new deckies

Well..... after this weekends weather, there's not a lot else to report... Besides... the old, much loved pair have reached the stage where the holes in the soles have become sufficiently large that i'm getting fed up of wet feet...OK.... so its chucked it down most of the weekend.... we are rapidly in danger of becoming a 'marina caravan' owner...Saturday we fettled... fitted the new teak mug, wine glass and spice holders, and generally wasted time.... nipped into Ipswich, and grabbed a few bits and bobs...Saturday afternoon, we had an RNLI sea check, which, while it only confirmed that we are pretty much OK safety kit wise, did prompt me to reconsider a few things, mainly related to too much kit stuck in the bottom of lockers rather than readily accessible.... a couple of good points were raised though.... firstly, ensuring that the liferaft is mounted in its cradle so that the gas bottle (which is the heaviest bit of the contents) is at the bottom.... good for the pushpit mounts, and good for the liferaft not to have all that weight sitting upon it..... and secondly, some thoughts about what items we have for plugging major holes in the boat, and how to get them in situ.....Went out to the 'Shipwreck' for a bite to eat Saturday night, and had a huge Paella, v good....Sunday we fettled again... chilled... listened to music... read the paper... and then left at 13h00.... via a couple of chandleries...bought the new deckies, that I need to break in before the longer trips planned, and various other bits and bobs... a set of stickers to put Morgana's name on the lifebelt, and one of those condensation absorbers.... its that time of the year, but we are getting an awful lot of condensation at night in the forward cabin, and it was raining too hard to have the hatch too wide open!So, all in all, a bit of a wash out... but never the less, actually a productive and fun weekend.... we seem to enjoy just 'being on the boat'.....No sailing next weekend... got to get some gardening done.... I keep expecting to see someone appear out of the lawn dressed in jungle whites and bearing a machete....But, as we are off to Oostende the following weekend, and then onwards for a week of gentle crusing, possible via Gravelines, i'd better use the time wisely to get some planning done as well...