and more thoughts about dinghy safety................

PLB’s vs. EPRIB’s


Well here is an interesting one as well. I use a SPOT for sailing, walking on Dartmoor, fishing off the rocks around the south Devon coast; when travelling in remote regions abroad like Namibia and Amazonia. It is a multi-purpose one. It is advertised as being useful to boaters and sailors; it is fully waterproof (I’ve dropped it in the brink twice and it came up functioning fine!!).

There are concerns that at sea level i.e. in the sea it won’t be as effective as an EPRIB’s. That maybe. Hence I wear the PLB, mobile phone and handheld VHF around my Buoyancy aid. I’m sort of hoping that along with mini-flares, if I ever get separated from the boat or too exhausted to right Arwen, then one of the four will summon the help I need. (Is this severe paranoia?)

The other advantage of the SPOT is it sends text updates to my Wife’s mobile (reassuring her); a tracking update to my friends laptop (so when on extended voyages he can keep tabs on me and as an experienced sailor if I seem to be remaining in the same spot offshore for sometime – he’ll contact me to check on me; he also likes to know what I’m up to as well!). Of course an EPRIB will outperform a PLB. There is no antenna on my PLB – it just needs access to an open sky so that isn’t an issue. Although I haven’t had to use it yet in an emergency (and nor do I ever hope to have to), I’m told it will do an emergency message to the US centre within 60 seconds of activation; they have my contact details and the coastguard details here in UK and will rely a message immediately to Falmouth Coastguard.

I should say that the SPOT isn't a true PLB in one sense. I like it because of its versatility and the tracking/messenger service it sends people. There are complications with it and it is a subscription service and so people should check out carefully whether this is the product for them and read up on all the good and bad points about SPOT which are found on the net.

Safety, safety, safety! So much to think about! And I’m still none the wiser really. Ouch!

Steve

pondering dinghy safety issues

I’ve been thinking! Not a pretty sight and frankly often a waste of brainpower on my part because I never seem to arrive at any concrete decision but hey ho!



So to my first question: Would installing a masthead auto inflation flotation device be of any benefit on Arwen? Could she invert? I have no idea. The mainmast is hollow. There is a huge sail area under which air might be trapped and which would provide a fair surface area resistance (I assume?). There is plenty of flotation under the front deck; the forward, centre, side and stern thwarts.

It might give me more time to free all sheets, sort out the centreboard, haul myself up onto it and slowly lift her out of the water.............I need to work this out, re-test it this summer for real with sails up and see what happens. Some people do use them on smaller dinghies than Arwen. I have seen them attached to various lasers, wayfayers and rivas in Plymouth Sound. They seem to be permanently inflated and bob about at the top of the mast. I have no idea whether one would make a difference on Arwen or not. But it is worth considering the pros and cons of one.



Then there is the thorny issue of what to wear when sailing – buoyancy aid or manual/auto inflate life jacket? Wow! Is it down to personal preference? Actual advantages one over the other? Is it down to the type of sailing that you do and the nature of the waters and weather conditions in which you predominantly sail?

Here are some thoughts and I hasten to add that I’m not saying they are right or wrong and that everyone must make their own choices based on experience, preference, common sense, sailing conditions etc etc etc.

Buoyancy Aids, advantages I think are: it keeps you afloat in upright position; it keeps the body area warmer. Some are cut to make arm movements etc easier (especially canoe/kayak buoyancy aids) and some come with pockets for knife, (mini-flares – if you are a paranoid sailor like I am)

Disadvantages? Well the obvious one I guess which is ‘will they float you face down if you were unconscious and unable to roll yourself over or is that merely a myth’? Would your head fall forward therefore putting your nose and mouth closer to the water? Where do you clip your waterproof handheld VHF? (I’ve taken to clipping it high up under one of the straps so that with my failing sight and hearing – I can see it and hear it!). Attachments such as phones and VHF’s are likely to get tangled in things (I know from personal experience on that one)

