... when you're having fun. It also seems to fly when you're not having fun. Or not having a Summer. This year we seem to have gone straight from Spring to Autumn. And this has affected our sailing in a bad way.

So, what's happened since my last posting? Not much - again. Work mostly. A week off in France - annual visit to the in-laws. That was actually the closest we came to a Summer holiday (sun, blue skies, temp in the mid 30s C). Went dinghy sailing with Yanni on nearby Lac de La Crégut. Just chilling and relaxing, drink within easy reach.

Back home we also took Guapa on the odd day-sail, whenever work and the weather-gods allowed. Some 'rather sporting', others just perfect. Last Saturday was one such perfect sail. Ten/fifteen knots of wind. Beating, reaching, downwind bits with the chute up ... it had everything. More sails like that urgently required.

Another positive note: we seem to have gained another crew member with a lot of potential. Evita's boyfriend (the 'Natural' as he referred to himself) seems to be proper sailing material.

Plans for the (near) future: working next week but a few weeks off work coming up after that. And Brigitte has a couple of days off due as well. The weekend after next will be our last chance to go 'foreign' this year. Once it's October the weather gets to be too unpredictable. We'll see.

Been reviewing the plans for this winter's refit too. Scaled down plan now is: replacing leaking calorifier, deal with deck hatch leaks and fit the radar dome. Barring a Euromillions jackpot and revised financial priorities being what they are, everything else will have to wait.
Most of the items outstanding are 'blue water' items and we'll now get those sorted closer to the off.

The 'off sailing' date will now almost certainly be Summer 2017. Retirement date pretty much set in stone now - it'll either be November 1st or December 1st 2016. Being able to put a date on it certainly focuses the mind.

There we are, onwards and upwards. Signing off for now. Some work to take care of - no peace for the wicked.