After our extended winter roadtrip to Spain and Portugal in Spring 2024 Steve decided there was just about time to lift the mast out for some overdue maintenance before going sailing this season.

The mast hasn’t had any maintenance since launch in 2017 and really is in need of some urgent attention. There’s still evidence of the damage done by a storm in February 2018 as well as ‘wear and tear’ from seven years out in the elements.

Driving down to Woodbridge in the Freelander on 6 May, Steve booked the crane at the Tidemill YH and started to prepare the mast for varnishing before returning to Derbyshire for a car rally with the MX-5 Owners Club. Bev had stayed at home to try and ‘tame’ some of the neglected garden, with a planned Autumn project to rebuild and re-site the workshop and seriously rotten decking. Returning to Woodbridge on 13 May Steve was disappointed to find the promised fine weather forecast had changed . . . however, with newly purchased tarps he managed to rig up some covers to continue work. Bev joined him in the campervan on 18 May and as the weather has improved for a few days he’s decided to do the bowsprit and some of the bright work on the boat as well. Now that all the rigging is off, it’s in need of a clean and some will need re-serving before putting the mast back in.

After joining the OGA East Coast Deben Rally 24 – 27 May and planning a trip to Scotland in June we left the spars ashore, covered up the boat and returned to Derbyshire on 29 May, 2024.