So what about Life jackets? Well my immediate thoughts are that the advantages include: Auto inflate jackets turn you the right way up if knocked unconscious by the swinging boom and life jackets can be orally re-inflated as needed via top up mouth valve and tube. They tend to be less restrictive when un-inflated than buoyancy aids and a crotch strap keeps it secure. You can sort of dunk yourself under a bit as the boat comes back upright during a capsize, and the buoyancy of the bladders then pops you back up enough to give some momentum as you grab the gunwale, lift one leg up over it and roll back aboard (as someone put it). On the other hand........................
Disadvantages include it being difficult to get back over the gunwale when fully inflated. So a lifejacket will need some deflation beforehand using the cap and tube (well that is how it works on mine). Ever tried deflating one by sticking the cap into the tube? Fiddly and likely to be impossible whilst hanging onto a righting line or the side of the boat! Swimming on your back with huge inflated bladders on your chest – how easy is that? How long can that be sustained for? I’ve never tried it. Which is easier to swim in buoyancy aid or lifejacket? I know I can swim slowly in a lifejacket because I’ve had to!


One issue that will be guaranteed to generate lively debate will be the issue of life lines in dinghies and day sailing boats. Should I wear a life line when sailing single handed along coastal passages? I have sailed with and without them in Arwen and my initial views go like this:

You safer if you were having to go up on the foredeck or work around the upper part of the mast. I have only had to go up on the deck twice. Once was when dropping sails, the falling main got caught up and would not drop any further. The forward end of the top yard had become entangled in the original lazy jacks. On deck as the Arwen rolled, I felt vulnerable. I had clipped myself into a life line I have permanently stowed in the cockpit. On that occasion it clipped to my life jacket D buckle. The second occasion the furler roller jammed and from a hove to position I had to crawl across deck, lean on the bowsprit and inch my way forward to the roller mechanism. Felt exceptionally vulnerable! Glad had life line and was wearing life jacket again! I have on longer voyages along coastal passages also clipped in whilst hove to. Sometimes Arwen has rolled about and I’ve been unbalanced moving around the boat even when keeping myself as low down as possible. The life line has given me reassurance.

But what about the disadvantages?

If I was wearing a life line when Arwen capsized...what would happen? Getting tangled up in a capsize I fear would be a nightmare and extremely dangerous. What happens if I actually fall out of Arwen  whilst attached to a life line and she sails on......do I get towed along? Would I have the strength to hand over hand myself back along the life line to the emergency footstep and rope ladder that I store in the port transom corner? Could I reach up whilst being towed along? How would me being towed along affect trim and direction?

Should you wear one in fog if there is a risk of collision and being dragged down by another yacht/boat? Trying to wear one with a buoyancy aid – where do you attach it to exactly?

Um on this issue I have more questions than answers and genuinely have no idea about what the right thing to do would be. When sailing singlehanded on coastal passages and not in the confines of the Tamar or Sound (where there are plenty of other boat users most days out and about and in quick distance of you in event of an emergency)....what should I wear buoyancy aid or life jacket; and life line on or not?

Has anyone got any views or practical experiences they can share with me via comments?

As always all advice greatly appreciated

Steve

Golant part 2

footsteps down to the sea

abandoned and/or neglected; but what a little sweetie

looking upstream; it goes up to Lostwithiel

shelter behind the causeway

a motley collection of boats

and I thought I had problems with anchors and bowsprits

I always feel so sad to see lovely boats so neglected and abandoned

some boats stay put for so long.......................

I think I'm in love with this house

out and about around Golant foreshore

An early morning walk around the creeks and little harbours of Golant was just what I needed yesterday. Do you know at high tide the little road actually floods - wow!

The tide races out here in the upper reaches to leave rippling sandbanks and dry out moorings.

the little railway line down to the china clay wharf

Now can you imagine what a fantastic little steam preservation line this would make?

I'm thinking of winning the lottery and then offering the owners of this house a silly price for it

never have my telephoto camera when I need it

all attached via a pulley rope system - clever

More to follow over the next few days

Steve

righting lines on dinghies?

On the openboat forum recently, a contributor commenting about another topic made fleeting reference to the need for righting lines. Um thought I. Righting lines? What are they? How are they installed; why are they needed; do they help? Questions, questions, questions and so I asked forum members to elaborate further!


