We get by with a little help from our friends...

Here's Pete the Knife doing the welding on the lorry, and after this he and Howard freed off every single wheel nut on the vehicle - both long and dirty jobs. Give me a paint brush any time.

Pete welding the steel bar - blocks of wood will be for chocking the boat up

In between modifications to the lorry, painting bits of the boat, fitting carpet, making skirting boards and filling and painting them we have been entertained by visitors from the Netherlands in the last few days. 

Ad and Jules are here for a month or so in their lovely big gaffer "Sotra". They wanted to bring Jules' cat on holiday too, so whilst Ad and a Gaffer friend Keith sailed Sotra across the North Sea, Jules and Joost the cat made the passage by ferry.

Moored on Ha'penny Pier, our Dutch friends Ad and Jules with "Joost", a strictly legal immigrant

Ship's cat Joost on watch

It's difficult to know what to say to our Dutch and Belgian friends (neighbours) after last week's referendum result. "Very sorry" pretty much covers it though not much use.

Just as Sotra was about to cast off from Ha'penny Pier yesterday to explore the upper reaches of the River Stour another two Dutch friends arrived to take her place. Cees and Jantine are friends through the Dutch OGA as until recently they owned and sailed a Nigel Irens Roxane design called "Mischief" (a yawl-rigged lugger with loose footed main and unstayed masts if that means anything to you). Now they have a more conventional Bermudan boat quirkily named "Slartibartfast".

Slartibartfast arriving in Harwich

I am pleased to report that there is a copy of Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" on board and they tell me that Slartibartfast was a designer of planets, with his favourite part of the job being creating coastlines. He was especially pleased with the fjords of Norway! 

I can also report that at least one of the dockmasters at Suffolk Yacht Harbour (Levington) got the reference though I can't speak for our lot at Harwich. They didn't really get the chance as it was only a fleeting visit and the designer of planets moved swiftly on to inspect his work on the River Deben.