"The two happiest days of a person’s life — the day they bought the boat and the day they sold the boat"

It can certainly be the case that boat ownership is not always plain sailing: there are inevitably ups and down. However, I have always felt a pang of regret and sadness when passing on our previous boats to their new owners.

Our latest "happiest day" occurred at the end of August 2018 when we finally signed the paperwork on a 2007 Elling E4. The survey confirmed she was a fundamentally sound vessel with low hours that had been well cared for throughout her life. As always with boats, there were things that didn't work, things that needed to be upgraded and things we wanted to change. Following a brief handover by the broker we set off from her berth on the River Thames to her new home in Suffolk.

After a cautious start, we settled into enjoying the trip down the Thames to Limehouse marina. The Thames proved a delight and has real character - from quaint houses perched along the river banks to iconic buildings dominating the skyline all mixed with great scenery.

Tranqulity

No prizes for guessing who this belongs to

A  beautiful house boat

A famous landmark

As the sun began to dip below the horizon we entered Limehouse  marina where the helpful staff were there to guide us to our berth.

Limehouse is a great little marina with excellent access to the City, Canary Wharf and other parts of London. For it's location, it is good value and if you don't want to travel into town there are pubs and restaurants nearby, some with river views.  Sadly, our attempt to quaff a beer at The Grapes was thwarted since it was simply too busy to get in. We opted instead for a meal at The Narrows - a gastro pub outside the marina.

I would recommend a trip on the non-tidal Thames. There is lovely scenery and some beautiful homes to get you thinking that it might be worth coming out of retirement in order to afford one  - that thought soon faded!

The next morning we set off to catch the tide and head for Suffolk.  The lower part of the Thames is still very much a working river with lots of activity and some fairly large ships plying their wares.

                                                  This little beastie was moored in central London. Its 
                                                        tender was  about the same size as Destiny.

Sights of London

By late afternoon Destiny was tucked up in her new marina. The following day the weather had turned and the clear skies we had enjoyed turned to rain as we prepared to get lifted.

Now the work begins!