37.23N 6.00W

Sevilla : Sunday, 7^th May, 2018

Progress has been agonisingly slow. The marina wanted consent to lift the boat off the ground but took a week to ask for it. Then no-one would do anything until the surveyor's report had been approved by the insurance (this is not strictly neccessary, as the owners we could instruct work to begin immediately, but the repairers were reluctant to start without insurance permission). The combination of ourselves, the insurance, the marina office, our agent/guardianage and repairers all making decisions resulted in huge delays [not quite “The Germans are dancing on a wet plank”, but nearly]. The major problem we ourselves caused was to agree to the destructive delivery of the water tank. To remove it intact would mean destroying the cabin floor (which it still does), part of the bathroom and the chart table. Instead we opted to take it out in parts and rebuild it. Sadly this involved another Inox contractor and half the steel industry of Southern Spain all of whom added 3 weeks to the job.  Finally things are beginning to move but I doubt we’ll be in the water before June.

Admiral Insurance have been fantastic, without a hint of a quibble and an immediate response to every development. They even offered to advance any deposit the builders required.

I tried to cheer them up with this picture of the boat next door, but am not sure if it did!

We sat around in our palatial apartment in Puerto Sherry but the price trebled for this week because of a motor cycle rally so we came to Sevilla for a few days until it was over. This apartment is smaller but equally nice and even has its own lift opening into the sitting room! At last the weather has improved so, as well as trudging round cathedrals and palaces, Clare has got in couple of days sunbathing. Then we’ll go back to our previous apartment at a thankfully reduced rate because they’ve obviously taken pity on us.