The morning after the vernal equinox . First day of spring. A crisp clean sunlight bathes Upnor village .The lee of St Mary's Island shelters trim, high gabled, cottages from an easterly wind as keen as it is brisk.
The boatyard blossoms into life, redolent with the familiar aroma of polish, varnish and antifouling paint. Trees remain bare and leafless, whilst boats bloom.
Stargazer's topsides are soon polished to a sparkle. Two unctuous coats of Tiger Xtra beautify her bottom in a day.
The customary rites of spring.
The rituals of the season's start, enacted in their time honoured way. A reassuring normality.
Beyond the lock gates, the world has become anything but normal and reassuring.
The spectre of Coronavirus stalks the globe. A news story, from a faraway land, turned personal and threatening. Cosy routines swept away. Replaced by the unknown. The uncertain. The dangerous.
Swift negotiations see Stargazer safely relaunched. A bevy of boats join us - mindful of the possibility of yard operations being suspended amid, government ordered, business shutdowns. As the pandemic spreads, so the list of affected trades grows daily. Perish the thought that Stargazer be left trapped ashore.
Out in Upnor Reach (to the windward side of St Mary's Island), 30 knots of easterly breeze playfully heaps the ebb into white crests. Misty Rider, sails already bent on, seizes the opportunity to blow away her winter cobwebs.
The same breeze sets Stargazer's ensign cracking above me, like a bullwhip, whilst I scrub the yard dirt from her decks. Her sails remain stowed below, freshly valeted. Rigging them will have to wait for a calmer day.
Wait is all we can do to discover what cruising, if any, will be possible in 2020. For now, UK ports remain open and sailing is unrestricted. Long may that remain the case! But where is left to go?
France, Spain and Portugal have shut down domestic leisure sailing and closed their marinas to boats arriving from seaward. Its the same story in Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany and (certainly the Eastern European) Baltic states. A sign of things to come in the UK?
Will mainland European ports reopen? Will UK ports close? How will the situation change before our, intended, departure date in May? The only knowns are unknowns. All we can do is to ready ourselves to seize whatever sailing opportunities present themselves - and hope to craft a cruise from them.
