So the boat went back in a day or so back and today I spent some time onboard. I went through all the updates and checked everything was as it should be. After a quick coffee, I went for a sail.

The yacht had a new main and jib and today’s conditions were great to try them out. Dolphin Sails, Mersea supplied them and I‘m very happy with their performance. 10kts of wind gave us a little over 5tks of boat speed. the tippy heel with her old (and tired) sails is now long gone. it was a glorious day, very warm and we came across a few boats that had also ventured out. Making the most of the easing of lockdown conditions.

In addition to the new sails, various items were replaced during the winter to maintain the best performance and I also gave the new AIS transponder a try out. The transponder, an AIT5000 Class B+ supplied by Digital Yacht was part of an NMEA 2000 upgrade to the radio, gps and navigation systems that works extremely well onboard. Also serviced was a SonicShield ultrasound hull cleaner, supplied by CMS Marine that I find does work, but fit a 12v timer to let it sleep overnight as battery drain is an issue.

Safety on board is of course paramount and we carry all required safety equipment onboard supplied by Suffolk Marine Safety, including a liferaft, a requirement for operating in CAT D waters. We hope to be operating commercially again after July 4 2020. See you soon!