A nice little jaunt to buy spares...

We were successful in our quest to purchase additional spare oil filters for both the Perkins engine and the Kabota generator: such a nice warm and comforting feeling when you know have a good selection of spare parts onboard!  Especially after struggling to find spare filters last cruising season.

We trundled down past Ipswich to the Suffolk Yacht Harbour on a rather grey and cool day, a couple of weeks ago.  For once, there wasn't a howling gale blowing when we arrived and despite the cool temperatures, it was still pleasant enough to wander around the marina. There were a lot of boats in the water and quite a lot of folk beavering away, preparing for the Easter weekend holiday and for what I imagine was to be the start of their cruising season of 2016.  There were still a lot of boats on the 'hard' but the crane was busy lifting boats into the water all the time we were there. A veritable hive of activity compared to our previous visit towards the end of 2015. 

Photo copyright: Veronica Hayes

Photo copyright:  Veronica Hayes

We were happy to be able to get the oil filters for the Perkins and then nosed our way around the little chandlery at the marina.  More happy purchases of marine paint and varnish for the Skipper, who is currently building a wooden model of the America's Cup 1934  "Endeavour".  But other items on our list remained and so we headed back towards Ipswich and made our way to Fox's Marina where there is a larger chandlery.

Again, the marina was fairly busy with lots of cars in the car park, plus a lot of folk whizzing through the chandlery check-out clutching their purchases and making their way back to their boats.  A lot of banter as well as serious conversations going on: the chandlery was buzzing! 

Happily, we also managed to get the remaining items on our list - plus a few more.

I snapped a couple of quick photos outside but it has to be said the weather was getting colder and I wasn't fussed on standing around without a coat. 

Photo copyright:  Veronica Hayes

Photo copyright:  Veronica Hayes

Back at home, we gloated over our purchases before packing them safely away to wait for their journey to the Netherlands and to Pirramimma. Here's a small selection of the goodies we came home with…

Photo copyright:  Veronica Hayes

I took one more photo whilst we were at the Suffolk Yacht Harbour - it shows the cranes at Trinity Docks, Felixstowe in the distance, left hand side of the photo.  We will be cruising past those cranes, albeit along the south side of them, on our way to the Netherlands in a few weeks time.  

Photo copyright:  Veronica Hayes

The packing process has begun with a pile of boxes, bit n bobs already accumulating in our sitting room. It won't be long before we're packed, the back of the car is loaded up and we're ready to go…

Vxx