bad luck happens in three's....doesn't it?

First it was my sanyo waterproof camera........went kaput!  Then my faithful outboard started playing up.......water in the carb (more about that later!!) and then I dropped my replacement samsung camera in the huge puddle of water collecting in my boat (and more about that later too).  So I'm hoping my run of bad luck has ended!

In the meantime, Arwen and I have returned from our voyage to Fowey in one piece.......just!

To whet your appetite for some fuller reports, here are some initial pictures and a preliminary video clip. More updates to follow over the next week or so

Steve

The day started with a huge fog bank covering most of the western side of Plymouth Sound. This was just emerging from the fog into brilliant sunshine

One leaving port, one waiting to enter port!

Windless, smooth seas, and Rame Head

Everything the cruising dinghy sailor needs to hand for coastal navigation

Well the Fowey trip looks as if it is a goer tomorrow and Saturday.  All the kit is ready to be packed into waterproof dry bags tonight. The chart work has been done.  Weather forecasts scrutinised at several different sites including:

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/sw/sw_forecast_weather.html

http://www.foweyharbour.co.uk/weather-tides.html

http://www.harbourexchange.com/weather/windguru-forecasts/plymouth-sound/

and finally

http://www.passageweather.com/

The majority verdict is that Friday winds will be 0 - 10kts with occasional gust to 16; from south west or south-south-west; good visibility; little chance of precipitation (good because its like a monsoon outside at the moment) sea state slight. Saturday is a little windier 10 - 15 kts but few gusts; sea state slight to moderate; good visibility. Friday will have some sunny spells but increasing cloud cover; Saturday will be cloudier.  It looks like this is the best - a depression passes over SW England again on Sunday bringing wetter weather. The newspapers in UK have all declared that our BBQ summer is now ended.......I'm still trying to work out when they thought we actually had a BBQ summer. I've been in the country all the time this year.......I must have blinked and missed it!

I've to add my sleeping gear to the growing mound in the main hallway of the house (duck down RAB bag in gortex bivvy bag outer) and we are done.  Evening meal will be lamb and veg soup followed by spaghetti and meatballs with fruit pieces and custard for dessert. Hot chocolate and ginger nut biscuits for nightcap. Breakfast - cereal, beans, bacon and sausages.

I can hear the hissing of my trangia stoves already....a wonderful sound!

Journey details - well with south westerly winds - it will be close reaching most of the way down. Light winds - probably averaging 2 - 3kts per hour. Journey length - well directly it is 24nm; with tacking probably closer to 28/29nm....so average speed of 3 knots looking at around 9 hours.  departing Plymouth at 0900 so should arrive at Fowey, all being well, at 6pm ish.  I'm guessing with light winds then there will be little leeway so I'm estimating around 5 degrees on Friday; maybe 7 or 8 degrees on Saturday although the winds will be from aft most of the time on that day. This passage planning stuff is still all new to me - it's trial and error and careful use of OS maps as well.

Tonight I will enter the important waypoints into the GPS and make sure camera, phone etc are charged and new batteries have gone into VHF radio and GPS unit.

safety wise - the stretch from Rame Head to Looe is the bit which concerns me most as there are no bolt holes if the weather turns nasty.  Up to Downderry I will return to Plymouth. Past Downderry, it's refuge in Looe; past Looe - well there is Polperro to duck into.

And that is it. Wish me luck!  If I survive this one - next week Dad and I are going up the Tamar to Calstock!  If the tides and winds let us that is!

Steve

Good news..........

........the outboard lives to see another day......water in the carburettor. So what have I learned from this?

1. don't keep fuel in jerrycans longer than a couple of weeks!

2. after each trip, run the engine in a bin of clean water and then after 5 mins, turn off the fuel tap and run the engine dry so that gunk doesn't build in the carb

I've been getting lazy, I didn't run it dry after the last trip - serves me right!  Well done the team at Marine Bazaar in Plymouth. A good spot and they've cleaned out the carb, sorted the jets etc etc!

How did the water end up in the float chamber in the carb......no idea!

