Spicy..

A slightly quicker trip out than I expected for this one..

Third day on the boat in as many days! After two days maintenance though I was way overdue some R'nR and as the forecast was showing considerably less breeze than we have had over the previous few days (and the day before it was blowing so hard it was actually blowing paint off the end of the brush!) I thought I'd go for it..

HT 15:29, but I was on the boat by one. Once onboard I took the reefs out I had put in for the previous trip as the wind was still showing fairly light and as per forecast, warmed up the donk as I was prepping the boat, and then dropped the mooring to raise the main in the pool head to wind/bridge, as yes, it was another one of those westerly's...

Tacked and headed off down wind on main only, down the ditch and occasionally gybing as the wind was twitchy, nice run, high 2's and 3's against a biggish tide..

By the time I got to Sweare Deep I was bearing up to wind and the genoa was out of the shadow of the main so I rolled out 90% of the genoa and we were tracking nicely towards Marker, but with the wind consistently getting stronger, and twitchier, and bugger me if 50 yards before Marker it didn't go round a bit more southerly. Three tacks and I was through and carried on towards the bottom of the harbour..

Should have known really as I could see some of the big boys being laid over at times, and by the time I was just shy of Verner it was gusting a solid F5 and I was well over canvassed. Tacked, eased sheets, and lit the afterburners for home..  last of the tide and a F5 on the quarter and not surprisingly she lit up..  solid stream of 6.3's and 6.5's, but it was uncomfortable so rolled away a chunk more of genoa and then she was good.

Rocketed into the Deep, I had breaking water on the bow from the wind blown chop, engine down and on and sails away as I went up the ditch in a consistent low end F5.

Short and sweet..

Log:

Distance: 7.14 (cumulative total in the mileage tab at the top)
Wind (Speed; Direction): F4 gusting F5; WSW occasionally SW
Sail Plan: Full main / 90% then 75% genoa
Speed (Max/average in knots): 3.1 / 6

Make do and mend...

Bit of maintenance bodge'ry been going on ..

First - as mentioned briefly in the last post I'd noticed that one of the switches on my switch panel wasn't lighting up when clicked on...  I have a simple 6 gang switch panel - for reference this is it - largely vanilla make as multiple manufacturers seem to market it, so I suspect it originates in China somewhere..

I had assumed it might be the respective fuse (each of them has their own fuse in that square holder to the side) but a check of the fuse showed it to be good, and even when I changed it for a new one the switch still wouldn't light up.  

Time to get the voltmeter out then - which showed the individual switch was good and doing what it should do in 'on' and 'off' modes (I compared it to a working one) so the obvious conclusion is that it is nothing more than a failed bulb/LED in the actual switch, which is a pain in the proverbials

New stiches are cheap though, and although it would be nice, the price of these panels seems to have rocketed in the passage of time since I bought the first one - what was twenty quid in 2016 is now thirty five nine years later - besides - I'm not changing the panel for one failed bulb in one switch! 😏

So down the chandlers and £2.50 later I had a new switch (in fact two, as I bought an extra as a spare)

Note - three connectors - gold is the common neutral (on this one) - middle is positive, and then negative for the device you are connecting

Looking at the back of it though, it's not a straight forward swap as the switches are actually soldered into a common negative "bus bar" integral to the panel - to get the switch out, heat had to be applied,  and then the contact gently separated - once you do that (and my gas soldering iron decided not to work on the day so I had to use a lighter 😕) the individual switches then are held in place by plastic clips. Push them in and the whole switch can be pushed out..

Note common bus bar in foreground - all the switches in the panel are connected/soldered to that - offending switch has been removed in this picture..

Offending switch removed..

..new one could then be orientated so that it's the same as the other switches (so that all of them are in "on" or "off" in the same direction ...  OCD? me? I think not.. 😏) and then you can wire it in. 

Now in an ideal world, where your gas powered soldering iron was working, that would be easy... but in this case an alternative solution had to be arrived at until I can get to mains power source for another soldering attempt. In my case a small spur cable from the main negative with a spade terminal for the new switch - shame it was red but I didn't have any black cable with me so it was "make do and mend"

...and then with positive attached it was time for a test - and the switch lit up.. job's a good 'un..  

