 6
weeks.
Soon after mooring up we were greeted by a family
who had seen Tilly Mint at anchor just off the Bare Bottom Beach (it's really
called Belixa but I have re-named it). They too are sailing a Discovery yacht
and had left Southampton just ahead of us on route to the Med for a whole
year of cruising, just hopping back to States for the cold winter months and to
get their teenage sons settled at school. What a grand idea we thought
until we stopped to read the _expression_ on our childrens' faces; maybe not this
year!
The last day has dawned, we have awoken to the
sounds of the bin lorry and joyful young men singing on the way home from a
night out. We can see Winkworths estate agents and Pizza Hut from the bow of the
boat, all the restaurant menus are in English, as are many of the boats in the
marina. We are being gently nudged back into the real world
and our Easyjet flight back from Faro airport will bring us back down to
earth (hopefully not with a bump). However, I will smile quietly to myself when
the captain says "10 minutes to landing" because I know it will remind me the
landfalls we have made and my own little ritual of cockpit tidying at the end of
a voyage.
I've really enjoyed writing this little memoire of
our travels and thankyou to you all for saying you have enjoyed reading it, it's
been really lovely to have your company along the way.
Thank you for sailing with Tilly Mint and we wish
you a safe and pleasant onward journey and look forward sailing with you
again!
xx
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