Now I know there are those of you who thought we would never leave Swansea, but I am about to prove you wrong. The trouble was that things did not go quite according to plan.....
We received Dave's lovely new gold tooth and had it duly glued in after taking out another small mortgage to pay for it - if you rubbish the NHS just remember what a dentist can really cost!! Thank you Rosemary for all my lovely shiny crowns which still left money over to set off! We tidied up the boat and remembered where all the bits of rope went which we had put away to do the painting, and put the dinghy up on deck where it sits nice and snug. Well, very snug. I was about to put the big straps over the top until Dave appeared clutching his favourite drill, spitting screws, and clutching cleats. (He has pockets in his jeans, and I even mend them, but screws apparently have to be carried between your teeth to be a real workman).
-What,s up Dave?
-Got to tie the dinghy down.
-I'm just about to do that.
-No, I mean REALLY tie the dinghy down.
-Oh.
-I have seen 4 ton tanks jump up and down on the deck of a ship, so I'm tying the dinghy down.
So,after drilling and screwing and lots of very nice yellow string (not just any old string but up to the minute kevlar string) the two bits of the dingy are tied to the deck and only then can the great big truck straps go over the top and dingy and boat are wedded for life.
Now it was time for the last mega laundry, so off with all the old clothes and bedding. The laundry is in the ground floor of the marina office and I was lost in thought as the machines did their work when I heard a radio transmission asking for the lock to be opened. It was then a horrid chill ran down my spine as I realised there was something I had neglected to do during these long weeks. The radio check. The VHF had not been behaving well at all on the way in and it had been on the list but somehow forgotten. Went upstairs and agreed now was a good time for them to do radio checks and back to the boat.
-Dave.
-Yes Jen
-Remember the radio?
-S************t Jen!
So now it was up with the command microphone for the deck and a big hope that this was the problem, but instead there was the beginning of the rigmarole.
-Swansea Marina this is Spirit, over
-Spirit Swansea marina you are almost unreadable with a lot of background noise.
This is repeated with the command mike and engine off, command mike and engine and fridge off, main radio over chart table - all with the same disheartening message. So out with the emergency aerial and l and behold, all is tickety boo perfect both microphones.
So we have and aerial problem, or a problem with the wire from the aerial. Dave is convinced it is a wire problem as he thinks that aerials don't wear out. I have no idea but would assume they can all go wrong and it is over 15 years since the aerial was changed. The best news is that my lovely branny new radio is OK.
Now things get serious as this is an up the mast job. So out comes the aerial tester. Now Dave loves 2 devices very much, the aerial tester but most of all the electric wire and battery tester thing. This latter is always out and there is not a device or wire that has not been probed and measure. No battery gets thrown out without being tested even when taken from a defunct device. Next in the love line is the aerial tester and may permutations of probing and reading were done to show that yes, there is no transmission from the top of the mast to the radio of any great substance. So now it was out with the mast climbing ladder (after destroying the front bunk storage yet again and more of Jen's bottom in air manoeuvres, and a trip to the wire shop which lucky for us was in town. Up ladder (it slides up the track where the mainsail goes) and then we look upwards and think, that is a long way up. As luck would have it we were joined by a local who happened to know that the rigger was nearby, so off I went to beg a favour as Dave was being very brave but very pale at the thought of climbing 60 feet.
Back with rigger later in the day. Rigger comes. Up mast (gets tied on as well and followed with the winch in case folk are worried) and threads and joins up new wire. So off goes Tim the rigger hoping all is well, and out comes the tester and woe and gloom there is no improvement. Obviously an aerial problem then. Now it's late and all is put aside till morning. So firet thing onto the internet and I find out that aerials do go wrong and find out also that the wire we are using is for littler boats. Now it's a beg for sending new aerial of the right kind and appropriate wire asap. And no going away now. Meanwhile I had noticed that the bag Tim was using to haul up tools was decrepit and falling apart and as I had the sewing machine out for another job made 2 more bags with extra good loops and velcro as a thank you. Back he comes and up he goes and it is on aerial and down cable yet again and now tester says all is well so it is back on to radio and call up - horror, STILL not right! Doom and gloom again and than inspection of plug on end says it needs repair. Easy done and now we ware all bright and happy and working. But having to stay another couple of days for the tide. At last it is off to Sainsbury's for the mega shop dragging the 2 blue Tesco boxes on my suitcase wheels and filling up. Big mistake in having Dave along as we not only had an overloaded trolley but extra bags as well - by the time we got back to the boat my arms had been stretched so much I am sure I was in danger of severe knuckle scrape. It is amazing where all of it went in the end- the inventor of the Tardis must have been a long distance cruiser.
The appointed day dawned horrible, wind and rain and cold. Jen goes into melt down and calls it off, Dave grumbles about winds and things, but the weather map says it will be OK tomorrow. So tomorrow comes and it is much improved and no wind so manoeuvring big bertha out of the pontoon and down the way through the swing bridge (hold up the pedestrians rushing off to work, tee hee) and into the first lock. Out to the second and the nice lockmaster had already got it ready and we just had to wait for the next swing bridge. Probably thought he had to be kind to the little lady, but feminism dies a death negotiating locks. Wave goodbye to a friend as his dog on the shore and off into the bay, chugging along in no wind at all. It takes for ever to leave Swansea as it is abut an hour to the Mumbles head and into the Bristol Channel and we were just clearing the buoy into the channel and would you believe it the engine died. I kid you not, after all he cleaning and filtering and biociding. A blocked fuel line. Now we had fuel in the other tank but not enough to get us there if the wind stayed in bed, so once we were on our way again after the almost routine table destruction and engine fiddling in a lumpy sea, we were faced with getting the fuel out of the aft tank and putting it in to the front tank while we were under way. Not easy but we managed after several tries at doing it. Happy note was while we were on the side deck pouring it in the tank we had a family of dolphins come up and play alongside the boat. It was so magical as it was getting dusk and the light was beautiful and the water so clear you could see them perfectly. They swam and jumped and played and squeaked for absolute ages and we were transfixed. The first lot left and a second lot arrived, dancing alongside and under the boat. Such a boost to a rather busy day, and a good start to the night watch.
24 hours later we are in the Scillies.
