Noggin Arrives.

Monday was a big day for us. We had planned to sail Noggin round from Poole to Portland but what should be a pleasant day's sail was assuming epic proportions. None of her potential crew was in full working order and nor was Noggin, too much winter wet had scuppered the engine and her mast was down waiting for the new rigging to be fitted, and also it has been impossible even to reach her down the swollen River Frome where many of her fellow boats have come a cropper riding up onto the banks where the flood tide has lifted the moorings, so Mark got what must be one of the more unusual Birthday presents,the services of  a big lorry!
Noggin was towed down the river to Ridge Wharf and lifted onto her big friendly lorry....

....and then driven in fine style down to Portland where Mak, Ross and I waited to greet her and watch an even bigger machine lift her off and launch her in the amazing clear greeny blue...um, aquamarine even..waters of the harbour. The Frome is very clean and healthy but so silty that you couldn't see more than two inches below the surface so it is extraordinary here that you can look down several metres and see the fish and seaweed, more like a really chilly swimming pool.

  It was the sort of very grey day that Portland doesn't do that often but does very thoroughly once it gets started!

Then she was towed yet again by a boat with two seventy horsepower outboard engines!!! Noggin's full complement of horsepower is eight, even supposing they were working! Now she is settled on her pontoon in the extremely smart marina with the unimaginable luxury of a step aboard mooring. Mark and I have been popping down every day to open her up and just to chat to her. After years of horse ownership it felt awful to be responsible for something that was in a risky place and that I couldn't check up on for months at a time. Now there really is precious little excuse for not doing all the little jobs we have put off, not to mention the more major ones of getting her mobile again both under power and under sail. Roll on spring and roll on the re opening of The Boat That Rocks.

We toasted her arrival with Prosecco and will soon have the gin installed ready for those sunny summer evenings onboard!