The Barbican

Near the three local marinas is the Mayflower Steps monument commemorating the departure of the Pilgrims for America in 1620. It is believed that they actually departed from a pier, incorporated into the West Pier, which was built in the 18th century. Nearby is the Tourist Information office and here you will find sufficient information to keep you busy for days. One particularly interesting leaflet lists 20 historic sites within walking distance. These include the Elizabethan House which is said to be one of the first speculatively-built houses in Plymouth. It was erected by John Sparke, the first Englishman to describe tobacco and potatoes. Nearby you will find the Dolphin Hotel which is where the Tolpuddle Martyrs spent their first nights, back in England, on returning from exile in Australia in 1838. The story of the Tolpuddle Martyrs is perhaps the best known case in the early history of the Trade Unions.

Today I also managed to finally fix the electricity supply to the instruments on the boat. It was finally traced to a small 20p fuse hidden behind the instruments in the roof lining!

Now heading back to Nottingham for a couple of weeks.

Unloading in Plymouth

Wide loads are not allowed to travel in the centre of Plymouth between 4:00 pm and 6:30 pm. It was therefore after 7:00 pm that we arrived so we had to wait until today to be unloaded. Unfortunately, another job was being given priority today – dismantling an extremely large 130 ton crane. This involved using a fairly large mobile crane to dismantle it and then placing the parts: tracks, weights, cab, jib sections etc on a series of lorries. The delay caused by this process was easily occupied by watching this skilled and fascinating process.

At 8:30 am the travel hoist had lifted Jomima off the lorry so that he could proceed to his next appointment. We were then left in the slings, with Jomima’s keel gently resting on some wooden blocks, to await the area around the launching bay to be clear of crane parts. At 3:30 pm Jomima was lowered into Plymouth harbour and held there while I checked for leaks after her six months out of the water. All was well so, with the help of the friendly Mayflower Marina staff I navigated Jomima to her new home.