Not enough words to describe the afternoon. A pageant fit for a Queen.

Well done and thank you to everyone who took part.

 The Queen's pageant, the largest flotilla ever to sail down the Thames since the 1600's

South Dartmoor Railway

We have done our annual pilgrimage, number one son and I to the SDR at Buckfastleigh. We didn't ride the trains twice this time.

It's the diamond Jubilee Thames Pageant and we've dashed home to see it. This our nation's chance to say thank you to the Queen for all she has done for our nation and we wouldn't want to miss it. This history in the making. We did think of offering Arwen to lead the procession but we didn't want to hold things up.

Anyway, as we watch, Her Majesty is now onboard the Royal barge, having come down the Thames on The Royal Yacht tender from Britannia. The bells are now ringing out and our celebration for the Queen begins.
It is all part of being British. Our sense of history and tradition and the fact that the majority of us, deep down, are Monarchists. Well we are with this Monarch. God save our Queen and may she have a wonderful Diamond Jubilee

I wish I had come across this lot when we were stripping 'Stacey'. Wouldn't they have made life easier?

 Although the blog is about Arwen, 'Stacey' occasionally slides in.  She is gorgeous but a little minx. She can be sweet natured one moment and an evil so and so the next.

Take recent events. We discovered a stress fracture and when we gently poked it - a piece fractured. We've cleaned off all the paint and the piece seems OK. However, what caused the stress fracture? Moreover, how do we reattach it? It will need welding but this is an aluminium headset; and of course there is the issue of the paint. We don't want a respray but won't heat from a mig weld blister the paint and powder coating?

sorry about the blur - the nikon doesn't seem to like close ups

You can see where it has broken off so how do we fix it?

In the meantime, another problem is emerging. the front brake functions perfectly with the wheel off. Put the wheel on and pull the brake handle and the brake applies. Let go of the handle and it doesn't return. You have to push it away......now why is that?

We are discussing whether to keep the original speedo or put in a new one. We are leaning to keeping the faded original but repainting the worn off numbers.

We still have to work out which wires go where on the headlight rear as well, but the end is in sight....well it will be when we have solved the brake issue and the fracture stress.  Any tips or advice, as always, very welcomed.

In the meantime the troublesome gap seems to now be this big and I think that is the best we will get it

If you have any thoughts or suggestions we would love to hear from you 

Steve

Another two welsford navigators join the family

Congratulations to Robert and Richard who have both launched new navigators in the last few weeks.


Robert posted a report of his first launch on John’s forum and he has given me permission to paraphrase some of it. Here in Robert’s words is the report of his launch.

“Today, I took my Navigator offshore for the first time. It was also the first time I sailed the boat solo since my test sail on a small lake in Maine last year. A tranquil mild southwest breeze carried me downwind towards the lighthouse at the end of the harbour breakwater but it picked up to 10 knots and veered to the West and I quickly hove to and put in one reef. Slipping around the lighthouse just as a mega container ship entered the harbor, I headed South/Southwest towards Catalina Island. A bumpy ride at first, with swells refracting off the breakwater and various ships and boats adding to the confusion, my Navigator never gave me cause to worry. The boat felt solid and well-behaved at all times”.

I think this lucky man actually sails off the Californian coast - wow!

A mile or so offshore with the wind at 15 knots from the west just off the southern tip of Palos Verdes peninsula and having not single-handed the boat, Robert was sure what to expect but to his surprise he was able to sail the boat upwind in those conditions quite comfortably, with no need for a second reef. In gusts, he was able to easily spill wind simply by easing the main or letting the boat round up a bit. Robert said it all felt very intuitive, like he’d done it many times before. He continued

“At some point, the highest peaks of Catalina Island, 20 miles or so away, came into view and, as always, made turning back difficult for me. What is it about distant islands that so attract boaters? But after a nice run of maybe 4 miles offshore, I thought it wise not to tempt fate and tacked the boat. The run back to the lighthouse was a broad reach. On this point of sail, "islander" sailed perfectly upright and with a comfortable motion. What a pleasure.

As I approached the harbor entrance, the wind picked up yet again, to 18-20 knots. I considered putting in a second reef, but didn't want to lose my upwind position drifting downwind while reefing. As it was, it would take me a good hour to tack upwind back to the launch ramp. If things got too dicey, I decided,I would simply drop the main altogether”.


