Update June 21st 2011
Minka of Southampton - Cruising Log
Edmund Wigan
Thu 23 Jun 2011 07:23
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Minka and I have been very quiet for awhile. We
have spent the winter in Brighton Marina and have made some great friends and
renewed some old aquaintances.
 Minka has been thoroughly spoilt and has had many
treats. She now has new sunshades for her deck and to cover the solar panel
frame, a new stack pack cover, hatch covers, companion way cover/mosquito
net and a repaired sprayhood and cockpit tent. All courtesy of her friend
Nicky at the Canvas Works.
Bob at Felton Marine has also been spoling her by
reworking the stainless steel pulpit and anchor roller so she now has a pulpit
seat, step and the anchor self launches and recovers without knocking chips out
of her gelcoat. The photo is before the teak seat was fitted to the
pulpit.
 He also replaced her teak coachroof grab
rails with eliptical stainless steel.
Inside she has had some revarnishing, a diesel
sight glass, a remote engine hours meter, extra teak grab rails and a new
mattress and oceanair blind/mosqito net in the
forecabin.  The original Avon Liferaft from 1994 failed its
inflation test so has been replaced with a Plastimo.
Since the end of May we have been exploring the
Solent starting with a Rival Owners' Association Rally at the Folly on the River
Medina.
And now for something completely
different............................
Some years ago a friend asked me if I would be
interested in sailing in Russia on his Rival 34 if he could get the necessary
permissions. Well he has managed it so I will be joining him in Helsinki on the
22nd June. We will sail to St Petersburg and join a small Russian organised
flotilla to transit the canals and lakes until we come out in the White Sea and
onto Archangel. We will then sail to Murmansk and then around the north of
Norway. I will fly back from there. I will use this blog to keep friends updated
on the Russian trip although it may be infrequent as I will be relying on
wireless connections.....so watch this space.
Minka is having a rest at a holiday camp on Hayling
Island out of the water. She is going to have a few coats of antifoul, a good
polish, new anodes and a new engine inlet seaock.
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