12 May 14

It is a working day for Ronda, although Ash is taking the day off, so we were up early for a quick breakfast and then it was time to head back to the boat. Ash followed us out in his kayak for a look at the boat. We finally got the anchor up at 13:00 and made a short trip to the East River and upstream to an anchorage at Put-in Creek, where we got the hook down just after 15:00. I started in on varnish repairs on the toe rail; I repaired one small spot just forward of the starboard gate and then started to peel off some discolored bits toward the stern, but it peeled off quite easily and I ended up removing about 3 ft of varnish. Now, I’m tempted to just remove all the varnish and let it go natural. I warmed up leftover chicken on the grill and we enjoyed dinner alfresco in the cockpit. It was a nice, protected anchorage, but no wind at all, so the midges just about ate us alive until we dived below and got the screens in all hatches and ports. It was warm enough that we did not need the duvet, for the first time this year; spring is here at last.