The walk home.

Past the dinghy racks and along the path known locally as the "cinder path" as it runs next to the c2c Fenchurch St. rail track and the estuary on the other side.  Essex YC put on a NY party at £5 with buffet and music.  A few of us put our names down for it a couple of weeks ago.  It was a filthy night....weatherwise!   Tide was full in and whipped up into an estuary style maelstrom - not exactly a tempest then - but the waves banging against the steep side of HMS Wilton the Club's HQ added something to the start of the evening.  Tide did not remain high enough for long so that the sensation of being afloat was soon lost as the Wilton settled back down onto its static position on the mud. 
Extra shows that I remained there until nearly midnight and then chose to go home about 23.30hrs.  Glad I did because there were really a lot of fireworks  being let off locally. Ginny is unsure about them - she's not a nervous dog but two very loud bangs at 7p.m. before I left sent her off to the the bathroom for sanctuary to bark at them from there.  At midnight we went out onto my deck to watch them and hopefully reassure her that it was all ok and nothing to be scared of - I think that worked.  She shook a bit and settled once we went back in.
The jury's out on whether staying in would have been a better option but I made the effort!