God it's cold in Trogir in February

Wow. Just landed from Dubai where it was a balmy 30 deg C. Temperature here is in single digits and its raining! Why are we here? We sat in a rather bemused state wrapped up as warm as we could manage given that not one of us owned any winter clothes because Dubai just don't get that cold.

So eventually we got picked up by the tender to the boat and just to add insult to injury it was also raining cats and dogs. We arrived and Julie Ann immediately fell in love. What could I do?

There was a finite time element to look over the boat. Externally and internally. Miss Elle is a big girl and it took a long and serious investigation on the state of the bulkheads, stringers, panelling, electrics, Tanks, Standing and running rigging, sails etc etc.... I probably took about 1000 photographs. luckily i had my 500mm lens with me so i could get details shots of the riding at the top of the 24m mast.

There and then the deal was done. Jules asked me if she was ok. I opened my mouth and nothing came out.

Little did we know how traumatic the next 12 months would be but it was almost a year to the day that we finally then took ownership of Miss Elle. And though it was February again the temperature was sunny bright and warm.