weather

Not planning on sailing this weekend. We did half have it in mind, but have now seen the weather forecast...3 degrees, 35kts and snow isn't quite in my 'ideal' range!Never mind..... i'm sure there will be plenty to get on with at home...

Marina fees

We've just got the bill for the annual marina fees....as I say every year, its seems a cruel time of the year to send out the bill!They've only gone up two percent this year, perhaps an indicator of the harder economic climate?I've just added a countdown on the home page until we plan to depart.... its sitting at 111 months.. It seems almost unkind on myself to put that there, but only last night Debs and I were discussing that this year has simply vanished byIf the next 9 or so go as quickly, then we'll be off before we know what's happened!We are also aware that unless you plan far enough in advance, and actually do something about it, then you'll never be in a position to go.It also depends upon what the kids end up doing...... I hope they'll go to Uni, but who knows.... Both Debs and I were quite independent of our parents at an early age, so hope ours are too!

Winterising afloat

As we are staying in this year, partially to take advantage of some of those lovely winter days, and partially to keep costs down, I was thinking about what we should be doing to winteriseWhen we were last down a week ago, I drained down the water system, hot and cold, so that there is nothing in the pipes. The dehumidifier was plugged in, a small greenhouse frost preventing heater was switched on, and that was about it!The engine is left as is, figuring that with the boat in the water, then the sea temperature will help, and the frost heater, which kicks in at 4 degrees will assist.If we have a particularly cold spell forecast, then I may drain down the engine too, but thats easier said than down in the water... not impossible, but just hard work.... I may just turn up the heater a few degrees instead!The other thing that is playing on my mind is anodes... if we aren't being lifted then I need to think this through.Last year, after a season afloat, the prop anode was well consumed, and so I might need to hang an anode off the back of the boat... only where to connect it to?I might try running a cable down through the locker lid an in to the propshaft, but then i'll need to fit it to the shaft, which probably means a jubilee clip, which is one more hassle when we arrive/depart.... any better ideas?

laying down supper

Being rather contrarian, we get a group together each year for the annual 'laying down supper'......As I am sure you can ascertain from the title, its a boozy affir, full of laughter and fun...This year, it was (thankfully!) at our home marina, and a group of 32 people gathered on Saturday night for an evening of food and drink....various prizes were awarded for achievements throughout the season, some less of an achievement than others...... suffice to say the prizes included a chicken hat, a toilet roll, and a ball of string amongst other things.....Anyway, it was yet another weekend of no sailing.... which with a F10 forecast wasn't our greatest of concerns....Morgana stays in this winter, an we are hoping for a few lovely winter days to get out on the water....Some of you have commented that the blogging has been slow over recent weeks, and I thank you for your concerns..... its simply been the impact of a very very busy period at work, where i've been getting home too exhausted to even contemplate logging on.... normal (overly verbose) service will resume shortly!