Well we've been back just over two weeks, so I felt I should update the blog.  I really messed up visiting my grand-daughter - should really learn to "button it".

We left Plymouth and moved on down to Dartmouth, staying in Noss Marina overnight.  Not too special there.  Expensive, moored alongside another boat and facilities were poor.  However, next day moved on to Brixham - where of course, we ended up having to stay a few days due to bad weather.  I did manage to speak to some guys who had also been sailing round Britain - they came from the Medway, and we compared notes.  They were three boats and fully crewed, and like us, had awful weather!  They told me tales of how bad the Irish Sea was - and I am really glad that we didn't attempt it.  It sounded awful! 

After Brixham we moved on to Portland Harbour - and guess what, we were storm bound there for a week!  Went to Weymouth on the bus twice and Portland Bill once, where we had a fantastic crab sandwich - best I've ever had.  Only 50 miles from home and stuck!  When we finally moved on, we had a lovely sail (finally) to Studland, where we lunched, and moved on in the afternoon for Yarmouth.  And guess what - yep, wind picked up again and we had a pretty awful roly ride.  It was really terrible for Bertie who got stuck in the back of the boat, between moving boxes, which had escaped during the roly passage.  Poor chap.

Arrived in Yarmouth and fortunately got a berth.  It was absolutely packed there!  Mind you, we haven't sailed in the summer for years, so should have expected it.  Finally left on the Monday morning and tied up in East Cowes marina to empty the boat.  Bertie was really happy and couldn't get him to move off the carpet! Moved the boat to its mooring on the Tuesday and then started to catch up on what had happened in the meantime.

As it was Cowes week, last weekend we went down to Esplanade to watch the Red Arrows - which was nice, and on Sunday watched the start of the Fastnet race - which was better covered on the TV! 

Well, would we do it all again - must never say never, but certainly not in our Hanse 301! We have lots and lots of photos that we have been looking at and remembering the good and bad of the trip. We have started looking around for another boat, bit larger and more comfortable to perhaps do more grown up things like cruising, and also the Hanse is probably a bit too lively for future sailing. The adventure is over, and everything feels a bit surreal.  We visited places we would never normally visit, and met some really interesting and super people.  I am sorry that the weather was so awful, but that was completly out of our hands. I think we would like to do another adeventure, but perhaps something a little less demanding.

We're off this weekend, hopefully, to a BBQ in Newtown Creek and then Sunday off to Bursledon to meet our granddaughter again - hopefully they will turn up.  Maybe even look at some boats while we are there. 

Bertie recognised where we were immediately we got off the boat and we were concerned he may never wish to go on the boat again, but popped down the other day, and he was absolutely fine - so looks like there was no permanent or psychological damage there!  However, he really does need a haircut - and has to wait until the end of August, because there were no appointments earlier!