I have not been back to see Robinetta since October, but she has not been abandoned! Julian rebuilt the gaff over the winter, and I have been sent regular photos by friends who live locally. The yard have kept on eye on her which was especially useful during the storms of February.
Julian and I drove down south on Monday, to stay in a cottage in Walberswick while we got Robinetta ready to move on. The weather was lovely for March, dry with bright blue sky, but the wind was strong and the temperature hovered between 5C and 10C.
Our first check was on the covers, which are showing their age, with some of the stitching coming undone and ties that have frayed through. The bow mooring line was also damaged, but being braid the core was still strong enough to hold the bow in, even though the braid sheathing had vanished. We immediately replaced the rope.
Once we got the covers off and folded away I opened up the cabin, to find the expected grey mould on most of the surfaces. We took the seat cushions back to the cottage and washed them there, but it took me a full day to wash the paintwork down. Meanwhile Julian got on with repairing the boom. It needed some epoxy reinforcement on the end, so that was taken to the cottage too, where conditions were warm enough for the epoxy to set.
The engine started first time, the radio worked, as did the depth gauge and chart plotter and by the end of Wednesday we had Robinetta habitable, and the main sail bent on. We will be back at the end of the month and, weather permitting, will resume our passage north.
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