My Tiki Pilgrimage Is Over

I’m back! ……Wow what a trip!

Over the coming days I’ll give you the full story but first I need to sit back a bit, collect my thoughts and re-adjust to life as a Tiki 38 builder rather than a Tiki 38 sailor.

Before I go any further I must once again thank Jacques and his girlfriend Sophie for their incredible generosity and hospitality whilst I was with them. Also Vincent, Marie, Roland and the many other friends who shared their time with me and made me feel so at home.

I simply can’t express my gratitude in words so I’ll simply say that I very much hope to be able to return their generosity at some future date, who knows ‘Gleda’ might one day arrive in L’Estaque for a cruise in company with ‘Pilgrim’, how cool would that be!

I have a journal full of notes and sketches, over a hundred photographs and some video footage to work my way through. Jacques gave me free reign to crawl all over ‘Pilgrim’ gathering as much information as I could. We spent hours talking about engines, rigging, on-board systems, sails etc. Jacques and ‘Pilgrim’ have now sailed thousands of miles together and the lessons he’s learned are invaluable, but here’s the thing, there is absolutely nothing of any major consequence that he would change about the boat. He built her to plan and she has performed brilliantly. His pride in her is stronger now than when she was launched 2 years ago and in his own words ‘I’m 110% satisfied with her’. I find that both amazing and very reassuring, there can be no doubt that  Mr James Wharram is a genius, follow his plans and you will have a boat to safely take you anywhere.

So as I write this on a dark, wet and chilly UK evening it seems impossible that only a few days ago I was helming a Tiki 38 across the gorgeous blue waters of the bay of Marseille under a blue sky and blazing sun, but it’s a fact and the memories I have of the past week will provide all the energy and motivation I need to continue working on ‘Gleda’ through what I am determined will be the last winter of the build.

To that end I’ve managed to complete some more sheathing today, I’ve done the decks over the saloon and double berth.