Being vaccinated is like the get out of jail for free card in Monopoly: I could actually travel back to the boat in Vigo, Spain, without a test, without quarantine. When I arrived, Kincsem was already floating, having been expertly launched by Alberto Lagos and his crew. She looked good, very good!

It's been quite a 10 days, getting her ready. Not that there was much wrong or needing work, but just a long list of little tasks that need to be done before we can set off. Like replacing the leader lines in the masts with real halyards, putting on the four furling sails (that's not a small task actually), removing and scrubbing all the winter covers, starting up and checking all the systems (four refrigeration units alone!), unwinterizing the watermaker, putting batteries into countless little devices, getting the Epirb back from the place that put in a new battery, testing the life vests, cleaning and setting up the dinghy, putting in the cockpit rain covers (yes, it's raining) etc, etc. Of course, there was also the one or other maintenance task that needed doing .... And then I had to move from the Marina right next to Astilleros Lagos where Kincsem spent 20 month because of intolerable noise from sandblasting at the neighboring shipyard.

At the Liceo in Bouzas, opposite the shipyard. Astilleros Lagos is just to the right of the ship being built here.

I'm now at Punta Lagoa, a nice, quiet marina a little further up the ria, where I'm docked right next to a VOR70 (looks like). Kincsem is being dwarfed by that one and an Oyster 72. See the pic.

After all that work, two things came up. The AC isn't working - likely a loss of refrigerant over the 20 months of non-use. The technician who was here to deal with it couldn't fix it and is coming back. No big deal. But, more importantly, a professional rig inspection discovered a forestay that had been untwisted by a few degrees at the top terminal. This is caused by a halyard wrapping around the forestay and the heavy duty electric furler tightening it.

It didn't look like anything major, no broken strands but still - it weakens the forestay to an indeterminate degree.

That was just discovered late last week and after talking to various experts, I decided to replace it. Work is starting tomorrow, Monday and hopefully will finish this week, as promised. If only the howling wind and rain will stop by then!