Oliver (thanks by the way Oliver, much appreciated) gave this general description:

“The system shown to me by Rob and that I have fitted on my boat is a long line (one each side of the boat) of diameter large enough to be able to pull in comfort, with one end permanently secured inside the boat. I use old mainsheets for the purpose. Each line has an overhand knot every foot (approx.) of its length, and terminates in a monkey's fist. Each is stowed in a plastic bag in a convenient location; I have mine beneath the side benches near the shrouds”.


Oliver went on to explain how he had seen Rob using his righting lines after a capsize inversion. Rob reached under the upturned hull, pulled out one of the righting lines, held onto it at all times, swam around to the far side of the boat flicking the line over the hull as he went [perhaps a little more difficult for Arwen given she has a mizzen mast – my thought]. With feet braced against the gunwale and legs straight, from lying full length in the water, Rob hauled in the line a knot at a time until the boat gradually came up to the horizontal. He moved his feet as the boat rotated. Oliver also noted that the knots would be vitally important, as in the worst case scenario one may be close to the end of ones strength. He also noted that the righting line served as a tether after the capsize whilst eliminating the need for a life line and the associated problems of entanglement whilst sailing. Finally, he duly noted that once the boat reached horizontal people have a choice of continuing to use the righting line or alternatively getting onto the centreboard and righting the boat in the conventional manner.

Oliver being a very kind gent then passed on a description of another method of righting lines as follows:
“There is an entirely different system used by some owners with the righting lines fitted externally just below the gunwale. The fixed end is secured near the shrouds, and the line is led aft to the stern and part way across the transom. It is held taut with a short length of shock cord, and I presume that there would also need to be occasional hooks attached to the hull along the length of the line to keep it up when stowed. In use the shock cord is disengaged, and the line used as already described.


I have no first-hand experience of this external system. The advantages would seem to be ease of access with the boat inverted, but one would need to verify that the available hull length is going to permit a line of sufficient length to be stowed in this way. There is also a question mark over whether this is viable for a line of suitable thickness for ease and comfort of pull when it also has the vitally important knots in it; that makes the knots moderately bulky, and so the line will not lie close against the hull”.

This elicited a flurry of email responses from other forum members. I am always amazed by the depth of experience and kindness shown by forum members who are quick to share their views and levels of expertise. If you are a dinghy sailor and are thinking of extended coastal passages; dinghy camping or just wanting to up your dinghy sailing skill level, then you really should consider joining the Dinghy Cruising Association. For £22 per year, there are several rallies around the UK, a website, a quarterly journal which is excellent and the openboat forum. I don’t mind sharing the odd view or clip of advice from the forum because it is open to all after the moderator has agreed your membership, and I don’t think sharing the odd snippet or two contravenes their rules. I draw the line at sharing anything from the DCA website or the journal. People pay for that and rightly so.

And so it was David made a comment about the external righting lines:

“I have the external lines, as you describe. They were described in the DCA Bulletin some years ago. It is important to make them as long as possible. It might be an option to double them up for part of the length to make them longer. I have never had to use them".

JW himself had this comment for me........

“Righting lines. I use a 12mm braided polyproplene line, it floats so is more easily to hand should the boat invert, it also has a foot stirrup loop about a metre from the point where it crosses the gunwale so serves to assist boarding as well as righting the boat”.

Um! Arwen is a pretty big, heavyweight dinghy. I want to avoid capsizing her at all costs. My experience level is, well frankly, still superficial. I rarely sail in anything above force 4. But one day I may get caught out and although I can practise capsize drill in the sheltered confines of Cawsand Bay or perhaps Sound Sands beach at Salcombe.......I do want to know that I can right her fully laden and anything that may aid that must be a sensible addition......so righting lines.....do I attach some to Arwen?

Something to ponder on!

Steve

The Cormorant Hotel in Golant

The Cormorant Hotel in Golant, well what can I say? My Wife found it as a ‘hideaway’ for our 25th wedding anniversary this week. I rarely make ‘recommendations’ for this is not the aim of my blog. However, on this occasion I make an exception and I do have something to say.

Understated elegance; tasteful furnishings; superb location; friendly, charming staff and that is just to start with. I loved the place and so did the other guests we spoke to. Our superior room had a view to die for. The gardens were well laid out; there were lovely terraces with seating areas and small lawns; and waking up to the sun streaming through our window was wonderful.

