Weekend Worrier

What a great weekend. Two trips onto le lac, both times with good wind. Learnt an invaluable lesson regarding the intracacies of roller-furling. Check it works or even how it works before loading family onto boat. Mucking about at the bow whilst the swabs are stripping the interior looking for biscuits and the first mate is impatiently basting in the cockpit is not a good way to start. However, we have now had two out of three headsails up and the overlapping genoa (non-furling) was a revelation.

On Saturday we were suddenly over-powered for the first time, so feathering the main to reduce the heel was the best way to keep the first mate happy. The swabs were down below at this point still searching for biscuits.

On Sunday we headed west towards St Aubin, past our Scottish mansion - ours because whilst we don't own it it it looks like a house we'd like to own and the lake does look like a lowland loch at this point - perhaps the Trossachs or Lomond - reminding us of our honeymoon. We sailed the whole way under the foch (gotta love that bit of German, although I think it is actually a genua, but hey don't let fact get in the way of a more emotive expression). Picnicking without the main up is another revelation. No risk of to life as the boat goes into an accidental gybe because one of the swabs has knocked the tiller over in a rash move to secure another slice of concombre. OK, I made that up. They were really after another biscuit.

Just before St Aubin we anchored up - another story of miscommunication with the first mate - and had the most wonderful swim off the back of the boat. Snorkeling, diving, floating in the danbouy (misuse or unlawful?). On the way back we put the swabs in the dinghy and towed them home. How peaceful. I even think I saw the first mate relaxing for a moment.

If only we could have secured a takeaway curry in the evening. Sometimes one's greatest concern might appear trifling to others. But when you've lived in a village of 600 that still has 4 curry houses within a five mile radius, to not find one in a town of 20,000 is genuinely worrying. Sometimes they just don't get it in la belle Suisse.

What are we going to call the boat...