Arwen's meanderings

Hi everyone and welcome to my dinghy cruising blog about my John Welsford designed 'navigator' named Arwen. Built over three years, Arwen was launched in August 2007. She is a standing lug yawl 14' 6" in length. This blog records our dinghy cruising voyages together around the coastal waters of SW England.
Arwen has an associated YouTube channel so visit www.YouTube.com/c/plymouthwelshboy to find our most recent cruises and click subscribe.
On this blog you will find posts about dinghy cruising locations, accounts of our voyages, maintenance tips and 'How to's' ranging from rigging standing lug sails and building galley boxes to using 'anchor buddies' and creating 'pilotage notes'. I hope you find something that inspires you to get out on the water in your boat. Drop us a comment and happy sailing.
Steve and Arwen

Tuesday 7 December 2010

do you ever wake up in the night........

with little niggles.....things that start worrying you and grow out of all proportion?  I've woken up for several nights now with a little fear which is growing in my mind....and I can't shake it loose.......have I put on so much weight recently that a) I will not fit inside Angharad...and b) if I do fit inside.........she'll sink and water will flood into the cockpit across the deck?

I blame my Mother - she saw me recently after a spell of not seeing me and remarked 'darling you really must lose weight'

Gee - thanks Mum! Now look what you've started - rampant paranoia! And a vision I can't shake loose.........I'm at the slip at Queen Anne's battery; everyone has turned up to celebrate the launch of Angharad...they are lining the pontoons; I sit in her, push off and..................gurgle gurgle gurgle! I sink never to resurface again!

Steve

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Steve, spending the down time away from the shed catching up on the last six months - impressed with Angharad, she is looking great. As for sinking her on her maiden voyage fear not, unless you are seriously into excessively chubby territory she will amaze you with her carrying capacity (that was why I let Chris Partridge of Rowing for Pleasure take the maiden trip in Stangarra, I reckon he is a tad heavier than I and we are both on the weighty side so if she carried him then I should be reasonably secure!) What I am looking foreward to with intense interest is your report of the first boarding of Arwen from Angharad, I have yet to find a graceful way of exiting Stan even with half an inch of water under her, the thought of attempting to board another boat with lots of fathoms under the keel is truly horrifying. Having somebody around to video the happening would be very educational for the rest of us.
All the best
Chris

steve said...

hey chris - good to hear from you and happy new year.

yeah - exiting a canoe is an interesting experience - i used to be a canoe instructor for a time - never quite mastered it then; i'm expecting to get wet! boarding arwen isnt my first issue - exiting her into angharad is......i'll have my sone stand by with a video camera - it will keep him amused for hours!

steve