Nov. 2006
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Check out Weeks ending: [12 Nov 06] [19 Nov 06] [26 Nov 06]

Month ending 12 Nov 06 (Bob)

Quick trip to England - Bob made a quick trip for routine checks with Drs in England and all is well.

Voyager Dramas - During Bob's absence, our friends on Voyager finished their boat work, launched and set off for Almerimar but gremlins made it difficult.  The propeller setting needed to be adjusted, and then the pitch needed to be reversed and re-adjusted.  Finally they left, with 30 knots on the tail; they had a fast and rough trip to Almerimar - a small step in their planned return to the US this season.

Final Shipping Preparations - Meanwhile we prepared LP for her trip, covering most stainless with plastic, covering varnished surfaces to protect from salt spray and soot, bringing all loose deck items inside, removing headsails, and securing all items below - when we finished she was ready to go to sea!

Loading on Dockwise - This process was quite smooth (and described in detail elsewhere) but generally it was drama-free and professional.  The only nuisance was that since we were the smallest yacht on board, we were blocked up last and so had to remain on board all day as the water slowly receded in the cargo hold. We re-boarded the next day to clean up some loose ends and all seemed to be shipshape.

The 1st yacht shows the way...

...they leave us a small space...

...snuggled among $Million megayachts...

..and we are buried among the biggies.

Forward Planning - We were fortunate to sell our car to the only person who came to look at it, so we are unencumbered in Spain, thus our plan is to take the ferry to Barcelona for a couple of days, fly to UK for Bob's final medical checkup, and then on to Florida to meet Long Passages, which should be arriving on or about 7 December.

Week ending 19 Nov 06 (Bob)

Reducing our Stable - We advertised our trusty Ford Escort on a Wednesday and by Saturday a British ex-pat was happily driving it away, paying us what we had paid for it last year, and giving him some time to have his car repaired - it had packed up last week. Now we are down from a yacht and two land vehicles to our beautiful Long Passages, which should be enjoying mild weather on its trip to the tropics aboard MV Explorer.

Off to Barcelona - We planned to return to England for Bob's final checkup and found that it was 40% cheaper to take a ferry from Palma to Barcelona, stay the night in Barcelona, and fly Barcelona to London than it was to fly direct - so we did!  In the bargain, we caught up with Pete and Jeanette who had left 2 weeks earlier on Voyager, and visited Venice in the meantime.  Being architects they led us on Architecture Appreciation Tour 101 as we discovered the wonderful world of Antonio Gaudi.  A 19th century architect, Gaudi was far ahead of his time designing buildings, cathedrals, and parks that remain landmarks today.  We visited Casa Batillo, an exotic townhouse converted to one of the most expensive museums we have ever visited. His designs were modern, far ahead of his times in the early 1900's with sweeping balconies, arched halls, and whimsical chimneys. In the afternoon we visited La Pedrera, an apartment building and another of his fantasy creations,  which roughly translated means 'The Rock Pile' - and it looks like it. The roof is an undulating surface with tiled steps that allow one to wander up and down between balconies and chimneys while providing great views of Barcelona's La Rambla, the main shopping and strolling avenue.

And to England - After a too-short visit with our architecture instructors, we dragged our too-heavy bags to the EasyJet check-in and popped over to England for a 1-day visit and our staging point for returning to the US on 28 November.

Week ending 26 Nov 06 (Bob)

Thanksgiving in England - Following a tradition we set last year, we invited our good friends John and Peggy to our temporary digs at Sandy Balls.  Judi prepared turkey with all of the trimmings common in the USA on a delightfully cool, rainy English day. 

Weekend in Cornwall - After a pleasant evening we headed southwest to Cornwall, a beautiful coastline with quaint villages and few visitors in November.  We hung out at a friendly B&B in St Ives, eating at the local pub and watching the local fishing fleet - beached at low tide and loaded with fish at high tide.  The people were friendly, the South African couple who ran the B&B were very nice, and it allowed us to leave England on a relaxed note.

 

 
 

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