The gathering continues. The last member of the delivery crew (the younger Baines) arrived to Gran Canaria airport on Monday the 16^th, jumped a taxi and arrived on the boat (having climbed the locked gates to the pontoon with his bags containing a months worth of clothes & kit) just as Jerry the rigging man was inspecting the rigging.

This seemed sufficient excuse to stop for a beer (or more) at a quayside bar and then some Tapas on the boat. After this the younger Baines & Bill set about scraping the weed, slime and barnacles from under the boat, equipped with sponges & snorkels. An on shore shower preceded a fine supper in the quayside bar.

Tuesday dawned fine but shortly thereafter, there was a torrential sustained rain shower. It stopped & we breakfasted in a bar to tv pictures of mudslides in similar conditions on Lanzarote, and then on to the first of the ARC lectures that we attended. This one (interestingly enough) on provisioning. The afternoon was spent on more lectures and an attempt to repair the bent fitting on the main boom.

Useful activity on the boat was curtailed by darkness and the ARC ‘happy hour’ at the quayside bar. Spectacular entertainment was provided by an offshore lightning storm.

At the happy hour the crew decided to follow on with a trip to the vast department store/supermarket El Corte Ingles to purchase the food required for 5 adult males for 20 or so days. The consumption of a couple of beers before this adventure may have been inadvisable, but Richard (in control of the spread sheet of requirements) exercised tyrannical control over the ebullient youngsters. As well as this we were ably escorted by the delightful Sari who guided and facilitated out purchases. The quantity and quality of  meats and cheeses and juices sampled was such that none were able to face supper so we returned to the boat, pausing only to top up the beer levels (not having had the opportunity to sample the alcoholic beverages in El Cortes Ingles).

On Wednesday, it continued: a collection of jobs/sorting out/checking/swapping worn split pins/taping up the sharp edges (hoping to preserve the spinnaker longer than last time) attending ARC lectures/missing ARC lectures because the younger Baines thought it started at 1500 instead of 1400/carting 80 Litres of diesel a kilometre to fill up the tank & have some spare/etc/etc.

However the highlight of Wednesday was the arrival of the ‘Groupies’… The Baines’ sister (Helen), Mrs Skipper (Alison) and Julie Baines (the organiser of the successful Cowes departure party). Helen flew in first & came for an afternoon on the boat (involving surprisingly enough beer and vinho Tinto). Al & Julie arrived after (finally) finding the apartment, an ordeal which had made Helen’s choice to come straight to Slipstream the winner by a long chalk.

Supper & a walk around the marina & then bed eagerly awaiting the arrival of the last member of the crew Mike Hughes – navman – who is en route and is due to arrive tomorrow.

Breakages: the attachment for the mainsheet on the main boom is a bit bent, not sure when it happened, difficult to believe that it was whilst we were in harbour, but it deserves a mention an we do need to sort it out.

Split toe-rail (presumably the baking sun in Lanzarote) further splitting prevented by a Homan-created metal bodge bit.