The food was exquisite (perhaps a little more needed since we were still hungry afterwards!!). The lounge had deep sofas and stunning views. The decor was light and almost ‘New England’ like – light shades of white and blue. Our room had a small balcony.

We concluded that this was probably the nicest hotel we have ever stayed in within the UK. We sat at dinner with lovely crisp white table linen and watched the small boats bob around as the setting sun cast a pinky-orange glow across the wooded hillside opposite. A bonus? Well, a nice swimming pool in a lovely wood lined building next door; rather Nordic like and with a Jacuzzi with stunning views down across the estuary.

 However, it was mid April; there were only around 12 guests so it was peaceful. However, even at the height of the season, I still think this would be a remarkable place to stay. I don’t think I’ve ever been this effusive about a place I’ve stayed at before!

Boats, a train, estuary views and a lovely hotel. My wife really does know how to spoil me!

Steve

They have the southern slipway at QAB off limits at the moment. They are installing new drainage across the top of the slip and so it isn’t accessible. It is amazing how a lack of use leads to so much green algae and seaweed build up on the slip in such a short space of time. In the meantime, using the northern slip which is the marinas main slip – is a luxury. The ramp is very long and so you can come out even at low tide; there is plenty of pontoon space right out in to deepish water in the little inlet off the main Sutton harbour approach. I don’t have to rush or worry about receding tides and lack of water depth.

The little creek leading up to the slipway on the right

I try to work around the marina staff and not get in the way. They are a great bunch of people, welcoming, friendly and always supportive. They are also extremely busy and they all work really hard using their four wheeled drive hauling out/hoisting sling vehicle constantly. It is a massive beastie and needs some clearance room. It takes boats in and out of the water non-stop – for scrubbing down or for antifouling back up on the yard hard standing.

Kingsand in the distance

Thus I try to find an out of the way place to rig Arwen, always checking that it’s OK with the yard crew and then I go through my pre launch routine. We all have a prelaunch routine and I’m sure it differs from person to person. Mine is always the same! Lighting board and tie down straps are removed; rudder, tiller and Boomkin installed; mizzen mast is inserted and mizzen sail unwound, hauled up and then furled appropriately ready for use later. The outboard is attached and secured; fuel checked and then tilted upwards. After that it is the raising of main mast; sorting halyards and side stays; tying on the top yard; attaching and hauling up jib; checking furling roller; and then finally sorting out fenders and mooring warps. (There is a bit more to it than that – there are other things e.g. attaching my homemade tiller tamer; tightening up the bow sprit ropes below it (bobstay?); tying the parrel loop between mast and top yard etc; hoisting the boom up on the topping lift etc).

the new anchor arrangement on trial

Equipment is then put on board and stowed correctly last of all. A final check and then a quick stroll around the yard to check with the team that it is OK to launch and off we go; reversing down the ramp. At the water’s edge, the securing rope from trailer to stem is unattached; the trailer is reversed up to its axles in water and then securing winch tape unhooked. A shove and Arwen normally floats off; I have this habit of immediately turning her around so that she faces out to sea and then tying her against the pontoon. The trailer is recovered and driven back up the yard where it is unattached and left in a designated spot. The car is taken out of the yard to the car park next door and I visit the harbour office to pay the launch fee. I then meander down to the loo; then down the pontoon onto Arwen. This yard routine takes around 40 minutes. I can do it in 25 but actually rarely do so. I often have a quick chat with the yard crew and like to take my time making sure Arwen is rigged correctly. It is an opportunity to check and make mental notes about things that need doing or repairing before next outing. For me launching is part of the day’s ‘sailing experience’.

I have an ‘immediate on board pre-launch routine’ as well. The outboard is swung down and immediately tested and warmed up for a few minutes. Whilst that is happening, all ropes are checked and made sure they are running freely where they should be in the cockpit. Clothing is stowed around the cockpit sides in the storage areas; my radio, phone are checked, switched on and put in their waterproof pouches; the SPOT PLB is checked and switched on. My buoyancy aid goes on and the radio, PLB and phone attached to it in their designated places. I check my mini-flares and knife are in the buoyancy aid pockets along with the whistle. Food and drink are stored in cockpit pockets; charts inserted under the bungee cords on the starboard centre front thwart. My GPS is attached to a cleat next to the centreboard and the compass checked. I then send an OK signal to my wife via SPOT. The first signal tells her I’m about to go out on the water and I then send them half hourly. They go as text messages direct to her mobile so irrespective of whether she is out shopping or visiting friends, she knows I’m OK, even if not where I am precisely. She always knows which area I’m in though before I depart.

a neighbour in my anchorage

Now all that sounds long winded but on a good day and when feeling in a hurry – from arrival to actual departure can be done in 30 minutes. Normally though I take 45 – 60 minutes. I’m happy with that...it is all part of the experience.

