It was a beautiful warm and sunny morning but the forecast Easterly force 3 had turned into a northerly force 5 to 6 and the waves were rolling into Peel bay as we walked up to get the 0815 bus to Douglas.
We had agreed to help David and Norma take there beautiful 48 foot motor-yacht Albaquila, which was built in 1947 and David had just spent 8 years restoring back to its home berth in Liverpool.

When we arrived in Douglas there wasn't a breath of wind in the marina and it was really warm as we got ready to leave on the 1015 bridge swing.
We motored out into a choppy sea which as we left Douglas got rougher and we were getting thrown about quite a bit and had to alter course to the south to run with the waves.
The forecast was for the wind and seas to ease down as the day went on so we continued on. Eventually after a few hours the wind eased and so did the seas and we managed to get back on course.

It was a totally different experience for us standing in a wheel house totally enclosed and sweating with only a t shirt on in the sun blazing through the windows.
It was also the first time in 2 years that I have been wishing for light or no wind!!

We had a pretty good trip apart form one stage in the middle when the seas got choppy again and suddenly the port engine started to rev up and then stopped.
We continued on with the starboard engine for 15 minutes still maintaining near to our 7 knot cruising speed.
David started the port engine again and after a few goes it started up and eventually ran okay again. We think it had sucked in air as at one stage we were rolling quite badly.

The rest of the trip was quite uneventful apart from being called up by a guard ship and asked to alter course as we were about to enter a restricted area.
As we got closer to Liverpool we started to see Gas platforms and then the offshore wind farms.
We picked up the buoyage at the entrance to Liverpool just as it was getting dark and still had over 10 miles to go up the river Mersey.

We had arrived in perfect time and the tide took us up and we tied up to the dock wall to await high water to enter the locks.
We only had to wait for an hour and then David got a call to say they would open the first bridge for us at 2130.
We moved out off the wall into the channel and waited for the flap to drop and the bridge to swing.

The height of tide here is amazing as it is one of the largest tidal ranges in Britain at up to 10 metres.

It was a beautiful barmy night with no wind and really warm, we were still only wearing t shirts.
We went though the first bridge into Canning Dock and then waited while the second bridge was opened and finally after 2 months away Albaquila was back on her berth in the beautifully restored Albert Dock.
It had been a long day and stressful at a few times but it had also been a great experience and as we relaxed and enjoyed a lovely dinner made by Norma we were very glad to have made the trip with them and the craic continued well into the wee hours.

15-9-16
We awoke to a very warm still morning and I went for a walk around the bustling iconic buildings and docks of Liverpool.
After a late breakfast we went to the Liverpool Maritime Museum which was free to enter and covered 4 floors.
It had a very interesting exhibition all about the Titanic as the headquarters of the White Star line were based in Liverpool and the building was just across the street.
After spending over 3 hours looking at exhibits we enjoyed a few hours sitting and walking about in the glorious warm sunshine, it is hard to believe it is September as the weather for the last few days has been fantastic.

Soon it was time to say goodbye to our new friends David and Norma and walk the short distance to get the fast ferry back to Douglas on the Isle of Man.
The trip back was flat calm and took only 2 ½ hours.
It was like coming home when we got off the ferry.
We very luckily walked up to the bus station and got straight onto a bus for Peel.

It had been a terrific 2 days and a surprisingly different end to our 2 years away.
as we only have a few days left before we return to Bangor.