4th July - Begin Launch Preparations
Audrey took Chris, Gill and me to Liverpool and an easy flight.
The new holding tank has arrived from the UK and Bluewater have completed their work. Petronella now sports a smart new windscreen and a working bowthruster. The gas line is legal and the steering lines replaced. Not surprisingly though NaveDiesel have still not serviced the life raft. Plenty of work still to do for us as well though we’re making good progress. The sails are bent on, we’ve almost finished boxing in the bowthruster motor, nearly replaced the impellor (we’ve now found the gasket making compound), painted the white stripe, planned the holding tank installation and fixed the VHF radio.
Still time for beers and cane with cokes in the 35 degree heat.
The travel lift is booked for next Wednesday so we’d better be finished by then. OK, time for bed. It is now 11pm and we’ve all been working solidly for 15 hours.
1st July - No More Work
So that’s it. No more work. Two days of ‘how to be a good retired person’ with Gilly at GSK Head Office followed by a final BBQ at their Stately Home at North Mimms just off the M25. Much banter, a couple of bottles of very nice whisky and messages of good luck and envy followed by a last night’s accommodation at the 4* Sopwell House Hotel.
A mad dash back to Cumbria, close up the house, hand over the keys and say goodbye to the chickens. Everything done – just.
Audrey took Chris, Gill and me to Liverpool and an easy flight.
The new holding tank has arrived from the UK and Bluewater have completed their work. Petronella now sports a smart new windscreen and a working bowthruster. The gas line is legal and the steering lines replaced. Not surprisingly though NaveDiesel have still not serviced the life raft. Plenty of work still to do for us as well though we’re making good progress. The sails are bent on, we’ve almost finished boxing in the bowthruster motor, nearly replaced the impellor (we’ve now found the gasket making compound), painted the white stripe, planned the holding tank installation and fixed the VHF radio.
Still time for beers and cane with cokes in the 35 degree heat.
The travel lift is booked for next Wednesday so we’d better be finished by then. OK, time for bed. It is now 11pm and we’ve all been working solidly for 15 hours.
1st July - No More Work
So that’s it. No more work. Two days of ‘how to be a good retired person’ with Gilly at GSK Head Office followed by a final BBQ at their Stately Home at North Mimms just off the M25. Much banter, a couple of bottles of very nice whisky and messages of good luck and envy followed by a last night’s accommodation at the 4* Sopwell House Hotel.
A mad dash back to Cumbria, close up the house, hand over the keys and say goodbye to the chickens. Everything done – just.
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