Resolution no. 1: Learn to splice

Again.

I was shown once, and did a nice little job, but I didn't practice enough to be able to do it again now.

However, Jim can still do it, it appears. This morning, with the aid of a book to remind him, he successfully put a new eye splice in one of Warrior's ropes that broke on the Nene.

The trouble is, a book isn't much use to me. I think I sort of understand how dyslexic people feel when faced with words and sentences. When I look at numbers, they simply fail to organise themselves into any meaningful pattern. And I have a similar experience with diagrams. I can look at the diagram, and I can look at the real thing, all day long, but they never seem to bear any greater relation to each other.

But I really must have another go and persevere this time, not least because Chertsey will need a full set of ropes, and it would be so much better to buy 100m or so and splice the ends ourselves. Not to mention when it comes to doing the strings, of course. I simply cannot have a boat like this and be unable to splice. It just won't do.