She’s Afloat……..Properly!

It’s been a frustrating week one way and another, but today all of that was forgotten because on this mornings high tide, under beautiful blue sky and with hardly a breeze, ‘Gleda’ finally broke free of the land for good and floated serenely out into the river Tamar and was finally and properly afloat for the first time.

It’s seven years and seven months since I cut that first piece of plywood back in the landlocked Midlands and there were times when I wondered if this day would ever come. If seven really is a lucky number then we chose a good day.

It didn’t happen quite as I’d envisaged, we were pulled out to the mooring by the yards workboat but you know what? I don’t give a fig. We’re on the water and it’s salty! That’ll do for me right now and we’re opening a bottle of fizz tonight to celebrate.

Tomorrow I’ll start work again with new energy, engines, steering linkages and running rigging will be the focus over the coming days. I really really want to be sailing by the end of the month.

We had some very welcome guests on Friday, Adrian and Janine Hall came down to the yard and spent a few hours with us. As many of you will know they are building Tiki 38 ‘Kira’ down in the South East and I’m pleased to report that not only are they making good progress (both hulls pretty much finished) but that Janine assures me that their website will be back up and running soon. So check out ?????? for your fix of boatbuilding madness.

Tonight we splashed Cornish champagne on the bows and drank to the many years of adventure ahead………Cheers!