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
View more passage logs
Seasickness
But maybe, I thought, with some drugs I could stay ahead of it. The first 48 hours I felt horrible. But luckily with 3 health care professionals on board and in a very encouraging environment, my body found its way. Anyway, someone offered me a patch (unavailable in Canada) and someone else gave me some pills for nausea and now I feel much, much better.
Dolphins and Bioluminescence
We had a good run with the sails but weather has changed and we are once again chasing the wind. Everyone is getting a chance to practice helming in big swell; starting to get a feel of the wind and water and how it pushes and pulls the hull. A pod of dolphins came to visit at night, splashing in the bioluminescent water, and again in the day, dancing in the bow wake. For now enjoying the calmer sea state and falling asleep to the rumble of the engine and the gentle whooshing of the water on the hull.
Greetings from Lala Lemonshark
The brave crew is toughing it out and staying cheerful despite being tossed around. The engine is off and we are true sailing-main and jib. In the first 12 hours we saw two pods of Orca and four humpback whales, two of which were 20 yards off the starboard beam!