It won’t only be repairs taking place. Living on board full time soon allows you to see how things can be better done. The cockpit has already been partially completed, with the moving of the steering wheel to the stern: now it’s just a matter of putting in ‘wooden’ flooring for all of the stern area and a fold up table. Also to come is the sanding painting of the the hull and topsides, attaching new rubbing strakes, changing the forward cabin into our bedroom, rearranging the bathroom and adding a bath, new cupboards above the fridge in the kitchen, new mattresses for the pilot bunks, moving the radio communications area into the pilot house and building a new cupboard in its place, and a sand and repaint upon the inside. It’s the final step of her makeover into Gratis.

In between all of that will be washing blinds, curtains, ropes and so forth.

With an exquisitely warm day accompanied by a gentle breeze the morning saw us move Gratis further into the marina: upon the outer pontoon it becomes a little rocky in the stronger winds and yours truly finds herself becoming sea sick for a day or two.

Bob is currently carrying out minor adjustments outside, whilst the washing of the blinds and windows is keeping me occupied.