This is a note Skipper Melvin wrote to me this morning
which I passed on to the local newspaper.
It took me three attempts to sail to Woodbury from
Bury,
England, arriving in 2006.
It now looks as if it’s going to take three attempts to return to
England.
Last week Gavin Webster,
Hugh McCaffery, and I set off in fine style sailing down the
Delaware, leaving behind many
friends and loved ones. As we approached the end of the river we needed to
reduce sail. We could not, so we decided to return to the Cohansey. We then lost
the use of the transmission. We drifted through the night, keeping out of the
way of river traffic only to strike a sand bar. Boat US came and took us in tow
and we returned to Hancock’s Marina,
a sad end to a bright start. The Henry
Wood now needs a new transmission and part of the rigging needs attention. I
have decided to leave Henry Wood at
the marina, replacing the old engine and installing a new engine and
transmission. So Henry Wood stays
here another year.
I would like to thank Gavin
Webster, Hugh McCaffery, and all my many friends here in
Woodbury for their support. Woodbury feels like my second home and I shall
return, hopefully with better luck. Or was it fate?
I will continue to
update our progress on the Blog
http://blog.mailasail.com/henrywood
Melvin Magnall