2014 "What a year!!"
08 January 2015 | Me Northampton, Nanjo Messolonghi
Cold and wet.
Well, it's been a long time since I've updated this blog. I would be lying if I said that I had been to busy.
The year started out great, plenty of opportunities to get out and about, visit friends and see new places. It was all going so well, what could go wrong!!
In June I was crewing for a friend on her narrowboat, I was having a great time. I've got to be honest, I never thought I would take to 4mph, mucky water (you would need a hospital visit if you fell in), and navigation is down to counting bridge numbers! Bonus is, plenty of nice pubs, some great English scenery and the fun of working the locks. I've already put living on a narrowboat down for when I can't sail Nanjo.
We had arrived at Leighton Buzzard, I'm up in the bow, and step off with the bow rope. Not noticing the hole covered with grass, my foot goes in and 17 stone and the momentum keeps me going forward. I'm down like a felled Rhino, instant pain and I'm deathly white! Luckily my friend managed to secure her boat and come to my aid. To cut a very long story short, a trip to my local hospital 24hrs later, confirms two broken bones, torn ligaments, and they discover I have advanced arthritis in the ankle joint. Oh well, I guess if your going to screw up, then do it properly.
The summer was spent wearing an aircast boot, not being able to drive and having physio, luckily I had a lovely girl called Sophie who's been looking after me, and she's done a great job of getting me active again. I'm really fortunate that I work for a large company, that has a brilliant sick scheme. I was on full pay and they never forced me back to work early, allowing my ankle the chance to repair itself. It's taking longer than I expected, age does not help I guess. I've only started to drive trucks again this week. It was my left "clutch" ankle that broke, so changing gears was hard and painful. Luckily I'm now getting back to my old fitness. The arthritis will hopefully get better once I'm back on Nanjo and in the sun.
I've been buying goodies and ticking off my "Nanjo wish list". I'm glad to say that I've now bought everything I need to carry out the upgrades on her. luckily I've had plenty of good buys on e-bay and boat jumbles. As of today, everything is boxed away and ready for collection in February by the white van man.
I visited Nanjo twice in 2014, everything onboard was okay and it was great to catch up with friends on boats and in the town. In October I went out for a week and everything went well, until I passed a bunch of stray dogs in the road. The small ones started yapping as soon as they saw me approaching on my old bike. A large dog just laid down not bothered at all, until I cycled past and the bugger came up behind me and sank his teeth into my calf. Blooming instant pain, and the bugger now chasing me up the street and out of his area. I was well impressed with the speed of my single geared bike and my stamina. A trip to the local pharmacy and they gave me a bottle of iodine for the bite. Luckily it's now three months since it happened and my palms have not got any hairier and full moons have no effect!
2015 is looking great so far. I should get my company pension in February, and all going well, it will mean I can live onboard and sail around full time. It won't be a luxury lifestyle (I don't want one), but I should be able to have the odd mythos and gyros when I like, and maybe hire a scooter every now and then. I've booked a flight out in February to check on Nanjo and take out some gear.
I hand my flat back in March, hand in my notice in at work and have booked a non-return trip to Athens for the end of March. Everything I own will be sold of before I leave, and I can't wait. I'm expecting a month to do the upgrades on Nanjo, then launch in May. A couple of day sails out of Messolonghi just to make sure everything's 100%, and then my first trip down to Trizonia. Every bodies told me it's a great little island to visit. I will spend 2015 sailing around the Ionion again, visiting new harbours and old haunts. Hopefully some friends will come out and join me again, and winter will be back at Messolonghi. This blog will hopefully go back to being updated on a regular basis again.
The clocks ticking now for me, and after nearly two years ashore, it can't tick quick enough!