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Sad news. Ride in peace Hayley

All tucked up for the winter in the south of France. Added an extra bit of tarp over the foredeck to try and keep the water out as front hatch is a bit leaky. Should’ve fitted an electric bilge pump but didn’t so will probably have to go back a couple of times in the next 4 months to pump the bilges. Have booked a haul out for the end of March so I can scrub and anti foul, also have a few other jobs to do: paint deck, strip and repaint toe-rail, replace outboard bracket as it has a crack in it, get bushings made for the wobbly rudder pintles, possibly re-varnish mast. Lots to do but hopefully will manage a month or so in the summer sailing to lovely anchorages so should be worth it! Then possibly through the canal du midi in September but that might not happen til 2026…

I’ve an Alpkit something or other, copy of hubba hubba. Used it on a month trip round France and it was fine, still in good condition too

Have you got a boat?! On mine I run all the above apart from an inverter from a 100w panel and a 115 amp hr leisure battery. Bought from sunstore in Worthing as a package including controller and expensive 3m tape to fix panel to cabin top. Bought a cheap switch panel from eBay that has lighter socket and 2 x USB and that serves to charge cabin light and phone/iPad for navigation. Simple set up and has lasted 3 years with no issues. There is an extra output on the controller that could charge an engine battery if required but as I have a petrol outboard I don’t need that

No more £2 bus fare cap. This only affects the poor. Party of working people? Starmer, WAC.

Folk boats are decent seagoing boats and lots of spares available - rig, sails etc. Small enough to sail on and off a mooring too, definitely no inboard required. I wish I’d bought a folkboat instead of my Hillyard

Is this still for sale? I am also in Cornwall

1 metre, long keel. Means I can get close in to anchor and also go up rivers and canals which is handy

After leaving Puffin at anchor for a couple of months on the Etang, I’ve now moved to winter moorings. A nice quiet sail up the coast, light winds, sunshine and some very nice anchorages. Now prepping the boat to be left alone for a few months. Spent this morning threading hosepipe onto the mooring lines to try and stop the chafe from the quay wall.

Banh my mama is excellent. Meat on a stick from the night market. The best chicken pho. Bun bo nam bo

How do I press new bearings into a goldtec track hub without special tools? The old bearings were drifted out with the axle. I’m sure there was a very good fixedgearlondon tutorial for this but I can’t find it

Is that lobster and spider crabs? How did you catch them?

The GR whatever it is across Gran Canaria and Tenerife is good

I’m a terrible tourist and visit no attractions/museums etc, my recommendations are mostly eat all the food! There’s so much and it’s difficult to remember exactly what we ate as it was 2 years ago. Definitely go for bun bo nam bo in Hanoi. Bun cha too.

Terrible pic because I wasn’t expecting it, but today I saw: 2 cyclists, side by side, towing a tiny caravan. It certainly made me smile! On the Nantes - Brest canal

If you paid by credit card, claim money back through them

Smoking ban seems like a good policy. They’ve banned smoking in outside areas in Spain and it seems to have worked / though all the smokers and vapers just go across the road from the bar.
4 day week - also seems good. Hope they do it for teachers but I doubt it! When I had an office job, many moons ago, I did spend at least a 5th of the time looking busy whilst doing nothing.

If you’re into music, there’s a couple of decent jazz places. Also very good for cocktails. Definitely go and drink beer hoi in the street on tiny plastic stools

minhjazzvietnam.com

Ha! Not very big. Still nice though. Wooden hull and canoe stern, any idea on the builder/history?

Nice boat! Looks big

Boat jousting currently happening in Sete

Excellent baguette placement

Wiggins?

Great report and pics! Looks like a lovely ride

Please post updates/reports, I’m cycling from Sete to Roscoff at the end of the month so keen for recommendations of good things! Not sure of my route yet but want to check out the canal for potential winter moorings and also would like to see some of the Brittany coast.