After the excitement of sailing around Gibraltar the other week, life has taken a dive into the realm of utter boredom. I have this really great project at the end of the tunnel (the trip…), but everything else before it, is simply poo. Sometimes I wish I had restructured my ambitions into a 3 year escapade, instead of a moving half way around the world, trying and learn a new language, buying a boat I can’t sail, learning how to sail and then attempting a half-circumnavigation.
All within 12 months.
I know, you’re all saying to yourself ‘errrr, duh’… However I made the commitment, and I’m not going to stop steaming forward. I have an extreme case of tunnel vision.
Ok, my public whinge is over for the minute, sorry. Immediate change of tone ahead:
Johannes Erdmann who is continuing his shoot to stardom, through book writing, speaking and being the nice guy that he is, has offered to help move Constellation to Kiel. What is my rationale for moving the boat? It’s twofold. One reason is cost - Everything is expensive in the UK, I hate to say it… I’m already in debt up to my proverbial eyeballs with the boatyard for hard standing, and once Constellation is in the water, costs double or triple. Parts, paint, marina fees and everything else related to kitting out the boat is going to be cheaper for me in Germany. I sincerely apologise to my UK contingency. I still love you, and none of this would have happened without the British. It’s just logistics…
The trip to Germany will also be an extremely valuable opportunity for me to pick up more experience, with someone who knows a great deal aboard my own boat. It’s roughly a five day sail, which will be a fascinating voyage in itself along the coastline.
So my immediate goal is to have the boat setup to minimum standards for the July trip to Kiel. This means servicing the engine and liferaft, having the rigging inspected and putting her in the water (the list is longer than that, but I won’t bore you). Ooooh, how I pray she floats.
nick.
