Well a fun filled first day.
Meet Mike, ex Bayblast and regular on the forum, at 9.30.
It was bucketing down so off the Ship Shape for coffee and a bacon roll!
After about an hour rain stopped and we moved the boat to the slip.
Then got her ready to launch.
The real Mickie arrived with her mum and hopped in and we ready to launch.
Backed her down the narrow slip and in she goes like a dream.
Mike said his good bye's and back to Herne bay for him.
Having a tow ball on the frot of your Landy is a god send!
First part of the "run in" for the engines is 15mins just in gear and pottering so that we did round the harbour.
Tied up on our pontoon and loaded in some more kit into its various homes.
Then sent a radio message to the harbour for fuel.
Sorry to say they had run out, I should have checked before launching!!!!
No fault of the harbour, it happens.
So bit of a drama as wanted to try and get a big chunk of the running in done.
Called the top man that is Lance from Dover Sea School (also Ramsgate Lifeboat) to see if he had any fuel cans I could borrow, was not really looking forward to running back and forth to the garage to try and get about 360 lts of fuel!!!
Lance said no worries I will come haul you out and drive you to the garage, Which he did.
So we launched he again and off we went to see to start the next leg of the running in, next 1 hour and 45 mins at no more than 3000 rpm.
Had been out for about an hour and was about half way between Ramsgate and Broadstairs, head a motoe yatch calling harbour control and needed assistance. I asked habour control if they need someone to Stand By the vessel until the RNIL arrived they said yes and off we went.
The motor vessel was close into shore and Broadstairs, no stearing engines running.
our and right in the middle of drift nets and lobster pots!!
We were also talking to Dover Coastguard.
A survey ship was on its way and close by too.
Dover asked if I would tow her back to Ramsgate.
I explained normally no worries but was concerned about doing this as I was running in my engines.
The survey ship, Arrie Dirk (not sure on the spelling) said if I take her to them they would take the motor cruiser to Ramsgate.
We did this, told Dover we had and were off back to Ramsgate.
Thank you's exchanged and off we set.
Arrie Dirk called Dover and said they now had the motor cruiser under tow and heading off followed by the comment "that was a great looking Rib"
So the rest of the day was spent in and out of the harbour doing the running in with various friends coming out for a ride.
Finished that day heading out towards the Goodwins with a few on board inc Lance, Nelson (yes his real name, he is also RNLI).
Buy this time had done the first two hours and the next stage of run in which is 1 hour at no more that 4000 rpm was almost done.
The final 7 hours of the run in is any revs, if using full throttle then only use for no more than 5 mins.
So we raz her up to 5k for a short time and she was doing about 46knts on the GPS but still picking up speed as we backed off the throttle!!
All in all a busy first day but got a lot done!
Big thank you to all who helped out, Mike and Lance in particular.
I owe then both lots of beer.
Did not get to take many pix but do have one of her on her pontoon.
? Looking at the first photo there's a steering wheel up front 
