Off to sea again

Amazing how quickly half a year goes by! Tomorrow we're off again, back to Arzal in Brittany to complete fitting Follyfin out for the new season's sailing. She is due to be launched on Saturday 2 May and there are still several tasks to complete. Skipper will be concentrating on re-packing the stern gland (don't ask), without which we wont have a functional engine, whilst Mate will be treating the under-surface of the hull with special anti-fouling paint. Not a pleasant job - it smells as it sounds: foul!

The more eagle-eyed of you readers will have noticed the change in title of this blog. This is because we are venturing much further afield in 2015. First back to the UK for some work to be done on the rigging in preparation for - hopefully - an Atlantic crossing to the Caribbean in January 2016. So this summer we will be tackling the Bay of Biscay, crossing it from Falmouth to A Coruna in northern Spain. We will be joined by three more crew members for that passage. Assuming we still want to continue after that experience (yes I am joking), we will then continue cruising down the Atlantic coast of Spain and Portugal, aiming to arrive in the Canary Islands, via Madeira, by end of September.

Just in case we need it we have had the life raft serviced. This is what it looks like once inflated and before the crew climbs aboard:

 and this is how it will look once we're safely inside!

More anon on the extra equipment and safety measures that have been added.