It's rained so much I haven't been able to grout the patio today.....shame!  Did manage to re-fix the tiller extension though - wood glue, a securing bolt and refixing the screws. Hopefully it will be stronger now.

Weather is deteriorating....so getting a little anxious as to whether the sail to Fowey Friday and Saturday will be able to go ahead. Keeping all fingers and toes crossed for a small, positive change in weather!

Steve

a broken tiller extension but the company definitely made up for it

Well the new tiller extension didn’t last long........

But it was nice having it! Being able to stand, sit out on the side and get that extra height advantage was a luxury........until with a crack the tiller extension broke! It split along the laminate lines on the extension handle and out popped the screws. So that’s tomorrow morning taken care of......let me think...grout between the patio blocks or mend the tiller? Um tough choice!!

Today was a special sail. My sister, brother-in-law and niece joined me for a sail. On holiday in Cornwall, they popped up for the day so that number one niece could sail a boat bigger than a laser on a lake! Her brother disappeared off with my son to do paintballing!! They aren’t into sailing!

And a good sailor my niece is. She displayed excellent helm control being able to choose a direction, pick a transit line and keep on it with minimum leeway. She took us from just north of Dunstone rock buoy in Jennycliffe bay south to Bovisand and the across the northern side of the breakwater towards Cawsand. My sister was uneasy about the naval survey ship that departed just behind us and seemed to be following us at one point but it was going well clear of us! She had a big grin on her face most of the day and seemed very chilled at the end. My brother in law made downwind sailing look dead easy!

Cawsand was our destination but as fate would have it that was the direction from which the winds were coming so there was lots of tacking. An outgoing tide against the westerly winds made cross in the western breakwater end narrows a choppy experience.....!

With really choppy waters we tried a mixture of motor sailing and sailing without engine until we eventually managed to get into the lee of Penlee point. The wind dropped and we motored in to the shingle beach and Arwen gently crunched onto the shingle. A loo stop and hot pastie and we pushed off the beach gracefully I might add and moved over to the rocks where we anchored for ham rolls and hot chocolate.

The afternoon sail back was much faster. Downwind sailing, goose winged, making 4.5kts. We did have some emergencies. Concentration was lost when a pack of ‘refresher’ sweets mysteriously disappeared for a time causing the helmswoman to lose concentration.......several times. When it started to rain I generously handed over my waterproof wide brimmed hat to my niece. Ten seconds later it was in the sea floating away at a rate of knots. My wife had phoned and poor niece who had the phone grabbed with it to take it off around her neck....forgetting the hat.....and it in went! We did a HOB (hat overboard) procedure in 2 minutes flat! And that was from a downwind position – gybing around to bring it onto a close reach!! My sister was very impressed! Personally I was rather surprised it worked at all! Anyway one soggy hat got fished out with a mooring pole. Moral of the tale? NEVER, never, give your favourite hat to your niece however much you love her!!

Her dad sailed us back downwind very nicely. In the Cattedown, just in the lee of Mountbatten breakwater we turned head to wind and dropped sail.......to be neatly mobbed by some youths in topaz’s who promptly capsized 2m in front of us! Um!

We arrived back at very low tide so I dispatched the crew to wander around the Hoe. The Fastnet race is on; finishing point Plymouth and the Barbican is full of race tents and big screens so there was plenty to see.

one who passed us on the way back in

I had a great day out. It was cold, with shifting winds which made sailing tricky. The outboard worries me too ....but the company was fantastic and my niece is one cool sailor! I’m really proud of her! It was great having my sister in the boat too along with my brother in law. Now, if only I could get my brother who lives in Christchurch, New Zealand in the boat – that would be the whole clan!

Steve

bits and pieces

I have finally got around to putting on a proper tiller extension fitting. I have a lovely laminated wooden tiller - ash and mahogany layers. The little tiller extension arm is also ash and mahogany layers too. I found it, forlorn and neglected, at a boat jumble a few years ago. It was attached to my tiller via a coach bolt because at the time I couldn't find a stainless steel universal tiller joint at an affordable price. So for the last few years, my tiller extension has swung outwards and forwards but never upwards!!

the old tiller fixing....a coach bolt which allowed sideways movement but not upwards!!

the distance to that far wall isn't as far as you might think and there are rocks there as well!! See below for an explanation of why I show you this picture!!

