A Knight’s Tale (133: The Official Welcome)

At last Sam arrived into Port St Charles and

successfully brought his boat into dock.

He sat aboard for a while, preparing himself for his first touch of land for two months.

Then came the official welcome of Ken Crutchlow, Secretary of the Ocean Rowing Society, filmed by Dixie,

Before doing anything else Sam was required to report to border control. This involved walking along a narrow quayside to present his passport to a man in a little office. As he was rather wobbly, he needed my assistance to reach this point. It was, of course, a great privilege to be selected to provide such support.

After this we lined up for group photographs. Here Jessica, Louisa, and I join Sam and Ken.

Here, I relayed the result to the Nottingham Evening Post.

Before repairing to the bar, Sam caught up with me, his mother and his sister.

Here he is in the beach bar.

Each evening for the rest of our stay, we began with potent rum punches in the main dining area upstairs. After a few of these, Ken would always cry: ‘Samson Knight. Who named that boy?’

We were to learn in particular how the voyage had not been without its narrow escapes.

57 comments

  1. I’ve experienced the weird kind of dizziness that can come after only a week or so at sail — closing my eyes in a shower, for example, and feeling as though still at sea, having to reach out for balance. I can imagine how much more pronounced the feeling was for Sam — good to have someone to reach out to as the adjustment began.

  2. And a good time was had by all. Looking forward to reading about those adventures. I love the picture of all of you and Sam relaxing in the bar.

  3. WHAT a wonderful achievement and how proud you must all have felt. This is a delightfully modest post, Derrick.

  4. Such an amazing adventure. I didn’t even consider how wobbly he would feel, but of course. How wonderful it must have been for you to see him arrive–it kind of makes me tear up to think about it. ?

  5. That looks like a very happy reunion, especially after having to drop anchor the previous evening. I am looking forward to the stories of Sam’s trip across the Atlantic!

  6. The magnitude of courage and fortitude Sam must have needed to survive the Atlantic is impossible to perceive unless one is exposed to elements in a similar manner. I am sure his arrival must have been a very special occasion.

  7. Oh, Derrick – Such a great story. I can’t even imagine what it was like for you and Jessica as parents to have gone through this all with Sam. Fear, pride, sleepless nights, wanting to find ways to support him. Just so fun to hear all about it!

  8. Ha ha ha, Samson Knight!! I enjoyed these photos so much, and though it’s your family and not mine, I’m so pleased that you have the photos to remember the important moment in Sam’s life and all of your lives. The love and support is beautiful here. Sam looks relieved.

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