Farewell Gemini

Whoo-hoo. A better wind today - so off to test the Day Skippers' skills at instructing their crew in raising and lowering the sails, tacking, jibing and sailing a triangular course, for their assessment. For the first time this week Gemini was heeling over and the water churning into a wake behind. 
All went well and then the crew were allowed a go at the helm. Suddenly, and miraculously after all the stresses of the learning curves that had gone before I felt confident that I knew what to do and how to get the best out of the boat. It was a knife edge feeling of an adrenaline rush held in, to concentrate on the wind, the course and commanding the crew. Tacking up close hauled, watching the tell tales, rounding the first buoy to port, a broad reach to the next, ducking behind a passing yacht and then a beam reach on the last leg. Just the best!
But it was our last day and soon after lunch we were motoring back into the dock at Southampton and unloading, saying thank you to our amazing Skipper and Instructor, Tom. Goodbye, Good luck, Goodbye. Gone. 
A rounded bite out of time ended and the thought of the car journey to Frome to meet up with cousins taking over.