It’s sunny: so where is my boat…?
The UK has finally decided to wake up to the fact that it’s spring. This means one thing: the sailing season is coming!
Finally, the weather has decided to show its fairer side: in Manchester (where I am holed up today), the weather is gloriously sunny and warm.
If I close my eyes, the sunshine reminds me of being on a boat in much warmer climes – indeed, just the sight of a bit of the warm stuff is enough to make me start to wonder where I am, and, if it’s really warm, where the heck did I park my boat?! (Assuming for a second that I have turned into one of those middle-aged women who loses their car in a car-park: if it’s sunny, I must have a boat around here somewhere..?)
Or when I’m not thinking about virtual boats which I should be on, my mind is calculating exactly where the nearest marina is, and how long it will take to get there. From Manchester, I could go an ogle some yachts parked up on the ship canal, or I can drive to the sea: Liverpool yacht club is just under an hours drive away, which, right now, is probably my closest refuge. From there, I could charter a yacht and get out in the waves and the sunshine inside a couple of hours, and be in Northern France within the next two days…
Yes, there’s nothing like some sunshine to help me smell sea-salt in the air, imagine the sounds of ropes pulling in the breeze, and to prepare myself to dodge the boom at any time. Long may the fair weather continue!
