London
51.5055° N, 0.0754° W
September 3, 2024, 12:10 UTC | Tower Bridge
Truly stunned to be moored up right next to the iconic landmark Tower Bridge. I see the classic red buses driving over the bridge and we meet wonderful people living in a barge community right here on the river bank. They were real lifesavers for letting us raft up next to them when we didn’t make it to the lock of St. Katherine’s Dock in time.
We arrived at the mouth of the River Thames yesterday morning and started the engine, motoring up to London. We had dinner onboard while watching old wharf buildings and docks go by as we motored along. We ended the night with a well-deserved pint or two at a pub nearby.
The sailors onboard got this full day to explore London, which was a first for many of them. For the crew, today is a day for cleaning up the boat and prepping for sailing into the English Channel. We will be heading for a port of call on one of the Channel’s isles for some sightseeing before our final destination, Plymouth.
Hold Fast!
- David the apprentice
59ºNorthApprentice
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People Get Ready!
The last three days have been an intense (and intensely hot) period of discovery, practice, and planning. Because Adrienne II is not a 59N boat, there's been some extra setup and coordination needed including rigging all the sails that were out for repairs before we arrived. Its been a blast working alongside the 59N team getting to help them work things out on a less familiar boat in real time. Tomorrow morning we'll run through our Person Over Board training as the final pre-departure task, cast off and head out. Can't know all that it will be, but its going to be a great adventure out in the vast world with some pretty fantastic people.
Among the Channel Islands
In the wind shadow of SoCal we had a restful night with calm conditions ghosting through smooth seas. We’re getting ourselves in position for spicy weather tonight once we round Cape Conception, the seas build and the breeze freshens. It will be an upwind sail into an acceleration zone along a formable coast with few bailout points, Morro Bay being one. The crew is really gelling with lots of smiles and laughter on deck. Monterey is in our sights!
Day Two Delights
The seas were completely glassy with a gentle swell as we approached San Clemente Island, the southernmost of the Channel Islands. Everyone jumped in and marvelled at the lovely temperature and crystal clear, indigo-colored water. Before long the wind started to pick up, and we happily unfurled the jib and were sailing again. The afternoon has been gorgeous, cruising along at 5-6 kts, close hauled on a port tack in a gentle breeze, Catalina Island in the distance on our starboard side, and everyone is happy.