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, 3 May 2014

Researching stormy weather in a dinghy

I found some interesting reading about dinghies in heavy weather. It's the bit after heaving to doesn't work. What happens next?

This has some interesting tips

http://www.wayfarer-international.org/WIT/cruise.daysail/cruisetips/Phillips09.htm 

In the meantime, Arwen has new elastic securing straps. The large white fenders bought at a boat jumble recently have been secured low down on each side in the for'ard part of the cockpit. The lockers in the central thwarts have been tidied up. All the safety gear bar fire extinguisher has gone into starboard locker. In the port locker is found all the tools and maintenance bits and pieces. The flares canister has been secured, along with first aid kit under the aft starboard side deck.
There is space on starboard side to secure a waterproof rucksack behind the elastic straps. The spaces under the front deck on top of the forward thwart are now empty.....and will take clothing, bedding bags and cooking materials when camp cruising. 

Things left to do

- move the anchor and its warp out of the anchor locker on the bow into a tray which will be secured to the floor on front starboard side of cockpit when making extended coastal voyages

And repair my rudder. Somehow, I don't know how, it has managed to get a 2" chunk out of the rear of it. Significant damage. It will need sanding and reprinting rapidly. Irritating! I suspect it had something to do with my accident grounding a few weeks ago at Salcombe.

4 comments:

Rik said...

Hi Steve,
Thanks for the great waywarer reference. I think i will print and stow in the boat in a ziplock bag for reading.

steve said...

Hi risk
It's my bedtime reading tonight
Steve

Ps love your blog by the way
Cracking pathfinder build

Rik said...

Thanks Steve. Rather be on the water though... I am getting reay for that and trying to pish through some major milestones in the build. Thanks to JW he has made the design such that an amateu rlikeme can still make a fumctional craft.

steve said...

Doesn't look like an amateurish job from what I see. Looks a rather impressive build I'd say
Steve