bits and pieces

I have finally got around to putting on a proper tiller extension fitting. I have a lovely laminated wooden tiller - ash and mahogany layers. The little tiller extension arm is also ash and mahogany layers too. I found it, forlorn and neglected, at a boat jumble a few years ago. It was attached to my tiller via a coach bolt because at the time I couldn't find a stainless steel universal tiller joint at an affordable price. So for the last few years, my tiller extension has swung outwards and forwards but never upwards!!

the old tiller fixing....a coach bolt which allowed sideways movement but not upwards!!

the distance to that far wall isn't as far as you might think and there are rocks there as well!! See below for an explanation of why I show you this picture!!

Now I quite like standing in the boat, especially on long passages; and particularly when coming alongside the QAB marina pontoons....which is a bit of an art form because there is little manoeuvring room and you haven't anywhere to turn and try a re-run - it's one of those 'get it right first time' jobs! It's a cul-de-sac ending on a slipway with boats moored either side of a narrow channel, in case you were wondering! I have to be seated to do it and frankly it has always been a pain because I haven't been able to see the pontoon properly!

Poor old Arwen has had the odd 'hard encounter' with this pontoon and you can see behind her on the left how narrow the approach channel is too.........the need for a 'tilting upwards tiller extension' has been paramount for some time!!

Now with my new universal joint, I can stand up!! There is no excuse any longer for the occasional prang on the pontoon!! I am particularly pleased with this fitting because I have been looking at them on the internet and they are expensive. Anyway, rummaging about in the 'odds and sods' bin at my local chandlery (Marine Bazaar on Sutton road in Plymouth), low and behold, there it was buried beneath bits and bobs I couldn't even begin to identify......and at half the price on the internet. Wow!

the new fitting adorning Arwen's tiller

I've also been pondering about the issue of what happens if in some way I hole Arwen accidently! This inside my head conversation has arisen because someone with a pathfinder got holed a few months back by accident (not poor seamanship I hasten to add because the sailor concerned is outstanding) on a reef. the water pressure rushing into the sealed floatation/storage lockers popped off all the hatches and so the boat sank much more than it should have.  This set me thinking - what happens if the same happened to Arwen?  I don't want to put foam in because that can soak up water and cause rot. Then I had a moment of inspiration wheeling out our recycling bin....which was full of empty 2lt soft drinks plastic bottles. Since I don't use much of the huge amount of storage space in Arwen...I've filled it with these sealed plastic bottles. They just fit in through the circular hatches with some twisting. In the event of being holed and the hatches popping - these things should float upwards to beneath thwart tops and they can't escape easily through the hatches....so hopefully giving some emergency buoyancy.  What do people think - will this work?  So far Arwen has 'digested' 60 of these bottles with plenty of room left for stowage.  If you think this is daft or dangerous, please drop me a comment.

Fowey sail is looming. At the moment we are 'go for launch' for the coming Friday and Saturday. I would have gone last week but SWMBO (she what must be obeyed i.e. the boss!) decided she wanted a patio instead!  Six days!! Six days to construct a patio!!  Why so long might you ask? Simple......there are 30 steps up to our back garden from the road. We had to dig out and carry out by bag to the dump 80 bags of soil, turf and rock. We then had to cart up by hand 1.5tonnes of ballast gravel and 30 sacks of concrete mix and 80 patio slabs!! Because my neighbour was on night shifts and does a difficult job bless him, I didn't want to use a portable concrete mixer and so mixed all the concrete by hand!!

I'll post more about my forthcoming trip plans on Wednesday but in the meantime one thing is definitely true.........I've earned this Fowey trip - I really have!!!!

Steve