Giles and Paula's Great Retirement Adventure

[Nik]

Thanks for sharing this story. It's all completely understandable. I bet next time you hit heavy weather it'll be different, and you'll probably feel more confident. Pretty cool to be out there in those strong forces, as long as it is safe. And it sounds like you've got the training, the tech, and most important the attitude necessary to get through the tough stuff.

When Clara and I visited my Dad on the sailboat he retired onto and we went sailing for the first time we got caught in a thunderstorm with heavy rain and lightning. Clara and I have zero experience on boats and we were both scared. She went down below with my Dad's two boat cats, and I took directions on getting the sails down and keeping the boat bow into the waves. At one point I couldn't keep her right and had to ask my Dad for help, which I didn't want to do, but he was good about it. It's a good memory now, but was not at all good at the time.

[mclaincausey]

Oh noes!!

I suppose things could’ve gone worse than your recent adventure.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Whatcouldgowrong/comments/10t0dzm/with_stealing_a_boat_and_having_it_break_down/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

[Giles]

hahahahaha

[Giles]

Tetsu san has done his work on the artwork for SAKURA…..

[goosehd]

That is really, truly beautiful!!  Are you having it painted on or a decal?

[Giles]

It'll be a Decal.  We have just modified the blossom colours to:

[steelworker]

what are the 3 glyphs under the name?

[Matt]

Wow. That’s fantastic.

[Giles]

@steelworker said in Giles and Paula's Great Retirement Adventure:

what are the 3 glyphs under the name?

SAKURA in Katakana...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katakana

[Giles]

Also having a Burgee made for her....

[Giles]

The final design.....

[Giles]

And Haraki is sending us the original Tetsu artwork....

[mclaincausey]

Crushed it!!!

I remember one of those katakana characters from when I used to do sumi e calligraphy and drawings. I loved writing “ya ku za.”

[Giles]

Sa Ku Ra .....

[Giles]

We had a Burgee made....

[Giles]

Part of the Yachtmaster Offshore practical course will be to be randomly assigned a port or marina and be told to chart a course to it and draw up a pilotage plan to enter the harbour/marina. Paula and I have decided that we will do as much "practice" of this between now and October. There are about 20 likely ports/marinas that the instructor will throw at us, so we have a lot to do.

Today, we plan to go from Gosport to Swanwick Marina on the River Hamble. We have not done this before, nor entered the River Hamble, which is one of the busiest leisure boating rivers in UK. The channel is narrow and tricky to follow at times, so we are going in on a flood tide, so if we do run aground, we'll float off.

[goosehd]

Make sure to read the chart’s finer details (ahem…bridges)

Have fun guys!!!

[Giles]

Up The Hamble...

[Giles]

Our current playground, The Isle of Wight and The Solent.....

[goosehd]

@Giles said in Giles and Paula's Great Retirement Adventure:

We had a Burgee made....

I wish that the piping on this matched one of the colours of the Cherry blossom...as I find that the black distracts instead of enhances.