Tuesday 18th May

Vaquero
Tue 18 May 2010 10:54
Plymouth  -  50 21.8N  4 07.9W
 
The jobs-to-do list is suddenly looking rather short.   After so much preparation and fettling it feels rather strange to have to admit that I am nearly ready.  The last two years seem to have disappeared in a flurry of activity aboard  -  always something to be done, checked, altered  -  the jobs list constantly getting longer and never rally time to sit, relax and enjoy the boat.  But now it's all done, time to stop worrying and get on with it.  Time to enjoy the benefit of all that hard work. 
 
And perhaps this is the time to thank everyone for all their help.  Singlehanded sailing it may be, but there's been a huge collective effort to get me and Vaquero to the start line of the Jester Challenge from my base at Suffolk Yacht Harbour.  Huge thanks to everyone there for their help, it's impossible to mention everyone, but here's some of you  -  John Parker and his talented team at Quantum Sails for superb sails and great canvaswork; Mark and Tim at Mr Stainless who patiently and quickly make up weird stainless contraptions for me to the highest standard; Jason at French Marine who is so tolerant of my complete mechanical ignorance; Julie and Amy at R&J for all their help with all those trivial bits and bobs; Big Nige, Johnny and Sam at Rig Magic for lots of sensible advice and practical skills; Chris and the ever cheerful James on the boat gang; Mick the magic GRP man; Richard in the chandlery for his help in sourcng gear quickly; and of course a huge thank you to Jonathan Dyke who runs this diverse collection of talents and makes Suffolk Yacht Harbour what it is, a wonderfully relaxed place to work or visit and a true centre of excellence, and who has been helpful in so many ways.  And finally, of course, the biggest thank you to Clarke & Carter for allowing me the time off to have a go at the Jester Challenge, and especially Steve Carter who has been so supportive.  Whether I succeed or fail remains to be seen, but I know that without all your help it would have been impossible for me to be here in Plymouth ready for the start next Sunday. 
Other Challengers are now slowly starting to arrive and the international flavour of the entrants is starting to become apparent with entries from Switzerland, Russia and France already here.  When I arrived on Sunday morning it felt rather lonely on the pontoon but at least it meant I could concentrate on the boat without diversion  - plenty of time for socialising at the weekend.