Ramsgate to Suffolk Yacht Harbour

Thursday 7th August 2008 - The final passage home. The tides were a little odd off of North Foreland, and we left at 13:30 to collect diesel ( and a receipt for our Red Diesel just in case we went to the EU in the future ).

I chose as easy passage via North Foreland, Foulger's Gat, the wonderfully named Black Deep and sunk. Passage by GPS and buoyage. I was very conscious that we are very lucky to have so much buoyage on the East Coast because of the Thames traffic and shifting sands.
It was a lovely sail up until we sighted the cranes of Felixstowe and the black thunderclouds welcoming us home.

Lightening struck once of the cranes as we approached Harwich, and I tied the HF earth lead to the shrouds and dangled it into the sea as a basic 'best route to earth', then put the emergency GPS and handheld radio in the powered-off microwave as a precaution against lightening strike.
Jennifer and Bernie guided us to our berth as we arrived home. The pontoons on the Orwell have to the the closest packed that I have seen anywhere in the UK, but I was able to guide Serenity in with much more confidence than when I had left over two months and 1660 nm before.

We were home, and we celebrated with a glass of Champagne in the lightship clubhouse.