24th June - The half way point

Being at anchor meant that in the morning it was relatively straightforward to leave and we were able to do so at about 7:15. Even with the extra mileage from having to hug the coast, it was not a great distance to Lagos and we expected to arrive in the early afternoon.

En-route we had to make an attempt to fix the toilet again.  This time, as the person responsible for the blockage, it was Richard who had to do the dirty work.  Fortunately for him, we had learnt from the previous instances that the problem was due to an air-lock rather than a faulty pump and by loosening a couple of screws he was able to release the air and get the toilet working again without any messiness.  Greg was rather disappointed as he was poised with his camera for a slightly more dramatic shot when the pressure was released.

Richard the handyman

Having made good time and with no orca incidents we arrived at Lagos just after lunch (although we were to discover later how lucky we were with the orcas). 

There was a bit of excitement when we arrived as we saw some boats racing and, although we were taking care to avoid them, a friendly marshal came rushing over and directed us to go the long way round.  It turned out that we had nearly wandered into the middle of the World G32 Racing Tour, where the catamarans on foils reach speeds of over 35mph.  We went close to one of the marks and it was amazing to see them go past.

G32 World Tour

The arrival in Lagos was a bit of a palaver, as we had to first dock on the reception pontoon, refuel and then check in.  We found that we had been allocated a very difficult berth to get into and so, after a lengthy negotiation, we finally managed to get ourselves upgraded to a bigger and easier spot.  Then we had to arrange for the lifting bridge to be raised so that we could get into the marina. 

Passing through the lifting bridge

To further complicate matters; John Hutton, Carol Fletcher and Suzy Nutkins has all turned up to welcome us to Lagos.  While John was very helpful providing assistance with lines and other things, Carol and Suzy turned out to be major distractions for other crew members who I still needed to get Bali Hai into her berth and then cleaned.  Needless to say, I became increasingly grumpy.

Fortunately, Carol and Suzy diplomatically took themselves off and we eventually managed to get everything sorted and Bali Hai clean and tidy.  John and Lisa own a flat in Lagos and Richard and Carol were staying with him.  Greg and Suzy had booked into a hotel.  Emma and I enjoyed some peace and quiet for the first time in three weeks.

That evening John had booked a table for everyone at a local restaurant specialising in grilled meats.  It was lovely to have meat after so many fishy meals and the quality was outstanding.

Everyone together



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