Monday was a big swell day.. ever watched your rubber duck throw itself against the side of your bath when you move in the water…. Imagine being inside the duck!  

With Ralph playing in the bilge again, add diesel fumes to some pretty unpredictable swaying and bobbing the inevitable result is a pretty queasy stomach.

As fortune would have it I had an optometrist appointment so headed for shore for a couple of hours leaving Ralph in the fumes and swell. Luckily Ralph’s stomach appears better equipped for life inside a rubber duck!

Upon returning Ralph was looking decidedly ‘over it’ and in need of a moral boost…so we threw everything under cover, closed all the portholes and took Halfskip out for her first sail (or at least her first sail alone)

Fresh air wisks away the queasiness as we head north towards Boobie Island (quite fitting really) and Halfskip gently carries us away from the harbour… Absolute magic!

Everything was going along swimmingly and flushed with the success of our venture we were ready for a beer…..until a wee tender check (after our first misadventure with the slippery sucker I now have a habit of just looking aft every now and then) and alas the renegade was nowhere to be seen, and after 45 minutes of sailing in open water… I mean NOWHERE to be seen!

So after a few expletives (I believe ‘fuck’ was one of them)…back we head to harbour, binoculars in hand, eyes peeled for our precious tender.

As good fortune would have it the bloody thing had bumped into another boat full of crusty ol’ sea dogs in the harbour and been held (obviously against it’s will) so we were able retrieve it.

Now toying with christening it Houdini…or maybe we’ll just learn to hoist it up on the davit eh?