One or two of you have kindly commented on the comprehensive list in my last post.....thanks. I sort of compiled it from a mixture of sources - the list at Dinghy Cruising Association; a list from Margaret Dye's book on dinghy cruising (lovely inspiring read); the shared experiences of the helpful man at the RNLI and also from my own past experiences as as a leader of expeditions here and abroad. I missed off the throw line which is always secured under the side deck - sorry!
I also have a sketch which reminds me where things get stored on Arwen. It was an idea i pinched from somewhere - I think it was from Steve on his blog 'Log of Spartina' (thanks Steve - hope you don't mind me stealing idea). I've added the image below. I haven't drawn on the oars - they get stored along the side decks - the blades are about half way along each side deck and the end of the oar shafts close to bowsprit where it is attached to deck. they are held in place by homemade wooden eye pads and sail bungie cords. They lay flat and are completely out of the way. Originally they rested in rowlocks along the coaming but it was such a pain climbing over them! In terms of balance and trim - I've haven't spotted any issues yet - I think the weight is reasonably balanced....still time and experience will tell.
The other photos below show some favourite kit - the GPS - simple to use, limited in terms of what it can do - but I've found it really useful as a speed indicator - it has helped me learn how to set sails better so that I get 'in the groove!' I can actually see how altering sail trim leads to genuine increases in speed - amazing! I've just learned how to link it to google earth as well so that I can download the track of Arwen's voyage and save it in google earth; next voyage I will do that and upload the save file to the blog.
The xacti waterproof camera is fantastic - 12mp - takes video and photos - and is waterproof! All the videos on this blog are shot on this camera. The gorillapod stand is new - an amazing piece of kit which will virtually grip anything - bought recently - so that I can set it up in boat and keep two hands on tiller, mainsheet and other bits of boat!
Finally - I've come across Admiralty tough charts - wonderful and perfect for open boats - waterproof! Easy to read; easy to mark with chinagraph pencil - convenient A3 size. Highly recommended if you do most of your day sailing in one area like I do around Plymouth Sound and associated rivers.
Anyway, if you like the blog, let me know - if you have suggestions on how I might improve it - constructive advice always welcome
Steve
Bill’s Small Sailboats - The Future
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Regular readers will be aware of the lack of recent articles. My custom for
many years has been to post to my websites (no longer active) and to my ...
8 years ago
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