Before New Years, when we got the boat on land, we couldn’t wait to get the boat back in the water again. The other cruisers on the yard had been there for several months, but to us it seemed completely unlikely that we would stay on the yard longer than what was absolutely necessary. Now we’ve been here for so long, though, that we’re starting to feel at home, and we could easily stay here for the rest of the season just fixing the boat!

Henrik is enjoying having like-minded do-it-yourself cruisers around him to discuss the boat work, and even though I think appreciates my effort to participate in the problem solving of the boat, I think he prefers talking to someone that actually understands what he’s saying!

We had hoped to get the boat in the water early next week, but when Henrik asked the guy who manages the repairs, if he thought he would be finished as promised or if he should take the mast down, he immediately encouraged Henrik to do it! Henrik never likes taking the mast down and especially not on the ground, but ever since we broke the two lower stays last year, he has wanted to change the rest. It always seems like it’s only a question of luck to get the mast down without ruining anything, and this time was no exception. It came down, though, and Henrik now has an additional list of things he needs to do, before we’re ready to get the boat in the water.

Henrik isn’t the only one who’s busy, though. Since he found out last week that I can be rather useful, he is daily presenting new tasks for me to do. This week I’ve been sanding down the tiller, wind steering, and the boards for the companionway, (I’ve been sanding so much that my iPhone no longer registers my touch ID!), and now I’ve started varnishing. It’s incredible how quickly I’ve gone from being a huge help that should be rewarded with a romantic weekend in Miami (at the Boat Show), and to some sort of an employer. Henrik has suggested that instead of staying in Miami overnight, we should drive back to the boat, so I can varnish in the morning, before returning to the boat show! He’s almost finding new things for me to do for my sake, so I’ll be wiser to help only in bits from now on!

Signe Storr - Freelance journalist & friend of Boatshed