The weather’s been brackish the last few days….. not sure whether that’s a weather term but it’s appropriate for my current mood. The wind has been constant, grey skies and damp rather than wet….It’s not the kind of weather that inspires focussed and productive activity aimed at gearing us up for our journey… so I’ve been dabbling instead.

I’ve attempted a few things that need to be done…like removing the mouldy smell from the aft cupboard (yes we already have mould) and have learned that wool and leather are moisture magnets... So they are currently outside!

I’ve attempted to install fly/mosquito nets over portholes and hatches in preparation for those mangroves and midges further north…and have learned that mosquito netting is an ass to work with (wish I’d paid attention when Mum was trying to teach me to sew) and fly screens on our hatches have to be removable so we can open and close them (not to mention lock them if need be) so I’m a little challenged by that as well. I can see a solution, but it involves elastic and the horrors of handling the mosquito netting in a confined space with no sewing machine (‘The Horror, The Horror’).

I’ve also attempted to commence another of our storage solutions, namely opening up the area under the bed in the aft cabin (it’s a perfect place for about 5, 20 litre fuel cans and will counter-balance the weight in the bow) but have been thwarted by cabling running right through the place I want to cut out, and over enthusiastic use of selastic (marine grade silicone adhesive/sealant) if I attempt an entry hole from the top.

These dilemmas could of course be solved by some forceful leverage (very forceful if selastic is involved) or some additional wire cutting and re-laying (heaven forbid) but I can’t manage either of these activities on my lonesome given my apprentice status vis-à-vis tools and electrical shit… and to be frank….I’m a little weary of receiving instructions (Ralph’s good, but even he’s sounding tired of telling me how to do things fifty times)…. So instead I’ve been mulling over what to do next that can actually be of assistance and give me that nice refreshing little breath of fresh air that only comes from a job well done.

So….I’ll do that which can be done within the realms of my existing talents….I shall organise all our travel documents, visa info, ship rego and log info, route planning info, port entry procedures etc. This information needs to be scanned and stored electronically in case we lose any of it not to mention we also need readily accessible printed copies for port of call arrivals… Bugger, can’t do that either without sufficient battery for the printer….

Ho hum...

Ya know, if the sun was out I could start on the deck re-surfacing, fingers crossed for later eh.