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The Southampton Boat Show was worth the visit and allowed us to get a few bits and pieces for BV. We also did the rounds of the insurance companies to get quotes for sailing around and into the Mediterranean. In the evening the Rustler Owners dinner was also very good. A couple of fellow owners enthused about the Spanish Rias we plan to visit next year; it sounds like a great place to visit and we are both really looking forward to that adventure. We were also able to discuss our leaking window experience with another pair of owners who had had the same symptoms of just a few drops of water but more than could be put down to just condensation. They found that it was the rubber seal around the glass that had started to perish. It looks as if we will have to remove our window and send it away for the seal to be replaced. Getting the aluminium frames out is apparently a time-consuming job and it's easy to cause damage to the interior trim and gel coat so we will have to do that very carefully. Also, given that one of the frames has started to leak we really need to refurbish all of them. Not ideal but not unreasonable given that the rubber seals have been exposed to all weathers continuously for the last 12 years. It's also much better for us to do them now; one less thing to worry about, plus we know a company that will do the work well.

The first of many loads we moved to the car

And so after all of that excitement, it was time to sail back to our mooring. The Solent was busy with yachts and lots of people were out enjoying the end of season sun. However, we spent the afternoon emptying our clothes and food from BV. We also removed the genoa and staysail as they need some stitching replacing and some other small repairs. The kit piled up on the pontoon and in the end the car was jam packed for the trip home. It felt very strange to be driving again having not been in a car for 5 weeks.

There will be the usual mountain of mail to deal with and we will then start to work our way through the list of jobs on BV. One of the compass lights has failed; the galley needs a new coat or two of varnish, as do a number of other areas; the winches generator and engine need servicing; we want to put in some extra teak shelves in the galley cupboards; we need to clear out the junk in lockers we don't use and replace it with stuff we will use.... the list goes on and looks like it will keep us pretty busy for the next few months.

However, we have had a great time in south Brittany. It has proved that BV is pretty much ready to go but, more importantly, that we are too. We've been at home now for less than 24 hours and we are already wanting to get back to BV and sail away to new places. But first to the chores!