LIttle Else took to the water again in mid-March, and we have bent on the new mainsail, and the much-improved genoa, complete with white sacrificial strip and foam luff. We acquired a Fortress anchor at the boat jumble at a great price, and discovered that it dismantles into a standard Jessops tripod bag for easy stowage in the ropes locker, as it only weighs 10kg! (Correction: it only weighs 10lbs, or 4.5kg, so it is even easier to move around, not to mention deploy!

We gave the Bruce to our friend Tom, as we now have three anchors that we know we can use. We have carried the Bruce for 9 years and never deployed it once, growling regularly at the space it ate up in the lazarette, like a stubborn stowaway relative who just wouldn't go home!

The tiny digital TV we bought works very nicely aboard, than you, with a titchy aerial dangling from the hatch, on shore power.

We have deployed spare chain in a midships locker on the starboard side, to help correct the boat's tendency to list to port, and we think it may have helped.

The two big electrical jobs aboard still need to be done, and the elusive liferaft has still not appeared, but it is only the 8th of April! We have a little time.

Our house-cooling open-house party for friends and neighbours is taking place this Sunday, so we hope for a nice turnout then.

Our thoughts now turn to the rest of the items we need to put on board, like clothes, personal effects, sleeping gear, spares, etc etc. The list of lists is still growing, the faster we tick off one item, another three come to mind and are added to a list somewhere else!

Here's a picture of the boat on the pontoon, showing the new white genoa luff and the new mast steps