HEADLINE NEWS - Swagmans Returning for the UK Summer!
Posted at 8:23 AM, Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Hi All,
Slight change of plan - maybe an understatement but.......
We are currently both back in a sunless UK sorting out buying, selling and rebuilding homes, and have been giving lots of thought to our planned storage of Swagman far far away during the Caribbean hurricane season.
You might recall we'd booked to sail souhward after Antigua Race Week and get her placed safely ashore at Peakes Yard in Trinidad until November 08? Well it is looking like we're going to be completely rebuilding the back end of a new home we've found in the Forest, so the summers going to stretch out here in the UK. And as Lymington is only 5 minutes away - its all combined to make us decide to get Swagman back here instead of leaving her out there.
We've not the time to sail her home under her own steam, so we've negotiated a great rate to see her shipped from the US BVI's (cheaper than I'd expected) to Southampton.
We've taken a deep breath and booked a Lymington Yacht Haven berth for a season.
WAAAAAAAA. Now that was a LOT MORE than I'd expected.
But at least we'll see her parked up back by the end of May, only 5 minutes by car, 15 minutes by bike, or 30 minutes running from the new home.
In the meantime nothing else has changed. We are still flying back out to her in Antigua for two weeks R&R and Race Week - then we'll set off north to the VI's and our rendevous with the big ship - then we'll fly back home.
And whilst we might need to consider a mortgage to pay the marina fees in Lymington - all this means we can save a quid or two in other ways on work planned for the boat.
All the gensets are made in Europe. So we'll now delay fitting that until we get her back here. Most aircon sets are made in USA, so we'll try to get one fitted before she's shipped.
And the freezer is rasing too many questions for the installers. So I'll take on the labour of love this summer and build it in myself.
So - nice one - all we need do now is resolve where we might cruise to from the UK this summer?
Round Britain says me? NOOO says Sue.
Over to France? Mmmm. Yes maybe........but clarify where..
Baltic? Brrrr. No way this year - pal.
Brittany? A stronger possibility - as long as it embraces a few Wednesday Market days and music nights up river at Tregiuer........
Down again to the Med? Only if to French Riviera or back to Croatia....
Or Canaries to do ARC 2008? Hah hah hah she said running off with a wild look in her eye.........
So overall still feeling very lucky with the options available very very shortly.......on on.
Cheers
JOHN
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