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

Tuesday 1 October 2019

Can you see what it is yet 2?

Tarrah......it is finished. Can you now see what it is?

Sounds like Playschool or Blue Peter........I liked those programmes as a kid - huge fan - anyway......finally I present one small duffle bag and a ditty tool bag.


I find simple canvas work therapeutic. I have always fiddled with things  I can never keep my hands still - whether I be reading a book, watching TV, listening attentively in a meeting - fiddling with something or doodling constantly - used to drive my teachers mad. In later years, when a teacher myself, I tried to remind myself not to lambaste the kid who incessantly tapped his pen or ruler against the desk - but I did begin to appreciate how irritating I must have been for my teachers!

The ditty tool bag has already been put to use carrying tools and fittings to fix a broken rudder and the skeg brass rubbing strip. The duffle bag will carry a camera and windproof on my little sojourns ashore to the pub when dinghy cruising.


I guess over winter I might try my hand at some rope work as well - a bow fender, some simple mats, and perhaps a whipped handle end for the tiller and the tiller extension handle.

I'm on a roll this week - I fitted a new outboard fuel tank, refitted a warped door, finished the canvas work projects, rebuilt and fitted the back garden gate after storm damage and have been busy sticking the plastic laminate back onto six wardrobe doors, where it has started to lift away.  Her indoors is rattled! She wants to know what I want.....I'm just earning brownie points so I can ask if I can build a Scraps tender for Arwen over the winter!!

The blogs on making the duffle and ditty bags can be found here - start from the bottom and work up the web addresses

https://arwensmeanderings.blogspot.com/2019/08/can-you-see-what-it-is-yet-2.html

https://arwensmeanderings.blogspot.com/2019/08/can-you-see-what-it-is-yet.html

https://arwensmeanderings.blogspot.com/2019/08/making-canvas-sail-ties-storage-bag.html

https://arwensmeanderings.blogspot.com/2019/08/making-sailors-rigging-ditty-bag.html

https://arwensmeanderings.blogspot.com/2019/08/sailors-canvas-riggers-ditty-bag.html

https://arwensmeanderings.blogspot.com/2019/08/how-to-make-sailors-traditional-canvas.html





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