By this weekend Peter is expecting the house he is building for the Glen family to be at the lock-up stage – floors poured, all external walls complete, roof on, windows in. This is a big achievement and a milestone in the building project. It also means that the finish is approaching! We now expect that by late October we will be completely done here in Batemans Bay and to say the excitement is palpable would be an understatement.
While it has been amazing to see this other side of Peter – he really is in his element when he is on a building site – I will be so happy for him when he lays down the tools. It’s hard physical work and such a contrast to the times we spent sailing. It’s been a wonderful project though and to know when we leave here that we will have blessed this family, well it makes the hard months of waiting feel very good!

We have offered to help our very good Canberra friends, the Tully’s, with a small building project before setting sail, and once the house here is finished we will head up to the capital for a couple of weeks…..
And then….yes, the day is approaching when we will set sail from here for a bit more rollicking and roiling on the ocean waves! The plan at this stage is to head north and to stop in at Ulladulla and do some work on the hull. It’s such a pity that the Batemans Bay slipway can’t accommodate Argos, but a couple of days in Ulladulla will be fun and then we will be off towards Sydney Cove! We hope to spend a bit of time in the big city, go to the Zoo, visit some of the lovely places, get up to the mountains and see Peter’s family, and then head further on and further up the coast!

It will be so amazing to be sailing again after such a long break.

There is quite a bit to do to prepare for leaving. We still have jobs to complete on board - the electrical work is progressing, with all the internal wiring complete, we will even have the electrician here today or tomorrow to turn on all our new power points!

Peter is in the process of building a new set of steps for our main hatch, which we have long wanted to replace, as well as plans to change a few drawer spaces under beds into open-able cupboards, making access a little easier. And I have new couch foam to have cut and covers to sew. We have these projects and they will keep us busy in our spare time, and meanwhile the weather is warming and the days themselves seem to be speaking words of preparation and readiness for our departure.

We’re a bit nervous though – first we have to get out of this tricky little spot we’ve been lucky enough to be moored in, and then the ocean awaits! We look out at it each morning with longing and expectation, gosh it’s going to be wonderful to be heading out there again!
Meanwhile, its early starts for Peter and cold and damaged hands to the grindstone……ok not the literal grindstone, more the circular saw and screwdriver! But we do value his labour and with every bit of work we get done on board because of it we appreciate him more - for his effort isn’t only blessing the Glen family, but us too as we get to leave here with a better equipped Argos than we arrived with.