Taking roots

We are still in Faversham, after nearly 3 weeks of drying out hold, puzzling out dynamo/ alternator problem and surviving Ray Harrison. His name should be etched on the "to be avoided list" together with Ian... Ray the Rascal nearly convinced us that our engine was in a really bad way, that it would be unsafe for us to set for the Isle of Wight with it as it was and he proposed he should take our engine out and he would repair it in his workshop. We were devastated. However, we asked around and found that Matt (working nextdoor on his barge Raybelle) had been convinced by Ray to let him repair his engine but now was in the difficult position of having t pay £££ in order to just get his engine back (Ray refusing to quote him a price for the work to be done...) We politely said no thank you to Ray. Narrow escape!(subsequently, Mark, who fitted new injectors and listened carefully to the engine confirmed that there was nothing wrong with it)

So we have caught with jobs, patching up rusty spots on the deck and combing, tarred leeboard, made a shower curtain,painting the hold floor (orange!) once it wsas dry, and enjoyed the various treasures of Faversham: open-air swimming pool, samphire, blackberries, plums, Hop festival, feasting our eyes on the many Thames Sailing Barges around and enjoying peace and quiet.