We didn’t go anywhere today, not even off the boat. Perfect weather, a beautiful bay, and a tired and sick family made the decision to just lounge around on the boat an easy one. In fact we’ve been boat bound now for three days and don’t really mind it one bit.

I patched the hole in the dinghy. A proper patch this time, and I barely even used my super glue, opting instead for the hyphalon repair kit included with the dinghy. We cleaned the boat up, everyone got showers, we ate tacos and guacamole, and I went for a swim.

We’ve owned this boat a long time now, but this was the first time I’ve ever gotten a good look at the bottom of it. And I must say it is an imposing beast. The size of this hull under the waterline is frightening. The rudder is bigger than me, the prop is huge, and the keel, my god it just goes on and on. Really not looking forward to that paint job. But one thing a massive full keel like this does do is instill in you a sense that this is a real cruising boat, not some little plastic toy like our catamaran.

At some point today Ouest began to do what I do, which apparently is to make a big mess of the lines in the cockpit. She spent a good hour on this project, and came back to it often throughout the day. I love watching her when she is like this, totally in the zone, concentrating on a project which to her holds great importance. It’s fascinating, as you can literally see the thought process in real time as it unfolds before you in a whirl of hands and line.