Blog

Whoever said cruising was fixing your boat in nice places hit it spot on.

Last week our windlass finally ground to a halt. With perfect timing, just when US Customs and Immigration asked us to bring the boat into the dock.

"Would they like to come out to the boat?"

Would they chookie.

So, our 66lb anchor and 20 metres of chain had to be hauled up by hand and genoa winch.

Since then I've been stuffed up into the forepeak fighting 16 years of gunk to get the old one off and the new one on.

Fortunately, anticipating its demise we bought another "exact" footprint replacement. One out, one on. Piece of cake.

1. Lewmar changed how they bolt the above deck part to the below deck. Consequently, the supplied bolts are 1/2" too short.

2. Three hour return trip to rip off engineer shop and five day wait for new longer bolts to arrive. €120 thank you.

3. While it is an exact footprint above deck, below the bigger motor is one inch longer and doesn't fit the space.

4. Three hour return trip to rip off engineer to be told $120 to trim down and drill 5 holes in an old bit of junk Tufnel he had. Fed up being screwed I walk over to DIY store and for $19 get Perspex cut to size and all I need to do is drill the holes.

5. Two hours later we're in business.

We finally upped and off'd from Beaufort and started up the first, or is it last 200 miles of the Intra Coastal Waterway to Oriental then through the Dismal Swamp ( think they need a new marketing agency?) bound Norfolk.

Despite dancing with shallow depths we had a great sail up to Oriental quietly gliding through the trees, surrounded on all sides by ospreys, eagles, dolphins and mansions.

We are moored in an OCC members berth in Oriental. The Port Officer here recommended a trip to the open mike session in the local (ish) bar where we are now. Very talented players, one after the other. Just like the Lounge in Shetland. Just warmer!

Here for a day or two to tale in the sights.