Now I quite like standing in the boat, especially on long passages; and particularly when coming alongside the QAB marina pontoons....which is a bit of an art form because there is little manoeuvring room and you haven't anywhere to turn and try a re-run - it's one of those 'get it right first time' jobs! It's a cul-de-sac ending on a slipway with boats moored either side of a narrow channel, in case you were wondering! I have to be seated to do it and frankly it has always been a pain because I haven't been able to see the pontoon properly!

Poor old Arwen has had the odd 'hard encounter' with this pontoon and you can see behind her on the left how narrow the approach channel is too.........the need for a 'tilting upwards tiller extension' has been paramount for some time!!

Now with my new universal joint, I can stand up!! There is no excuse any longer for the occasional prang on the pontoon!! I am particularly pleased with this fitting because I have been looking at them on the internet and they are expensive. Anyway, rummaging about in the 'odds and sods' bin at my local chandlery (Marine Bazaar on Sutton road in Plymouth), low and behold, there it was buried beneath bits and bobs I couldn't even begin to identify......and at half the price on the internet. Wow!

the new fitting adorning Arwen's tiller

I've also been pondering about the issue of what happens if in some way I hole Arwen accidently! This inside my head conversation has arisen because someone with a pathfinder got holed a few months back by accident (not poor seamanship I hasten to add because the sailor concerned is outstanding) on a reef. the water pressure rushing into the sealed floatation/storage lockers popped off all the hatches and so the boat sank much more than it should have.  This set me thinking - what happens if the same happened to Arwen?  I don't want to put foam in because that can soak up water and cause rot. Then I had a moment of inspiration wheeling out our recycling bin....which was full of empty 2lt soft drinks plastic bottles. Since I don't use much of the huge amount of storage space in Arwen...I've filled it with these sealed plastic bottles. They just fit in through the circular hatches with some twisting. In the event of being holed and the hatches popping - these things should float upwards to beneath thwart tops and they can't escape easily through the hatches....so hopefully giving some emergency buoyancy.  What do people think - will this work?  So far Arwen has 'digested' 60 of these bottles with plenty of room left for stowage.  If you think this is daft or dangerous, please drop me a comment.

Fowey sail is looming. At the moment we are 'go for launch' for the coming Friday and Saturday. I would have gone last week but SWMBO (she what must be obeyed i.e. the boss!) decided she wanted a patio instead!  Six days!! Six days to construct a patio!!  Why so long might you ask? Simple......there are 30 steps up to our back garden from the road. We had to dig out and carry out by bag to the dump 80 bags of soil, turf and rock. We then had to cart up by hand 1.5tonnes of ballast gravel and 30 sacks of concrete mix and 80 patio slabs!! Because my neighbour was on night shifts and does a difficult job bless him, I didn't want to use a portable concrete mixer and so mixed all the concrete by hand!!

I'll post more about my forthcoming trip plans on Wednesday but in the meantime one thing is definitely true.........I've earned this Fowey trip - I really have!!!!

Steve

There has been some interesting discussion on the openboat forum about the simplicity of dinghy cruising. It started with a discussion about Paul Constantine’s book ‘Practical dinghy cruising’. An observation was made – whilst an excellent book, had it blown away any association between dinghy cruising and the concept of simplicity? Was there too much about preparation and checklists, etc? Was loading, unloading, redistributing the load to get correct trim etc worth all the effort for dinghy cruising? How much time gets spent preparing rather than sailing? Intriguing questions I must confess.

Well this set me and clearly a large number of other people thinking! Some contributors pointed out how their dinghies were ready for cruising permanently and merely needed clothes, sleeping bags, mattress, hygiene kit and food and cooking supplies adding. Some observed that if one arranges gear in boat carefully then nothing needs moving between sailing, sleeping and cooking modes. Then there is the tent......that could be pretty complex! Or simple! A simple ridge tent on Arwen can be set up in about 5 minutes!

