Return leg

Moored for another 20 years...

Spy Glass welcomes Glass Boat back...

The flag still flies...

Sliding doors..

A new rear view..

Last Sunday was the set date for the boat's return, an early sail to avoid keeping Redcliffe bridge closed for to long and also the winds are calmer in the morning, 9.30am and we're off. The dry dock became a wet dock on Saturday and was a true test to see if the new hull had been sealed on good and tight. The ballast was positioned accordingly a mix of 20kg weights and rocks and the water let in, up she rose and level too. The wind was alot calmer that when we went so the Prince Bridge and Redcliffe Bridge we're not too much of a problem to navigate, the guys on the roof we're ready with tyre fenders just in case, they played an important role in mooring back to our docking slot, one of the most tense and exciting parts of the project so far. The newly painted glimmer and the new glass walls on the stern end gave a dazzling sight to watchers on, alot who had come out with cameras, every one agreed that she looked as impressive as ever and totally reinvigorated, that it was a big improvement so far. It was two and a half months ago that she left but seeing the Boat slowly being tugged by the Lloyd's building and past the same naval friggit, that had also disappeared and returned, it didn't seem like long at all. It felt strange that this could most certainly be her last sail for 20 years. Once she was back the process of lashing her back onto the dock wall began, first the ropes, then the steel cables and then the metal A frames. This took a few hours, the freshly painted and newly roped gang planks to follow soon. It was a very strange day at work, moving location and for the first time seeing how the future of the boat would look back in it's old spot, slightly nerved I was overcome with the feeling that the real work was about to begin, cosmetic decoration is crucial as there's a lot of anticipation and getting the operational cogs up and running was now at the utmost forefront of my mind.