Wet Evening

I went on board Sprite last night after work. It was raining but what the hell, there was an hour of high water and quite still.

I took the new home for the VHF on board and started attaching it. It needs a bit of fettling to get it in place. I didn't realise how difficult it would be to hold a heavy plywood box containing a VHF radio up to the roof while trying to tidy heaty cables.

I needed some longer screws which I'll take on board tonight, but first impressions are it looks ok, and pretty unobtrusive. Having the VHF horizontal means you can see the display easier. Tucked up under the roof, set back from the companionway means it's out of any weather that may find it's way through the hatch.

I should be back on board again tonight, with longer screws and I've worked out for a whole 5 minutes (don't want to overdo it!) so I should be able lift and hold the whole assembly in place while I tidy all the cables and screw the thing to the roof.

That'll be another job done I've been putting off since last year.

The Mrs called me later on, just as I was packing up to come off the boat, her work PC had stopped talking to the internet (I just happen to be unofficial I.T. support to the whole family, having done it in a previous life). I cut her short as the keels had just touched down and I needed to get the dinghy ashore before I was stuck for the night.

Once ashore I called her back. Luckily there was literally nothing I could do, her company's I.T. are pretty tight on security and if switching it off and then on again doesn't resolve the issue then she has to call support (but she still calls me!). Actually tight I.T. security is a good thing at the moment...

As I was packing up I noticed the Easney Cruising Club Wednesday night racers coming back in. Plugging the tide with no wind is not an easy task.

As you can see they were all within feet of the shore trying to keep out of the flow. I'm not sure I'd be brave enough to bring a fin keeled yacht that close into shore or a catamaran as close as that one in the foreground is. There are wire baskets full of rocks there. getting hung up and stuck on them is not something I'd like to contemplate.Those racers are hardcore!

Anyway, afterwards it was back to the wife's work for a cup of coffee before taking her home.