1 september 2020

Roller coaster of emotions

Yesterday, after a long, and full-on weekend getting  Broadsword ready and organised. Finding other things that were wrong and needing fixed. Still waiting for the spray hood which seemed to have disappeared into the void that is the delivery route. The spray hood had left the manufacturers a couple of weeks ago …about 50 miles away!

John and I got up very early.  The sea was calm.  The sun was back out. We had a fantastic weather window to head over the channel, pick up Dougie and Mark, and then head up to Norway. We girded our loins for a very stern chat with the boat builder.  We were going to leave at 1400 hours, not a moment later.

We moved the boat to their pontoon and waited.  Broadsword was very soon awash with a huge army of boat technicians, and electronic specialists  And then……halleluiah …the spray hood arrived.   Much cheering was to be had by all.  I think everyone was given Rum rations.  Even the captain looked a tad emotional, but he swears it was something in his eye.

New spray hood!! 

The lovely Mattheas checked off all the things on his job list and even managed to solve the problem of the wobbly loo seat.  The wobbly loo seat has been the bane of the fourth mate., who , by being the only girl on board, has been successfully jettisoned off her seat on several occasions.  Much swearing has been heard from the heads.

We have been so grateful for Mattheas.  All his help has been invaluable. We decided to  give him a bottle of whisky as a gift.  Again, it was a very emotional moment. I thought Mattheas might cry but he said it was something to do with his contact lenses.

The captain reckoned it was probably the relief that we might actually be leaving!

To say we were stunned, would be an understatement.  We felt utterly defeated.

But as John says ‘there are never any problems, only solutions’

So, at the end of play yesterday. We sadly did not sail into the sunset from Cherbourg.  We will be here for another  night!! Dougie and Mark have made about their 80^th billionth set of travel plans. They will fly in tonight with the hope of departing first thing on Wednesday. 

It's now in the hands of the Gods…..