NOTE: A few people have asked me to do a brief vlog about Arwen's standing rigging and deck fixtures and fittings. This video will appear later this year. In the meantime, this is the first of a series of videos about a recent day trip to the river Yealm and back. This first video looks at the untidy organisation that is Arwen's interior during a day sail!
A blog about dinghy cruising a Welsford 'Navigator' around the coastal waters of SW England
Sunday, 3 June 2018
The slow passage to the river Yealm and back again: a pre-departure tour of Arwen's interior
NOTE: A few people have asked me to do a brief vlog about Arwen's standing rigging and deck fixtures and fittings. This video will appear later this year. In the meantime, this is the first of a series of videos about a recent day trip to the river Yealm and back. This first video looks at the untidy organisation that is Arwen's interior during a day sail!
I really like how you created those open lockers on the sides of the boat (with the oval openings). It's so salty.
ReplyDeleteSteve
ReplyDeleteHi, Interesting. You have a lot of stuff! Have you watched Roger Barnes video after he capsized...
I worry about flares - we had to try them when I was at college and they are flippin terrifying as well as dangerous - stout gloves definitely needed!
I’ve been looking at this instead :- https://www.marinescene.co.uk/product/13655/rescueme-edfi-led-electronic-distress-flare
Knee replacement on Wed (been on the list for 9 months) so hopefully I’ll be well enough for boat buying next spring.
Cheers
Graham Abbott
TM - the oval lockers in the backrest coaming are actually quite useful - i stow the fenders inside along with portable bilge pump, the stick for knocking down the centreboard if it gets stuck and the mooring warps which are left permanently on. On nice days you can store windproofs inside. On the starboard side I stow my navigation equipment and binoculars etc on the longer trips.
ReplyDeleteGraham - sorry about late reply - been away caravan touring and out of email/internet contact for 12 days. Hope knee operation has been successful. All the stuff is tied on - everything is tied on - although I agree Arwen could do with a good tidy up and better stowage of some materials. Mooring warps ought to be taken on and off as and when rather than left on permanently; I ought to make better use of under the deck locker storage but this is restricted by the mast being across the front of the locker.
regarding flares - I have thick gloves with them but I too have been looking at the laser flares - my only concern is whether enough people sufficiently recognise them and would do something if they saw one going off and dont mistake it as a red port can light at night!!
Steve
ReplyDeleteNo worries about the delay. Knee op cancelled on the morning before I left home - too many broken bones in. The joys of a cut and cut real NHS whilst the private hospitals clean up all the simple cases for max profit....the next chance is on the 4th July.
It must be hard to decide what to take. My cruising will be 90% or more on the Dart as I just won’t have the stamina for longer trips so will need very little beyond basic safety kit, extra warm/waterproof clothes, some food and a flask.
The things that attract me to the Drascombe Scaffie is the lack of centreboard case, the unstayed mast, simple rig and the motor well. Less to get in my way or trip me up whilst moving about the boat and simple to sort out on the mooring. I’m not exactly agile and strong anymore so the simpler and more uncluttered the better.
One of the disadvantages of normal flares is that they last so little time and very few on shore have clue what they are for. The LED ones last for hours so at least the constant light may make people at least wonder if someone needs help and would be good to help the lifeboat find you when they are close which seems to be a real problem for the RNLI as shown on the TV. A waterproof VHF handheld os the obvious way to call for help especially with DSC. Channel 16 is interesting around here as you are as likely to hear fisherman talking about their lunch as anything else...
I phoned 999 for the coastguard a few weeks ago while we had lunch at Living Coast in Torquay. It was pretty windy and cold. A Laser dinghy capsized about 1/2 mile out and still hadn’t been righted after 10 mins so I phoned. While I was on the phone he got it back up, Nobody else in the restaurant had even seen a boat out there and the waitress thought I was mad to phone the coastguard. I’d worry about relying on the public to do the right thing when seeing a flare...
I’m enjoying your videos and this blog. I especially like the effort you make to keep the audio interesting as that’s the real key to successful video.
all the best.
Sorry about knee op - very frustrating. happened to me, a cancelled procedure, a couple of years ago - very frustrating. Had a close look at a scaffie a few years ago at Beale Park - very nice clean lines and interior.
ReplyDeleteI tend to keep much of the dinghy cruising/camping gear on board irrespective of whether I'm day sailing or camp cruising. In saying that, I am thinking it is time to have a clean out. I don't need all the mooring warps I carry, for example, I could make better use of the forward thwart and under deck lockers for storage as well. It is a good point and come a day of fair weather, I might pull her off the drive and actually take a closer look at what I carry and where I store it.
In the meantime, hoping to make a cruising voyage next week, weather dependent, either over to Salcombe and up to Kingsbridge or down to Fowey and up to Lostwithiel