Well they say time and tide wait for no man … but when it comes to boating endeavours in the Arctic port of Tromsø there is a lot of waiting to be done by the mariner himself! There was only one window to launch today due to the tide (early in the morning), however at that time there were a series of quite severe snow flurries blowing through – after consideration the guys at the slip here decided to postpone the launch until tomorrow morning at 8:00.
So rather than reacquainting myself with being on the water today was spent tinkering with electric circuitry as I put together the HF radio system that will keep us in touch with the rest of the world while on the high seas. By tinkering I mean trying to attach 1 mm plugs to tiny wires with solder (a material used to bind electric circuits). Given my clumsy paint encrusted fingers this is no mean task, but perseverance got me there in the end … with a few curses delivered to the heavens on the way.

So it seems I will have terra firma beneath me for yet another night and I’m presently suspended by a crane by the water’s edge just waiting to get the hull wet in the morning  … just goes to show nothing goes to plan!