The Big Clear Out

Actually Sunday, 7th October

It's a bit like clearing up after a party when you take down the sails, remove all our personal things and empty out the lockers after our sail. The cabin looks much less welcoming without signs of life; it may only have been home for a week but now that's come to an abrupt end and there’s work to do.

It's strangely therapeutic to move on and strip the interior of all the junk that's accumulated over the past 35 years. The dreadful speakers go together with the glass racks from the bulkhead, the curtains and the carpet end up in the skip too. With a twinge of regret the old Huson VHF follows, who wants a 1970’s radio without DSC nowadays.

Buried in lockers are a host of imperial nuts and bolts amongst other long forgotten spares, there’s even a massive anchor in the forepeak; worth keeping but it’s not clear when they’ll get used again. Together with more useful equipment such as the relatively new cooker they all get carted out and put into store.

Our area in the "client store" in the yard is full, a huge pile of equipment has formed in the garage and the garden looks like a boat jumble with anchors, the tender, outboard and fenders scattered all over the place, but at least the yacht is clear and we've got some space to work in.

With everything emptied out it’s easier to see what condition she’s in and how much work is required to get her into good shape.  The number of dividers that need re-bonding to the hull increases, the woodwork looks increasingly shabby, the action list grows in length.

At least we know where we are now, the first task though is to start the long job of stripping the varnish off the interior woodwork; we're prepared for it but that will have to wait until next weekend