The Polar Bear II tempts me into boat trespass.

On Friday, the strangest thing happened. I decided to run a search on Google to see if this site would appear. After a few failed attempts, I searched the terms "polar bear nauticat". In response, I found a used Nauticat 38 listed for sale in Suffolk county, which is only 70 miles northeast of London. To my surprise, it was named the Polar Bear II! The coincidence was too much. Simon and I made an impromptu weekend trip to see it, made possible by Simon's generous mum who lent us her car.

We aren't the earliest of risers, so we didn't head out until shortly after noon on Saturday. London traffic was atrocious and it took us four hours to get through the city. It was nearly 5:30 by the time we pulled into the marina in Ipswich. Just as we drove in, we saw the man at the brokerage shop lock up to go home. Curses! I worried that we drove all this way and would never see the boat. So we parked and wandered around the marina looking for the Polar Bear II. The wind was whipping and it was getting dark, so after about twenty minutes, we abandoned our search for the day.

Half an hour later, we pulled into the sleepy town of Felixstowe, which greets you with a sign claiming, "England's Premier Port." (Simon scoffed at this but had to eat his words when he found out that it is the third largest container ship port in all of Europe.) Felixstowe looks like a miniature version of the New Jersey shore with all the tacky lights and carnival booths, and it was similarly closed up for the winter. Although we didn't book any accommodations, we quickly came across a quaint, 4-star bed and breakfast called the Grafton Guest House. http://www.grafton-house.com/gh/. The friendly owner greeted us upon ringing the bell. It was quiet, affordable and central. Our room was immaculately clean and comfortably set up with a double bed and en suite. Recommended.

The proprietor of the Grafton House suggested that we try a restaurant on the water front called the Alex. http://www.alexcafebar.co.uk/. The Alex was a gem! We absolutely gorged ourselves on the best lamb and pork I have ever had. The house red wine was beautiful and had a distinct cherries and dark chocolate flavor to it. We finished with the cheese platter, which Simon gleefully announced had several varieties that "smell like socks" and were therefore lovely. Happily, we left satisfied and not too much poorer, as the Alex was also nicely priced.

The next morning, Simon and I got up early to search for the Polar Bear II. The previous evening, I discovered that the brokerage was closed on Sundays, so our only hope was to stumble across the boat and see if we could kick her tires informally. We quickly found the Polar Bear II gleaming in the early morning sunshine. She was hauled out of the water and set up on stilts. On the ground a few feet behind her was a ladder belonging to another boat. After a quick look around, we set the ladder upright and scurried aboard. She was beautiful! Teak decks! Lots of storage! Good condition! All she needs is a little paint, some oil, and a nice young couple to take her out to sea.

Unaccustomed to rising before 10 am, Simon and I were shocked to realize it was only 11 am by the time we were done at the marina in Ipswich. With so much of the day left, we decided to see a castle (as you do in Europe). We drove north to Framlingham to see the ruins of a 12th Century castle that was later used by Queen Mary Tudor as a hide out. The country roads sported homes with proper thatched roofs and road signs to warn of deer and frog crossings. (They must have huge frogs around there.) The castle remains consisted of a Tudor house and large, impressive, but crumbling stone walls. The castle also had a trench dug around it for a moat. It would have been awesome to run around if we were 10-year olds.
http://www.touruk.co.uk/castles/castle_Framlingham.htm.

Now that we've found the Polar Bear II, I'm working on getting her. Wish us luck!

PS - I realize that this is the second time in a year that I've jumped aboard a complete stranger's boat without permission. Unlike the last time, however, alcohol and Liz weren't the instigators. Also, I managed to remain fully clothed and was not apprehended by a Greek man who may or may not have been intending to trade me in Turkey for a goat.