Maiden voyage approaches.... fast!

Work on fitting the extras is now almost complete and within days we'll be able to take Breeze for her maiden voyage... a hop to Cowes. Our fears that the aft lockers would prove to be too small were ill founded - they swallow a surprisingly large volume of kit. All the electronic gizmos are installed - radar, AIS, autopilot, chartplotter, DSC - and the stack of instruction manuals is going to provide bedside reading for months!

Chloe's design skills have been harnessed to provide some stylish graphics for the stern and bows so all we need now is a puff of wind and a fair tide to send us into the Solent. After that; The Channel Islands, North Brittany, Atlantic France and Spain beckon. Beats gardening I can tell you!

I name this ship 'Breeze'.

Well, after an enormous amount of discussion we have alighted on a name. The new boat is to be called 'Breeze'. Not the most imaginative name, we accept, but we always had in mind use on the radio and what effect the name might have on a future owner. We rather liked 'Premier Crew' - wine buffs among you will appreciate that, but that got marked down for it's radio friendliness - or lack of it. 'Rum Line' (one for the navigators) was top of the charts for a while but we could see a lifetime of mis-spellings.

So Breeze it is.

Now what do we do about this blog?

Pink Ribbon Walk

Jo and Nicola at the end of the Pink Ribbon Blenheim Walk. 10 miles around Oxfordshire countryside starting and ending at Blenheim Palace. After months and months of training in all weathers, including snow, they did the course in just over 3 hours...that was an hour faster than predicted.

Jo raised £360 for the charity, twice the target figure. She says a big thank you to all her generous sponsors - not only for your cash but also for your support.

Rum Line

AT LAST.

Well, we've done it. After eighteen months of indecision and futile searching we have, at last, found a boat we like. Today we went on a sea trial - the last hurdle before actually finally committing. We loved it. The contract is signed, the extras are being fitted, she'll be ours in three weeks.

The sea trial was interesting. Steady winds of around 15 knots with gusts up to 25 knots. I had anticipated a lively trial with the boat being a bit of a handful in the gusts. There was no reef in either main of gib and she was quite happy. She felt solid, reacted with dignity to the gusts and gently rounded up if the gusts were sustained. A very well behaved German lady.

I suspect she'll be a bit sluggish in light airs and we may need to consider a downwind sail for those times when the wind doth not blow.

She is quite big, so there's plenty of room for extras. We are having radar and autopilot fitted. The Jacuzzi is going in next week, the helicopter pad the week after followed by the nine-hold golf course the week after that. Oh, OK I exaggerate but there is a lot of space although locker space on deck is a bit tight. Not sure yet quite how we are going to accommodate our dinghy.

Now the difficult bit - we need a name.

We quite liked JoT - "S/Y JoT", or should that be "YoT JoT"? Anyway, the observant among you will recognise the name is based on Jo and Trevor. A friend has pointed out that it could deter the next buyer - so JoT bit the dust. Current favourite is "Rum Line" - nautical pun for the navigators among you. If we had any teetotal friends they'd probably point out it would deter the entire Methodist fleet when we come to sell - but as we know no tee totalers that's not going to be a problem.

Cheers.

New Boat

You would not believe how difficult it is proving to spend money! We have travelled to Fleetwood, just north of Blackpool, to view a 41 foot cat. 'Has potential' as the brokerage ads put it. 'Needs a load of bloody work' I say.

We then went off to the Algarve to look at two hot contenders. These were relatively new boats - a year or so old. Boat 1, despite being so young, had the air of neglect about it. The 3-month old milk in the fridge didn't help. Boat 2, same model and same age, was tidier but somehow had the 'smell' of shoddy. The whole galley was coming away from the bulkhead - and this in a boat that's barely left the factory. Either the galley had moved (nasty) or was never installed correctly in the first place (worrying). So, we said a polite 'no thanks' to both and enjoyed the sun as a consolation prize.

Last Thursday we went to the Hamble to see a monohull (yes, I know - traitors and all that) and although this was a solid boat built using traditional skills and materials it looked kinda dated. Well, it was 20 years old so it had every right to look a bit sedate but Mrs. T. wants a 'shiny boat'.

We now have two more boats in our sights. A brand new 36 footer (she certainly qualifies as shiny) but she may also be a bit Ikea! Also there's a 10 year old Moody - but bigger than we have been considering but potentially interesting.

