Tonight marks my first full week aboard Dawn.

Weather wise its been a hot week, but now we’re feeling the tail end of Hurricane Erin. Still warm enough for shorts, but too windy to bend on the mainsail still. Although I am going to wake up tomorrow ’early’ to see if the wind has dropped off like it did this morning.

I made a local connection with a lovely couple who sailed their own ’gaffer’ until a year or so ago before selling due to it getting too much work for them to sail. They came over from Yarmouth, on the IOW, to help me fathom the running rigging, give encouragement, and share some stories over a ’lemonade’…

I have also made connections with the local yard that has maintained Dawn over the last few years. Everything I hear is positive, comments of “lucky, lucky man” etc. I think I truely have a lovely old boat.

Small jobs in the main have been the order of the day, some clearing out and organising. I’m replacing the instruments as they were non-functioning, adding wind information, contemplating the expense of AIS. I have an electrician coming over next week to make a few minor repairs.

The oil lamps have been polished and are in use nightly now.