{"id":422,"date":"2026-05-25T15:12:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T15:12:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/?p=422"},"modified":"2026-05-25T15:12:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T15:12:18","slug":"ups-and-downs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/archives\/422","title":{"rendered":"Ups and Downs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A mainsail goes up for the first time. A washing machine pump does not.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Ilse & Piet – Breskens Marina – Thursday & Friday<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The weather forecast looked too good to ignore. With perfect conditions predicted mid-week \u2014 and a Sunday that would demand our presence elsewhere \u2014 the decision was easy: pack the car on Wednesday evening and drive to Breskens. Which is exactly what we did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two working days on the boat. A list of tasks. And, as is always the way aboard Adriana, a couple of surprises waiting to make things interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thursday<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

– Cleaning, hoisting, and golden hour<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We started where the work had been piling up longest: the guest bathroom. The blackout blind had been removed for cleaning some time ago and never quite made it back. Today it did \u2014 reinstalled after a thorough scrub, and the whole space along with it. Chrome and salt air are not natural friends, which the toilet roll holder demonstrates rather honestly. The corrosion is too far gone to reverse; that will need replacing. But the rest of the bathroom? It gleams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then Piet glanced at the burgee. It was barely moving. We looked at each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Conditions like this don’t come along often enough to ignore \u2014 light wind, flat water, no pressure. As luck would have it, Niels was around, and his calm guidance made all the difference. Together we hoisted the mainsail for the first time. Carefully, without rushing. And then we practised furling and unfurling \u2014 getting a feel for her, learning what she wants from us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The sail filled slowly, then held. For a moment we just stood there and looked at it.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By the time the sun was properly out, the drinks were out too. Kurt came by for a neighbourly visit, and the afternoon stretched pleasantly on. When the sun lost its warmth, so did the air \u2014 quickly, the way it always does on the water. The bottle was empty. The moment had been enjoyed to its natural conclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After dinner we chipped away at a few more small jobs. Then we were tired, and that was fine. We slept well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friday<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

– The bimini returns, the toys emerge, and the washing machine does not cooperate<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friday was a day of mixed fortunes \u2014 which is probably the most honest description of boat ownership in general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Task 01<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bimini reinstalled<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2714 Back where it belongs<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

Task 02<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lazarette toys \u2014 sorted<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2714 Inflated, assessed, decisions made<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

Task 03<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Washing machine<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2714 Pump not working \u2014 expert needed<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

Task 04<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dishwasher tested<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2714 Working as expected<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The crossbar issue is still being worked through, but progress is being made. We’ll get there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The lazarette yielded its secrets next: a collection of inflatable water toys that had apparently been living there since who knows when. We inflated them all, made some brisk decisions about what earns its place on board, and prepared the rest for the recycling centre. The storage space that opened up is its own reward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then came the washing machine. We tested it \u2014 as we’d been meaning to do for weeks \u2014 and the pump is not working. Troubleshooting got us nowhere useful. This one needs a proper assessment from someone who knows what they’re looking at; we’ll arrange that before trying to proceed. The dishwasher, tested in the same session, passed without drama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The watermaker also needs attention \u2014 that’s on the list. And the solar panels, currently back in the bunk cabin after their previous home was needed for other things, still need a proper permanent solution. A new task, added honestly to Jira rather than quietly ignored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

– Friday Evening \u00b7 First Gas Dinner<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the first time, we cooked on gas. A simple recipe, done well. The galley worked exactly as it should, the meal was genuinely good, and Piet \u2014 who handled the whole thing \u2014 deserves full credit. It was the kind of evening that makes all the earlier work feel worthwhile.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

We’re driving home now. The weekend ahead is full \u2014 family, and work commitments that won’t wait. But we’re leaving Breskens a little further along than when we arrived, and that’s all a productive two days needs to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still to Come<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • Washing machine pump \u2014 get an expert assessment<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Watermaker \u2014 needs attention<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Solar panel storage \u2014 find a permanent solution<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Crossbar issue \u2014 resolution in progress<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Toilet roll holder \u2014 chrome replacement needed<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Everything else that’s patiently waiting on the Jira board<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
    \n

    \u26f5<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A mainsail hoisted, a bathroom restored, a proper dinner cooked. The washing machine will have to wait its turn.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    A mainsail goes up for the first time. A washing machine pump does not. By Ilse & Piet – Breskens Marina – Thursday & Friday The weather forecast looked too good to ignore. With perfect conditions predicted mid-week \u2014 and a Sunday that would demand our presence elsewhere \u2014 the decision was easy: pack the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":436,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-refit-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=422"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":452,"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422\/revisions\/452"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=422"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=422"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=422"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}