Our quest for a cat has been thwarted. They either leave a lot to be desired on build quality or if you opt for older and better build quality they look dated. Of course the answer is to have one built to spec. Discovery do a nice 50-footer, bit it would empty our pockets and some!

Time is running out. The season is now underway and at this rate we'll get a boat just in time to haul her out of the water for the winter.

Maybe we should explore golf, or bowls, or ping pong. Not sure Pringle jumpers are me, don't feel quite ready to don white shirt and trousers and sup cups of tea with Derby and Joan and ping pong is far too fast.

OK, pass Yachting Monthly and let's have another look through the ads. There must be a boat somewhere with our name on it.

Snow, Glorious Snow!

Not a lot to say that the pictures don't.

This is the 'main road' through the village. We spotted a deer attempting to get through but cars gave up long ago. Postie did make it earlier on but said we were his last drop. The paper'boy' braved the conditions to deliver today's news but we are now expecting to be cut off for a few days. Pass the wine.

Merry Christmas.

Dolphins galore

In July this year I helped friend Steve Sweet take his 29 foot sail boat from St. Malo to Bordeaux. Great trip, despite the two days of fog, but the highlight was being entertained by a pod of dolphins which followed us for fifteen minutes. Their skill, ability, playfulness and amazing agility had us captivated.

It's a Wrap

Now, you may not be able to tell from the photograph but it's tipping down. No, I'm wrong, it's not tipping down, it is a continuous, torrential, cats 'n dogs deluge. Six inches fell in a few hours, we know that because that's how much there was in the dinghy. Thunder and lightning added to the drama which sounds even more threatening from the inside of a small boat. Luckily we had warning of the storm (gold star for the forecasters) and so decided to stay on the berth. The alternative plan was to sail close to the Albanian coast (it's less than a mile away in places) so the 'play safe' option proved to be a smart move. We had just one day to go before returning home so a bit disappointing that our last day should be so damp but we can not complain having had one very wet and one dampish day out of three weeks. The rest of the time it was sunny and hot.

Mrs. T made full use of her new toy, an e-book which means she can now carry the entire contents of the Bodleian in her handbag.

We enjoyed out three weeks back in the Ionian. We discovered some new bays, new harbours, new anchorages and some new tavernas - although the boring, predictability of Greek food does leave a bit to be desired. Greek cuisine has yet to discover sauces so there's a fortune to be made by the first person to import creme fraiche.

We returned to the Ionian not sure if we wanted to buy a catamaran or monohull. Our three weeks helped us to decide. it's a cat we are after. But we have also discovered you can't tell a boat from a quick look and test sail; you need to live on board for a week or so. So, to that end, we now plan to charter a Fontaine Pajot (French cat for the non sailors) either in the Caribbean or Thailand - which is where you have to go in the winter to get some sun.

Pass the charts and pilots - time to plan the next trip.

Platerias

Platerias is located at the end of a west-facing bay which provides some stunning sunsets. Our boat is thr fifth mast from the left - the small one. our next door neighbours are some jolly Russins with a 53 foot Beneteau - which they almost parked on the jetty in an unconventional moooring move.

The town was quiet, lots of tavernas and bars but most empty. It's the end of the season. It was here we incurred our only mooring fee in three weeks - 3 Euro, and another 3 Euro for water. You can't tie up in Cowes for an hour for that! Our plan now is to to head north towards Gouvia in preparation for our return. The destination will be dictated by the weather - as ever - but with storms in the forecast we may curtail our last day sailing and go straight for the berth.

What's a Grecian urn?

Oh the old ones are the best....but there's a twist.

With the Greek economy in tatters, Europe, or more specifically Germany, bailing them out you'd expect gloom and doom to dominate. But not a bit of it, or to be more precise, not a lot.

We have spotted a few trends. Fisrtly there are lots of Germans here no doubt trying to work out where their money has gone and also trying to get some of it back, if not in Euros then in kind.

We also reckon that one of the least employable skills in Greece is accountancy. As far as we can detect no one keeps records, receipts are non-existent and credit cards are a figment of the imagination, they clearly do not exist - cash is king.