Robert commented that although definitely overpowered now, "Islander" remained well-mannered and easily controlled. He sailed with the main and mizzen eased, spilling additional wind as needed.

“Again, everything felt intuitive. Easing the main, heading upwind, bearing away, it was like an old, familiar dance”.

A bit wet, Robert made one last tack into the small launch ramp area and let the boat glide to the dock. It was his first solo docking and he was pleased not to have destroyed either his boat or anyone else's. [I so know that feeling; I’m always somewhat surprised that I manage to motor back up to the south pontoon and slot between moored boats without ever destroying any]
“All in all, this was definitely my best sail so far, boosting my confidence in the boat and my abilities. In general, sailing (or really any boating, e.g., kayaking) is best appreciated solo in my mind. I am just more in tune with the ocean, the boat and myself than when others are around.
On a technical note, I wonder how much of the amazing stability I am experiencing on "Islander" is due to the very low traditional boom (of my gaff rig). It is so low that it barely clears the coaming, which admittedly makes tacking a bit awkward, even for someone short like myself. For a tall person, it may not work at all, I don't know. But the upside is that the sail's center of effort is about a foot lower than on other gaff-rigged Navigators I have seen. At least to me, the trade-off is worth it”.

Well all I can say is well done Robert and I look forward to posting a few pictures as and when you release them. Congratulations on your Navigator launch.



Now these are photographs of Richards new navigator. What a stunning boat and I love those side coamings with the neat slots!!!!!!!

Richard launched his navigator last Sunday before an audience of over 50 people in a local small lake. [May I say here how brave that is.....now that is real confidence and skill].

“As all Navigator owners know the boat was highly praised for its beautiful lines and everyone commented on how well it sits on the water. The wind was very light so we could only ghost around under sail but could do a little motor sailing. This is the culmination of a project which has taken me 3 years from the day I bought the plans to complete but has been a wonderful experience and given me a new lease of life as I have said many times before. I would like to thank you John for your wonderful design that creates a boat a lay person can make and also the great after sales service you have provided. Also I would like to thanks all my new friends on the forum who have helped me with advice. I would like particularly to single out Peter Deck, Joel Bergen, Wilfried Vermeiron, Robin Coterill and last but not least Roger Loving, who very generously engineered my center board pivot assembly, which works perfectly and up to now doesn't leak. Thanks everyone”

Well Richard that is the amazing thing about John’s forum. There are so many people who can help. I appreciated every shred of advice they gave me. Joel and Robin continue to point me in the right direction as I learn to sail Arwen.

Again, congratulations to you both and welcome to the ever extending navigator family.

Steve

At long last: how to reef a sprit boom in video

Well done Wayne. What a fantastically useful little video. Hat's off to that man; not only for a clever, simple and clear video on how to reef a sprit boom lug sail but also on how to clear a front cockpit and maintain boat trim and balance (you'll see)! The height of organisational efficiency. Star man!

A must watch for all Nav owners. THANK YOU  Wayne!

http://donumvitae.wordpress.com/2012/05/28/reefing-a-sprit-boomed-lug-yawl/

Now I know what I'm doing wrong!!
And thanks to Steve Earley as well for clearing up what I was doing wrong when tacking under jib and mizzen only.  Slacken off the mizzen more than I have been doing. Dur! It sounds so simple when you hear it from experienced sailors!

Thanks both of you - much appreciated.

Steve

'Stacey' is stalled....where do we go next?

Attention all boaters...we need your help...well your lateral thinking actually. Nobody seems to have any answers for us.....'Stacey' , my son's beloved motovespa 125 1971 scooter restoration has come to a standstill because of a problem. Boaters, we hope that ingenuity and problem solving capability shown by all self builders and small boat sailors will come to the fore......'help us all you obi-wans'!

The problem can be seen in the photograph below. We have stripped the forks; replaced all the lower and upper steering rings and bearings - exactly like for like and we have reinstalled it. It is tightened up as it should be and the front steering is not rocking forwards or sideways. It is perfectly correct but cannot be slackened off, for to do so is to introduce looseness into the front fork.

