Race 13 - Day 3
Crew Diary - Derry-Londonderry, Northern Ireland to Den Helder, Netherlands
20 July

Denis Mccourt
Denis Mccourt
Team IchorCoal
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Woken up at 5.30 to the cheery welcome of Kat's and Kate's Clipper cafe (try saying that three times after a night in Granny Annie's) with not one but two bacon sandwiches and a cup of tea…life could not get better!!! Well, it could if we were not at 45 degrees so my bacon has ended up on my lap, ketchup all over my face and I dare not try to put the cup of tea anywhere near my face for fear of if ending up my nose......it was all going so well.

6am and the other watch are very eager to get off deck this morning. It must be the bacon that has got them in a tizz or is it the fact that they have just witnessed thunder and lightning and are trying their best to get down into the companion way before the inevitable is about to happen.

I was delighted to be on helm yesterday as we passed John O'Groats, Hoy and the Orkney Islands. South it is from here on in, sunshine, sand, Sangria and dancing girls what more is there to life......did I say I have woken up?

St Kats is only round the corner, literally, and it being my home since 1974 I am very much looking to entering the famous docks from the river.

Back in 1987 I did try and do this when I was on a disco boat and was heading back to Embankment Pier. Snakebite double handed, throwing my best moves on the dancefloor I spied my flat through the condensation on the windows. "I can swim home" came into my head as the last chorus of Billy Ocean's ‘When The Going Get Tough’ rang out. It would be better then getting off at Embankment and catching a night bus from Trafalgar Square? Long story short I eventually made it home with the very helpful police officers from Wapping River Division who kindly picked me up in a vessel and took me home... Mum really Sorry, to my daughter Molly don’t let me catch you doing anything like this, Dizzy, my wife, you know I hate night buses.

Anyway really looking forward to getting home to 1332, but I have to say that the experience has been Awesome… In fact it has been an Awesome Event. The Fusion between the crew has been Hospitable and it has been one long Party. Business can wait for a while as the Awesome Adventure continues.

Love and hugs to Dissy and Munch.

Off now to practice my front crawl

Love Ichorcoal

By Denis