It felt so good to finally take fear back out to sea. After two months of jobs and simply going down to the boat to work on her it felt incredible to use fear for what she’s designed for- sailing. She finally looks less like a workshop and more like a sailing boat.
As the go date of the 2nd of June creeps ever closer and the list of things to sort out grows ever smaller, the nerves have grown ever larger. Recently after having not sailed her for so long, I was doubting myself and her about whether we were ready to take on this challenge. The confidence has wobbled and my belief in myself has dropped.
However as soon as we were out the marina entrance with the engine off, I knew I didn’t need to worry. I felt back in my happy safe place, knowing Fear has me and I have her. It’s a strange sensation that complete trust in essentially an inanimate object and yet when I hold a hand to Fear she is very much alive to me. Don’t get me wrong, there are times when I want to blow her up, when I’m soaking wet and it’s blowing a gale and all I want is a warm non rocking bed and yet no matter how bad it gets, a day at sea with Fear is better than any day on land.
The short test sails were also productive giving me an idea of how all the new technology works and what needs sorting. There are little niggles with bits and bobs, like the alarms not quite working properly and the paddle wheel not seeming to pick up the speed particularly accurately, but they are all solvable things.
The next main challenge is fitting the wind turbine and solar panels to allow me to generate enough power without the use of the engine. In the background I’m also now starting to sort out the final details, like food, water, safety equipment and storage. We really are in the final hurdle. One last push and then there will be no escaping the testing phase.
The point where me and Fear must prove that all this work and all this effort has been worth it, to prove whether we are up for the challenge. As much as it scares me we are nearly at the exciting bit!