So explain this.......the gap between the rear mudguard and the legshield has reduced and is now too close; a bump on the road and the two will meet!  Originally the gap was 2 cm between legshield and mudguard before dis-assembly. We have triple checked everything. Nothing is wrong; everything in the correct sizes and in the correct order at bottom and top of steering fork.......we have no idea what's happened; and we have no idea how to make that gap back to 2 cm.

Now come on people - we know how adaptable, flexible and creative we are........suggestions please...how do we
a) increase that gap without
b) loosening the steering nuts so that the front fork and wheel rattle or have sideways/forwards movement

We are baffled and no one on the scooter forums seems to have the answer.........so will someone creative please save us - any suggestions gratefully received because we are out of ideas!

Steve and number one son!

righting lines on dinghies like Arwen?

Does Arwen need 'righting lines'?

This is a question perplexing me a lot at the moment. I can’t even remember what started me thinking about it either. I mean Arwen is unlikely to invert should she capsize..........but there remains a niggling doubt in my little old head.............’what if she did?’
How would I get her back upright because that hull and those sails will be heavy; of that I’m in no doubt! I also suspect she will ride quite high in the water too. A reader of the blog ‘Keyhaven Potter’ had a good tip before we even start the discussion about righting lines. He had seen what some sailors had done locally to help themselves get back into their boats after capsize – basically a length of rope with a plastic horse riding stirrup at the bottom. The length of the rope can be adjusted. It is tied to the shroud plate and stored inside under the coaming. In the event of a capsize, it is found, shaken out and hey presto – a step to help you get back in over the side......pretty neat I thought. I have a rope with knots and loops in on the back port aft corner but i quite like this idea too.


Anyway back to righting lines.

There doesn’t seem to be much on the web about installing righting lines on boats like Arwen; plastic dinghies and multi-hulls – yes! Wooden day sailing boats – no!

I’m not sure whether Arwen needs them or not; even if I did, I don’t know where to tie any on. Could they be tied onto the shroud plates somewhere? Is this the best location for them........if I’m using one to throw over the upturned hull and then hauling my weight on it as I walk up the hull side and lean back to try and bring the sails up to the horizontal? What forces will such a move exert on Arwen?

Then there is the issue of where to run the ropes and what kind of rope they should be. They will need to be knotted at intervals. Floating line is probably best. I could run them along the gunwale just under the wood rubbing strip at the top of the sheer plank. They would need to stretch quite some way if they are to be long enough to throw over the whole boat and then reach the water the other side. So they would need to go around the back of the transom. Elastic line at the ends would help to secure them to some hooks that would need to be stuck to the transom somewhere. Robin suggested using the jib sheet...which is a possibility but it depends on how you have arranged the jib sheets in the hull; where they are secured, cleated off etc. I would think there will be a fair degree of force exerted trying to pull the weight of the main sails plus mizzen etc up from inverted to horizontal!

Of course there is the whole question of capsizing. How many people have capsized a navigator thus far; in what conditions; how many got inverted and what did people do? Do you sail to avoid capsizing in the first place? I have yet to do a proper capsize test on Arwen. I know, don't say anything; unforgiveable really. However, as soon as I can - it is over to Cawsand and the very first thing I do this season!

I’m a curious little bod but sometimes I worry....I always seem to ask lots of questions; most of which I can rarely answer myself! Maybe I just ask too many damn fool questions. I should give my poor little brain a rest.......but then just as it begins to empty..................in pops another question.......will it never end?

Anyway over to you readers – righting lines on Arwen – what do you think? Do let me know via comments if you have any interest.

Steve

this what I mean by being organised...........
http://logofspartina.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/day-five-bay-to-dock.html

Steve

http://intheboatshed.net/

Why do I offer up this website to you?
well firstly, if you haven't come across this website - you will love it. Gavin keeps a fantastic blog about all things old and nautical, a mine of maritime information.

Secondly, here is a great report about Will Stirling and his voyage from Start Point to Jersey across the channel in a 14' dinghy. Yes you read right....14'; 39.5 hrs at sea - distance of 90 nm. Read and marvel at their adventure.

Steve  

Why am I so disorganized?

With the cruising season coming upon us soon and the opportunity to do some cruises along our wonderful south west coast, three questions have been occupying my mind


• Where to go?

