28:01.166N 16:36.798W                                                          10^th  November 2014

 Tennerife  San Miguel Marina………still 2137 miles from Ramsgate by Log.

            Well we are still in Tenerife but we have moved ashore for a few days into a lovely apartment sourced by Tommy and Sue’s friend Nikki. Norma is in her element, bath, shower, swimming pool, high ceilings and none of it moves when the wind blows, all very decadent. Spectra has been lifted and is now safely ashore drying out and getting her bottom painted by Peter and myself while Norma has stripped out the marital suite and is busy re-varnishing an acre or two of woodwork.  I have had a bit of a traumatic time this week as we have been getting a snap crackle and pop noise from the hull which was disturbing to say the least. I reassured Norma that all was well and then found a darkened corner to research on the internet. Of course my first thought was terminal osmosis or a new species of fibre weevil, my second thought was thermal expansion as it is now getting pretty warm. The internet gurus nearly all agreed that it is marine life, mussels or shrimps although one American did seem to be suggesting that it was something to do with the Russians in cahoots with Al Qaeda but one conspiracy theorist is about standard for every internet forum. I was still pretty sceptical until I talked to my new marina buddies and they all complained of the same noises, phew! I have now had a bowsprit extension made (don’t tell Ramsgate marina or they will up my mooring fees when I get back) which should stop the spinnaker tack line from rubbing on the pulpit. If it doesn’t bend on first use that is, as now that I have fitted it I think I have had it made too long and too thin, time will tell. (Time didn’t tell on that one as I then decided to take it back to the machine shop and have it cut in half and doubled the thickness so now it will never bend but will probably rip the bowsprit out, time will tell again.)

   Me and my new toy thanks Andy

            Peter has been busy stitching up all of our chaff damage from the last few months and a very good job he has done too. If I cut myself I think he will find himself upgraded to emergency suture nurse. I have also given the outboard and dinghy another test run all went perfectly, well done Andy B-H for the service in France. Norma has finalised the meal plans, 3 meals a day x 5 people x 6 weeks and the shopping list keeps growing. Because we are not sure what we will be able to get in the Cape Verdes, if anything, we have decided to stock up here and do the big shop after we are back in the water. I think the weight of all that shopping could break the crane if we did it before we are, re-launched.

Bottoms up

And this one needs a good scrub and paint                                            Norma pauses to give just one more bit of advice

Masking her up                                                                                     All painted and ready to go swimming again                                

Three days later:

Spectra went back in the water this morning proudly flying her RAF ensign in respect of Remembrance Day. We now have a German yacht moored on one side of us and a French military training yacht on the other side of him who were both very interested in the ensign so I had a bit of explaining to do, but at least I wasn’t flying a UKIP flag so I think we are all still friends.

If it is not impolite to speak of a ladies bottom on a public forum I must say that Spectra is now very smooth and ship shape below the waterline in fact our fat bottom, smiley girl is ready to set off again. To that end Norma took us shopping. She then took us shopping again and apparently one more shopping trip should do it. I think I should have painted the waterline a few inches higher as we are getting lower in the water by the day with all of the food that is coming aboard. In preparation for this trip I have spent many years learning to sail and my little log book is full of sailing certificates. Having now been at it for a few months I think the most useful certificate I have is Prince 2, this is just one big project management task. I hope all the guys at O2 and NSC appreciate the fact that I am keeping my hand in. Having said that I am over budget, behind schedule and under manned at the moment so perhaps I shouldn’t brag. Any hew Tony my son and Steve our intrepid fisherman fly out on Tuesday evening and we should be good to go on Thursday, so next stop Cape Verdes. All I need to do first is one more, or possibly two more, shopping trips, fill up with Diesel, clear customs, clean the boat, find out exactly where the Cape Verdes are (pretty sure it’s south and west a bit from here). Oh and then I have to pay for the lift out, food, fuel and marina. All contributions gratefully accepted in a plain brown envelope addressed to the yacht that is bulging at the seams, end of the pontoon, San Miguel, Tenerife.  

All clean and flying the RAF ensign

The food mountain

 And this is just the first of three shopping trips!