We left Felixstowe on the 4th of April.  The people there gave the crew quite a send off.  We arrived at the Ipswich Custom House in the beautiful town of Ipswich,where another gathering was in store for us.  This was to be the beginning of many functions that the crew would attend during our stay in England.  And during this period, we still had to get Godspeed ready for sea.  At times this would be hard, but  getting things stowed or installed and at the same time entertain guests would become the norm.  Sometimes, it became quite amusing.  We would be in the middle of a project, maybe in the 'tween deck area and you'd look up and see a group of people touring the main cabin.  If some of our visitors knew we were there, they wouldn't have worn skirts!

We worked in shifts, some of the crew on and the others off to do what ever they wanted.  Not too far down the quay was the Malt Kiln.  Tied up behind it  was a Thames Sailing barge.  This vessel was pretty big.  And lucky us, it had a pub set up down below.  So it wasn't far to go to get a pint and relax.  And it was the first place to look for AWOL crew!

We were provided with a place to shower, eat and on rotation sleep, at an old place called Neptune's Inn.  It was built in the 17th century.  There were people from town that prepared meals for us and gave a few of us a tour of Ipswichs night life. This was a big help while we were working on Godspeed.  Though last names are forgotten, a few first names of these kind ladies I do remember  were Jane, Helju and Louise. 
One of the functions we attended was at the ancestral home of Bartholomew Gosnold, the original captain of Godspeed.  John Mossison and his wife, invited the crew to a costume party.  Well to be more exact, we wore the costumes.  We had a very nice time and delicious food.

HARWICH
GRAVESEND
ST. KATHERINE'S DOCK

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