Friday 20 October 2017

....out, but not down...

...  well I like to think so... 

Thanks to storm "Brian" everything happened a little quicker than we were expecting this year, but I'm jumping ahead of myself so lets start with last weekend, where on the Sunday (15th) that hard working core of the Jolly Boys (sailing chapter; mast dropping sub-chapter) convened on "Sparrow" yet again for what is a genuinely enjoyable session with the A frame, blocks, pulleys, that is the annual mast dropping session..  honest, I love it and they seem to as well though I'll be the first to admit I let them down on the catering side as the bar was empty..

Anyway, one of the most trouble free mast drops we've had I think, though we have it down to a fine art now having done it a fair few times - there was then much tea consumed, banter exchanged (given and taken!), sultana and oatmeal biscuits consumed, before we headed for shore as the tide began to disappear and the clubhouse bar opened, where I was then able to remedy the catering mishap...  cheers guys - very much appreciated!

Come Monday or Tuesday then and eyes were being drawn to the weather forecasts for this coming weekend - not good - Saturday was showing Force 7 with  Force 9 gusts and a half an inch of rain, Sunday was marginally better - kept an eye on it but it wasn't getting any better so on Tuesday morning I popped into the club to see if there was any contingency and was surprised to see the tractor and hoist going at full chat, and half the yard already full of boats (we don't start lifting until Thursday, hence the surprise!) - either way, the club had also seen the weather and contingency plans were in force...  I shifted Sparrows lift from Saturday to yesterday (Thursday) and she's now out on the hard.. 



Good lift for me - think I was the second boat out? Came under the bridge as soon as I was on the boat, picked up a mooring to wait, and then came straight in - must have been sat on the blocks ashore by half ten/11?


There then followed the usual frenetic-ism..  outboard was taken to the tank and given a bloody good run through with fresh water (first in six months), once that was done and engine lifted into boot of the car, I then went out in the tender to recover my mooring gear..  swivel and chain was new this year and I don't see the point of leaving it in the harbour all winter - as is usual (and whenever has ANYONE not seen a galvanised shackle rust solid inside of five minutes in the sea? ) I had to hacksaw the main shackle but the rest of it is safe ashore now and I'll pressure wash the weed off the chain (and the boat) this Saturday.....

Talking of weed ==>


Some, but not loads - good crop of barnacles this year which I've already scraped off before they case harden - fairly happy with that to be honest, not premium antifoul so I wasn't expecting it to be as good as that..

Next stop, Saturday, with the pressure washer - if it's going to be windy and wet I may as well do it at the same time....   bring on the winter jobs....  of which more in the next, or next but one, post..

Friday 13 October 2017

Last sail of the season..

...so that's it..  all done...   end of the season but not with a whimper but a bang...

I'm hoping to get the mast down on Sunday weather permitting (we have a warm dry spell this weekend but it's a little blowier than I might like so time will tell) but with a few days still left in the holiday bank, and a decent forecast, I took the afternoon off for one of those crafty afternoon sails that so often have delivered the goods - my thinking was that if it was rubbish I could always start taking the rig apart ready for Sunday...

As it turned out a biggish tide, sun, and a steady force four resulted in some reefs in the main for the first time in a while, and then a cracking sail down to HISC, and I even poked my nose into the Solent before turning for home.. always a pleasure when you can get on a single tack to take you to the bottom of the harbour - I had an hour/45 minutes where the wind was slightly more west than it was the rest of the afternoon which definitely helped...

Big tides though ==>

..look at that rooster tail.... and this was almost HT...

...and even so, with tides against and a mucky bottom, still tracking up wind at 3 knots... go on girl...

...and so it was found ourselves passing HISC and thinking "we might be able to make the nav marks in the Solent", and we almost did, if it wasn't for the fact that it would be dark in a few hours I'd have gone for it as it was I had an absolutely beautiful view of the IoW in the haze and sunshine, but then tacked and turned at Eastoke for the elevator ride back into the harbour on the last of the tide..  6.5+ SOG..

HISC...   where bad boys are sent for wanting to ...  hssssss...  race...

Back on the mooring I stripped the boom sail kicker and detached the topping lift - that's now in the garage for the winter...  on Sunday just the boom crutch and A frame to rig, and take the genoa off...

Log:


Distance: 10.13   (cumulative total in the mileage tab at the top)
Wind: F4 gusting F5; either side of SWxW
Sail Plan: Reefed main/genoa.
Speed: 5.7/3.1

Monday 9 October 2017

Motor sailing... and why not...

..because it's bloody noisy that's why not! Needs must though ...  "winter is coming"

Big old tide - 5mtrs and I almost didn't go as the weather was distinctly grey and uninspiring, if not also wind-less. An hour before high tide though and the sun came out, and there seemed to be a little breeze, and with lift out fast approaching (two weeks) I took the opportunity..

Kind of pleased I did but it wasn't exactly blowing hard..  started of with a bit of NW for the run down the ditch, bang on cue it went round SW'ly for the beat down the harbour against the end of the tide, and bugger me if it didn't go back NW'ly so I had a nice beat back to the mooring, against the tide again!

In the end the wind dropped completely so it was a motor back - n'er mind - saw friends...


...hung the fishing line over the side (nothing today), and generally chilled to the calming sounds of Classic FM, we'll remember evenings like this come the depths of February....


Log:


Distance: 8.32   (cumulative total in the mileage tab at the top)
Wind: Force 2 gusting 3; NW through SW and back
Sail Plan: Full main and genoa (with a few rolls in).
Speed: 4.0 max / 2.8 avg