Friday 15 July
Well, mes amis, here I am, finally on the East Coast of England, new waters entirely for me and my crew. Skipper spent the morning upside down in one of my water tanks, which have gradually silted up with aluminium dust and debris that clogs the plumbing and blocks my filters – not pleasant, believe me. The tank was emptied, dried and vacuumed out – quite a tickle in my innards, you might say. The Mate gave my decks a good spray down to wash off the salt the breaking waves leave behind, and then filled my tanks with 550 litres of lovely clean fresh water. That should keep them going for a few days.
I heard talk of a bike ride to Broadstairs, which my charts tell me is just up the coast, but they chickened out when the wind increased (they’re not built for it like I am) and pulled out Bertha the shopping trolley (because you can berth-a-lot in ‘er) instead for a stroll into town for provisions. In still warm and sunny weather they found the last of market day…and Waitrose. There was also a lesson learnt: liveaboards needing to order spares have them sent ahead to a port they’ll reach in a few days’ time; it’s always courteous to phone the harbour office to check they’re happy to receive deliveries, and while on the phone remember to ask for the postal address, and what hours the office is open for collection of the parcel!