She had first been named Nausicaa, way back in 1972, then, on a change of
ownership she became Europa. I bought her close to Christmas,
at the turn of the century, and after countless suggestions from friends and
family, I renamed her Avanti. She really needed some urging
forward!
During her seven years of waiting, of sitting on the mud-banks of
Chichester Harbour and then of Quayside Marina in the river Itchen in
Southampton, she has undergone an unfair number of trials and
tribulations. But now she is close to "getting going", as her name
tells us; close to lifting her bows to the rhythm of the waves, to leaning
against the power of the wind in her sails.
I
am her owner and skipper. My name is Eleanor (though my first name is
Ryllis) and, thanks to the advertising power of the internet, I have, after
making contact with well over fifty people, gathered together a strong crew, all
experienced sailors and boat-owners. They are Mike, Davy and Bill.
Of the four of us, though, I am the only one with previous ocean experience, but
for all of us, sailing from the UK to Madeira in mid-November/December will be a
new experience.
So .... watch this space. I see that Mike has already decided to fill a
bit of the space with photos, which show you the amazing amount of clutter on
the decks, as seen from the top of the mast, as well as the definitely
non-mega-buck surroundings! We can't afford big bucks, and we don't mind being
here, for now. Madeira and the Canaries will seem all the more delightful by
contrast.
