Four Seasons in One Day
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Mon 6 Jan 2014 23:57
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All the Seasons, Most Days,
Except Snow........
  The New Year came in wet and windy
and make that very wet...... Baby Beez looked OK from a distance, on closer
inspection the petrol tank was actually floating in four inches of
water.
 This poor little
chap was seen shivering on Q Dock, trying to dry his non-waterproof-self
out – before he had even gone fishing. Our overnight temperatures are around
eighteen degrees Centigrade, to me this is rudeness, after the twenty eight to
thirty I have happily been used to. The only benefit is not having to sleep in
the shallow end of the pool AND Bear has been allowed to go without one of those
magic towels under him, like a draw sheet – no more sweaty boy..... The down
side has been the quilt fighting, in our sleep. This far south the need for a
bit more weight soon became apparent, so nearing New Zealand, we put the quilt
in the quilt cover, up until then I have been happy under just the two layers of
cotton of the cover alone. After we got here and sleeping together again, it
soon became clear that Bear was not ready for the weight on him and produced an
exclusion zone, keeping himself to himself and warm, that is. We got used to his
half of the quilt being in a random pile between us. Still not quite used to
saying last year for 2013 and this year, however....... This year, in his sleep,
he has begun to tug to get the quilt over himself. Me on guard as to not let him
become ‘sweaty boy’ once more, fight back (in my sleep) – result, some friendly
tug-o-wars, which eventually wake us both up. Mmmmm.
 Our new ensign arrived when eighteen months of UK post
arrived (Thank You Miffy and Rachel and the lovely Christmas card that came
too).
  The old
one has now been retired. The brand spanking new one measures a whole
yard. The old one had lost a full fourteen inches in
wind damage and the Union Jack was barely holding
together. Well done to a faithful servant.
 This morning we awake to a white out.
Sheer Tenacity, behind us was barely there,
the vacant buoy between us, looks like a dirty mark on the lens rather than a
bright orangey-red.
 To our
left, not so bad.........
 To our
right, mmmm, cold, wet fog.
 Bear worked hard all morning taking
the sails down, calling out only when a gust messed up his neatly folded main.
Oh its ballast that you need is it, as I threw myself on the unruly pile.
No comment, far to dangerous, far, far too
dangerous. As Bear had his initial visit from the riggers, I spent a
frustrating time trying to work my way through quite awful web sites to source a
new cockpit table, ours has had it. New cockpit seats as ours are badly split
and replacement window blinds. Several detailed emails later, Bear came in to
report that the two chaps had been very complementary about the girl, her good
quality ropes and colour scheme. I was then very pleased to be asked if I would
like to go ashore. I leapt at the chance and wiggled in to a
very full Baby Beez.
  Chirpy boy
went on a rubbish run as I watched in awe at how easy some chaps make a task
look – in this case to single handed load a boat on to a
trailer, whilst leaving the said boat in gear.
Next we used the marina trucks to pull the sails down the road to deliver them
to capable and restorative hands of Roger at North Sails.
  Oh to have such a
table and two massive sewing machines. The lady on one of our
neighbouring boats was ‘borrowing’ the far corner to do a bit of upholstery
work. .
  One by one
the two genoas and main sail were looked over and a job sheet
produced.
   Compared to boats coming in with
blown and tattered bits of sail, we have been incredibly lucky, just a couple of worn bits and a tear in the
sacrificial strip of our prime genoa. All packed away and left with
Roger, it was time for a meat pie and a sit down by the water. After supper, I
managed a backgammon win, my first in three days, still in minus figures on the
money though. I do hope it’s not a repeat of the first half of last year –
I do. Grrrrrr.....
ALL IN ALL A MIXED
OL’BAG
YEAH, BUT I STILL LOVE
YOU
STEADY.........
Have you ever see an outdoor shower
hose used with such accuracy......
Bear Has - OooooooErrrrrrr
Exit Stage Left Bear, Exit Stage
Left......
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