February - Winters ALMOST gone
Posted at 7:08 AM, Friday, February 20, 2009
It's been an odd winter here in the UK with even snow as far south as us down in the New Forest - but as the evenings draw out and daytimes temperatures begin to rise - we are seeing the first green shoots of spring. Good. It seems a long time coming.
We did not quite have the house totally enclosed in its condom before the first snow arrived, but top marks to the guys as they struggled with icy hands to build a huge scaffolding structure resembling a pop concert stage over the house before they whipped the roof tiles off.
The rook is now all gone - and the new floor and higher roof structure is beginning - so we've moved out all the furtniture into store and we are currently resident just up the road as guests of Rob and Lou until it is all finished. With luck should be early April.
Fancy having to put up with your folks for what will be three months! Bless em.
Have begun sorting the list of tasks we need to cover off with Swagman before our summer exit.
Top of the list is having another look at our anchoring system. Its one of those neat fold away type devices which while a great concept - has never really worked well in practice. The chain takes too many 90 degree turns before getting to the windlass - and the friction created often overcomes the power of the windlass clutch - meaning we resort to manual lifting. It needs sorting.
Further down the list is hiosting out the boat to blast the bottom and replace anodes - but we need to decide if its easier to do this in our own marina or trip over to Cowes where they have a floating lift / scrub device on the Medina River. Never used one of those, so that appeals.
Need also to plot our route plan so as to allow us to enjoy both North and South Brittany before slipping down to the Rias of Northern Spain and points onward - and that now reminds me we also need to remove the deck mounted plotter as we knowcked a button off it last year. God - the jobs never stop.
I'm looking forward to getting away especially the expceted stops in Brittany. We spend a summer in N Brittany in 2003 on the Grand Soleil, and found the atmosphere, music and dancing in the region pretty special.
Not sure if you are all aware, but the Celtic connection runs down from Scotland through Wales / across Ireland into Conwall, but also down the Brittany coasts, into Galicia in N Spain and Portugual.
FYI the Basques are definately Celts.
When we enjoyed a late night festival in Tregier (N Brittany) back in 2003 we were thrilled with the way the whole town got partying. Grannies with punk rockers. Even English guests were invited up to join the quaintly old fashioned folk dancing which looks like something twix a Scottish Reel and a Morris dance.
Then came midnight, and out swirled the local Mayoress waving the Breton flag (French flag not in sight) and accompanied by a growing group of locals and visitors, marching around the town square to the sounds of chanters and bagpipes. Lovely 'lets get pissed and join em' type stuff.
Hope to share this once more with Rob and Lou if they join us for a week or so on our journey south in June / July.
That part of the Channel coast enjoys tides that restrict your entry to harbours for most hours of the day.
Nearly every port has a sill or locking gate entry to keep their boats afloat when the water dissappears - but this means a lot of planning to ensure you lock out on one high tide and then are able to slip along the coast to get locked back into the next port - all before the tide drops and prevents this happening.
With a 30 metre tidal range one usually expects approaches to completely dry out and if you miss the chance - you're out there for a further 10 hours and another go.
Interestingly, when we did this before in 03 we also experienced lots of fog - making it all nicely dramatic.
Big crags of rock poking up close inshore (absolutely stunning when in sunshine), tide racing one way at a great rate of knots, boats racing the other way with near zero visibility - all dodging those small French guys with a fag in one hand, a fishing rod in the other, who could not care less about fog signals or radar as the sip Calvados in their 10 foot dinghy.
It all makes for a great sailing experience - so can't wait to experience it again! Lets hope the memory box is not faulty. Right - enough of the rambling.
We've one last week away skiing in Andorra with the Costa Blanca Ski Club. Should be fun. We fly to Alicante, then coach it up to the mountains with a BIG mob of near strangers. Bit like the Cacoon movie but on wheels. But cheap as - with lots of snow already on the mountains to enjoy.
I may add a picture or two when we get back.
In the meantime, you take care
JOHN
{ add comment }