Yesterday (Tue 13 Apr) was a big day for Valent – she was moved round to Hamble Yacht Services (HYS) and will now undergo the rest of the refit. The mast is coming out today and then she will be moved into a shed. Whilst in the care of the lovely people at HYS, Valent will have lots of deck work done to ensure that she is watertight, a new hot water system and lots of other small internal jobs. In addition the Hydrovane, Watt&Sea HydroGenerator and Watermaker will all be installed. When she comes out of the shed the new standing rigging will go on and all being well, Valent will be ready to go by the end of May and the half term holiday.
In the meantime, we managed to take advantage of the easing of restrictions and booked ourselves onto the 1 day first aid course. The whole family went, and the girls thoroughly enjoyed the day, asking lots of questions and fully immersing themselves in the learning experience. So much so that they turned an 8 hour day into a 9 hour day. Here you can see them practising their CPR and learning how to use a defibrillator. A great day with Steve from Technical Recreational Coaching. He made the girls feel very comfortable with the day and ensured they got a special certificate at the end.
The girls going through all the stages of CPR, checking the airways, getting the compressions in and then giving the rescue breaths.
This is all looking so positive Will!
I bet you’re all so chuffed it’s finally happening, you’ve been so patient (as always!). Hope you’ve been able to get out on the water for the family trips.
Is everything still on track for next month?
All our love, Andrea and Tom x
Hi Will,
So pleased to hear that your plans are back on track. We too are planning to leave the marina at the end of May and head down to the south coast. We want to do a quick trip to the Channel Islands to pick up an anchor but the. Be ready to head to Spain in July. Then the plan is to slowly work our way to the Canaries.
All the best for you and the family on your travels. Hope to see you on route.
Caron (Escapade of London)
Wow, Will. It’s amazing you are off at the end of May! The girls are so grown up too. After a year of lockdown and going stir crazy, I do envy you and look forward to living your adventures vicariously.
Thanks Robyn. All getting very real now. We don’t actually plan to depart until August, but the boat should be ready for family sailing trips by the end of May. It will be a major achievement if we can get off the line and away after all the delays caused by lockdowns and the virus.