We're back home in Surrey and, much as we've loved our stay in Faversham, it's so good to be back.
We finally floated out of the dry dock and said our goodbyes to new friends and old... as well as maybe to the Faversham dock that we've come to know so well as it looks like the Standard Quay may be closing for good in the near future leaving many people without work and traditional boat owners without a great resource of talented crafts people.
To see more about this tragic loss of infrastructure and heritage, see Richard Fleury's film "The Quay" http://vimeo.com/43394451
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The wonderful Colin Frake oversees our relaunch.
Overnight mooring at the mouth of the Thames.
On our way home, we stopped for a couple of days to see some other boaty friends, Steve and Lorna, who live aboard their beautiful barge in an amazing floating community that we've taken to calling "Water-World", just down river from Tower Bridge.
They have gorgeous garden barges, community events, all mod cons and even have their own little outdoor cinema set-up.
I took this photo of Tower Bridge from the wheel-house when we were moored up.
Cool huh!
The only down side of water-world is that, when you're moored on the outside of the pack, every passing ship sounds like a turbine right by your head and every stupidly skippered pleasure boat speeding past creates a huge rocking motion.
It's charms however easily out weigh these minor drawbacks, and seeing seals outside the port holes in the morning makes everything better.
Thomas rescues a friend in need.
Preparing for the ballast going in.
The wheel house before it was enclosed.
