Twiddling our thumbs.

 

Since Christmas we’ve settled back into what could be called a winter routine. This, as with all things to do with cruising, is very flexible!

Most weekday mornings the boys do boat school and the skipper goes off hunter gathering for food or kit or does some other job which has 'bounced out of his to-do cloud'.

Airing and drying the sails on a nice day.

 

We’ve spent quite a few afternoons working on the boat too. There is always normal housework stuff like cleaning, doing washing and emptying out bilge water. We have also done other bits of work like insulation, a bit of painting, sorting out some storage issues, plumbing and generally looking after her.

 

Abeille Bourbon -
salvage tug on 24 hour standby just coming back alongside.

 

When the sun comes out it's good to make the most of it. It has been fun getting the dinghy and canoe out or scooters and skateboards. Walking around favourite haunts such as the Sunday market, to the park, up the main street or along the harbour front are also nice ways to spend the time.





Out in the dinghy with the neighbours.



Sometimes it’s nice to go off exploring to find new places around the city. On one trip we set out to find Boulevard de Plymouth. On other days we might tackle a slightly more unusual job such as a visit to the opticians.

 

 

Boulevard de Plymouth with the new giant arena being built.

There is always plenty going on around the marina as we are almost in the centre of the city and surrounded by the commercial and naval docks. There have been various things such as a mini submersible camera and some other scientific equipment tried out in the water next to us, interesting craft like barges with enormous cranes and the salvage tug to watch. There was also the time a taxi needed help bump starting, the day a small sailing boat sunk on its mooring, the sudden arrival one morning of lots of flashing blue lights and hi vis jackets on the jetty, the fire boat rushing out to one of the moored ships…that sort of thing.



Watching the helicopters coming in,
they seem to fly really low over our masts.

 

The marina is a very sociable place, there are quite a few of us here so it is nice to be able to meet up for a chat or coffee and people pop next door to borrow a corkscrew or tin of beans. It’s a nice place to spend an extended stay and there is lots to stop us from just sitting around twiddling our thumbs.

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