How long is a piece of string?

Too long is my answer. When the skipper asked me to 'sort out' and rewind a hank of special cord he had purchased at a knock-down price at the London Boat Show earlier this year, I replied "Yes of course, no problem". But that was before I saw the extent of the task.

Actually Skipper, there is a big problem. Especially as I immediately found TWO ends and both started pulling from the middle! What's more, the original bag contains two more tangled hanks!

Afraid these may all have to be brought home to be sorted out in front of the fire on a cold winter's night ...

This afternoon Follyfin was lifted out of the water - 'tirer de l'eau' and then 'mise á terre' in French - so now we are back on terra firma, although still getting the sensation of moving as if afloat. We now have 2 days in which to complete the winterising process, much of which has already been accomplished whilst afloat in the river and riding out the strong winds and rain of recent days. The fore cabin bears witness to our winterising so far ...

First job now we are on the ground is to pressure wash the under-surface of the hull - the bit that has been in the water until now - and the Skipper is doing this as I type this post.

And as you can see below, he's rather enjoying himself ... Intent on removing all the salt and fresh water weedy bits that like to cling to the hulls of all boats, not just ours.

If, dear reader, you are like me and have not come across pressure washers before, it is that yellow thing in the photo. It requires electricity and water in close proximity - a dangerous combination some might think, but it does seem to work. And I should mention here that this one was kindly donated to us by our good neighbour and friend Dave, who has upgraded to a more sophisticated model to use on cars rather than boats. Thanks Dave!

Now hoping for a fine day tomorrow to do some more, yes you've guessed it, WINTERISING!