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

Friday 20 July 2012

Things can only get better...........

The words of that song go round and round in my head. After yesterday's disaster I was up and out the door at 6.15am to catch the tide.................and the flat tyre on Arwen's trailer. Nothing would shift those rusted on nuts and so by 7am I knew I was going to have call out the AA. Another sailing day went up in a puff of smoke!

I have to say the AA man was brilliant. He wrestled those rusted nuts off despite the fact that they were so badly corroded they kept breaking off in pieces.  Off he went....and I moved the trailer forward. A phoosh sound and yes.......the other tyre deflated. Yes that's right - two deflates in 2 hours...due to corroded wheel rims. Well, it was inevitable. Arwen had sat on the drive all winter. Despite washing down the trailer and wheels after each trip....the rust won the battle. 

So two new wheels and tyres. We may be able to resurrect the old ones. Someone down the road is going to shot blast them and then install inner tubes. So I may well end up with a spare or two!

It's day two of my holiday and so far.........total damage is pushing £700!
I need to re find my karma!

Steve

2 comments:

Rational Root said...

Consider this a good day, on a bad day, the would have gone pop half way down the Motorway.....

steve said...

true. I once saw a tyre blow out at 70mph on the M4; not pretty

Steve