Starting at the bottom

 A rolling stone gathers no moss. Sailing round the UK is undoubtedly a frivolous way to spend two months but we figure we have worked hard for 40 years and deserve some time out. However, with access to the boat restricted until very recently there is a fair bit of maintenance and preparation to do. One problem for boats, even when rolling along, is that they gather barnacles. The usual widely used solution is to paint anti-fouling paint on the bottom of your boat. This stuff is a biocide and work is ongoing to reduce its impact and find alternatives. Meanwhile, probably breaking a few health and safety regulations along the way, the bottom of the boat gets prepared and painted with this year's anti-fouling.

Meanwhile, Mark is on board doing the technical stuff with new radio and navigation set up and most importantly a new toilet, glamorous stuff. With all the changes to the boat we will need to do a 'shake down' short cruise locally, just up the Blackwater estuary for a couple of days, to find and resolve any snags before we set off for the open sea. We are also both trying to clear our desks and leave work behind as much as possible. But is looks like we will both be taking phones and lap tops and keeping in touch along the way, so perhaps not so much of a wilderness experience. It seems that some moss hangs on tight, even to a wanna be rolling stone.