Sale Agreed

'Sale Agreed' it says on our For Sale board. 

So, looks like we've sold the house!

The next step - to find a yacht to live aboard. 

   When the sale goes through we are going to stay round my parents till we buy a yacht. 

    So, looking for the right boat in earnest now. If your selling a 40 foot-ish sailing yacht give me a shout. 

   We are prepared for some weekends away, viewing boats, and have tried to contact a few brokers with this aim. 

  The yachts we had picked are either sold yesterday, sold ages ago and the add was left on the Internet or upon our request for more information etc. The photos show that the boats are in poor condition and show obvious faults. 

  ( I've just noticed that Alison's got her cardigan on inside out. Ha Ha! 😄)  Some websites such as Boats24 give good comprehensive information, lots of photos and the brokers comments sound really helpful. 

Other websites show the merest of details and what info is there, hasn't come out well in translation / is obviously wrong  or a complete falsehood. 

   Any advice from readers would be welcome!

   

    

Gone fishing

Another area we wanted some experience in, is sea fishing. Catching your own dinner for free, appeals to us. We both adore sea food. 

We booked on Sunday and went out of Whitby today on the 'Tina Dawn'. 

The forecast was good. The best day of the week. 

There was only 2 other people on board. Apart from the Skipper and his mate. A father and his teenage daughter who had booked on impulse the day before. We chatted as the boat got underway. They were from York and I thought it was nice a father and daughter were doing such a thing. " quality time' I said nodding. 

     Once out of Whitby the sea was rough and a cold blow made us glad we had come prepared with warm coats and hats. 

    After about 30 mins motoring the fish finder er.. Found some fish, so it was rods over the side, with the help of the Skipper and mate with some basic tuition. 

The waves were hitting us broadside rocking us about. I think that this was so the boat drifted away from the fishing lines. It made sitting down, a lot safer and less tiring than standing up. 

   We tried 3 different locations, and in between, the sea gulls hovered close to the boat. It would have been easier to catch one of them than a fish. The Skipper caught 2 whiting. The rest of us nothing. 

"Your Dad's better at this than us"

I said to the girl. As he got a bite but the fish escaped just as it reached the surface. 

   There was a larger fishing party that headed out at the same time. After a couple of hours they passed us as they returned to port. 

Our Skipper asked if we had, had enough?  "It just isn't happening". 

We had. 

We returned early, weather beaten, wet, hungry and fish less. 

On paying and hopping ashore the Skipper said it was flat calm yesterday!!!!

He gave Alison and I the 2 fish he had caught as he didn't like to eat fish.

 I've heard that a few times now from nautical folk. 

We decided to go for 'sit in' fish and chips to warm up.

 Very good it was too. "If its good enough for Jeremy Clarkson!"

We talked about our morning and what we had learnt. 

"The other guy with his daughter nearly caught a fish"

said I

"Daughter?"

Exclaimed Alison. 

"She was his girlfriend!"

Oooops. Looks like I put my foot in it again. 

She was half his age mind.

"I wonder if he got her on board for half fare?"

Weather wise - on checking the barometer when we got home it read 1006 - low pressure - which will have accounted for the busy sea. 1013 is neutral pressure and we don't see it get past that very often in this part of the world. 

Will I ever learn?

 

Son No.1 moved out

Our eldest son (20) has just moved into a flat. His job in Middlesbrough made it difficult to do the 15 mile journey every day without his own transport. I was having to pick him up from night shift at anything between 3 and 7 am. Then having to go to work myself. I didn't mind as I was so glad he had got the job but I knew that I couldn't keep it up. My ankles were starting to ache again with the driving. 

I managed 3 months. Reckon I did well. 

    It will be good to see how he manages while we are still here, as we can help when needed. 

The weekend we moved him in he decided to go on a bender Friday and Saturday nights. I was awoken by him at 5 am Sat. Morning for his taxi fare. Not a good start and due getting in at this time was asleep till late afternoon. 

So Alison and I had it all to do. But we did it. 

The bare 1 bed apartment looked like an hotel suite when we had finished, we could have moved in ourselves. 

       The next day he phoned saying he was bored. My boss Jim's idea of just dumping everything and letting him get on with it might have been a better idea. Thanks for the loan of the van Jim. 

     A few days later and he's not bored anymore. There's council tax to pay, Tv license, grocery shopping to do, washing to either take to the launderette over the road or to his Nans 100 yds up the road. 

    And the toilet won't flush properly, where is the wheelie bin, when do the bin men come, there's no tv aerial. Could things get worse? Lol. 

Welcome to the real world. 

We dashed round to sort his Tv with a portable aerial and do some shopping. Also took round his dinner. It will take him a while to get into the swing of things. 

He didn't help much when he was at home. A damn sight more than his brother though!  At least he's a dab hand with a frying pan, so he won't starve. 

     THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER ?