All back together again........

Brown Eyes is all back together again, with her masts up and sails fitted.  I'm relieved to say that the used sail I bought a couple of months ago fits better than her previous one and she is looking in good condition.  This week I have also fitted a new hatch in the aft cabin and re-bedded the other two hatches.  After the rain we have had in Ipswich over the past 24hrs, I'm pleased to say things are much more water-tight down below than before! 

The check list of tasks to-do before setting off on the circumnavigation of the UK is getting shorter; or rather the tasks on the list are not as major as they were a year ago.......the list isn't actually getting shorter - if you own a boat, they never do!  Hopefully this time next week she will be shipshape (excuse the pun) and ready for the adventure to begin.....

Running The Gauntlet.....

The training and racing has continued to go well.

I have recently competed in The Gauntlet adventure race which involved 12km of obstacles, lakes and pools of mud that were determined to drag the unwary under.  All the water obstacles were freezing and I lost the feeling in my legs on a number of occasions.  I finished a creditable 4th overall and our team came first!

Note the colour of my legs!

This is why!

Looking cleaner at the finish after diving under barrels in a lake.

Still sporting the scars from The Gauntlet, a week later I was running the Bungay half-marathon.  The first half of the course had some challenging hills and as we turned for home at the halfway point, runners were greeted by a head wind!  So no records were broken, but I managed to complete the run in 1hr 34 min 44 sec, 24th overall and 6th in the V50 category.

One of the early hills...

My next planned race is a 100km in September.....best keep the training up!

Nearly at the finish line.

She's back.......

Brown Eyes is finally back from the paint-shop, looking shiny and new!  As well as the new hull paintwork she has a new transom boarding ladder.

The masts are due to go back up later this week and then I can get the sails back on and start on some much needed painting and varnishing below deck.

People.....

As with most travel, it is not just about the final destination, the places that you see along the way or how many stars that your hotel may or may not have.  

It is also about the people you make that journey with, those that you meet along the way and those that enrich the experience by their interaction with you and also those that are interested in you and where you have come from.

Whilst we saw many wonderful things on our journey through India and Nepal, it was the people that made it special..........

 

Stare out a tiger.........

Early morning mist.......

One of the highlights of our recent trip to Nepal was an elephant safari at dawn in the Chitwan National Park.  Riding an elephant was an adventure in itself and, as the other wildlife is use to elephants being close by, this allowed us to approach much closer than would normally be expected .  

One-horned Rhinoceros (smiling?)

Within a vert short time we were approaching 2 One-horned Rhinos coming to the river for an early morning drink.  

Being on the back of a huge elephant ensured our safety, however our guide had told us that if we were on foot and had come face to face with a rhinoceros we should either climb a convenient, large tree or run in a zig-zag dropping clothing and possessions as we ran, hoping that the rhino would become distracted.  The advice about meeting a tiger required a tad more bravery; stare the big cat in the eye, whilst slowly backing away.........luckily we were not required to put this advice to the test, but useful to know for the future......just in case.

Later in the day we were treated to the spectacle of a lone rhino bathing in a lake......

Bottoms-up - laying on its back!!

Brilliant!!!