Couldn't get to the boat this week because of other commitments.  Which is a shame because the weather has now turned and it;s really cold all of a sudden.  Reminder to self - winterise the engine !!  Spent this week catching up with stuff at home.  Actually got the christmas tree yesterday, can't believe it's only 3 weeks to Christmas!

I have spent last week getting items off the boat, well the stuff that goes mouldy if you leave it.  Also made sure there was no water left in the piping as I had some damage last year with bits freezing.  ( One tap and the water filter both burst)  Weather so far has been warm so not really a problem yet.

Must make a battle plan for this year maintenance program.

Bringing the teak trim back to it's former colour is a must as it's starting to look shabby now. I also need to get a generator to run the dialysis machine next year.

November

It's been a busy month.  Not long after my last post, things started to go downhill.  Lou and I both caught colds and the dialysis on the boat became a bit tricky because of the cold.  So it was decided that the best course of events was to get Lou back home.   So on the Thursday we, well I, as Lou was so unwell,  packed up everything, tidied the boat somewhat jumped in the car and drove home.  As soon as we got there we had to set up and dialyse before crashing into bed. Quite a day all in all.

Since then things have been slowly improving.  Lou got better,  although we still are coughing and spluttering from the back end of the colds.  We've had a home visit from the hospital to check we're OK.  And I went back with a mate, to get the boat and sail it to it winter berthing in Wareham.

Having had the weekend off, it was back to training yesterday.  Me this time,  I was given the task of setting up the machine, and getting it primed then connecting up to Lou.  Then after the session to strip down and clean up.  I had to administer an injection, to the machine not directly to Lou, and deal with a fault.  I must admit the fault was caused by me not undoing a clamp.

Then today the anti was upped again.  The machine was brought  to the boat, then they let  us set it up and do a session on our own.  It was both daunting and cramped with three of them scrutinising.  Lou wasn't too good after, maybe a bit too much stress for one day. 

With the first week of training over, we were given the weekend off from dialysis. Saturday we decided to go for a sail. It wasn't a great day, a bit misty damp and cold, but good to get away from the marina.  we went to Cowes and had lunch in the Anchor pub, then headed back in the afternoon.  We were a bit late leaving Cowes so it was dark by the time we were back.  had a close encounter with another yacht just outside the marina.  Fortunately no contact,  I don't think he had seen us and I was left with a choice of hitting a pontoon, or the other boat.  Full reverse power, and we just missed the corner of the pontoon, whilst the front end just missed the back of the other boat. Phew it was close. Even in the darkness I could see the shock on the skippers face.

Today we went to Gunwharf Quays by car,  took a trip up the Spinnaker tower, and had lunch at a tapas bar on the quay.  We had the meal outside, amazingly warm for November.  Looking forward to Xmas Barby on the beach ! !  

Day 3 of the training

Because the weather was fine and the rest of the week looks as if it will be chucking it down  I stayed on the boat today to get on with some essential maintenance.  Now that Lou;s OK with operating the new machine, I will join her for thursday and friday, to learn how to set it up and of course know what to do if things go wrong. Our two weeks of training may be shortened because Lou is getting on with the machine so quickly. No sessions over this weekend so have got to decide whether to stay here or return home. Suppose that will depend on the weather as well.

A New Chapter

I'm restarting the blog.  It's two years after the last entry some of the entries that would have been here went into "A Year in Swanage" blog.

Life comes in chapters just like a book. First a new life with Louise, and now another change for us both with daily dialysis using a nxstage portable dialysis machine.  This opens up an exciting era where we can plan for longer trips away on Watanga.  Lou is going to feel so much better all the time.  I hope I can keep up.

We are currently living on Watanga in Port Solent Marina whilst Lou and I train at Portsmouth Hospital.  It not the best time of year for it but it's fairly mild for the time of year.

IOW trip 2

Lazy sail across to Newtown Creek, all against the tide so took some 6 hours but we weren't in a rush.  The sun kept shining most of the day with the odd spot of rain every now and again.

It's not often you see an Avro Vulcan, let alone flying

The french are invading? Looks like the chap at the back is feeling the swell!

Finally a bit of fishing before turning in for the night.

New Start - Hopefully

Well August was busy wasn't it.

The carnivals over, the red arrows have done their fly past. 

No more fireworks for a bit.

Swanage became a highly populated place with most of the visitors doing their best to get run over.   Strange how folks suddenly forget the highway code, walk everywhere at 1 mph and look everywhere except where they're going. It's not only the pedestrians either,   There must be 500 cars a day do a three point turn on the bit of road in front of the pier. It's only thirty yards and there's a couple of gates - dead end.  Maybe they are all budding 007's and are going to fly off the end of the pier and turn into submarines.

Then there's Shore Road we've had a whole summer getting used to walking in the road, very shortly the sound of screeching tyres will be heard as drivers try to avoid those who've become used to pedestrianisation and wandered into the road without looking first. 
Hey -ho and probably nonny nonny too. Septembers here and  it's time for the hankies, face paints and donning of bells  - it's folk week - Morris men and women, witches, and other strange sights.  Still it's only a week

July 20th Cherbourg

We have been thinking about a Cherbourg trip for a little while now and as we were "on holiday" and the winds were right we made a snap decision to go. I asked Greg if he would like to come, on monday he said ok. Then I told him we were leaving 4:30 the next day, he wasn't so pleased about that!

Apart from going all the way in thick fog it was a reasonably uneventful journey,  we didn't see any other boats but the radar was on all the way though.

Grabbed some wine inthe supermarket then dinner in "The Regency restuarant" in the evening.  Early to bed as another early start in the morning.

Nice sail back with the odd period of motorsail to keep the average speed up to 6.5 knots.  Again we had the target of getting Lou back for dialysis.  Came past peveril bouy doing 10.5 knots   whoohoo!

Spent the next week recovering from the 10 days of sailing.

IOW Trip The last day

By 10am the next morning all the PYRA boats had left for their return race to poole. Leaving us high and dry on the pontoon.  I had little stomach for beating into wind and tide so we waited until the afternoon for the tide to change and then began our journey back home.  It seemed a better option than having to fight the elements on Monday morning to ensure Lou was back in time for Dialysis that afternoon.

We managed to sail most of the way back but as the evening drew on the wind died and we had to motor from Ballard to the mooring.

IOW Trip Saturday

We had arranged to meet up with Graham and Wendy in Yarmouth. PYRA had a race to there on the Saturday morning.   The tides from Cowes to Yarmouth were foul in the morning but we had to go come what may. We tried sailing as there was a decent amount of wind but tidal flow kept putting us back in the same place.  Eventually we gave up and motored in order to get there on time. 

At Yarmouth I blagged my way into the middle of the PYRA fleet as they moored up and was soon recognised by a few of the boat owners.  I'll have to join next year before they realise I'm not a member.  Went to a barbeque in the evening at the local sailing club.  The PYRA crews drank the place dry, but they were happy with the revenue.

Isle of Wight Trip Friday.

With another bout of dialysis looming in the afternoon we spent the morning leisurely strolling round the town and had a coffee in the craft centre by the quay.   Whilst Lou was off at the hospital I toured the Boat museum and planned our exit from Newport on the falling tide.  I reckoned we had to be gone by 7:30pm at the latest.  As it was we had lots of time to spare (and water) for the short trip back to the Folly Inn where we stopped for the night. It was Quite windy even up there in the river making it a little difficult to come alongside the pontoon.

Isle of Wight Trip Thursday

With lots of strong wind forecast for today and Friday morning we decided to stay in Newport and do a tour of the island by bus. we settled for one of the eastern bus tours .  Arreton craft village being the first stop. This farmers market was obviously too much of a temptation for Lou and we did take away quite a lot of goodies.
Next was the Garllic farm, again with food products we were getting quite loaded up.   Learnt a new word, well 2 actually   - "Alliophile and alliophobe"  Lovers and haters of garlic.
Back on the bus and off to a vineyard.  for some free wine tasting. 
We even maaged to get to Bembridge which was a bit of nothing, and finally arrived back at the boat by 7:30 in the evening.

No Pictures today.

IOW trip Wednesday

We were debating how best to get Lou to and from dialysis, when a Prout 45 owner who was leaving the pontoon behind us on the way to Newport needed a hand pushing off.  A quick chat with him allayed my fears about drying out at Newport, assuring me of a soft mud bottom.  So a quick look at the tides, a quick phone call to the Newport harbour master who also said no problem, and we were off.  The quay is only about a mile or so from the unit at St Mary's so taxi cost would be low. With a SW f5/6 blowing just the jib up was enough to do 7Kts + another 3 on the tide - we were at Cowes in an hour.  This made us a bit early for the tide so it was a gentle crawl up to Newport with the Depth gauge often reading under a metre. Lots of pontoon space so we aimed for the nearest spot and just got there as we kissed the bottom..

We had arrived with nearly an hour to spare.  Lou ordered a taxi and went to see the Harbour master. He was really surprised to see us, He didn't think we had enough water to get there. It does go a long way out though.

IOW Trip Tuesday

Tide and wind dictated where we were going today so back down the Solent to Alum Bay we went. Forecast was not great but it stayed dry most of the time.  It was surprising that although we were sat at anchor in an almost flat bit of sea that there were large breakers along the shoreline. After a spot of lunch we went ashore, not an easy task as we had to time our landing so as to get in between the breakers on the shore.

Once ashore we used the cable car to get to the top then the bus to get to the old and new Battery's (National Trust) for a bit of sight seeing. Good view of the needles from here.

Back to Yarmouth in evening for a meal ashore.

IOW Trip. Monday

An early start today as we have to get as close to St Mary's Hospital in Newport as we can in order for Lou to get to Dialysis.   We planned on getting to the Folly Inn and then by taxi to the Hospital.  Plan worked but cost of the cab was a bit high £12 each way.

Folly Inn on the Medina river.

While Lou was dialysing I went walkabout and found the Quay at Newport which had a surprising number of yachts in it.  So I made a few enquiries and found that it's perfectly feasable to get to Newport as long as the tide is right.

Isle of Wight Trip Sunday

The tides were about right for us to make the trip from Swanage after racing on the Sunday afternoon. A lovely day for it with a nice following wind. We left about 3pm and got to Newtown Creek around 7pm sailing all but the last few hundred yards.  Here we stopped for the night.

What a week

What a cold? Why do they vary so much? When I started coughing over a week ago I thought it was just another winter cold. No not quite this ones a different kettle of fish. Not quite debilitating but it wears you out. After a week most of the symptoms have gone but this persistant cough doe's you in. By the end of the day, your ribs ache, your head throbs and you just want to sleep. Talking to friends, they all cheerfully declare that they've had it for weeks, Seven and a half is the longest claim so far. Well I hope it's not going to be as bad as that.