All aboard ...

Well, the skipper is aboard anyway!

Horrible four hour drive down this morning which scuppered my intention of stopping for breakfast and a snooze once I was South of the river. Never mind. I arrived at the brokers office and picked up the paperwork so Pagan, ex-Sandpiper, is now officially ours

Then it was a short hop, via Tesco for some bits and bobs I'd forgotten, to Port Hamble

24 hours parking set me back £10 but needs must.

First order of business was my first mug of much needed coffee aboard and then it was four big trolley loads of gear from the van, a good hundred yards away, to the pontoon. Then it all had to be heaved across the decks of an Elan racing yacht. That was no picnic as the decks are all at horrible angles to walk on (no doubt that works when the thing is flying along under sail but at the dock it is a serious pain in the bottom)

Half way through I broke off to set the water tank filling from the hose.

Eventually, everything was aboard and the water was full!

Another coffee break was followed by setting about finding places to put everything away. I haven't gone to town on the stowage, it's all just "away", because doubtless we'll be changing our minds when we settle down to sort her out properly.

I can already see a number of additional items on my "to do" list improving the stowage with extra shelves and things.

Having largely sorted all that out, other than my clothes and fouly bags which are just chucked up in the v-berth for now, I wandered up to Force 4 chandlery and parted with yet more "cash" for a full gas bottle (one empty and one that feels nearly empty was not good!), swapped a four year out of date coastal flare pack for a shiny new in date pack and ordered up a hatch cover for the big perspex hatch over the v-berth

The cover will keep the perspex from suffering UV damage but more importantly it will keep the daylight from disturbing us when we're asleep in there.

I was about to put the kettle on again when Nicki, the previous owner, arrived to show me anything I hadn't found already. As it happens, I'd pretty well figured everything out but she did pass on several useful bits of info over coffee.

Then I had a fiddle to work out why the AIS transponder appeared to be refusing to transmit a position. Once I'd fired up the configuration software it was obvious. It was, for some reason, set to Silent Mode in the software. I changed that and changed the name in the AIS config for good measure.

I shall have to fit a hardware silent switch at some point

The one remaining job left to do is to bend on the mainsail which has been away at the menders having some stitching re-done. I'm too tired, it's blowing a bit too much from just the wrong direction and it's getting a bit chilly so that will have to wait until I get back here tomorrow afternoon.

I may be glad of the emergency heating (a 1kw gas cartridge camping heater) tonight as I cannot get shore power where I am. It's only half past six and, despite it having been a pleasantly warm day, I can feel the temperature dropping noticeably as the sun heads towards the horizon.

Something for dinner will be on the cards very soon and then I'll chill (literally!) until I'm ready to sleep

With no shore power and only a weak mobile data signal my tech time is strictly limited and posting pictures isn't going to happen. That's quite handy as I haven't taken any all day!

Tomorrow must be another early start to drive back to Fambridge and then hop on the train straight back here again. But more of that another day. Tomorrow, in fact!