Home before lockdown

Due to family commitments I found myself having to move to Wolverhampton late last year from West Sussex. I’ve never lived far from the sea and the boat I have custody of, a 1936 gaff cutter Wendy May, was kept in the soft mud of Canvey Island.

It quickly became apparent that commuting from Wolverhampton to Canvey was impractical: not only was the distance long but there was no real way to avoid the ring of death (aka the M25). However, my brother Alex had long been a member of Newport and Uskmouth sailing club, and myself and my family went to visit the place. I found it welcoming, friendly and very similar to Canvey Island yacht club but on the other side of the country in South Wales. It was a lot closer to my new home so I decided Wendy May should move.

Plans were hatched. My good friend Dave Norman agreed to come and a date was set for 14 March. All winter (more like a long, windy autumn) I watched the weather with horrid fascination as one named storm after another blasted through. But towards the middle of March the rumour started that the storms would stop, and the winds would go easterly.

Then the virus situation hit and plans had to be tweaked. It looked like the country would be locked down. I didn’t want to drive my van to Canvey in case I couldn’t travel to get it back later. This meant