Current Location: Boat - Sutton Harbour Marina,Plymouth, UK, Us - Ebley, UK
Mehalah is now settled in her excellent winter marina in Plymouth. We've loads to do on her still to be ready to set off for Spain next spring but we're hopeful that will prove possible. I'll post later on the work we've done already which, as always, is two steps forward and one step back.
Meanwhile though, here's a visitor's eye view of life on board. Ali and Mike stayed with us for a week as we pottered around Cornwall. Ali is Gilly's sister. This is her, unedited, account of the week....
Landlubber’s Blog 4th September – Written by Ali
Mike and I went to stay with Gill and John and ‘met’ Mahala for the first time, having heard all about her! I had ‘in my mind’ what it would be like to be onboard and I was keen to see what life was really like for them and to understand why they are so passionate about sailing and the associated lifestyle. These were my thoughts as we boarded the dinghy and gently made our way out to the pontoon for the start of our sailing adventure!
We were really lucky with the weather as it had been raining and windy the week before.It was not hot, but certainly pleasant and dry and we got our first glimpse of her in the beautiful sunlight with calm seas. She certainly is a beautiful boat and offers much more than Petronella in terms of comfort and space. We slept very well all week, although at first it seemed very strange to be climbing up onto a bed, which was at chest height and facing the wrong way! It was also interesting to visit the loo in the night as we had to remember to navigate the obstacle courses at each doorway! Lifestyle was ‘early to bed and early to rise’, partly because of the lack of mains electricity and poor lighting without power from the generator.
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| G and Ts on the aft deck on the River Fal |
On the first full day, we set sail and saw Mahala (and Gill & John) in action!!! My image of gently cutting through the waves, with music and a glass of wine in hand was way off the mark! Everything was hard work!! Just having water in the taps involved an excursion to land to fill up the 4 jerry cans and plastic containers, followed by siphoning each one in turn into the relevant holding tank, using Gill’s jiggy jiggy!’ (don’t ask!!). Sailing it seems is a constant process of monitoring water depth, the weather and tides, the direction (Mike loved steering her!), looking for oncoming ‘traffic’, checking the state of the sails and ropes to ensure the right ones are tight, and in order to do this, using a winch handle and superhuman force to tighten each one to Gill’s satisfaction. I look at my sister with new respect – she must have arms as strong as an ox!!
Safety was a key part of the routine too. Each task we carried out had sensible and vital safety elements to consider – any lapse of this could result in loss of a finger – or worse!
It also made me realize why they cannot ‘plan’ precisely what and when they are doing. The sea is a very powerful force and the tides and wind direction have a huge impact on what is feasible to achieve. Conversations about these things are commonplace and it explains why the blogs that I have read talk about setting off at unearthly hours to get the right conditions.
I also got to see Gill and John in their ‘natural habitat!!’ (I sound like David Attenborough!). They absolutely love their lifestyle and all things nautical. I must say, that when Mahala was cutting through the waves and you can feel the wind in your hair and hear nothing apart from the crashing waves, it is a wonderful feeling! Everything else seems a lifetime away and the only thoughts in your mind are about the sailing and what you are going to eat later on!!
We have only experienced sailing in the South coast of Britain, but I can understand how the life on the wider and warmer ocean waves appeals so much to Gill and John!!
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| Multi tasking... |
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| ..with some limited success. |
Thanks guys for a great week!!
Glad you had a good week Ali. We enjoyed your company.
