Is trafficking always illegal? What if you cant really help it, but somebody else just all of a sudden happens to be on board? And anyway, in our case our hitch hiker turned out to be a British citizen, so I think we are in the clear. It would also have been rude to just throw her overboard; I mean she was clearly terrified. We first noticed Dolly 35 miles of the English coast, sitting in the cockpit, panting with exhaustion. The poor thing looked utterly confused, but seemed to feel comfortable with Sophia. Then we noticed her bracelets. She wasnt just any hitch hiker, she was special. A homing pigeon, clearly slightly off track, but she quickly felt at home by us. That or she was seasick and couldnt move, in any case, she stayed for the rest of the journey. Only when Mjner was safely anchored in Falmouth did she leave.
If it actually was a she we dont know, but Jeroen said that she had to be with that sense of direction. Judging by the not so grateful white spots left all over the boat, I would say that she clearly had a mans way of marking his territory, but since Dolly was already named, I gave in.
We are now day hopping along the south coast of England, enjoying the last few weeks of our cruising life. The English summer weather is as could be expected; grey. And when the sun does shine for a few hours we are utterly amazed by the lack of clothing on the brits. A few rays of sun does not a make summer day when the temperature does not rise above 20 degrees! Or maybe were just spoiled. In any case the scenery is beautiful (except for all the white legs), and Sophia is getting her share of long walks and cool castles. And football, which she doesnt particularly like, although her new favourite word is Sneijder. I have temporarily adopted the Dutch nationality seeing that my own wont do me any good anymore, and our favorite pastime seems to be running around little towns, dressed in orange, trying to find a pub that will show football instead of tennis, with sound and where children are allowed. Surprisingly difficult, but for now worth the hassle.
One more week, and we sail back to Holland, on the 10th we will arrive in Ijmuiden. Just in time for the finals?
