Cherish cruising #6
S/Y Cherish
Peter Gray
Sat 1 Oct 2016 14:36
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8 - 29 September
Slipped again, as it’s now 29 September, but then I haven’t been on board since 8 September. Writing this on a flight from Malaga back to La Coruna, via Madrid. Explanation to follow.
Busy time back in UK, but most relevant events to the adventure were: drinks at our home on Sunday, 11 Sept. I had been hoping to fill crew requirements via the Cruising Association and Little Ship Club crew registers,
plus personal contacts, but this began to look increasingly iffy. So I registered with the World Cruising Club crew register. Talk about light blue touch paper! Emails came flooding in. I started scientifically, preparing a spreadsheet, with columns for names,
experience, leg preferences and so on. Within two days there were 39 names on it! Floating to the top were Chris and Ali Bell, so I invited them straight away to see what might happen next. The emails continue to come in and I have now lost count and need
to update my web entry and apologise to the disappointed.
Meantime, Douglas Watson, [from the CA register] , who was interested in the legs from La Coruna to Las Palmas, texted to say he would like to meet up and indicated he’d be in our area on Sunday, [ ] Sept. So I invited
him round and thought - let’s make it a party and invited Carrie Kesterton, Tom & Anna, Anthony & Cat, Claire & Greg (no, Brett!) and Carrie Taylor. All came, with the exceptions of Brett [and [ ]. Douglas proved to be an experienced, a little understated
individual - perhaps a little surprised to encounter a host of past and future crew! But he definitely will be welcome and I look forward to seeing him on Cherish later today.
The following w/e - after various chats and text exchanges - Chris & Ali came round for tea. They are are a recently married pair of international teachers, having taught at various international schools in - amongst
other places - South Korea, so they are no stranger to adventure!. They were keen to do the whole trip, but we were already full for Portugal to Las Palmas, so they readily agreed to miss that leg. But they seemed just right - keen, with a little experience,
but more importantly, the chemistry seemed right. Ali is British from Derbyshire and Chris from various parts of Oz, including Brisbane, a town I have visited a number of times. So they were in.
Sadly, I then learned that, for personal reasons, Carrie Kesterton couldn’t make it. This was as much a disappointment to me as to her. I do hope she will be able to follow the blog, though. Bad news for Carrie K, however,
was good news for Chris & Ali - they were now in for the Portugal - LP leg as well! Just before boarding this flight, I picked up a text from them saying they had got to Coruna, had looked at Cherish, loved her and what time could they board? 1600, said I.
So what am I doing flying from Malaga to Coruna via Madrid to rejoin Cherish, I hear you ask (or maybe you’ve stopped reading by now)? Well, months ago - when the plan had Cherish in LP by now - we accepted an invite
from good friends Nick & Alison to spend some time with them in Spain. So that’s what WJ and I have just done and a very good time indeed we have had. I junked my return to the UK, leaving WJ to return there alone and here I am on this flight.
The last few days before going to Spain with Nick & Ali were busy, with domestic admin, chart & pilot purchases and AIS PLB purchases (the sailors amongst you will know and the others would fall asleep if I explained).
Last minute packing located the aft head (loo) shower drain pump that I had lugged back from Coruna in my hand baggage to repair at home and had completely forgotten about. Curses! So it’s now in my hold baggage for repair when back abroad Cherish. Ah well…….
Update 1 Oct: Douglas and I spent the morning trying to find a replacement shower pump. Saw a lot of Coruna, but no pumps. Had decided not to sail on 30th - this meant not sailing on 1 Oct.
So the plan now is:
29 Sept: back on Cherish, joined by Douglas, Chris & Ali.
2 - 10 (ish) Oct: gentle sails and overnights from Coruna to Cascais.
10 - 15 (ish) Oct: Cascais to Las Palmas.
6 Nov: ARC+ start for Cape Verde Islands.
Hey hey!
Pix below, from Costa del Sol: lunch on a cliff in Ronda - I don’t like heights! - thought about changing to travel on this, but no sails! - on cat to Marbella:
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