With Alexia now out of the water until early September I took the opportunity to hurtle home for a few weeks in the UK.

My arrival coincided with my brother Jim's garden party at his lovely house near Braintree, Essex. Always great fun - lively, lots of food and an opportunity to catch up on the family headlines of the last year but this was a challenge - with three sisters and a brother, 11 nephews and nieces, and 21 great nephews and nieces the information overload was more than I could handle.

It was also my sister Jan's 70th birthday at the end of August - amazing how the passing years have no effect whatsoever on the giggling and silly jokes that emerge when we all get together.

In between time was taken up with downsizing our storage container, disposing of William's wine cellar, dentist, optician, medical overhaul and clothes shopping - charity shops only, as all my sisters are avid purveyors of the 'pre-loved' clothes market!

The time passed so quickly and before long I was booking my return flight to the USA. Apologies to all the friends I did not see when I was home

William remained in the USA to see through the work and upgrades that were taking place. Having made many friends with cruisers in the marina his social life took off - big time!

He had planned to book into the local motel whilst Alexia was on the hard but a wonderful couple Richard & Carol, whose yacht 'Key Lime' had been a short distance from Alexia before she was taken ashore, offered him the keys to their boat insisting that he used it has his 'pad' whilst they were away for a few months on business and family events.

'Key Lime' is a beautiful 31ft H T Gozzard and even though she was eleven feet shorter than Alexia - she was surprisingly roomy down below and the perfect bachelor pad!