Luckily the COVID restrictions still permitted me to be able to gain access to Seraphim and be able to take her for a sail. I was fortunate enough to have the help of Ed, who kindly came to the marina to give me a hand.

I arrived fairly early and did as many checks as i could remember. Engine oil, water levels, strainer, etc etc etc. Having disconnected the shore power I started her up. Huge amounts of white un burnt diesel filled the surrounding area, but soon dispersed. I left her running for a while and completed a quick tidy up, by which time Ed had arrived.

So, after a walk around and explaining the lay of the land to Ed, we prepared our lines and slowly slipped out and reversed out of the marina. The tide caught us, but we departed with a metre to spare, something I must watch out for in future manoeuvres.

We headed out into the Hamble river and initially performed some reversing and turning manoeuvres , before continuing downstream. It was wonderful being on the water again and especially in my new yacht. Passing Mercury marina, where Ed and I had completed all our courses and YachtMaster instructor qualification, we reminisced about happy times pre COVID. We soon arrived at our destination, a line of pontoons at the mouth of the river, where many yers ago, we practised on our training courses.

We practiced forward and reverse moorings and general boat handling. All rather fun and enjoyable, learning how Seraphim performed. Only 10 knots of wind, so ideal for an initially learn and feel exercise.

Having acclimatised myself to Seraphim, it was time for some sea trials. We headed out past Hamble SCM and into Southampton Water. Raising the full main and completely unfurling the genoa, we turned the iron maiden off and enjoyed the peaceful serenity of the wind and waves. After performing a few tacks and at the edge of the Solent we turned back and headed downwind, with the keel raised off course ?

We headed back up the Hamble and decided to top up the fuel tank. Although, I had half a tank, it would be good to top her up for two reasons. One to prevent water accumulating in the tank and two, because in these strange times one never knows when an opportunity like this may present itself again. 120 litres and £151.05 worst off we then continued upstream and back to our temporary home port of Universal marina. I decided to back into the berth in what turned out to be a perfect manoeuvre.

The day was completed with a first meal on Seraphim which we had on deck. A home made tomato and chic pea soup garnished with olives and Feta cheese. The perfect end to a perfect day, with many thanks to Ed for being there and helping me out and forming another strong and shared memory.