Some forum members posed the questions ‘is it the sailor who overcomplicates the issue?' or ‘Is dinghy cruising supposed to be simplicity itself’?'

Personally, whilst I try to keep things simple and clear, I find dinghy cruising involves some complication – accurate and careful navigation and calculations for example, or making sure that I have checklists for the various crates or waterproof bags I need. Doing long coastal cruises and camping on board requires thought and planning; it requires a high level of seamanship, especially, as one person wryly observed, if you want to survive!

 

I aim to keep most of the stuff I need on Arwen as a general principle – spare towels, spare clothes etc. It’s then just a matter of adding stove, food, sleeping gear, cooking gear and hygiene kit. I keep this all in the crate ready. Oh and an inflatable pillow! And of course drinking water jerry cans! I’ll also add small fishing rod and tackle and a collapsible prawn net as well.

Of course, complication can turn up at the slipway getting ready for a launch. It takes 35 minutes to set Arwen up for a launch – this is mainly to do with mast stepping, shroud tying, sorting out fenders and mooring warps; putting on bumpkin, rudder and putting jib and main halyards through blocks. I’ve been on a constant quest to simplify rigging and general boat prep chores to reduce that preparation time. I continually trim ropes etc to make less rigging in the cockpit. After every trip I sit and think back home – ‘what could I simplify or improve for next outing?'

One contributor raised another issue to consider ‘what kind of sailor you are when making passage?’ someone asked ‘do you actively pull all ropes, constantly trim sails for optimal tuning; or do you just sit back?’ This can certainly add to complexity! Tweaking Arwen’s rig adds to the enjoyment of a sail I must confess.....but then there are times when I just sit back! Sometimes, it’s just good to chill and not worry about the crease in the sail!

Someone made another point too........ some people go for more challenging locations, take a small amount of gear with them in their dinghy, and bet on luck. They observed that the more tolerance you have for risk, the less gear you need. There is no such thing as no-risk sailing, so we really need to ask ourselves said one contributor, ‘How much risk am I comfortable with?’ The more skill and experience a person has, then the more they can do with less gear.

 

Then simplicity can be reduced with the introduction of technology!

I flit between handheld VHF (which I still can never remember how to put onto dual watch – dur!!); my handheld GPS (on which I can never remember how to use the got function – double dur!) and my SPOT personal locator beacon – which I just can’t remember anything on other than emergency button and the ‘I’m ok’ button!

Finally, mused one person, ‘how long will we be out in the boat away from well stocked resupply facilities?’ Whether it will be 2 days or 2 months, until we can resupply, this factor has a huge impact on how much gear is essential for the trip. He observed that

‘part of simplicity is lowering your standards of living, which many dinghy sailors do. Eating the same simple-to-prepare hard rations every meal every day greatly simplifies the gear needed to provide food. Making 2 changes of clothing do for all weather greatly simplifies the wardrobe. Watching the clouds, sun, and waves for entertainment eliminates the need for all the gear related to entertainment. Going into hibernation when it’s dark eliminates the need for lighting’.

Now this is complex I guess

This was Dee Caffri onboard her boat at the start of the last Transatlantic

Well there you have it....dinghy cruising.......simple or complex? It depends what kind of sailor you are. Personally I want to get away from it all and go as minimalist as I can without being uncomfortable or in danger!

My thanks go to RB, Roger, Dave, Osbert, Viv, Edwin, ‘Shiner’, Oliver, Neil, Steve, Mike and Roger P for some really thoughtful and illuminating discussion.  Yahoo openboat forum....what a great bunch of knowledgeable and reflective people.

Steve

initial plans for the Fowey trip

I’ve been doing some initial pre-planning for my possible trip down the coast to Fowey. I haven’t got a date yet and I need to check tides and tidal streams along the coast. I have however, plotted a rough course with distances, magnetic bearings, dead reckoning timings and possible transect points.

