A black fog
avanti
Eleanor Tims, aka Ryllis Tims
Fri 1 Feb 2008 20:33
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I suspect I probably shouldn't be putting this into
the public domain, but I have been living in a black fog of depression ever
since getting Avanti back to Southampton. This was largely due to a
letter from a friend, whom I had been 100% sure was going to come and help me
get Avanti sorted out. The fact he changed his mind has really clobbered
me to such an extent that I found it hard to get up in the
morning; I've been really depressed. I've been looking at Avanti as
more than I can cope with. Not the boat, but the work needed to get her
back into sailing condition. Or even more, into motoring condition, since
the sails are a good bit better than the motors.
The black fog is fortunately beginning to
thin to grey now, as "the kind stranger", Alan Morgan, who helped me
bring Avanti back from Dartmouth, turned up recently with his power washer and
blasted a lot of green mould off the decks, and a lot of loose flakes of paint
off the top-sides. So very kind of him. How lucky I have been to
have had him come to help me.
I am actually having to sort of grit my teeth (as I
know thousands of others of us do, during the winter months),and to force myself
into my car and drive the 60+ miles to the boat; doing a few hours or work
but seeming to achieve not much, then driving back in rush hour
traffic, feeling ...... well, I was going to say," feeling
blue" ..... but I'll have to go for grey now!
My last trip to the boat discovered a lot of water,
not just 2 or 3 inches, in the engine spaces, but a good many
inches. I drove to the chandlers, bought another pump; next visit
I'll connect it to the 12v. system and use it as a "roving" pump. Try to
shift some of that water. After that? Well, there's gear box fluid
and water in the port hull; and there's diesel and water a-plenty in the
starboard hull. Enough work to keep me out of trouble for a
while.
When my mind starts running round the treadmill of
the endless list of Avanti jobs, guess what I think of? The lovely dream
destination island of Graciosa? Or my nice warm comfy bed? Or even a
bottle of Scotch?
Anyone out there wanting something for idle hands
to do?
Eleanor
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