No time to blog - 6:16 PM, Jul. 14, 2005

Had vowed not to be a "redundant" blogger, but have had a grim few weeks at work, thus neither time nor inclination to write. Plus kids have finished exams, so finding a slot on either of home PC's has been difficult. But have been reading everyone's entries, which has kept my morale afloat.

Swagman's booze cruise sounds a lot of fun. Almost died when I read about the Thompson episode. And his friend with the suitcase full of spare livers seems very resourceful - can one buy them on the internet? On the practical side, Swagman seems to have it all sorted - very useful advice on internet connections; what "sang froid" about the battery charging episode. Next big techy question - does you fridge make ice for the G+Ts, or do you compromise?

Dave "Plain Sailing"'s entries and photos are a source of joy. Popeye has even visited the website, and can confirm that Silkie seems 100% more comfortable than the same size day sailer we tried to cruise with on our first trip to Croatia. Shame Dave didn't make it to Ireland, but seemed to make up for it with "libations".

And Magna Carter is off to the Deben, not very far from where I was born ( over as pub, as luck would have it). Hope you've read PBO + YM, re the shifting sands at the entrance. Sailed there 2 years ago, and can confirm that over a space of 2 days, they move right across the mouth at every tide. Tip - follow a larger vessel (from a safe distance) 

Aquarius -when you find your 34ft Bavaria / Oceanis for less than £40K, plus all the gadgets, pls let me know. We started off in that price range, and have now added 50%.But then again, we're real geriatrics, not 'nouveau middle aged', so once we retire,will have no time to spend on DIY.

"Only" 14 weeks till next trip, when we will try out the Balearics, but this time with competent crew and biggish yacht. Will try before then to do a mini-log of Croatia 2004 ( very big yacht, as to crew, am still seeking legal advice before publication) and Croatia 2005 ( almost got it right , apart from 2 major incidents provoked by myself - nothing too serious, Popeye is still alive, and we're still married)

Only marine activity on the horizon this weekend is maybe taking the grandsons (age 4 + 6) sailing dinghies on our local lake. Every experience counts, right?

Bon vent !