Wait for the weather - you'll wait forever....

But we have been, waiting that is, for the northerlies to switch. Seems like they may do so after the week end and we should be on our way again. 

Not that we've been standing around idle having worked our way through the inevitable list that exists with boats. Much of the time has been spent on brightwork and painting the rigging with Black Varnish, a bitumen paint type of coating that dries more quickly than the normal slush we use. We've used it before but this time managed to get skin burns from the thing so mebbe it gets more toxic as it gets older. And after 4 years I finally got round to making some sail repairs. The stays'l in particular had become chaffed and a lot of stitching had worn away. The, as yet, unused (by us at any rate) sewing machine dating from 1910 or thereabouts found the reinforced clew too thick to deal with and it all needed to be hand sewn.I started out using the two needle technique but struggled and rapidly swapped to a "Speedy Stitcher". I've always regarded this as a misnomer but can tell you it's much quicker (although the stitch is not as secure) than using two needles. Still the sail is in better condition now than it was a week ago. Unlike my hands.

A Heron, I'm reliable informed...