Polly

I get endless scam emails on my business account, and use mailwasher to filter them out.Every bank and building society and the tax man claim to be emailing me. I ignore the lot.

That's the last time I tell you where to buy turkey and maple crisps!

What a cheek! I would have asked for her authorisation from the BA, peaked cap at the ready!

Well I made the skirt yesterday, we are going up to the boat on Sunday and will try a fitting. :D

We had turkey and maple crisps yesterday at M&S

Well you do get three ply rope. :)

Yes I read that yesterday, very sad. And I do have a comment; thank God Sidestand didn't go in after Lulu, otherwise the family's loss could have been immeasurably greater. I have thought this from the start.

We paid a flying visit to Brilliant on Saturday. The weather was lovely. The morning task was landing the dinghy, and that involved queueing for Landamore's slip, I have never seen it so busy! Lunch was a picnic on Brilliant with Jason and Sonia, it was lovely to see them and catch up. The afternoon was strip out as much as possible and load for home. I am always sad at the end of the season, and surprised at how much stuff we have accumulated! We are back next week for the trip up to LBBY and lift out. Now where can I store all this stuff from the boat??? :0

PS can't post pics until next season as the jib is now in store. :)

Brilliant has a self tacker-though not furling, and I can see that you could probably fit a jib boom to your foresail. You need fixing points on each end of the boom, which should be the length of the foot of the sail. We run with a carabiner clip on the bitter end of a long jib sheet. We have eyelets on the foredeck, but sometimes attach to the low point of the forward shroud to port. Pass the sheet then through a block placed at or near the clew on the jib boom and then through a block on either a stb. eyelet or one on the stb. forward shroud; finally run back to the cockpit. You can play with the positioning of the block on the boom for best result on your boat. You might consider just joining your jib sheets with an extra length of rope to make a continuous loop long enough to reach you at the helm. I do this single handing the dinghy, and did so on our previous boat too. Might save you some faffing about and give a more positive performance than with a self tacker. :)

Very sad, thoughts are with you all.

Look out for adders on that walk, including in the sand dunes. The seals are awesome.

Welcome Les.

Yes I think wrapped. Harrrrr

Make sure she is well ventilated, a flow of air, as opposed to wind, is needed to avoid humid conditions and so to keep rot at bay.

Yes in tidal waters, I think the production crew must have put a foot down?

Hmmmm change her name to 'Marilyn'? I think the bungeed lower hem will save her blushes.

Very enjoyable. Pru in the lock minus life jacket put years on my life! Argh!

After wise advice, thank you JM, Brilliant will be laid up in a skirt. We have perfectly adequate topsides cover for Brilliant, but the hull sides will be open to the drying effects of wind. After a careful and tight-fisted trawl of eBay I have ordered some breathable rip stop fabric for her first ever (I suspect) skirt. I am not saying she's fat, but it will take 25m to go round her waist. Adding 50m of bungee for top and bottom edges will be probably the longest hems I have ever sewn! There were dayglo pink options, but to save her blushes, and hide a winter's worth of dirt, this elegant garment will be in green camouflage. Wish me luck!

It was awesome

A couple of sightings suggest she got out. Maybe the RSPCA could consider baited traps near Horning Hall Farm? Otherwise there are residences on both sides of the river, she can reach help. I haven't given up hope by any means.

Carol to go agreed. Peter Andre tries too hard, sadly. Ainsley is in the danger zone, and it was sad to see Anton down at the bottom again.

Hoping for a good outcome. Is there anything more on Lulu?

Shameful

The exam is one devised in something like the 1930s testing IQ, supposedly. It's way out of date and out of step with what we now know about intelligence.