Getting Excited

This is my first foray into the world of blogging. I am not sure if anyone will actually read this other than a few friends and family. Alternatively it could go viral, make loads of cash and have me wondering why I ever worked in the first place. 

The first thing I have to do is get my head round the technology side of things, which I have to say I am struggling a bit with.  I am using Blogger app on an android phone and a bluetooth keypad. All the hardware is working OK but the software is a bit tricky to get the hang of. This is about my third attempt at getting started and text seems to vanish. 

I have resorted to using the PC which is a lot easier, but means you need to import photos etc.

The background is that Margaret and Colin (me) have retired over the last year Margaret finished work about a year ago. She seems to have slipped into being a retired person like a foot into a silk sock. She has just returned from walking the West Highland Way with lady friends and is full of self righteous virtue as a consequence. However she is totally unprepared for heading off on our Big Adventure in 48 hours time.

I officially retired six months ago from my job and now I am free.
Last year, in anticipation of the loss of self esteem that would come with giving up work we decided to buy a boat. Not an unreasonable idea and sailing in the med in retirement has been a long term ambition. We finally decided on a yacht in Split, Croatia. A Beneteau Oceanis 423. We got it surveyed, liaised with the broker and the deal was struck. Last September we arrived in Split to take possession of our new purchase.
It all went through remarkably smoothly due to all the help we got. Nina from Bach Yachting performed her role really well, as did our surveyor Mr Favro srecko.favro@adriatic-expert.hr but especially Toni Bezeljak from Astarea Yachting. Toni had been chartering the boat for the previous owners and had possession of it when we arrived. He looked after us superbly, sorting out Croatian paper work, supplying chandlery, taking us from place to place to change money and buy equipment. A true gentleman and an enormous help to us.
He has kept the boat over the winter under his care in a local marina in Split and his team is (hopefully) doing various bits of maintenance for us.
We named the boat Summertime - mostly a reference to the Nina Simone song that we used to sing to get babies asleep many years ago.
So we set off in 48 hours to Split. Not totally sure how things will be when we get there. I have sent out various things over the last six months to Toni, including a new Rocna 20kg anchor, a solar panel and a 30kg box of various bits of chandlery. So it may take a few days to get things installed and sorted before we are good to go.
We will try to do post every day initially and see how that goes. We will maybe try alternating authors. Comments on all things including content and style will be gratefully received as this is all new to us.


Colin and Margaret