Needless to say, after Hurkur was fixed by Eddie, everything was fine and we managed to get out a few times for a sail and some fishing too. In fact one perfectly calm day Eddie caught loads of bream, mackerel and dog fish at a mark called Elphicks tree, south of Eastbourne. I ended up making some Thai curry with most of it – tasty!
Then we got busy with hospital appointments and Eddie’s operation, so no more sailing for us. We cleared all the extra equipment and stuff off the boat beforehand so there would be no heavy lifting after the op and Hurkur is now winterised, ready we hope for a good summer again this year. Not sure what our plans for cruising are yet, Brexit and the Red Diesel issue may dictate where we can go, but ideally we would like to go back to the Netherlands yet again. If not, then we are considering the East Coast of England.
During August we arranged an outing for the WOA South East Cluster to Hastings ‘Amsterdam’ shipwreck, the museum and a meal at the Bull, which went down very well – and interesting day. We also organised a trip to Dover Coastguard for the Cluster as well in November, which was a great day and very popular, finished off with a meal at Cullins Yard Bistro. A place we used on our last visit to Dover Coastguard. So those two trips, plus a trip to Hastings Seafood and Wine festival, and their Herring Fayre kept us quite busy, amongst other things. Hmmm, there seems to be two main topics going on here: Sea and food! Now is a quiet time until the boat comes out for the annual spruce up and maintenance, which is booked for February 27th, the week after the children’s half term. We will have the granddaughters prior to that, so now is time to plan their week.
On the beach at Hasting ‘Amsterdam’ Shipwreck tour
WOA members at Dover Coastguard, before our tour of the premises