The Happy Return

After Cowes, James had reached Eastbourne before the fine weather and the run of easterlies curtailed further progress. He hired a car and took the children home for the first time in nine months. A week later, the whole family (kids, wife, new au pair and cats) returned to Croix des Gardes to complete the trip and return home to East coast waters for the first time since 2011.

We planned an early start to run the flood to Dover and locked out at dead low. Sovereign Marina has been recently dredged to 2m and we should have had 50cm over astronomical low leaving a healthy four inch margin of water under the keel. In the lock, all was well and we allowed the visiting Dutch flotilla to leave first so we'd have more space to manoeuvre. Just as well - we left the lock and James commented that we actually had 1.5m under the keel and then instantly hit the bottom. We were no more than a boat length outside the lock gates and now stuck fast, blocking the lock. Fortunately, Sovereign have a second lock and were very apologetic as to the lack of charted depth. They sent out their work boat on the next lock and he nudged us off and we were under way.

Aground just out the lock!

It was lovely to be back on board after three months. The conditions were extremely light and we had a 'Caribbean' sail on smooth seas, warm air and turquoise water. E persuaded us that she didn't want to be on board any longer than necessary so we replanned to anchor in Ramsgate Roades for a few hours to wait for the tide and then continue soon after midnight on the ebb across the Thames Estuary. I have to say that sipping English Harbour rum in the cockpit off Ramsgate breakwater wasn't quite as I remembered from the Antilles!

The turquoise water of the English Channel

The wind continued to drop and we motored and sailed out past North Foreland and into Black Deep. James took us through Foulger's despite new difficulties of picking the lit buoys among the city of new wind turbines, each showing a white at their base and a red at their masthead. By dawn, we were within sight of Felixstowe and home. I took us up the familiar Medusa Channel to Harwich shelf and we were back in the Orwell. The smooth waters, deep channel and gentle folds of the East Anglian landscape were even more beautiful after our absence and we reminisced over our voyage.

We even got the spinnaker up - and broached before we got it down again

By 10am we were alongside at our home club of the Royal Harwich Yacht Club to see their fine new clubhouse. The kids played on the lawn and we tidied the decks ready for a weekend of celebration to mark the end of this voyage.

New crew on deck