We were told by a Canadian investment banker that 48% of Greeks in work are employed by the state in one form or another. That leaves 52% supporting the 48% and if what we were told is true, and that is Greeks are as keen to pay taxes as is a sprat to lure a mackerel, then it's no surprise the Greek economy is in a mess. The black market thrives, those in work dodge paying taxes, and half the country works for the state.

No wonder they don't look quite so glum..... what's a Grecian earn? Who knows - certainly not the Greek taxman.

Eastenders in Greece

We tied up in Sivota anticipating the famous annual regatta and found ourselves moored next to the cast of Eastenders - without the television programme's sophistication and elegance. The racing boats arrived during the afternoon and evening and gradually the harbour filled up. The band struck up and two skinheads struck eachother, resulting in blood on the quayside. Cowes was not like this. However despite the unpleasant behaviour of the youths and the casulty of a girl sprawlwd across the jetty thanks to an excess of alcohol it was a pleasant and entertaing evening. We met up with Tony and Gill of Note Bene who we met in June.Nice meal, excellent company and an entertaining time. We are off to Meganissi now - a quiet anchorage.

Anchor Delights

We have had a couple of days of anchoring adventures. Here we are tucked into a quiet bay at Poros on Lefkada. We had it to ourselves until a super yacht complete with flunkies anchored mid-bay overnight. The following morning the guests (owners?) were escorted by two ribs. Either they were very poor swimmers or filthy rich and needed protecting from kidnap. Yesterday we tried the same routine and identified a small bay, One House Bay, on a rock (Nisos Arkoudhi) midway between Ithaca and Meganissi. We were not the only ones to have that thought and when we turned up the bay was home to twenty or more yachts...mainly a Sunsail flotilla. Thankfully as we arived they left. Delighted at the new found quiet we anchored...not once but four times. No matter what we tried we could not get the anchor to stick. It slid, it skated, it danced, it bounced but at no time did the damn thing dig in. We did harvest several tons of weed in the process and the sandy bottom had clearly been mixed with cement because it was not going to yield to our anchor. We gave up and set sail for Poros, around 12miles away. Good sail, 5+ knots under reefed jib. Slightly more heel than Mrs. T. would have liked but I kept reminding her she always wanted a well heeled skipper. We are now about to leave this little haven and head around the corner to Sivota where the famous annual regatta is held. There are live bands, festivities, much visiting of bars and other boats. We are meeting up with friends. Tomorrow may be hazy....and we are not talking weather forecasts.

Kefalonia

Currently at anchor in Eufimia on east coast of Kefalonia. It's very windy and too dodgy to try mooring on the quay so we are riding to anchor until the wind drops. However, as I type a gain Sunsail charter boat is going to have a go. Those of us at anchor are watching with interest. May have to dig out the video camera if it gets 'interesting'. Had a good saildown from Fiskadho today, 6 knots under jib...bliss.

Ionian Revisited

Well, we are back in the Ionian but for some quirky reason this blog won't let me copy and paste text from Word and so the several paragraphs I have crafted will forever remain locked in Word. Suffice it to say all's well. The main domestic batteries failed on Day 1 but were replaced on Day 2. We now have volts to spare. Currently at anchor off Poros in Rouda Bay, Lefkas. It's raining and the thunder echos around the hills. Good wifi connection thanks to new Javelin X20 and kindly cafe which has not protected it's wifi hot spot.

Will update as we proceed.

St. Malo to Bordeaux

The deck seating arrangements lend a new meaning to 'armchair sailor'.

Here we are not long out of St. Malo as we head along the north Brittany coast aiming for Bordeaux... a mere 450 miles away to deliver Steve's Contest 29.

We always knew the run along this coast would be a slog - largish seas, head winds and tides which even Noah would have struggled with.

We were encouraged by the thought that once 'round the corner' the sun would shine, the winds would turn in our favour and it would be downhill from then on.

We fought our way along the coast, tackled the awesome Chenal du Four and headed for Cameret...with arguably the best seafood on the planet. The sun did appear once 'round the corner' but not for long.

The fog stayed with us for two days which meant straining eyes and ears as we sailed from Cameret to Ile d’Yeu via Belle Ile.

Belle Ile it may well have been if we could have seen it.

The area is not much used by shipping and the ferries ply between the islands and the mainland so we were not in an area of high traffic but there was always the risk of encountering a fishing boat or another yacht. In two days we saw one other sailing yacht and thought we heard the engines of another two boats.

