A bit about me to start with...

I was a relatively late starter to sailing only popping my sailing cherry at Uni when I joined some friends on their Contessa 32 for Cowes week. Ever since then I have been a crazy keen sailor and general boaty.

I have just complete the purchase of an Ohlson 38 (go big or go home right? :S ) who is serious need of an overhaul.

Now this is either the best decision I've ever made or the worst I'm just not quite sure which.

I will say now I'm looking forward to all the comments about the 1st and 2nd best days of my life being the day I buy and the day I sell, I'm determined to prove you all wrong ;)

The plan is to spend the next 3 years working on her on weekends and holidays and pretty much to work my way through the boat mast to keel, bow to stern.

....Did I mention I'm planning on doing everything myself??

So having never actually worked in the yachting industry, I'm actually from an IT and banking background I'm sure you can imagine I have plenty of really useful skills for this kind of project... joinery, mechanics, rigging, fiber-glassing; no not so much.

I can however order a seriously mean starbucks double macchiato, plus I'm a whizz with microsoft project and excel so at least I'll know how to write the best macros that will automatically turn the budget spreadsheet from black to red, or is it red to black? What do I know I'm not an accountant!

So If nothing else I hope this blog will be relatively entertaining whether from a learning while I learn perspective or in that its just fun to watch a slightly calamity prone woman try to basically rebuild a boat.

I say calamity prone as a slight understantment, over the past few years one or two incidents have befallen me including lost teeth and broken jaws while racing, frantic pan pan calls to the coastguard when we nearly lost the rig outside of lymmington and a seriousl problematic petter engine requiring a tow back into the berth. I'm not sure there is anything less dignified that being strapped to the side of a large water bus and being dragged up the cowes medina. :( I'm sure there will be plenty more stories to add to this list but all in good fun of course.

Please leave comments, feel free to watch the video blog version of this and of course follow along with our progress.

Holly
xxx

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