2013 sailing season begins...

Welcome to my new blog.

However, I must admit it took me a day or two to figure out how the whole thing worked and to get it set up. So if you have any comments please let me know.

 

I plan to use these pages to keep you updated about our adventures on Alhambra, although this year the adventures probably won't be very adventurous or very far reaching. For a start it is already nearly the end of June and we are still what the sailing fraternity class as 'CLODS', that's 'Cruisers Living On Dirt'. Yes folks, Alhambra is still on the hard. Although the view from the boat makes it just that more bearable...

 



Our journey back was as always exhausting, but the last part is always well worth the wait. The view from the magnificant Rio–Antirrio bridge is stunning, as is the bridge. Which Wiki tells me  'is the world's longest multi-span cable-stayed bridge. It crosses the Gulf of Corinth near Patras, linking the town of Rio on the Peloponnese to Antirrio on mainland Greece by road.'

However, that aside, we are late arriving back in Greece, and will be even later setting off. As always, there are a thousand and one things to do, plus all the additional things David wishes to fix while we are still out of the water. And that's before he starts on the things that need to be fixed once we are back in the water.

For those who are interested, and some of you will be, and I know a lot of you won't, he is replacing and recaulking all the teak work on the swim platform. He carefully took back a section to the UK to repair over winter.The pictures show what it started like...

 

The first stages of repair works...

...and the GRP repairs completed before we returned to the boat. Next step is replacing the teak...

 

When we do get going, please note I use the term 'get going' and not 'sailing', we will be heading straight to the sail makers, as we believe we need a new mainsail. We have no idea how long it will take to replace, let alone all the other things we need to get done once we eventually 'head up island' as they say.

 

I, on the other hand, have promised David that I will finish my book. For those who are unaware, I am currently, or potentially, depending on how you look at it, two thirds of the way through writing my adventure novel 'Island of Youth'. As with all novels, it is a long and arduous process, but not, I am assured, as arduous as getting published - so those of you out there who know of a good publisher or agent, please speak as highly of me as you can... a signed copy will be yours when it finally hits the shelves.

 

My second plan is to spend all my other time(?) designing a collection of jewellery, to be show-cased around the islands of the Ionion, ready to be sold when I get back to the UK - place your Christmas orders now...photos of said collections to be added as and when. Here are just a couple of examples of items I have made thus far...

 

 

 

 

So that's about it for our first week and my first blog. Next week I get to spend my time dressed up in an all-in-one white cotton suit - a bit like a onesie, only with much less class and style, and getting myself covered in blue anti-foul paint, all in 38degs. What more could a girl ask for.

 

In the meantime, your comments on my blog would be really useful, or should  I say, I would welcome really useful comments regarding my blog.

 

Take care,

Michele and Dave - on Alhambra, Messolonghi