And so it was on Friday Arwen poked her bow sprit out in to the little creek that runs alongside the national marine aquarium; gliding past a swan who was more interested in sticking its elegant head and neck down into the muddy bottom to find tasty morsels at low tide. The winds blew from the north so from directly abeam at a gentle force 3 as we turned south at the end of the pontoons and headed out of the Sutton harbour area and into the larger Cattedown. You need eyes in the back of your head in this short stretch. From behind is the Sutton harbour lock gates through which come fishing trawlers, fishing boats, large yachts and all manner of other craft; from immediately to port are the three exits from QAB marina and of course the fuelling pontoon – always busy. As you clear the protective walls of the marina you have the water taxis, dockyard cruise boats and pilot boats; maybe the odd small coastal tanker or two as well; there will be the ribs from Mountbatten water sports centre; the dive boats and of course all the moored yachts. Yep it is a busy stretch of water and I’m always relieved to have got out of it in one piece and without mishap! To add another potential danger, there are all the fisherman on the starboard side, from the car park casting their lures and floats......all to be avoided!

And now you know why I NEVER directly sail out of the marina.......some brave souls do but in lighter and more nimble dinghies than Arwen. Everyone motors out of this small area if they have any common sense!

For a change on this Friday, I decided to motor across the front of the Hoe over to the large yellow buoys on the northern side of Drakes Island. Here I grabbed one, moored up and checked motor fuel one more time. I also raised the mainsail to check that the lazy jacks were working correctly. From there I actually sailed off the mooring, something I rarely do. It’s quite easy over there; there isn’t anything in the way! So we slide past the Millbay docks entrance and pointed bow towards the breakwater. With the wind from the north, it was a beam reach/training run across the sound and the back of Drakes Island towards Fort Picklecombe. Although the wind remained force three throughout, there were gusts, some of which were quite strong, and whilst Arwen averaged 4.1 kts across the sound, there were times when she was flying at 6.2 kts in the gusts, surging across the small waves like a thoroughbred. Droplets of white spray would rise up over her bow and actually appear iridescent in the sunshine. I remember Joshua Slocum in one of his chapters describing the spray as ‘sparkling diamonds’. He wasn’t far of in that description, not far off at all! It was magical.

Then the wind would drop and Arwen would suddenly become listless. I hate light winds. I don’t have sufficient sailing skills or knowledge to make good headway in them. We did OK on Friday though; we never dipped below 2kts and I’m pleased with that, especially at times when the tell tales on the shrouds drooped listlessly; and especially as we were going the opposite way on an incoming tide!

oops - need to sort out sail trimming!

The new lazy jacks are a dream. Everything seems to work so much better or maybe that’s just my imagination. I have discovered a routine which seems to work well. To raise the sail, it goes like this....

• Topping lift has sprit boom slightly raised at start

• Sail ties are removed

• Downhaul is slackened off

• Arwen is turned head to wind and the mizzen sail tightened up

• The sprit boom snotter is slackened off slightly

• The main halyard is hauled and the top yard rises rapidly all the way to the very top up against the main mast sheave unit; it is then tied off in the cockpit

• The topping lift is released

• The snotter is tightened up

• The downhaul is then tightened up until sail creases disappear

And at that point everything seems hunky dory. The sail seems to be higher above my head now. The creases seem to have disappeared although they have a tendency to reappear after 15 minutes sailing (anyone know why?).

And then we are sailing together, the hiss of water running alongside Arwen’s hull. Cockpit ropes are sorted in to halyard bags; a weather eye is kept on the sailing area for boat movements and there is time to get comfortable. The mizzen and jib are trimmed and the mainsail readjusted.

