Getting the rigging wrong again

Monday, being a bank holiday, did not see any work from the yard, so after checking the navigation instruments Julian took the car to Bishop's Stortford, where a work colleague had offered us a temporary parking space. It is not easy to get to Tollesbury by public transport, so this will make it easier when we pick it up after our sailing. I moped out the bilges, making sure all the limber holes were clear, and did some tying up ready for the mast to go in then had a relaxing day waiting for Julian to get back.

We had hoped to eat out, but Tollesbury does not have a huge range of dining choices, and it was shut....

Tuesday was an insanely busy day. We were up at 06:30 to move Robinetta over to the fuel dock while there was water. The Marina has a sill, so does not dry, but the water level drops enough that moving around is only reliably possible an hour either side of high water at neaps. We then went back to bed for a bit, but as soon as the yard workers arrived they told us we were the wrong way round in the berth for their crane to reach so we had to turn her in a hurry while there was water. Then we had to get the bowsprit out and rigged so there was room on the foredeck for the riggers.

As soon as the water had dropped the riggers were there to fit Robinetta's mast. This went as smoothly as it always does (i.e. not very!). Somehow while we were dressing the mast the directions had got turned around, and we put the mast head antenna and light cables down the opposite side of the mast to normal. Changing that would have taken too long, so Julian had to rerun the electrics for the antenna so we could use the radio.

Also while dressing the mast we had got the jib and staysail halyards mixed up. They are different lengths with different fittings, so how we made that mistake is as mysterious as the running the electrics on the wrong side of the mast. Luckily that is an easy fix as the yard could swing one of their workers out on a bosuns chair on the crane and he switched the rope around straight after lunch.

Then it was all down to us to get the mast chocked and stayed, the boom refitted, the sails bent on... We were also expecting a visit from Mike French, who had fitted the new engine, to do some final running up tests. Once he had adjusted the idle he told us we were good to go.

Finally, at 18:00 there was enough water over the sill for Robinetta to leave the marina, and start her journey north.