We were so pleased when the fog decided to go.

In search of the giant prawns

Thirsty work this flying.

Thursday 10th. June

We wake to see the Oyster getting ready to leave. The ‘crew‘ is on the foredeck and is hosing down the anchor chain as it comes on board. Now that really is showing off.

We get under way soon after and head north towards a small fishing harbour called Petriti. There’s no wind. Not even the slightest zephyr and so we embark on a motorboat trip. The sea is like glass. We make 5.5 knots at less than 2000 revs.

We reach Petritis after 20miles and there, at anchor, is our friend the 57 foot Oyster. The harbour is full and so we anchor again. It’s a bit choppy but we hope that as evening arrives the seas will calm.

The plan is to go ashore this evening and select a taverna to grace with our presence. They’ve got a pretty fine corned beef hash to beat.

Friday 11th. June

Time to move on and this time we cross back to the Greek mainland in search of a taverna at Sayiadha which serves, we are told, the finest prawns to come out of the sea. These are monster prawns - more langoustine than prawn. Jo plots the course. We arrive at a tiny harbour. When I say tiny I mean tiny. Half a dozen boats fills it up and the depth...well, put it like this the echo sounded read 'ZERO' when we moored up and another boat which arrived swears he dug a groove in the mud with his keel on entering. Taking up pole position on the jetty is a Welshman who clearly 'lives' there and said he'd see us when we return in September. He's not going anywhere then.

Sayiadha is interesting. It's on a sliver of land no more than half a mile wide and ten miles long. It separates Albania from the sea - which must annoy the near-coastal Albanians a lot. There's a heavy police and army presence as the hills overlooking the area are Albania and in the past there have been reports of pirate activity and looting. All seems quiet now and such illegal activities seem a thing of the past however we did spot one tree adorned with bottles and a noose. We interpret this as meaning "steal my wine and you'll end up in the noose." Maybe we have a vivid imagination?

We spot a small bird, the twitchers among you will be able to identify it, 'drinking' from a dripping stand pipe while two Greek love-birds get all romantic on the jetty.

There's a small fishing fleet based here, hence the monster prawn speciality, and the local kids use the fishing boats as diving platforms.

We book ourselves in to the taverna and can report that the prawns are every bit as good as their reputation.

This is the end of our Ionian adventure. We've had a great time, seen some amazing places ranging from deserted villages ruined by an earthquake to other villages ruined by being grockle-infested. We've had some great sails, motored more than we'd have liked, had some character-building experiences with an anchor windlass and seen some of the clearest waters and skies ever.

We're back in September but now it's time to return this boat to Gouvia and we fly home tomorrrow.

Thanks for sharing our adventure with us.

Anchor fixed and we're off.

Wednesday 9^th. June

Well, last night’s slap-up meal was more slapped-together than slap-up. We opted for the grilled special; pork, chicken and lamb on the spit. The meat was dry and looked as if it had been around for some time. The restaurant was recommended in the pilot book we use but that was written five years ago and things change. We’ll update the author for the next edition.

Today it’s hot – there’s not much wind and Dimitris, the electrician, and mate have turned up to fix the windlass. It’s a sod of a job. The windlass is in an awkward spot in the forward chain locker. It’s held on by four bolts, unscrewing the bolts and the motor drops. It’s heavy. There’s not much room to work and it’s at times like this I am thankful I am not a marine electrician. Dimitris is stoic. Once the cable and windlass are free he’ll have to take them away to remake the corroded connection and then the fun really starts as he tries to put it all back together again. Oh joy.

I did an early morning run to the bakery and bought two croissants for which I was awarded two stars. Sadly I forgot the bread for which I was awarded minus three stars. I am currently into negative equity.

The fishmonger next to the baker had five cats patiently waiting for a few scraps. Very Greek.

The Sailing Holidays flotilla is off to Two Rock Bay today and we are grateful we didn’t time our visit when the flotilla was in. Nice enough people but it’s a bit like turning up at a restaurant and discovering a Saga coach party has just arrived.

The flotilla boats are gradually moving on and a German boat has managed to foul one of the Sailing Holiday boat’s anchor. He lifted his and got one free. Much shouting and swearing in German. Apparently crossed and fouled anchors are a fact of life here.

