Post Christmas sales.. that'll do...
...thanks very much, don't mind if I do...
...the new season starts here!
...the new season starts here!
Posts
Happy Christmas!
Shortest day has passed so from this point on we're heading to warm days, good breezes, and shorts and t-shirts on the boat.. bit of a way to go yet though, oh and a bit of work on Sparrow...
While we wait for that to start though - I'll wish any readers who follow the blog Merry Christmas, and an exceedingly Happy New Year!
While we wait for that to start though - I'll wish any readers who follow the blog Merry Christmas, and an exceedingly Happy New Year!
That was the year that was.. 2018
Time for the traditional review of the year past; it's cold (actually it's been surprisingly warm), dark, grey and wet outside, so this exercise provides a much needed mental fillip to get me motivated to start work on the job list.
This is my sixth year as owner of Sparrow and I still continue to learn and I still have absolutely no interest in parting with her - she does everything I want in spades... so the following is happy memories of good times, warm weather, sunshine glinting on the water, and fair weather sailing in shorts and t-shirts... I always enjoy putting this together, it's a good excuse to read all the old posts, and look at the video (not so much of that this year) and pictures from this years logs....
As of this moment work has already started on the winter jobs list, but plenty more to do - unlike last year I'm fully enthused to get on with it - what's holding me back is available time, or lack of it! She is scraped and cleaned, and to all inte…
This is my sixth year as owner of Sparrow and I still continue to learn and I still have absolutely no interest in parting with her - she does everything I want in spades... so the following is happy memories of good times, warm weather, sunshine glinting on the water, and fair weather sailing in shorts and t-shirts... I always enjoy putting this together, it's a good excuse to read all the old posts, and look at the video (not so much of that this year) and pictures from this years logs....
As of this moment work has already started on the winter jobs list, but plenty more to do - unlike last year I'm fully enthused to get on with it - what's holding me back is available time, or lack of it! She is scraped and cleaned, and to all inte…
Gone... and first jobs...
Three days later and I'm out, and work has already commenced, but after four days of hard work I'm glad to be back at my desk for a rest!
So Friday was mast down, Saturday was work party at the club for lift out - eight boats lifted and plenty of time on the water (which is a good thing), on a variety of boats (also a good thing), it was mostly sunny (ditto) but my goodness it was chilly... some biting northerly's..
Sunday Sparrow was due for lift out so arrived early, got a lift out to Sparrow (so no tender required) and motored her under the bridge for one last trip this season before picking up a spare mooring in the pool between the bridge and the old railway line to wait for my turn on the tractor..
Not so bad this year - fourth out I think - and an absolute prime position right by a power/water bollard, and just in front of t'other Dave's boat (he of Jolly Boys "fame")... most chuffed..
The following makes it look like it was hugely gray and stormy…
So Friday was mast down, Saturday was work party at the club for lift out - eight boats lifted and plenty of time on the water (which is a good thing), on a variety of boats (also a good thing), it was mostly sunny (ditto) but my goodness it was chilly... some biting northerly's..
Sunday Sparrow was due for lift out so arrived early, got a lift out to Sparrow (so no tender required) and motored her under the bridge for one last trip this season before picking up a spare mooring in the pool between the bridge and the old railway line to wait for my turn on the tractor..
Not so bad this year - fourth out I think - and an absolute prime position right by a power/water bollard, and just in front of t'other Dave's boat (he of Jolly Boys "fame")... most chuffed..
The following makes it look like it was hugely gray and stormy…
Going, going..
....the Jolly boys convened yesterday for our usual festival of fun as we got the mast down.. remarkably trouble free this year.. damn cold though, and the first major frost of the winter this morning.. roll on next summer, but not so fast as last year please, as I fancy getting some work done this winter!
End of the season...
...so a little under four weeks ago when I said those words "I could come out tomorrow content, but a few more trips would be nice..." they turned out, unfortunately, to be famous last words....
Faced with a succession of low pressure systems featuring rain, wind, rain, storm Callum (must be bad if it got a name), plus a number of family drama's, and so it was that I arrived at the last weekend before lift out to be faced by a high pressure zone over the UK that was so high you'd need a Hubble space telegraph to see how big it was... beautiful warm sunny weather but not a breath of breeze....
So what does a man do when his boat is coming out of the water the next weekend for a long cold winter and there isn't enough wind to sail? He fires up the metal donkey, drops his mooring, goes in search of an empty mooring, and then starts frying bacon while he watches the world go by...
Lovely day on the water, the bacon was good, the coffee was good, I got to watch the…
Faced with a succession of low pressure systems featuring rain, wind, rain, storm Callum (must be bad if it got a name), plus a number of family drama's, and so it was that I arrived at the last weekend before lift out to be faced by a high pressure zone over the UK that was so high you'd need a Hubble space telegraph to see how big it was... beautiful warm sunny weather but not a breath of breeze....
So what does a man do when his boat is coming out of the water the next weekend for a long cold winter and there isn't enough wind to sail? He fires up the metal donkey, drops his mooring, goes in search of an empty mooring, and then starts frying bacon while he watches the world go by...
Lovely day on the water, the bacon was good, the coffee was good, I got to watch the…
Snowhill.. or bust...
Just over 3 hours on the water on a crafty Friday afternoon off.. a little over 4 weeks to lift out so I'm enjoying it while I can, but at this stage of the game I have to say it's been an outstanding season - possibly one of the best I've had, certainly the best while in Sparrow's ownership.. I could come out tomorrow content, but a few more trips would be nice...
So... on the boat by 1300, HT at 14:30, neaps, and a breezy gusty old day.. and an unusual wind direction post storms Ali [clicky]and Bronagh [clicky] which had put paid to sailing last weekend.. we don't get very many easterly'd of any kind but this was a NE'ly.. so a little on the cool side.. still in shorts but the jacket stayed on for the whole trip..!
Reefs had been left in after the last trip so preparation was suitably quick - with this wind direction there was no point in putting any of the rags up until well past Northney, so engine on and off down the cut.. Well done to the Cons…
So... on the boat by 1300, HT at 14:30, neaps, and a breezy gusty old day.. and an unusual wind direction post storms Ali [clicky]and Bronagh [clicky] which had put paid to sailing last weekend.. we don't get very many easterly'd of any kind but this was a NE'ly.. so a little on the cool side.. still in shorts but the jacket stayed on for the whole trip..!
Reefs had been left in after the last trip so preparation was suitably quick - with this wind direction there was no point in putting any of the rags up until well past Northney, so engine on and off down the cut.. Well done to the Cons…