Memories of Ellen arriving in
Cowes -
Snow
flurries, cannons and Ellen's
thoughtfulness...by Susan
Powell
This was a more
straightforward journey for me! My mum lives on the
Isle of Wight, so I
travel there frequently to visit her. She was as keen
as myself to welcome
Ellen home to the Island and I arranged to meet her
in Cowes.
After a rough (but
fun!) crossing I eventually arrived in Cowes to
FREEZING conditions and
occasional snow flurries - but sunny, so brilliant for
taking photos. The cold
certainly didn't deter the crowds, which were
gradually increasing all
morning.
 
After meeting up
with mum, we walked down past the Royal Yacht Squadron
and were excited to
suddenly spot B & Q approaching in the far distance,
her huge sail dwarfing
the flotilla of assorted crafts which were beginning
to surround
her.
It was a very
emotional moment as Ellen, B & Q and the flotilla
glided majestically past
the Royal Yacht Squadron and the
cannons were fired in salute of her
bravery...
...seeing Ellen
and B & Q out on the open water -
and sailing so close
to the shore...
...brought it home
to us what they must have been through
together ....
Back on land,
another emotional moment - seeing Ellen receive the
Freedom of
the Isle of Wight
- and hearing her praise for her supportive
team.
After the
speeches, Ellen left the bandstand to speak to
well-wishers and
sign autographs. I
managed to talk to her (briefly) and show her a photo
I
took in Falmouth
of her and B & Q arriving - a "magic moment" for
me!
A memory I have of
that day, that most impressed me, was that although
Ellen
must have still
been extremely tired from her voyage, as well as coping
with
the hectic
schedule in Cowes, she still found the time to mingle
with the
crowd - stopping
to chat and sign autographs. This thoughtfulness on
her
part must have
given so many people a very special day to treasure
....
Susan
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