Plymouth Summary

Funny how life turns out, but I pulled (or limped) into Plymouth with some significant boat problems and thoughts of spending a week or maybe more there to get Armando his Yachtmaster.

A month (or so) later, we left.

Way beyond, out of plan, or not....this journey has a start and end point, but one done with a wide brush stroke.

The experience in Plymouth was tremendously mixed, I was cold a lot, stressed out over boat issues, overstretched trying to get a Yachtmaster certificate, but a lot of really good things transpired, most of which related to all the people I met.

Being in one place for that long lets you to get to know people and experience things.

I'm up in the air about Plymouth itself, interesting place, bombed out in WWII, not very nicely rebuilt but with a great marine facilities in Mountbatten.

But meeting Tim (Glass) and hanging out with him allowed me to understand England way more than I could have otherwise.

Getting the boat problems straightened out with a really competent engineering staff was so important to the trip (and my emotional well being) that I was able to keep going...which is what this all seems to be about.

Yachtmaster and the Plymouth Sailing School turned out to be a tremendous learning experience, I can't say enough about, even though I had never heard about it prior to this trip and kind of hooked in as a side thing.

And sailing in this area is just something you have to do to understand.

People that sail here are really to be respected....I feel like I came here, did my bit and left with a lot of respect for these yachtsmen, you will never find more knowledgeable seaman anywhere.

I spent my UK “budget” on Plymouth, when we were done I needed to head out and didn't get to all the places in England I'd hoped to get to.

But I would not have traded our weekend in Cornwall with Madeline for the world, or all the Yachtmaster experiences I had there, or getting to know Tim Glass...in the end spending a month or so there was all for the good!