Having given the hire car back we rescued our bikes from the store where the marina had kindly kept them to provide more room on board. The first journey was to the shops as we were running out of bread and milk and other stuff so out came our Christmas presents for the first time. Last year Chris pushed the trolley to and from the store but it was hard work on the not so good pavements etc. For Christmas our presents to each other and from Janine were Panniers from ‘Tern’ the manufacturer of our bikes, this was their first test. They were very helpful. They clip onto the rails of the back rack and can be lifted off easily. At the store we locked up the bikes with two chains and put the panniers into the trolley. At the cash desk we were able to clip them to the sides of the trolley and fill them as the cashier passed the goods through. The trip back was easy and we hardly noticed the extra load (though this was only a medium shop). At the boat you just lift them off and carry the shopping on board to unload. Not the cheapest bit of kit but if they have a good service life they will make things much easier. Carolyn then used them to cart the washing up to the laundry area on her bike. That’s the good news!
However, the dinghy has once again decided to bug Chris. We even went to the trouble of finding a pharmacy to sell us a medical syringe to inject glue into the smallest of holes but after the standard 48hour wait for the glue to set, one of our two leaks continues to let out tiny amounts of air and a different leak has appeared around the rowlock. The dinghy is useable if you are prepared to pump it up regularly as they are small leaks but this is no fun if you use it as you would your car at home. All the problems are appearing on the side of the dinghy that faces away from the boat and therefore has had the most sun (UV) over its life.
From our ‘to do’ list we have checked off the installation of the back-up GPS/anchor alarm (thanks Tom for the electrical guidance), cleaned out the bilges and cleaned the bimini frame for the reinstallation that is due tomorrow. The new gas alarm has arrived from the UK and should also be installed tomorrow. We also tested the outboard to check it would work after its winter layoff. As the dinghy is flat and the engine has to run in water, Chris fixed it up on the push-pit with the drive- leg in our waste bin filled with water. The motor started after about 6 pulls, unfortunately, despite having checked the lever was in neutral before starting, we have a fiddly gear lever and it wasn’t in neutral at all! The prop turning in the plastic waste bin has only one outcome – time for new bin! Oh well a few items off the maintenance list and one back on the shopping list.
Carolyn has found that some of the cruising ladies do a yoga session each Tuesday morning so she is off to salute to the sun in a downward dog (and have a chat) whilst Chris is tidying up the boat and making rude noises at the slowly deflating dinghy. Next job - search the internet for a new one.

Photo: the panniers in action!