When I refitted the awning back onto the boat after its trip to Lostwithiel to have the engines services I noticed that some of the stitching on the awning was coming unstitched! I had visions of having to delay the start because I couldn’t get the awning sewn back. However, nothing quite so dramatic because the guys at SlikCut in Plymouth stitched it back together without anything of a fuss. Thank you to SlikCut.

If you need any awning or canvas work done I can not recommend SlikCut more highly and having used them several times before I can say that they are professional, friendly, helpful and give excellent service and value.

Tomorrow Sally and I are off to Poole to visit the RNLI MOB Guardian control room and to talk to the people that administer the MOB Gardian system.

I am really looking forward to this visit. It will allow me to fully understand how the MOBG system works so that I can explain it to fishermen that come to see the system on board.

More details on the visit when we return tomorrow evening or over the weekend.

That’s right… Stargate is back from the engine service safe and sound and I would like to thank Arthur and his team at Outboard Services and Marine in Lostwithiel for being so helpful and doing a great job in getting her back quickly and ready to go.

Now that the engines are serviced I can start to get the bo0at ready in earnest for departure. I have a list… a very long list! I am sure I don’t need all this stuff and I am even more sure it won’t all fit on so there will need to be a bit of pruning. I think I will just start to load the most important stuff first and see when the boat is full .

More details on loading and the final days to departure next week.

Today I have reached the point where I can wait no longer for sponsors and supporters to provide the things I need for the trip and so I have placed the final order.

I have had to buy 13 charts at £15 each out of my own pocket. It is sad that I haven’t found enough people to buy just one chart for me. I shall be selling them individually after the event and hopefully I will get some of that money back.

Cleaning stuff, a new handheld compass, more softwood bungs… now comes the job of fitting it all in to what is quite a small boat with very limited storage. In truth, the Merry Fisher 625 actually has a lot of storage for its size but that still doesn’t amount to a great deal when packing for 3 months away from home.

Today the Suzuki engines go in for a service. Now I know I am getting close to departure!

The boat is being put onto a trailer and taken by road to Outboard Services and Marine in Lostwithiel. I can’t deny the fact that I am a little apprehensive about the boat being moved by road… it is not without the risk that it might get damaged and that may delay the start significanly. However, it has to be done and so I shall just hold my breath until it is back on its dry berth stand tomorrow.

The Suzuki DF115 is getting it’s second service today after about 120 hours of faultless running. The DF6 is getting its first after about 10 hours after proving that it is more than capable to push my boat at 4-5 kts.

Let’s hope that it returns tomorrow unscathed.

Steve Burrows of SBA, leg sponsor for the Douglas Isle of Man to Bangor Northern Ireland leg, went onto Manx Radio to promote the event and the MOB Guardian System.

Listen to Steve’s interview here - interview starts at about 47 mins in.

I want to thank Steve for doing this on my behalf and also to ask any others that wish to promote the event to their local radio/media then PLEASE do so. Also, if you can arrange any media interviews with me when I arrive in your local port then please do that too. Don’t forget to let me know about it though will you

I have just returned from Ribex in Cowes, Isle of Wight… exhausted!

I feel as thought I talked to nearly every visitor and probably did speak to most of them over the two days I was there handing out literally hundreds are cards and explaining what I am doing to anyone who was interested.

What a great show this is. If you have any interest in boats, especially Ribs, then you would enjoy going. Loads of ribs on the water and many of them giving rides. Great weather too.

I would like to thank Suzuki Marine UK for making their stand and facilities available for my use.

I now have a Merry Fisher 625 with a usuable fuel capacity of 226 litres instead of the standard 136 litres! This is great news for the trip as this is the final piece in the jigsaw that was untried. Now all the major boat updates are done. Just a few bits and pieces but nothing that remains is likely to be a showstopper.

Next is that both engines get serviced by Outboard Services and Marine next week. Once that is done and all my stuff is loaded I will do one more proving trip just to make sure all is well before my departure on 24th May.

Well it is less than 3 weeks to go and I am still in need of sponsorship funds to make this trip happen .

So, if you were thinking about helping and just haven’t got around to it yet now is the time let me know.

Considering how much Round Britain events usually cost this event is costing next to nothing so please, it is to raise funds for the RNLI and to help them spread the word about MOB Guardian and Sea Safety so it is for the very best of causes.

It costs millions each year to run and maintain the fleet of lifeboats and lifeguards. The crews are volunteers but they need equipment and training. It costs £1000 per crew member per year to keep the crews trained and as there are over 230 lifeboats stations it runs into millions just for crew training.

The RNLI is NOT government funded and ALL of that money comes from donations from the public.

That is what this event is about… raising money for the RNLI "Train one, save many" campaign to provide funds for crew training.

So, if you have a company and want to be involved in helping me raise £30,000 for the RNLI please get in touch at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . I do not expect something for nothing and I can offer promotional opportunities ranging from branding on the boat to my personal promotion of your company or products. Web site exposure is included as is inclusion in the sponsor list in any articles such as in Motor Boats Monthly.

More information on the RNLI is at www.rnli.org.uk

Thanks to Suzuki dealer Outboard Services and Marine, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, I now have all the necessary tanks, tubes and connectors to allow me to have an auxiliary fuel reserve available without needing to transfer fuel between tanks at sea.

I am hoping to install these over the coming few days and when I have I will post details of what I have done. Until then I have to ensure that the plan actually will work so watch this space for more info…