Page 11 - Yachter Autumn/Winter 2022

down the strong smell of diesel that seemed to permeate everything, and wondering what he had let himself in for.We hired a truck
to transport her to Lymington marina, and had a couple of weeks to get her ready to sail round the corner to our mooring near the mouth of the Beaulieu River.
Our friend Chris skippered her to the mooring - we’d still be in Lymimgton without him! Since then our focus has
been on refurbishing her.The electrics
have been the first priority - we decided
it all had to go and start again after finding various horrors, including melted wires behind the cooker and a battery under a leaky sink.Tom’s final dissertation for his marine engineering course was on ‘rewiring a leisure cruiser’ and his expertise helped
us achieve our aim of being independent electrically on our river mooring, through the use of solar panels.We now also have an electric outboard motor that can be charged with the on-board solar panels.Tom’s dissertation earned him an A grade, and Tarryon is finally getting there.
Our plan is to arrange for some on-board lessons once the essential work is complete, which won’t be long now. However, for now we are taking pleasure from the refurbishment, enjoying spending time at Gins, and love being on the spectacular Beaulieu River, watching the sea eagle, making friends with the seals and enjoying life on the water.
Lesley and Joe Stevens
NEW MEMBERS 11