I know, I know, it doesn't scan as well as the original lyric but hey ho
So off I went at 5 this morning to drive the van back to Fambridge. The journey went exceptionally well and, after stopping off at South Woodham Ferrets to buy a train ticket (there's no machine or ticket office at Fambridge and the on-line ticket sites wouldn't let me travel during the off-peak period today!) I arrived in good time to have a quick shower, park up the van and walk up to the station
The rail journey also went very well with only brief waits for connections and even the final 30 minute walk from the station, well outside Hamble, to the marina was not unpleasant
Once I'd revived myself with a coffee, I set about striking the cockpit tent and pondering on how the hell I was going to bend on the mainsail with a stiff breeze from astern. Normally, I'd just turn the boat around but we're jammed in between a load of expensive looking racing machines and I really need help to get out of here!
No sooner had I removed the cockpit tent, the heavens opened up! On the bright (philosophically speaking) side, the rain killed the wind and when the heavy shower had passed I was able to bend on the main without much difficulty. It's not the prettiest of harbour stows I have to confess but it's on and ready.
I then toddled up to the chandlery to pick up the hatch cover they promised to get for me yesterday. The nice fairly new looking perspex hatch over the v-berth is all very well but it's going to annoy the hell out of anyone sleeping in there when the sun comes up at an early hour! So it's getting a cover over it.
Whilst there, I bit the bullet and bought a decent Standard Horizon HX870 DSC hand held VHF. I've been hankering after one ever since they came out and the dirt cheap Cobra I've got is pretty rubbish. My justification is that whilst the fixed VHF appears to be transmitting and receiving (tested from feet away with the Cobra) I'm hearing diddly squat on 16 or the local VTS channels and an attempt at a radio check with Solent Coastguard on their working channel elicited no responce.
I suspect either a faulty cable or masthead antenna and there's no time to address that right now so the decent hand held goes under the heading of "essential safety item" and therefore I've allowed myself to buy it.
With that on charge, I fired up the laptop and connected it to the work mobile (better signal) to get a data connection and set about some admin in the form of a Ship's Radio Licence, a Portable Radio Licence and the Small Ships Registration.
Then it was on to sorting out transferring the pre-planned routes from the PC to the chart plotter. That's an ongoing job because I'm having to reformat the CF card as the plotter wouldn't read it.
Rik's train arrives about 8, if he can get here by not much after 8:30 the pub five minutes away does food until 9 (I rang and checked!). Otherwise dinner will be out of a tin
The forecast for tomorrow is pants. Gale warning in this sea area which, if it's still extant in the morning, almost certainly means a no-go. If it drops to a Strong Breeze warning I'll consider going depending on what the weather actuals from the likes of Bramble and Chimet look like.
Early post today as hopefully we'll be up the pub in an hour and a bit
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