A tripper boat with Merlin as the figurehead eases out of the anchorage and follows the sister ship. (see pic)

A super yacht, a ketch, moored off the island last night, too big to get in. Not that that stopped them coming ashore. The tansom opened up to reveal a tender garage. She looks very smart but needs a fair size crew to operate. Bet their anchor windlass works!

Dimitris has revealed that he hopes to fix it all here without the need to return to the workshop. That’s a blessing because we did wonder when he’d return once he’d vanished. So far we’ve heard no Greek swearing from the front end…which is more than can be said for us when the damn thing failed!

Good news. Dimistris has fixed it and all in situ. We now have a working windlass and can set off.

We decide to leave Gaios by the northern channel and see if we can spot the abandoned liveaboard yachts Colin mentioned as a possible place for us to moor if we had problems finding a mooring on the town quay. We pass various inter-island ferries, various tripper boats but there’s no sign of the liveaboards.

We head north to Lakka, (first pic) a small town and bay on the north of Paxos. It holds special memories for us because five years ago this is where Mrs. T agreed to become Mrs. T. They say villains always return to the scene of the crime.

We anchor next to a Lagoon 440 occupied by a large German and his equally vast wife who poses on the bow (see pics) . She also has some attributes which are obvious from the accompanying photograph. As you’ll see she has ample pot plants, probably herbs, which she has arranged on the after deck.

We are soon joined by a 57 foot Oyster and for the non-nautical types reading this I should point out this is not some mutant mollusc but a rather smart boat. The guy who we think must be crew hoses down the deck as if water is not an issue and so we assume this travelling palace probably has a water maker.

We dinghy ashore and take cocktails in the terrace bar overlooking the bay. Singapore slings have never tasted so good. We return to the boat for corned beef hash…and before you smirk, let me tell you that tastes pretty good too.

We are in collision in Gaios on Paxos

Tuesday 8th. June

We stirred at 8am, raised the anchor( by hand) and headed west towards Gaios on Paxos. We’ve not been there before although we have visited Lakka in the north and loved the island. There’s no wind and so the donkey provided the power which at least topped up batteries and kept the fridge cold.

We arrived at 11am and it’s a picture postcard place. Narrow streets, sheltered harbour, tavernas lining the quayside – if it didn’t exist you’d have to invent it. Hollywood could not construct a better, more typical Greek island village.

News from Colin is that a Greek electrician will visit at 5pm to look at the dodgy windlass. We tour the town, indulge in an ice cream and beer, top up with provisions from the supermarket and become tourists.

Several ice creams and beers later

The electrician has visited and found the fault – a corroded terminal. He shows me –there’s nothing left, eaten away by the corrosive effects of salt water and electricity. It’s a simple fault to cure but in a pig of a position. He will return tomorrow morning at 9.30ish to replace.

It’s surprisingly quiet here. We expected to have problems finding a slot on the town quay but there’s lots of space. It gradually starts to fill up. A German boat comes along our port side. A British crewed Sailing Holidays flotilla boat comes along our starboard side. I’m on the phone to Colin as it approaches when I hear Jo yell. I hang up on Colin and rush on deck. The boat, a 34 foot Bavaria, has just demolished our horseshoe lifebuoy and fitting. Bits of debris are all over the deck. The Australian who was talking them in says he’ll replace it. We inspect the damage. No damage to the hull or topsides but the buoy mounting is bust. Luckily it was held on with plastic cable ties which gave way when clouted and probably prevented any further damage.

An hour after the collision the Australian appears bearing a new lifebuoy mounting kit. Looks as if this may happen a lot.

We make friends with the Bavaria crew and he says he was grateful we were English and not Greek - the boat flies a Greek flag. He was expecting some animated histronics - we were very British and made sure the upper lip was very stiff.

We take a wander around the town - it is a grockle magnet - a sort of Padstow with sun. We were tempted by the Cats of Greece T-shirt but ended up simply taking a pic.

Tonight we are going to hit the town and treat ourselves to a slap-up meal as a consolation for a crappy time we’ve had with the anchorage and anchor.

The worst day of the trip

Preveza Marina above - Silia below

Monday 7^th. June

Time to move on and we decide not to venture into the Gulf and do a spot of dolphin watching but head north again and explore the inland sea when we come back in September. We say farewell to Barry, Derek and Sue – who also return in September so maybe we’ll bump into them again then.

