2022 March
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Back on board after several weeks in the Alps, and the fun begins again with lots of things to sort out before we set off on our travels again.
The boat was in good order although we had lost the stern flag and pole in the recent Storm Eunice. But other than that the harbour masters had done a great job of looking after our baby.
On our brief visit to the boat at the start of January we found that our washing machine had broken down and I was unable to fix it at that point. Fortunately on our return this month we found a local engineer who quickly diagnosed the problem but we agreed it would take a while to resolve and as we couldn’t afford the time to mess about, he arranged a replacement and turned up the next day to finish the job.
From then on, the next few days were a flurry of expenses.
Pip, our new dog, had her neutering op the Monday after our return, which was done as keyhole surgery – more expensive than the traditional method but it meant she would recover much more quickly. At the same time we were able to arrange a European pet passport for her for her future life of travel. Followed by repairs to an iPad and a new phone, another couple of expensive challenges, and then a new set of Lithium batteries and an alternator were delivered for installation by the boat yard later in April.
The end of the month saw the weather turn bitterly cold overnight with strong winds and ironically, after the lack of snow in the Alps, some snow, just what we needed whilst trying to sort ourselves out.
On the plus side, our boat neighbour Klaus, owns a really nice Michelin starred restaurant and as it was up and running again after COVID, we were able to go there for what turned out to be a pretty special meal. We hadn’t realised when we booked, but it worked on the premise of ‘no menu’ – Chef’s Secret Surprise menu – so literally every course was a delicious surprise.
