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

Saturday, 24 September 2011

whoever is doubting.........

that there is a recession would haven't have needed to go much further than the Newton Abbott boat jumble today.

Lots of 'bits and pieces' this year of variable quality too

....and not as many people I thought although I could be wrong...it's a perception rather than a fact....

another one missing was the man with the great hat who sells blocks, old tools, masts, sails and books

Seriously down on the number of stalls and occupied pitches, there were familiar faces missing. My stainless steel nuts and bolts man wasn't there; nether was the Compass Marine 'fender' seller. it was rather thin on the ground.

...strange not thinking about buying epoxy and spatulas!!

I'm sure I saw some of this last year.......


I like the 'artistic slant' but who buys this stuff?

Not only were there fewer stalls but the quality of what was being sold was lower than perhaps I've seen in the past. There was a lot of second hand gear that really was 'well used'.  A lot more 'junk' would be a little uncharitable but you will all know what I mean.

was almost tempted...would one be useful to carry on Arwen for moving in the shallows instead of the outboard.......dunno!

I just liked the colours and the patterns!


One surprise was the cost of second hand outboards. My little tohatsu 3.5hp was fetching £300. there were several available and they were being sought after. Which left me slightly enraged given that I left mine with a company in Salcombe who are doing brokerage on it and claimed the most they can get for it is £120 (of which they want 10% commission and VAT).  I'm furious and first thing Monday will be ringing them to get it back. I'm not greedy and I'm not going to sell it for £350 but if I was able to get £250, that would pay for the marine radio and some contribution back to the family budget for the new outboard I bought at the end of August. Apart from which, I'm honest and I expect everyone else to be the same with me!

this nicely done model caught my eye.......I used to make these myself

horribly expensive......a rip off or should that be a 'rope off'....ha ha ha......over never mind!

stuff for big boats

an array of fishing rods...some of which are very old.......

Anyway, I managed to get the nuts and bolts I needed for 'Stacey' my son's motovespa 125 super 1971 restoration project. I didn't manage to get the cushions I wanted for back rests for Arwen.....the cushion person wasn't there this year!


It does look sparse on the ground



whatever it is for, a fender one assumes, it is an extraordinary piece of craftsmanship



Well, we are being predicted an Indian Summer this forthcoming week, so maybe, just maybe, Arwen and I will get a trip in next week

Steve 

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