On day sails of a few hours I tend not to keep detailed log records; I try to video things, take photographs and commit things to memory. On Friday, I had no real aims other than practise coming up to mooring buoys and I confess I soon grew bored of that – I think little and often is probably the right approach to developing sailing skills such as these. I didn’t bother to try out the anchor pulley system on Cawsand beach either......too many boats, too many day trippers on the ferry and a whacking big catamaran dried out up on the beach. Another day for that particular job I think.

To be honest I was content to feel the breeze in my hair, the sun on my face; to hear the hiss of the water sluicing by and to hear the flap of the occasional sail. To listen to plays on radio four on my new waterproof radio; To watch rainbows in the spray, eat marmite and cheese sandwiches and just watch the world sail on by.......; to have no-one demand of me anything like extra revision classes or lunch time meetings, or preparing reports or papers; I really needed a day out on the water and thanks to my understanding and loving wife and kids.....I got two days in one week....I think it was my 50th birthday treat!

I did drop anchor in Cawsand Bay alongside the steeply wooded rocks on the southern edge of the bay. The new Anchor arrangement takes a little getting used to. It isn’t as quick to deploy as the anchor in the bin method I had before. It is a little fiddly to extract from the anchor well up front; when pulling up anchor, it is a little fiddly to flake the line back into the cockpit neatly and stowing the anchor takes a minute or two. In a wide, clear anchorage with plenty of distance between you and shore or other boats, this won’t be a problem. On Friday, with the shore 20 metres behind me; and large ‘posh boats’ 10 metres either side of me – well I was sensible and had the engine started; I temporarily shoved the anchor into the well and motored out another 30m before stowing the anchor and raising sails. I’m not sure how well it will work trying to raise sails and then sail off anchor.....that will be my next experiment next trip out.

and finally returning back up the little creek to the QAB slip after a lovely sail

Well, Arwen’s fifth birthday comes up in August...maybe I could persuade my loving and very tolerant family that she needs a five day sailing celebration!...I’m thinking....Plymouth – Salcombe – Dartmouth – Torquay in one week; launch at Plymouth and recover at Torquay.......now that sounds like an adventure! Alternatively, launch at Fowey and do Fowey, Falmouth, Helston; and bays/beaches in that area. Um – time to make some plans! My Dad will be 75 this year too – sounds like a good excuse for a joint sailing trip!

Steve

PS two short film clips this posting because I couldn’t get ‘YouTube’ to accept a longer one - sorry about that

nice sail today

over to Cawsand and back again. Tides were low at 11.45am; wind started northerly and then turned southerly during the course of the afternoon. (force 3/4). We anchored off our favourite place just along the coast from Cawsand. Marmite and cheese sandwiches; hot coffee and time to watch other boats come and go. All in all - a really nice sail. A more detailed report with video clips to follow. Meantime here are a few pics from the day

Steve

securing the anchor

Some comments made by Joel, John and Peter (thanks by the way folks – appreciate the time and thought).

1. Anchors need to be easily and quickly deployed

2. Consider putting anchor on a bow roller with pins through bow roller cheeks and end of anchor shank to hold it in place. The chain and rode is then flaked into the ‘chain’ well and a secure top of some form added to hold it all in place

3. Alternatively, secure with Velcro straps around the anchor shank and stem post

4. Weight up front will balance the weight of outboard at the rear; helmsperson needs to sit as far forward as possible

Well I’ve gone for the strap option initially and will see how it goes; however my friend, on his boat, has a bow roller and pin arrangement which seems to be a very safe and effective way of dealing with the anchor.

I guess a ‘try it and see’ approach is now needed.

Steve

storing anchors....reasons why not to..............

OK - reasons why I shouldn't store my anchor, chain and rode in the anchor well like this ...if I secure it to stem post and bowsprit in someway..........any thoughts? please let me know because at the moment it is stored in a bin in the cockpit; it's accessible single handed and easy to flake back into bin. On the other hand in the event of a capsize that anchor is going to flail around the cockpit like nobodies business!

so......reasons why I shouldn't store it like this are..................?

I'd put some protective rubber along the inside of the anchor well; a little block on the deck on which it can rest. But....all the weight of rode, chain and anchor up front like that - is this good boat trim?

Steve