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

Monday, 21 May 2018

The first sail of the season

After all the internal refitting and painting (see previous posts over winter) we finally made it out onto the water this weekend just gone.

Below are some of the pictures. Videos to follow sometime this week.  The new top yard rigging modifications, in which I lashed on two stainless steel rings at halyard tie on point and at its forward end, and then ran the main halyard through the rear ring, around the opposite side of the mast and tied off with bowline at forward ring, well it worked a treat and kept the top yard in the exact correct position. this led to some better sail setting, helped by the spars having gone on an enforced diet over winter (I shaved off some wood on each to round them and make them the correct diameter).

The sun shone. We sailed around Plymouth Sound and anchored at Cawsand for lunch and some reading.

I was intending sailing today (Monday) but sadly I ended up in hospital A and E yesterday with mild concussion when I hit the top of my head upwards against a narrow concrete beam outside a beach shop. Several hours in A and E with CT and neck scans resulted. I don't remember much, other than feeling dizzy, sick and having blurred vision and the mother of all headaches. The Doc's tell me I have a two inch long wound and a pronounced 'V' shaped dent in the top of my skull which will hurt for several days. Someone kindly told my wife that my thick skull had saved me. She replied' I've been telling him for years he's thick headed'. 

In fairness, 'her indoors' has been unusually sympathetic. Apparently, she saw it happen, says it was extremely impressive and I was severely dazed afterwards. I, on the other hand don't remember much other than the hospital bit!

Ho Hum - it has put a delay on sailing for a few days

At anchor in Cawsand, enjoying the sunshine - my immediate neighbour 

in the lee of Penlee point 


On the left the village of Cawand; on the right the village of Kingsand

a lovely old trawler against the backdrop of the Mount Edgecumbe peninsula 

Kingsand

The old coastguard cottages high on the hill



Hoping I might drop a bit of marmite and cheese sandwich into the water




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