Boarded by Customs.

We were busy with the daily chores yesterday when we saw a RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) with four people on board drive past us twice. We thought nothing of it and then we heard a knock on the hull of Koru. Knocking on the hull would be the same as knocking on someones door. Scrubby poked his head up through the companionway hatch and the Customs Officers came on board. They introduced themselves and then proceeded to ask us whether we had any guns or drugs on board. Scrubby said "no", well you would wouldn't you! 

We had to produce the ships papers and our passports and then answer about 20 minutes of questions. This wasn't too bad, we've had previous experiences of being boarded by Customs, the last time was mid-channel. That time we saw the RIB pop out from behind a ship and race towards us full throttle and we were rammed by them as they scrambled on board, it's a good job we're a steel boat. That time we were questioned and then searched which was a most disconcerting experience. This time we were only questioned. 

Amongst the questions we were asked was the one "and what is your job" imagine this being asked in a French accent. I reply "I am a Registered Nurse" and Scrubby replies "I'm a TV producer" (this is because it's the easiest of his many and varied job descriptions to explain to someone whose first language isn't English). "So, you are famous" exclaims the Customs Officer. "Yes" says Scrubby using his best poker face, "I'm world famous in New Zealand". The Customs Officer starts to laugh proving that some Customs Officers really do have a sense of humor, thankfully. With all the traveling we do we have met some real shockers over the years. The worst and most obstructive we've come across have been in the Caribbean, I won't mention which particular Islands but they know who they are. 

I thought I'd leave you this time with a photograph of a little French fancy I spotted the other day. 

Keep Well x 

An Eventful Crossing

This week we crossed the English Channel from the Isle of Wight East Cowes and headed across to Cherbourg France. It's only a 75 mile jaunt and based on our traveling sped of five nautical miles an hour it should take us 15 hours but in reality, by the time you have stowed all shore lines and fenders and then hoisted the sails and done the reverse for docking/landing at the other end of the trip, it takes about 18-20 hours. Cruising is definitely something you need to do when you are NOT under any time constraints.

We had a boisterous crossing and compared to Ocean sailing you usually have more of a bumpy time of it crossing the channel. And I have to say it felt bitterly cold at times. Thankfully, below decks, we were able to run our diesel heating system which allowed us to nip below for a warm whilst keeping the watch (keeping a look out for other vessels), it was essential for one thin blooded female on board.

The following is an excerpt from our log of the trip cross channel.

Time	Event	Log	T	M	E	F%
1815	Slipped East Cowes Marina, bound Cherbourg France, Bob &Nicky on board	1349			on	100
2200	Sails hoisted, 2 reefs, engine off	1365	200		3.30	96.5
	20th April
0100	Engine on, sails lowered		200		on
0500	Alternator #2 shredded, probably due to misalignment. Much smoke. Engine off sails up, 2 reefs.		200		4.00	92.5
0800	Shake out reef, down to 1 reef	1412	200
1100	Sails down, engine on				on
1200	Berthed Chantereyne Marina, starboard side to.				1.0	91.5

At about 04:30 hours Robert was on deck manfully steering the yacht in the bitterly cold wind whilst I was snuggled down below in the bunk with a hottie bottie (hot water bottle) when I heard a weird noise, holy thawunk Batman what was that? If I remember correctly Robert leapt below deck started to open the engine room door and released a lot of smoke into the boat, he re-closed the door and raced back on deck to turn the engine off and he grabbed the fire extinguisher and re-opened the engine room door. Luckily the engine hadn't caught fire but there was something wrong. I had to climb on deck to keep a watch whilst Robert investigated.

Now the thing you have to remember is that we were motoring because there wasn't enough wind to sail and secondly we had already passed the mid-way point of the channel so we were back in the shipping lanes. And when I got on deck we were surrounded by ships and rather large ones at that. After checking over the engine Robert found the cause of our woes and it was this...

It's a metal whirly thing that sheared off the motor thingy attached to the engine.. lols.
It's something that sheared off one of the two alternators we have mounted on the engine. Now as you know if you've ever followed our blogs, we have work done to the boat and there always ends up being something not quite right about it. And this has just been added to the long, long list of those. In fact we've only had this second alternator fitted to the engine in the last month. And this was it's first proper outing.

Anyhoo, you can imagine the scene it was pitch black, no wind for sails and no engine, cast adrift in the shipping lanes of the English Channel in winter (well spring really, it just feels like winter). But fortunately it wasn't like that, once the smoke had cleared we still had an engine that was working and enough wind had set in for us to re-hoist the sails and head for Cherbourg. We ended up being thankful for the lead lined doors of the engine room and having an engine that still worked.

In fact we ended up having enough wind in Cherbourg to make berthing very tricky indeed but that's another story entirely.

Keep Well
Till next time x

Musing

We've had an eventful few months during our stay in England, visiting family and friends and getting work done on the boat. I am writing this on the yacht which is on a hard standing with the wind howling in the rigging and the boat vibrating from it's force. What better time to update the blog. 

Yesterday we lifted the boat out of the water to get her bottom sprayed, loosening off the weed that has a tendency to grow on your boat when you are lower in the water than the anti-fouling reaches. Unfortunately for us when they sprayed the bottom of the hull some of the anti-fouling came off right down to the metal of the hull, that's not what you want to see when you spent a shed load of money in the caribbean getting her re-painted and anti-fouled, grrrrr. I hate shoddy workmanship, it makes you feel really ripped off when you have spent so much money on the work being done. OK rant over. We are having a patch up job done by the yard here for several reasons; A) we can't afford the money, at the moment, to get the bottom of the boat sorted out correctly and B) we can't afford the time it would take to sort out the bottom of the boat. 

We have just four more days to get the boat over to France before Scrubby has to go away to work again. So now we are waiting on two things, firstly for the bottom of the boat to be finished and secondly the weather. It's blowing a hoolie out in the channel (on shore as well). I think the storm is over Scotland at the moment but it's affecting us here at the southern part of the UK as well. It would have to abate quite a bit before we could attempt a crossing. I bought some more sea sickness tablets yesterday I wouldn't want to be heaving my insides out!!!!!

We have asked several of the family to make the crossing with us but have had refusals all round. This is a shame for us because with shorthanded sailing even one more person on board would make a huge difference to how tired we feel when we get across the channel and with Scrubby rushing off to work the difference to him is huge. I get to sleep it off but he has to fly off to his next job already tired. He's a champ, I admire him greatly.  

On a sad note despite my inner hopes Mr B never found his way back to us/me. I always look out for him whenever I'm in Hereford (where he went missing from) but it's just not to be. I'm so sad about this and miss him so much. In tribute to my piggy I'll end this post with a picture of him.

Keep well x 

Piggy wearing my flip flops.