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, 29 April 2019

Travelling around The Roseland area in Cornwall

Spent a week down in the caravan, cycling around the Truro area. Now clocked up nearly 600 miles on new electric mountain bike. Getting around 40 - 70 miles on one battery charge depending on what mode I am in, how many steep hills I encounter and how windy it is.

Must go back down to the Fal sometime this year for a week's sailing up the Fal and its estuaries and across to Helford. Can't quite decide whether to sail down via Fowey or Mevagissy or whether to trailer Arwen down.

Anyway, a few pictures from this week's adventures.

Watching surfers at Portreath





Falmouth and Mylor









St. Mawes and Mevagissy







In the meantime, hoping to make my first Dinghy Cruising Association rally this weekend, up to Calstock on the river Tamar but it is contingent on getting the caravan fixed. Sadly the Al-Ko ATC mechanism wouldn't work properly and whilst the caravan hitched to the tow bar correctly, the anti swerve and ATC control wouldn't engage. It was a 'gingerly' drive back home today and the van is booked in tomorrow for a health check and diagnostic. I suspect they will keep it for a few days and then we, hopefully, will collect it at the weekend. 

Meanwhile oar wood working continues. without a band saw it is slow going, even using the jigsaw. I am finding that hand cutting out the blanks with a Japanese pull saw is the surest method at the moment. I'm in no rush and it is nice to slowly rough shape something. I am sure people could get it done in a third of the time I will take but then I always have a 'unique' way of getting things done - if there is an easy way and a hard way......well you know which way I end up going !!


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