what've you got there then?

The question I am frequently asked at my equestrian based magazine desk in London when curious brown packages arrive on the postmans trolley.

This weeks delivery was a new set of windows.
the fruits of my Southampton wanderings are being borne.

the old Moonlight hatches on Varekai are now 20 years old and if they were a person, they'd be looking more like 90 ish. They are extremely craggy and crazed looking due to the effects of being in the Mediterranean sun, which I wish I was currently still "enduring".

Everytime it rains, drizzles or gets a little bit moist on deck the forehatch drips. When laying in bed if I happened to have a bigger hairdo then I could wash my hair at the same time as sleeping. The drips silently plop by at just a quiff's distance away from my pillow. Fine, the floor is waterproof. Except the small carpet that sits in the recess isnt. Im a bit fed up of trying to walk around the narrow raised rim of the floor or simply forgetting and having to hang my socks up to dry.



Since I need to remove the hatch perspex to re-seal it, I decided to pushtheboatout.co.uk and buy some new stuff to put back in.
A quick visit to eagle windows stall at the boat show, (conveniently timed when I fancied ordering windows), with a printout of pictures of my hatches and sizes.
They've sent me the whole kit 'n caboodle to fit my new hatch perspex and Lewmar portlights.

Im quite excited about stopping the drip. But not as excited as fixing my own sails, canopies and covers with my new aquisition. A new sewing machine has been added to the collection. Not only can I make curtains and upholstery but now I can sew heavy canvasses, sail cloths and a whole manner of kinky textiles.
Bloody brilliant, I shall be in my eye'oles whatever that is. The saloon table will never be the same again.

Got crab?

I was dying to get a look at the undersides of the boat now its out of the water.
I didnt get home until dark so I wandered around with a teeny tiny led light peering at the hull and fittings.

I need to replace my seacocks, but I wanted to look at them all the same, just so i can suck in air over my teeth and tutt, poke at the galvanic corrosion and worry about costs.

it was while I was tutting and peering into the gloom, that I saw a pair of eyes peer back out at me.



a small crab, trapped inside the antiweed cage for my engine seacock.

It was quite a feisty little thing, as I unscrewed the protective cover it wasted no time leaping out and landed with a light pebble sound on the floor.
Not at all happy that I was trying to save its ungrateful derier, I forced it to take a ride with me to the waters edge and said ta ta. hopefully it'll grow big and strong and tell its kids of its adventure when it was a wee nipper.