Over the next couple of weeks I make a couple of trips to Ipswich to check on the boat. There are always the odd little jobs to to. Replace a bit of her plumbing, fit new locks to the cockpit lockers, hoist or "winter" genoa and wash the summer genoa, empty the dehumidifier, run the heating, etc... I know it's a long drive, but being on the boat keeps me sane.

The overtime added up this year, so I'm able to spend over two weeks at home over X-Mas with the children. Alas Brigitte has no more time off this year.
We - dad & kids - have already been out sailing 3 times in one week. Utter bliss! OK, it's cold, but also beautiful and most of the time we were the only boat on the water. You couldn't get further away from stress if you tried. Sailing's a drug: it takes you to another world and it costs loads of money :-)

This year we were not going to visit family for X-Mas. This is our 7th X-Mas in England, and each and every year we have had to travel abroad to visit them. We decided to put our foot down - it costs as much and takes as long for them to visit us, as it does for us to visit them!

So, for a very untraditional X-Mas: we went sailing! Best sail in a long time - everyone enjoyed it a lot. Even the other boats on the water seemed grateful to be spared from their relatives. If it were up to me alone: same again next year!

Merry X-Mas and a Happy New Year from all of us.