It's all beginning again.

It's all beginning again!

What a winter that was. A year away from work with the most taxing thing being this blog then the old job rings me up and says, " you use to train people, we've got a bit of a job for you. Don't worry it will only be part time and you'll always be in your comfort zone." Er okay what am I training and who to?" Don't worry about that it's all child protection related and you'll have an academic with you. You'll be fine." Okay then when do you want me? "November 1st." Er okay!

20 flights later, a learning curve that required a pipe bender, a ferocious academic from the University of Liverpool and a realisation that my comfort zone is, being old and slightly confused, nearly broke me but, with the fine support of young, very clever people and a senioretta with a work ethic like an express train, in fact it could have towed an express train. (She may argue that she was doing some towing) I survived an unimaginable winter of work.

Mrs K said "we/you needed to pay for our future."

Talking of Mrs K, this old wife had so much confidence in the old sailing plan that she has now retired full time and we are now boat gypsies together. ( I may have over stated the " so much confidence" bit.) There were a few that thought she may have invested poorly!

Raw attraction wins the day!

So here we are back with Hermy, although a little later than anticipated. Managed to spend a week in March after I was released, from whatever it was I was meant to be training, to start working on things that didn't work before and discover all those things that used to work but don't any more.

Note the bags, not full of personal belongings but bits that will maintain the boat.

5 days of frantic putting things away, out, on and up saw us ready for our launch. 

This brought back traumatic memories of how this yard uses a sort of boat forklift with Hermy teetering around as they drive her towards her reunion with the water.

Slightly less scary this time.

And in she goes. No issues. Well, that is until I check the bilges for a second time and see rather a lot of water. "Don't want to worry you dear but I think we are sinking!" 

Having just begun to relax I return to a state of frantic bilge searching ably advised by Mrs K who helpfully directs me towards  anything I have been "bloody messing about with." This proves to be a helpful tactic with the new toilet seacock pipe being a culprit together with some "I mustn't forget to tighten them up before we go in the water" jubilee clips. 

Two days work brings the leaking down from a gallon an hour to a gallon every 24. That will do.

With this in mind I am urged to fit and ready the new life raft.

Here we are all ready to start off after a season pootling along the canals we can now sail properly.

As we head out in to Fos bay with the sun shining and all being tickety boo on 9th June 2017, we see a sobering sight.

HMS Conservatives?

After a lovely lunch at anchor in Verdon bay we take our first dip in the Med of the voyage and all is lovely. We up anchor and slip in to the Port of Carro but there are no clear visitors berths so we make for Sausset Les Pins. 

Much more welcoming and a very helpful young Capitanaire shows us the French lazy line technique of mooring up. And once again I am able to break the ice with the French as I leap about forgetting that Hermy is now a sail boat and welt my swede, with almost unprecedented force, against the boom. 

The large aluminium spar resonates with a bell like "boing" followed by an expletive that needed no translation. The Capitain cannot contain his composure as a trickle of blood seeps from underneath my cap as I try to carry on as if it didn't happen. 

I'm Back!