Several of our friends have said where are you, what are you up to and what are your sailing plans this year? So a blog up date is obviously long over due!

Well it is Easter Day and Njord is out of the water in sunshine in the boatyard in Sopromar. Next week she will have her annual maintenance check including anti-foul (that is having her bottom washed and cleaned), a hull polish, the rigging will be checked and she will get a new furling line as the current one is chaffed. This year we have to have the life raft inspection too.

We meanwhile are in the UK enjoying ourselves even if it is cooler but at least the sun is shining. Yesterday we met up with our Plymouth sailing friends whose yacht is also out of the water for her own spring maintenance programme. After they had applied the first coat of antifoul we met up and had a great evening in the local Greek restaurant near the marina we were in last year. It seems amazing that 10 months ago they waved us off from outside Plymouth Sound breakwater for our Biscay crossing.

Today we met up with Neill and had Sunday lunch at our Yacht Club the Royal Western YC. Then we bought lots of goodies, for guess who in the local chandlery, yes you have guessed Njord!

Tomorrow we go and visit my Mum before heading back to London for the next 10 days.

We are really enjoying our stay in Lagos. Everyone is so friendly and helpful
and we have lots of tips as where to go what to see. I have even learnt to play darts and join the game each Tuesday in Spinnakers, the local bar. I'm not very good but Marge & Vic always give me great words of encouragement. I'm hot at scoring triples and red bulls but not always when I am supposed to!

My French has improved no end too (yes Lagos is in Portugal). We had two lovely neighbouring French yachts and enjoyed spending time with Bernard & Dominique and Martine & Christian. They are back in France now. We also met Chantal at the health spa and gym and keep in touch.

Lots of our friends are getting ready to move on, mostly into The Med or across to The Azores.

Jon, who crossed Biscay with us came to stay and we planned our trip through the Straits of Gibraltar and into The Med. We will be leaving in May from Lagos.