Chapter 7: Portsmouth

I was very relieved to get to my Premier Inn hotel. It had been an awful day, so I was keen to get dinner and an early night. I left the case in the car, and just took what I needed. I would only be there for one night. The room was better than expected, a twin room, with on suite bathroom. At least I would be comfortable, despite the fact I should have been at sea by now. A quick call to Mum to thank her for the booking, and I went down to dinner. I ordered fish and chips, and the lyrics "oh we do like to be beside the sea side" came to mind. I was obviously getting delirious! The food was excellent, the hotel had definitely been the best thing about my day. When I got back to my room it had started raining. I wondered if the masking tape would hold.

Sanctuary for the night.

In the morning it was still raining. The boat boarding was at 6pm, so I had the best part of the day in a very wet Portsmouth. At breakfast in the hotel I planned my day. I had noticed a large Tesco Extra few minutes walk away from the hotel (on Clement Attlee Way - for any Labour Party fans!), so I would go there for some necessary provisions. I would also see if I could find a Halfords or somewhere similar to get a phone holder and duck tape for my car. I was actually able to find both in Tesco. With the car phone holder I could now follow Google Maps properly. I stuck it over the useless Mazda internal sat nav screen. I was expecting to find the masking tape in a pile on the ground, but it was still on the car, so I felt it would be best to leave it and let it dry, before attempting to replace it, or cover it with duck tape.

Powerful Masking Tape!

I checked out of my hotel at mid-day, but I decided just to stay put in the lobby and dining room for the afternoon. It was still soaking outside, and I no longer needed to go to Halfords. So I tucked into the supplies I had got from Tesco, and leached off the hotel WIFI, to read up on Gibraltar, and check my new route from Bilbao to Gibraltar. In return I filled out the hotel's feedback form. I wasn't sure what to put for 'reason for stay'. Neither option, "business" or "pleasure", seemed to fit. Maybe they should add a 'travel disaster' option!

A comfortable waiting room at the hotel.

By 4pm the rain was easing. I had had enough of sitting around the hotel, so decided to just drive to the docks and wait until I could board. I filled up the petrol tank as much as it would go on route, and made it to the docks by just before 5pm. When I got there, I was glad that I had left early, as they had already started the boarding process. I showed my ticket and passport at the entry gate, then my car was directed behind a long queue of stationery cars waiting to get on the boat. From there it was start, stop, customs checks, start stop, until I finally drove onto the boat and parked. I again grabbed what I needed immediately, and headed off to find my cabin.

Portsmouth International Port

There was just time to settle into my cabin before departure. The rain had stopped, so I went out on deck to watch the ship leave, and found a space beside a salty sea dog, smoking a pipe. It was after 7pm when the ship pulled out of Portsmouth harbour, and a mist had descended. As I watched the lights along the coast for a while, I wondered when I'd see the UK again. Then the coast disappeared into the mist, and all I could see was the sea.

My last view of the UK

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