This will be my last entry in this blog. All good things must come to an end and my job here in Dubai is complete. The first of the two offshore platforms that I have been responsible is ready for installation and the second is hot on its heels, so it is time to pack up and move to pastures green. With any move comes the necessity of disposing of assets that cannot be taken and unfortunately Morwenna is one of those. After our trip to Oman I put Morwenna's For Sale notice onto the internet and was astounded that I got a serious offer within a day. Andrew, a previous Mac19 owner, had just arrived in Dubai and was looking for a suitable boat, saw Morwenna and snapped her up. We agreed a transfer date just after Eid which gave us a chance to have one last trip.

29th November 2009 We had planned to go back to Mussandam with my parents but this time the permits were not forthcoming. It takes about an hour at the embassy to issue a permit but to ensure they were not inundated with a rush of permits before the holiday they decided that they would stop issuing them a week in advance. Of course this was not apparent until I turned up two days before the planned trip - very frustrating but nothing could be done about it. Given that the Dubai-Muscat Race was on over Eid there were plenty of empty slots in the DOSC marina so we launched Morwenna and left her afloat for the week. We had two day trips, on the 27th and 29th November. In keeping with the tradition of the Dubai-Muscat Race there was very little wind so most of the time was spent pulling the boys and even their grandparents around on the tow-tube. Despite misapprehension even Grandma got in the tube and was bounced back and forth across the wake - and really enjoyed it!

27th November - 5.4NM
29th November - 9.4NM
Total in Morwenna 249.5NM
Total (inc Cornish cruise) 320.6NM

11th December 2009 Soon after Eid Morwenna was formally transferred to her new owner and after some instruction in the art of mast raising we launched her into the Creek. A short motor across the new marina and a bow-to-stern briefing completed the handover and with heavy hearts we left her behind. We owned Morwenna for exactly one year and had lots of fun, lots of truly amazing experiences and a few upsets too. Overall we achieved what we had set out to do - learn to sail our own small yacht in the Arabian Gulf.

Our next new adventure is to be in Stavanger, Norway - so very different from the UAE. Stavanger is of course a city surrounded by sea and with so many fjords to explore I can't help but thinking there may have to be a Morwenna II. There can only be one "first yacht you own" though, so Morwenna will always be remembered fondly. Finally - thanks for those of you who have read this blog - well over 800 visits at the time of writing. I hope you have enjoyed reading of our adventures and perhaps learned some tips and tricks for sailing in Dubai and Oman.