November 1996.  We finally got out of the weather and securely situated in Sutton Harbor.  A marina right in the heart of Plymouth.  We were stoked!!

We met up with new friends from the Azores Peter and Sylvia.  They lived in a small village north of Plymouth, but came into the "big city" often enough that we were able to stay in touch.  When Thanksgiving rolled around, we invited them for an American traditional Thanksgiving dinner.  We found all of the traditional ingredients and so we were able to pull it off.  Sharing this meal with Peter and Sylvia was so much fun.  We all ate way too much.  

Our boats were next to each other while in Horta in the Azores and they were the first people to greet us after our Atlantic crossing from Bermuda to Horta.  Such a fun couple.  

Once we got to Plymouth in Devon, we knew we had found our winter spot.  The marina is behind a retaining wall with a lock for an entrance.  That will protect us from any winter weather that blows through.  Plus the facilities are wonderful.  The hitch--they couldn't get us in until the end of October.  That meant sitting around waiting or continue to cruise and come back when we could get settled.  We chose to continue cruising for a couple more weeks.  Winter was coming though and so the weather wasn't always ideal.

One of our favorite spots was Dartmouth.  A beautiful, charming seaside town.  We loved the history and the nautical heritage.  It wasn't a place to spend the winter, but for a few weeks, it was great.  But weather continued to get more threatening.

After a month of cruising the southwest coast and surviving Force 10 winds near Salcombe, we finally stopped cruising and settled in Sutton Harbor in Plymouth for the winter.