Home at Last!

We finished last week wondering how we would get our lovely boat fixed. The local man (rightly I think) felt we would be better served by getting a Yanmar dealer, but the one we contacted in Chichester was clearly not interested in taking on the job. There was another firm in Chichester, Cutler Marine, whose voicemail said they were closed for annual leave so on Monday this week, Roger was on the case at 9 a.m.  Success! Luke from Cutler Marine said he would be at the boat at 8 a.m. on Wednesday morning to investigate the problem.  Roger travelled down to Littlehampton by train on Tuesday to be there when Luke arrived. 

What wonderful service - Luke arrived early bringing with him some spare parts he thought might be needed.  Not only is Cutler Marine a Yanmar dealer, but they look after 30 Crabbers in Chichester. By mid-morning Luke had fitted a new wiring harness, starter motor and ignition plate and we were back in business!  I was about to go out with the local Ramblers group (expecting there to be at least a week’s delay) when Roger phoned with the good news. Walking shoes were put away and by mid morning I was on my way to join him.  By 3 p.m. I arrived at Littlehampton Station and we set about deciding on our passage plan. It was rather tricky as you can only leave Littlehampton a couple of hours either side of High Tide, to get over the bar, but you also need to have the right tides to round Selsey Bill and then in the Solent, where the tidal streams can be strong.  In addition we had to take the weather forecast into account. The Met Office were predicting Force 6 winds by the evening of today (Thursday).  We had two possible windows - leaving at around 2 a.m which had the advantage of getting us to Port Hamble before the strong winds kicked in but meant doing the first few hours in the dark and have unfavourable tides in the the Solent, or leaving at 10.30 a.m today, with daylight, better tides but the risk of strong winds later in the day. It was a touch call, but in the end we opted for the very early start. 

It was a moonless night and we were both rather taken aback at the absolute darkness as we left Littlehampton Harbour. We found our way out the old fashioned way, by shining a torch each side to see the harbour walls. After that it was relatively straightforward and an enjoyably adventurous way to end our journey.  It these situations it is always cheering to see the first light of dawn (not least to spot the lobster pots!)

Despite the adverse tide we made very good progress and by 8 a.m were passing Portsmouth and approaching the Solent. We had forgotten the sheer amount of boat traffic in the Solent. Sailing boats, tankers, ferries - all marine life is there! By 10 a.m. we were in home waters and finally rounded the Hamble Spit Buoy and entered the River Hamble. We were greeted by the wonderful sight of lines of little dinghies with quite small children at the helm, being towed out into Southampton Water - for some it will have been the start of a love of sailing. 

We came smoothly into our berth and this adventure is over. It was an emotional moment. We feel a tremendous sense of satisfaction at having completed the journey we set out to make and much gratitude to all those who have supported us and made it possible. Alan and Rachel in particular have been such a big part of this and we are sad that our engine problem make it impossible for us to make this last bit of the journey together. Huge thanks to all those who crewed for us - Rachel and Alan of course and Mike Sullivan, Issie, Steve, and last but not least Georgina. The last week with her company and sailing skill was very special. Georgina has also created the most wonderful video reels of out trip on Instagram - thanks Gee!! 

Final reflections from Roger: It’s a journey made one step at a time. Each day shows the huge value of friendship - the pals we have made on the trip who will continue to be good friends, the fun we have had with fellow boat crews, the help we have had from other sailors and the harbour masters. 

Final reflections from Chris: I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. I have learned so much about sailing and also about myself. I still wouldn’t call myself a sailor - I have no natural instinct for it but I can now appreciate the demands and skills of sailing and have loved the challenge of navigation and passage planning. The more difficult thing has been living for over three months with a sense of my own incompetence - my lack of sailing skills - that sense of the wind and also the necessary physical agility and balance.  Like Roger, I have found that the relationships with people have been special. We’ve been taken aback and very moved by the extent of the support from our families and from friends (not least Bev and John). We’ve also discovered new friends. When we began this trip we didn’t know the other crews of the RBC60 but now we feel very connected to them and I believe that connection and friendship will endure. On a personal note I have discovered a renewed sense of dependency on God’s love and protection - as someone in the fleet said, no one at sea remains an atheist! 

Littlehampton to Hamble (home!)        37 nms