Position           15:34.94N 61:27.85W

Date                2359 – 14 March 2011

We have had a little trouble with the controller for the fridges which blew its fuse and also the only spare.  I cobbled together a temporary fix but replacements were required.  This was a very good excuse for a walk around Portsmouth, or along the main street which runs by the side of the bay.  Even the “security” dogs are laid back, and, note, in the shade.

Budget Marine have a small outlet here but they did not have the correct size.  Success was found however in an excellent motor factor just further along the street.

One of the features of Portsmouth is the chickens that are all over the place.  One has to assume that they have some form of homing instinct, feral chickens does not sound right somehow.

Over the past few days one of the great sights here has been the fully rigged ship Stadt Amsterdam.  Looking up on the internet provides the information that it was completed in 2000, it has 14 “luxury” cabins for guests and 25 crew.  Guests are invited to assist in sail handling if they wish.  It is doing a season in the Caribbean before returning to Europe in April.  Individual bookings or the complete ship as you wish!

In the evening we were joined for sundowners by Ian Jackie from Blackthorn Lady.  Ian served a full career in the army in REME and on retirement managed the Army Sailing Centre at Gosport.  We pulled up a sandbag and yarned – great.