Well here we are again on my favourite ship in the Brittany Ferries fleet, the MV Pont Aven. I’ve written all the statistics about her before, so if you really want the details either look back at previous posts, way back, or go Google! Anyway, she’s more cruise liner than ferry and definitely more Pullman than tourist. She’s the Flag-Ship of the BF fleet and I love her!

The ship is very busy today, being outside the school holidays the clientele are definitely, shall we say more “mature”! Let’s put it this way, most of them make me feel pretty young….! By the time we were manoeuvring out of port all of the deck chairs were nabbed and rearranged into tight defensive enclaves that reminded me of the film ‘Zulu’!

Like I hoped, the run to the port was lovely and sunny. Harley purred along contentedly, like me probably happy to be on the move, whilst I got used to riding her fully loaded up. It’s a funny thing how different she handles when all the gear is strapped to her, but after about twenty miles it seems normal.

As we passed through Plymouth I mused how glad I was to often set sail from that port. Not because I either have any affection nor wish any ill on the place, it’s just that you know as you ride to the port that anywhere else is going to be better! I can hear the knives being sharpened in City Hall as I type! Let’s put it this way, Plymouth certainly has it’s nice parts; The Hoe, The Barbican and erm…? Yeah, it’s a biggish city, sea port, naval base, transport hub (or was until the airport was closed!) and shopping centre, but it ain’t exactly up there with London, Chicago, Barcelona or Rome! What is does have going for it, both for me and probably millions of others, is that is the springboard to adventure and has been for hundreds of years. It’s the place that the Pilgrim Fathers sailed from to the ‘New World’, it vies with Portsmouth to be known as the home of the Royal Navy and was formerly the last stop, via tender, for the great Ocean Liners as they fought for the Blue Ribband of the North Atlantic. Quite a pedigree and to be honest, it’s still doing great business today. Well done Plymouth!

Now, if only your football team wasn’t so bad…..!

“There’s a feeling I get when I look to the west and my spirit is calling for leaving.”

Dookes