Back onboard

It has been a strange few days without the boat. I awoke 10 days ago to feel dizzy and nauseated, and felt very unsure as to what was happening, it was so bad that I had to hold onto the bed whilst laying on it as i thought I was going to fall off ! After a weekend of worry and fear for the worse I was diagnosed on the Monday afternoon as having an inner ear problem, this after a CT scan to make sure I had no brain..tumour..I was advised that the only way around it was to carry out a special manoeuvre which entails throwing ones upper body and head into different states of repose holding the pose for a minute and then doing the same again on the other side.. the problem is getting better.

I left Toy Box to her own self for the whole time. I returned Saturday and fitted her with the new solar panel I had purchased with 20wts it is double the capacity of the old one.The weather was not as fore casted...again and so I decided to make the most of it and went window shopping instead.
Sunday lunchtime saw me on board and I actually went for a short sail around the local harbours, a bit daft as the dizziness is only being suppressed with drugs. I am to see a specialist tomorrow I hope he can help clear this problem once and for all.
As you can see from the picture it was a little bit dark at times even in the middle of the afternoon, though it never rained.
I did my good deed for the day by rescuing this lovely toy for a chap who said his rudder had stopped functioning.. Seems it shot off into the distance and simply stopped working.

I reunited the owner with his expensive model declining the cash reward.. I can be nice sometimes.. I now await 1, a favourable visit at the Doctors and 2, favourable weather for the weekend, being a public holiday thursday I have taken friday off to elongate the weekend.!

Sunshine and a light breeze..!

I returned Sunday afternoon to find all well apart from the howling of wind through the stays and lines of every boat moored. Weather for Monday was promised as being a Northeasterly which was going to be great for the trip back down the Schlei, it runs roughly Southwesterly from its start all the way to Schleswig..I slept well on board and was getting used to being on board. It is nice to get back on the water and meet new people I find boaters especially sailors to be friendly bunch in Germany with less of the snobbery one finds in England. this is reserved for the "new rich" here, or at least that is how it appears to me.Maasholm is originally a fishing village.
The Statue is a reminder of how Eels were caught in the winter months to help them get over the long winter months. They were simply skewered with the fork in the mudflats.

Long winter months .. to the south there are summer like temperatures but up here in the north it is still chilly at the present with 10 deg C..Monday is going to be 15 deg so keeping fingers crossed.

  Monday morning and the wind from last night was gone and instead the sun was shinning at last..After a leisurely breakfast I sailed away from Maasholm with a following wind..Slowly.as the breeze was light.It was to be the same for the remainder of the day  under a blue sky I sailed down the Schlei untill I dropped anchor in a small anchorage and simply watched the day end with a meal of bacon and mushrooms..luverly grub

 Here a few pictures seen from my boat as the evening drew to a close.The young couple were simply passing through and I thought it looked too good a picture not to take it.

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The sun sunk behind "Burg" the hill top used to be a "Viking" settlement and still shows traces of the fort etc if you take a walk around. The whole of the Schlei is steeped in history I would love to write more on the subject from a laymans point of view. I think I shall have to do some serious research for that.

Tuesday morning I awoke at 0530 as the boat was swinging around on its anchor as the wind had increased causing the water to reveres it´s flow or something . I actually felt dizzy laying in my bed with the view constantly changing so swiftly. I decided to get up and make a move back to my berth in Schleswig. Mike Fish or who ever it is had forecast a stiff breeze and at 0630 it was already blowing a good F4 and I didn´t want to risk being stuck in the Anchorage all day through too much wind even if it was from the right direction. Under main alone we were swept along at 4,5 knts and quickly made it into the berth.. I am not too pleased at the German style of berthing with poles and jetty.. bloody difficult to jostle around with 4 lines at the same time with a stiff wind from astern trying to shove the boat at an angle to the berth.
I took the idea this trip not to use the motor unless really required and that plan i stuck to. Apart from Saturday morning when wind rain etc made it a must i only used the motor to give me steerage way through the bridges and at anchoring up when I had to test the depth the old way.. I must get the transponder sorted asap.. All in all I am pleased with the way things went.. Costs were 5 liters (actually a little less) and 16 Euros berthing fees for the two nights in Maasholm. So not an expensive trip by any means I and I have left enough tinned food and water on board for another trip later this month should the weather allow.!
Thanks for reading the blog.. drop me a line or leave a comment.. cheers.. Jim