Snow! Anyone for sailing?

Snowing at JWM

A gap in the weather, and BS gets lifted back into the water

It was snowing at James Watt Marina on Thursday as Blue Star was scheduled for re-launch before starting her 2016 adventures. Not very encouraging! Fortunately Friday was much better and I was able to do a number of jobs to help get the boat ready. Just hope the weather improves!

It's snow laughing matter!

.....so Roger and I are just getting Blue Star ready for our 2016 sail away from Greenock. I look out of the window before travelling north, and what do I see?

Yes! Its belting down with snow! Exactly the kind of weather we most definitely do not want when we start out, just over one week from today. We were really disappointed with the weather we had for sailing in 2015. Looks like 2016 is set to rival it for disappointment. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed though!

Joke:
Q. It is snowing hard and the helmsman on Blue Star finds she is left alone in the cockpit whilst the remainder of the crew gather for an urgent crew meeting down below. The snow continues for some time. What illness is the helm likely to suffer from as a consequence?
A. Polaroids

Q. What breakfast cereal should the helm be given the following day?
A. Frosties

Please form an orderly queue......

If you want to sign on as crew for the Kinlochbervie to Inverness leg, via Cape Wrath, there is still an opportunity for you! The crew so far numbers three and a half for that leg. The half in this case isn't a very small person. (It's someone who may have to withdraw. So I count them as a half.) I'm sure it will be a fascinating leg to sail on, so don't be shy!

Joke:
Q: What do you call a line of little girls' dolls lined up in a queue?
A: A Barbie-queue!

Water-proofing

Less than a month to go before we resume our circumnavigation of GB, and time to 'get ready'. Blue Star goes back into the water in a few weeks time, and in the meantime I have just re-water-proofed by wet weather gear. I used the Nikwax spray-on product. It is recommended that garments are first cleaned in the Nikwax product too, but my gear still seemed quite clean so I didn't bother with this stage of the operation (is it just designed to make you buy another product?). Anyway the spray on water-proofing is very easy to use, so lets hope I find that the results are good too! On second thoughts, lets hope I never need to find out! Another job's a good 'un!
To celebrate I feel like another piece of my rocky road; unfortunately it's all gone!

My wet weather gear covered in water-proofing spray

My rocky road. Yum yum!!!

Joke:

A Blue Star crewman opts to stay behind on a deserted island the crew come across, but after ten years he is a little lonely! One day, he sees a speck on the horizon. He thinks to himself, "It's not a ship." The speck gets a little closer and he thinks, "It's not a boat." The speck gets even closer and he thinks, "It's not a raft." Then, out of the surf comes a gorgeous blonde woman, wearing a wet suit and scuba gear.
She comes up to the crewman and says, "How long has it been since you've had a cigarette?"
"Ten years!", he says. She reaches over and unzips a waterproof pocket on her left sleeve and pulls out a pack of fresh cigarettes. He takes one, lights it, takes a long drag and says, "Man, oh man! Is that good!" Then she asks, "How long has it been since you've had a drink of whiskey?" He replies, "Ten years!" She reaches over, unzips her waterproof pocket on her right sleeve, pulls out a flask and gives it to him. He takes a long swig and says, "Wow, that's fantastic!" Then she starts unzipping this long zipper that runs down the front of her wet suit and she says to him, "And how long has it been since you've had some REAL fun?" And the man replies, "My word! Don't tell me that you've got golf clubs in there as well!"