My initial thought is one day sailing down, overnight and one day sailing back. If I can persuade the family to give me parole for three days, then I could spend a day sailing up the river Fowey as well.

If things aren’t going well – then I can call in and overnight at Looe or at Polperro instead. I would need to make a decision as to whether to continue or not after rounding Rame Head because after the QR buoy, I’d be committed to heading for Looe!!

Leg 1 western breakwater to Rame Head

Now Arwen does an average speed of 3kts in force 3 winds if I was close hauled. So that’s roughly 3 nm in an hour, 1 nm in 20 minutes not taking into account tides, currents, streams etc. I navigate along the coast using a combination of OS maps and admiralty charts. I mark all the calculations in chinagraph pencil on the chart and only adapt them if the first few prove to be wrong. I keep a half hourly log and regular ‘timing’ checks via transects to distinctive shore marks en route. I have a ‘sailing route card planner’ with all the details of the trip on it as well. You can find my passage planner outline card here at this old post http://arwensmeanderings.blogspot.com/2010_05_01_archive.html

Leg 2 along Whitsand Bay

Leg 3 Portwrinkle to Seaton

 

Leg 4 Seaton to Looe Island

Leg 5 Looe Island, past Polperro

Leg 6 Polperro to Fowey

below is the draft passage plan initial details. Still lots to add in and work out.

Steve

some milestones............

I was updating my RYA sailing log this morning and discovered some milestones had passed me by recently. Firstly I've clocked up over 220hrs sailing in Arwen over the last four years. I read somewhere that to become an expert in anything it needs 10,000 hrs......so I'm still a relative novice then!

I have launched 40 times from QAB and with car park fee included with the launch fee, this has totalled around £720. Across four years, this works out at £180 per year. Sailing wise, its around 45 - 50 hrs per year. I don't do much sailing in winter I must confess. sailing Arwen in force 6+ just doesn't seem sensible really.

It is a lot of money but not when you think it would cost this just to have Arwen stored at QAB for a year. There are few useable launch sites around Plymouth - if you are single handed!! The great slips at mountbatten, elphinstone etc all have good ramps but one small problem - nothing to tie a boat up to whilst you move the car and trailer to a car park up to 100m away - great if sailing with someone; definitely an issue if a single hander!  Anyway, launching at QAB has its advantages - friendly and knowledgeable staff, great facilities, a ramp accessible at all states of tide except extreme spring low tides; easy car parking. Frankly, it is worth it!

The highest wind we've sailed in together is a force 7/8 (accidental not by design I hasten to add - see my old post about sailing to Salcombe and back last august!!).  Arwen's fastest speed has been a staggering 6.8 kts - seriously - the GPS lied not!  The greatest distance sailed in one day has been 26 nm. The greatest number of people inside Arwen? Six!  The most memorable experiences together? Where would I start when there have been so many!  I guess her maiden voyage accompanied by a large heavily scarred bottlenose dolphin is up there; as is the dolphin encounter this year. A day out with my kids over to Cawsand would also slip into the top five along with a great trip once with mum and dad too. Also in there is any trip with my daughter and also Sunday's trip with my good friend Dave. Yep I think these make my top five or six trips.

So what's coming up in the next few weeks? Well after last week's test sail up to the Lynher, there is a possible trip up to Calstock and overnight camp with dad as VIP guest.  I'm in the middle of passage planning a possible Fowey sail (a biggy - 28 nm each way)

I'll keep  you posted of course!

Steve

and finally watch out for........

Here is the last of the films from onboard Arwen during the weekend's Plymouth Classic Boat Rally 2011. Make sure you watch out for my neighbours lovely boat.......she's a real gem, sleek, fast, elegant and a stunning beauty..........enjoy.

I haven't been to a classic boat rally in Plymouth before - I've always managed to be abroad for the last few years when they have taken place. I'd like to thank all those who organised it and all those who bought their boats. A memorable day on the water for Arwen and me.  Thank you!

Steve

Plymouth Classic Boat Rally part 2

Once we had worked out what was happening, we were able to cut along the sides of the fleet and get some closer shots. Enjoy!

Steve