• Why does Arwen seem so untidy inside?

• How can I cut down on what I take and keep things more ship shape?

The last question is of particular relevance given that I’m hoping Dad will come along on one or two cruises this year (although I will have to make Arwen more comfortable – some form of sleeping platform in the rear cockpit). Now Dad’s shed is an exemplary example of meticulous organisation and packing. Every tool is in its correct box; every box in its correct place. His model railways stuff is organised in boxes. The shed even manages to consume all the debris that Mum won’t have in the house. Of course, Dad can’t actually get in the shed any more but that is a mere detail (or a sore point, depending on whether you are discussing the shed with Mum or with Dad). It is an example of meticulous organisation and two days onboard Arwen with the way I stow things will drive him mad! So I suspect a tidy up is in order and soon!

So where to go?

Choices! On the list for a cruise with Dad are

• Up the Tamar as far as we can go over two days

• Around to the River Yealm

• Trailer the boat down to Fowey

• Trailer Arwen down to Falmouth and sail the Fal and Helford river areas (quite like this idea – we could camp on land each night and do day sailing)

• Launch at Totnes and sail down to Dartmouth in to Slapton Bay and back again (quite like this one too)

So over the next few weeks once my exam groups have left and I have a little more time in the evenings, I can research venues, tides, launch ramps etc and I’ll let you all know.



Now, the second question, why does Arwen always seem so untidy?

Um! I am sadly, one of those naturally untidy people. Don’t get me wrong, I know where everything is......but organisation is not one of my strong points. Part of the problem is that the forward hatch is pretty much inaccessible because it is directly behind the mast. When I built Arwen, I had the old version of the plans and I didn’t have the confidence or ‘nouse’ to deviate from the plans. Truthfully, I didn’t think through the implications of the location of various hatches carefully enough. Offsetting the forward bulkhead hatch to one side would have made so much sense. I keep meaning to correct this by filling in the hatch and cutting a new one but I never get around to it and there is some reluctance to mess about with the forward bulkhead in-case I mess it up!

By the same token – putting in top mounted hatch covers on the forward thwart instead of side mounted would have made a difference too. Then there are the sand bags that I use as extra ballast which rest on the floor – I’m fed up of them. However, the new 10 Lt water containers should sort that out. Four of them clipped either side of the centre case area will give some extra weight when I am single handing. I need to rearrange the centre lockers as well so that I can store more in them. They contain spare tools, equipment, radar reflectors and drogues etc at the moment. I think putting them to the forward thwart lockers will help as I rarely access need access to them at sea. The centre lockers can then hold my food, day stuff and the grab bag contents. The small fuel bottles can also be stored there as well. So all is easily accessible.

I’m thinking of removing the various pockets that go along the side of the coaming. They only hold odd bits of rope, sail ties etc and I can better places for those too. That will give a less cluttered feel as well.

I am interested in how others pack their dinghies for cruising. Steve Early has it down to an ‘art form’ on ‘Spartina’. He has lists, specialist crates and a packing plan. I quite like that level of organisation.

Someone I know has a scuba divers bag for all wet gear or anything that can stand getting wet and he keeps that on the floor in his cockpit. Like on Arwen, he stores spare clothes, sleeping gear etc in waterproof bags under deck on forward thwart. He stores valuables, camera, keys, money, and whatever may be needed for the day in a large plastic bucket with a sealable waterproof lid. I have a plastic canoe bin with lid that I could use but it is very bulky! My issue as always, is that I want an emergency grab bag which will go with me in event of a capsize but I also want easy access to the things I will need during the day.

When on cruises for a couple of days – I have waterproof expedition sacs, one for food and cooking gear; one for spare clothes and sleeping kit. Both get stored under the deck on front thwarts. The tarp which forms my tent also gets stored behind the netting on the port front thwart as well. Stern anchor and warp are in a box on the port forward cockpit floor – bungee corded to the sides and internal frames so in the event of a capsize it can’t break free. On the starboard side are two very large white fenders for putting under Arwen should we ever dry out on a beach; or putting between us and other boats should we ever raft up (something I try to avoid as I’m anti-social). Charts get clipped under the bungee on starboard centre thwart; spare fuel 5 Lt jerry can up front on front thwart port size.

I think I need to think this through again!

Steve