We were all set to go on the 19th but the weather gods have conspired against us and delayed things just a tad. Basically, last week the marina had 60-odd kt gusts which meant the crane was shut down for 2 days. That of course compounded everything and meant there was no chance our rig was going up on Friday. Hey ho, we cracked on and got the jib furler re-fitted, re-fitted / tweaked / tested the steering, and finally finished the painting.
While I had the aft cabin pulled apart, I also shuffled our camping gear and made space for essential stores.
The Southampton boat jumble also came about this past weekend so other than our obligatory purchases of coffee and sugared donuts, we picked up spare halyards and sheets for 25% the normal price, a compass for the aft deck, a Western Europe Atlantic Pilot, and some additional water for mixing with coolant. I also (finally!) managed to find a 12V screen for the aft deck today so we can run our navigation software on the laptop in the wheelhouse, and have it displayed at the helm. Sweet.
Anyways, the marina were very helpful and have not pencilled us in for the masts to be done on the 18th (Monday) and the boat to go back in the water on the 22nd (Friday). We'll miss our tidal window to leave so they've also offered for us to stay at a berth for 1.5 weeks at a MUCH cheaper rate, which also will give us a chance to get the last few jobs done (test the engines, test the steering, check for leaks, etc etc).
So there you have it - a new departure date of 1-3rd June (likely 3rd June). This means even though we've been delayed a year, I'm still leaving on this trip whilst I'm 30 (a big deal for me) and it also gives Grant a chance to get up our way to collect his dinghy and dive compressor.
1 week 'til the masts go up....
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