As previously reported, we finally arrived at Port Napoleon on Monday 26^th September.  We had logged a total of 1100 miles during the summer.  Our Mediterranean adventure had come to an end and we enjoyed an evening meal in Restaurant Josephine (the ‘club house’ of the marina) and met some familiar faces.

The rest of the week was filled with removing sails, removing all ropes, sheets and lines and generally cleaning the boat ready for lift-out and winter layup.  It was lifted on Friday 30^th September and towed round to its winter berth (on the hard). We were pleased to discover the anti-foul was in pretty good shape and there were not many barnacles on the propeller.  More cleaning and dealing with minor gelcoat repairs as well as deciding how to address the problem of a dirty fuel tank (a case of diesel bug, we think).

We flew home on Sunday 2^nd October for a short stay and to collect the car.  We arrived back to the boat on Friday 7^th and arranged for the fuel tank to be flushed by the local engineers.  Unfortunately they required the removal of the cutlery drawer and wooden surround in order to access the tank (which kept me busy for the next day).  We also failed to get the engine properly winterised with antifreeze, so that was another job left to the engineers.

Having emptied the boat of all our clothes, and uneaten food, we loaded the car and set off home.  We had time to visit Puy en Velay, with its spectacular volcanic hills and the religious statues, and Orleans, with its beautiful old buildings and the statue of its famous ‘maid’.

We arrived home late on Wednesday 12^th October and had just enough time to collect our thoughts – and sailing gear – to join the Newbury Yacht Club rally for a weekend trip to Lymington to practice MOB routines (man-over-board).  It was a great weekend with good sailing and good food and company on Friday and Saturday.  However, we awoke on Sunday morning surrounded by fog and we had to motor, very carefully, back to Port Solent with our skipper, Alan Dawes.

Provisional plans for next year are to demast and relaunch in May to return to the UK via the French inland waterways.  Hopefully we will be able to start with a brief detour to explore the Canal du Midi before the ‘uphill’ journey up the Rhone and Soane.  As always, visitors are always welcome and the risk of sea-sickness will be much reduced for this return leg.

Until April 2012, when we will be back on the boat to carry out the seasonal polishing and preparations, we wish you all a happy and warm winter.

Ron & Elizabeth HOWARD

Eliza B,  Moody 36 (1998)

+ 44 7768 816 579

+ 33 (0)6 11 66 79 08

http://blog.mailasail.com/elizab