Back and Forth, Warm and Cold, Wet
and Dry
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Sydney finally dried
out for our last couple of days and we left in perfect weather for our
marathon trek to London, where we were also treated to perfect views of
central London and the Thames, just as dawn broke over England. That day and
the next few were about the only ones in the month of June to give us summer
weather. For the rest of the month it alternately drizzled and poured. At
least, however, we were spared the floods that plagued much of the North and
Midlands, during the wettest June on record. Fortunately, the purpose of our
visit was to visit family rather than to travel further afield than
southeastern England. During the few drier spells, we had pleasant walks
through the Sussex countryside and could enjoy the roses in Erika’s garden
until they too succumbed to the damp. It was delightful to spend a leisurely
time with Tom’s Mum, Erika, and to catch up with her friends Doreen and Hope.
As a bonus, Inge, Tom’s sister managed a flying visit on the way to speak at a symposium in Rome. |
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A few days at Great Bentley in Essex also
gave us the chance to see Vicky’s sisters, Annabel and Fiona, and to catch up
on our correspondence. It was also our first chance to see the handsome framing,
arranged by Annabel, of the antique world map, which Tom’s brother, Chris,
had given him the previous year. Despite the most carefully laid plans, our
return trip to Hobart felt almost as long as one of Cook’s voyages depicted
on that map. Our only sight of Hong Kong was the scene outside the airport,
which was rather less exotic than the view from a train pausing in
Basingstoke station. In our absence, Virgin Blue had decided to drop the
flight we were scheduled to take from Sydney to Hobart and we had been
rebooked on a flight in the evening via Melbourne. We trudged back near
midnight to find ‘Sunstone’ bobbing expectantly, but too tired to do anything
but fall in our bunks. The only consolation was that we woke the next morning
to crisp dry air and a view of snow on the top of Mount Wellington. |
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By this time ‘Sunstone’ deserved some
attention and care, so we hauled out briefly on the well-remembered RYCT
slipway for a quick scrub and anode change. There were enough other
maintenance jobs to keep us busy and out of trouble when we weren’t
socialising with Hobart friends. Vicky was also plotting a week long Tassie
Tour in which every moment would be filled with activity, sights and photo
opportunities. |
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The weather throughout July was distinctly
cool and our Dickinson heater was permanently alight. We also discovered the
bike track to the north of Hobart, which was just right for aging limbs as it
is gently graded, running as it does alongside railway lines. To keep our brains at least slightly
active we also gave a talk at the Derwent Sailing Squadron (DSS) – the
challenge on this occasion being the use of Power Point instead of the slides
we had always used in the past. |
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While
‘Sunstone’ was idling away the winter we took our race fixes on ‘Lock on Wood’,
a lively Half-Tonner owned and sailed by Peter Geeves, Vice-Commodore of the
DSS. Peter and his partner Noni were kindness itself to us. We thoroughly
enjoyed their company and their generous hospitality. |