Our plans take us further north on the mainland coast to Two Rock Bay – and that’s also what it’s called on the Greek charts. Apparently it is a magic location. Once clear of the Preveza fairway buoy we head north, crack on some sail and have the best sail of the trip so far. Five plus knots on a close reach with, at times, a little more heel than Jo would have preferred but all perfectly under control. That one tack would take us almost 25 miles to Two Rock Bay. We only dropped the sails when the wind died and we motored the last 45 minutes which helped to top up the batteries and give the fridge a boost.

Two Rock Bay is badly named. There are four rocks in the bay which leads you to think you’ve found the wrong one but a GPS fix confirms we’ve got the right place. Sheer cliffs surround the bay which has the clearest water we have seen. The bay is around 2 metres deep and quite stunning. We pick our spot, we can choose anywhere we like as we have the bay to ourselves, and we drop the anchor. Well, to be more accurate we press the button to drop the anchor. Zilch. Dead as a doornail. We check the switches and all looks OK. Try again, still nothing. Is there a hidden trip we don’t know about? I call Colin who says there’s no hidden trip. Anyway, we drop the anchor manually, mercifully it’s shallow, and then we try to work out why the windlass is not working. After various phone calls and checking of wiring we are none the wiser. The boat’s tool kit is primitive and rusty. Actually it’s rubbish. There’s only one screwdriver and the ‘bits’ for a combination set are there but the holder is rusted solid. There’s no multimeter, no bits of wire and the spare fuses are rusty too. It’s not possible with the kit on board to check whether volts are reaching the motor but it’s starting to look very much as if the fault lies within the motor not the wiring or controller. It’s a bit of a mystery because the windlass worked fine when we lifted the anchor several days ago in Palerios and it’s not been used since and now it’s packed up. Anchors are critical out here because they are the prime means of mooring.

We abandon all hope or finding the fault, settle down for a meal of shrimps in a tomato sauce (Shrimps Provencal, very Greek), curse the windlass and decide to have an earlyish night. We are joined in the bay by another British yacht and I’m tempted to row over to see if he has a meter I can borrow but decide against it.

As I said the water in the bay is crystal clear, the sandy bottom is visible, we can see our anchor clearly. Lots of fish, quite large they are too, swim around the boat. I throw a piece of bread into the water and the sea boils as maybe fifty fish fight over the crust. We dig out the video camera and perform the trick again for the video. It did occur to me that a bit of bread with a hook embedded would be certain to land a fish every time, but I only catch a fish to eat and not knowing what they are and having feasted on prawn provencal I consign my angling activities to feeding the fish and not catching them. They had a feast on the remains of supper.

Two Rock Bay has the reputation of being calm and a stunning place to anchor for the night. It was not calm. We rocked and rolled all over the place and although there was no wind the swell made it very, very uncomfortable. I got about two hours sleep, Jo managed one. After such a great sail the end of the day with a faulty anchor and uncomfortable anchorage marks the low point of the trip.

Jo's Birthday

Sunday 6^th.June – Jo’s Birthday

Somehow the postman had managed to find Jo and delivered three cards. Clever people the Greek posties. Various texts came in during the day and thanks to the Preveza free WiFi birthday greetings also land via the internet.

It was a slightly unusual birthday, none of the usual trappings but instead here we are in a foreign marina with people we’ve known only a day all coming by and wishing Jo a happy birthday. Convivial lot sailors.

We decide to spend the day in Preveza, the first time we have spent two days anywhere, So far we have visited a different port every day but it’s Sunday, Jo is a tad older now and so we opt for a slightly gentler day.

We also opt to return to The Mermaid for a birthday meal. It’s much quieter today, the tavernas are open but nothing like as busy. We assume it’s because it’s Sunday, but oh no. The Maitre D at the Mermaid explains that this evening is the final of the Greek basketball league and everyone is at home watching the game. It’s the Greek equivalent of the FA Cup Final and a Test Match rolled into one.

In chatting to the maitre D I mention that it’s Jo’s birthday and two minutes later he appears with a birthday cake. It’s a square of ginger and cinnamon sponge, three scoops of ice cream and a candle. ‘The faster Birthday cake ever’ he declares. He also offers us a birthday drink; I opt for a Mataxa while Jo has a Mataxa and lemonade.

We’ll have to pull this birthday gag more often.