THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

Nameless Ted - the VA mascot

Days 1 & 2 - Woolverstone Marina, Ipswich

The Good - Several good points:-

We are safely aboard with everything loaded that we think we need for the trip.

Storm Dave has had little effect the river Orwell.

We have raised over £6,000 to date, for Volunteer Action.

The Bad - Mmmm..

The heat exchangers were removed from the engines and have still not been returned, so Nell cannot be moved. They were due back on board over a week ago.

We still do not have a name for the VA teddy mascot. Any thoughts welcome - please get in touch.

The Ugly Our engineer, with the heat exchangers, seems to have disappeared and is not answering phone calls, or messages. At over £2,000 a piece, we cannot afford to purchase more, if we can find them - we need to see what happens on Tuesday!

The church at Chelmondiston

So, whilst sitting in Woolverstone Marina, we have had time to organise the boat, stow our clothes and various bits of equipment and start teaching crew member Sally, how to tie a few knots and name a few parts of the boat. So far, so good!

We have had some good dog walks, which seem to have a pub en route, to pass the time and keep the fitness up. The walk today (Easter Day) took in the church at Chelmondiston, as well as the Red Lion pub. A bus trip to Ipswich yesterday, enabled us to buy further supplies - however we were not good at bus timetables and therefore had to Uber back to the boat.

So what next? Well, with a Bank Holiday tomorrow, we do not expect to see or hear from the engineer. However, we have high hopes for Tuesday! If and when the engines are back in commission, we aim to set sail for Lowestoft and the adventure can really begin. In the meantime, we shall continue to eat lovely meals prepared by Sally, and enjoy the view!