New one a slightly different style but it works...

That done it was time to move on to other things...  you may have heard me mentioning that the washboards will need attention/replacement this coming winter as they are beginning to reach the end of their natural lives - by far the worst is the lower one..

The wet got in last winter and the top surface delaminated - I had dried it out as best I could, and then given it multiple coats of paint but it was clear it was getting worse so a stop gap solution was needed to get me to the end of the season without further deterioration...

I had toyed with multiple ideas - more paint, epoxy/filler, epoxy cloth, plastic wood - but in the end went with a simple solution..

Uggghh...

..a good rub down with sanding paper, and then UPVC stuck down with a thick (gap filling) adhesive - with the washboard in I drew a line down the edge of the beading it sits in, slapped the unguent on  (extra for the pitting area) and then stuck some plastic card I had on top, slid it round a little to ensure all edges were sealed, weighted it down and left it to dry..

..once done  the entire board got a couple of coats of paint..

...and I'm surprised how good it looks - time will tell...

Completed job list '24/'25 lay up..

By way of record keeping, and to remind me in the future - here's the completed job list from the winter layover...  all in all I would say it was a quiet one with (mainly) only the basics done..

Next winter will be different as the standing rigging needs doing, and I think I will also take the opportunity at the same time to replace the current genoa roller furling with a more up to date, and new, system..

Completed list...

1. Genoa needed a new sacrificial strip as the old one was 10+ years old and beginning to shred - got that back from Batt Sails who did a lovely job for about £12'ish a metre to remove old, and replace with new.


2. Boom/sail cover needed attention - I bought this in 2019, and compared with the previous one it is in far better condition than the other one was. The previous one lasted 6 years, this one is 6 years old this year, albeit we had a year of Covid where it didn't get a lot of UV - the material is OK'ish - just a little fragile on the fold lines, so I took the opportunity to reinforce the back of those with some sail repair tape, but the Velcro ties are shot so I am now having to secure with a length of line as well - new one next year I suspect

Regular/annual items:

1. Installed the temporary winter cockpit locker lids and brought the proper ones home to keep out of the winter weather; they're looking ok
2. Rub down and coat (or two) of paint (as needed) - 
• locker lids - have been rubbed down, grey epoxy primer'ed on the weaker/compromised surfaces, and two coats of paint applied to upper surfaces..
• Wash boards - gave them two coats at the end of last season but they have been rubbed down, grey epoxy primered on the weaker/compromised surfaces, two coats white applied, they'll need attention in the next week or so though as we have some paint cracks
• Tiller pilot support - done..
• Tiller pilot clip rest - done..
• Tender - minor scratches on the bottom as a result of general wear and tear repainted..
3. Rub down and coat of wood preservative or varnish (as needed).
• cockpit board 
• rubbing strakes - done at the start of the winter - they may now need a touch up..
• hand rails
4. Antifoul - done..  Cruising Performer again this year..  just one coat though as an experiment..
   
5. Service outboard - Bursledon Outboards did a good job - very pleased..
6. Serviced the Life Jackets
7. Pick up chain:
• shackle for swivel to mooring buoy replaced '24/'25
8. Pressure washed and pre- launch topsides wash done..

Pilsey dough man

With what feels like equinoctial gales and wind continuing to blow in the UK (and I know it isn't as we're at least 3 months past the equinox - but it almost feels like spring gales) we are once again into sniper mode .. picking our windows for the occasional sail when we can..

The Jolly Boys were due to go away last week for our first overnighter to Lymington but we cancelled in the end..  faced with a F5  gusting 6, with rain, and a westerly (so bang on the nose) the better option was definitely to go to the pub - so we did..  😏

The possibility then of a 'mere' F4, no rain (and we'd had torrential rain and thunderstorms the night before), maybe even some of the yellow stuff in the sky was grabbed with both hands..

HT 10:46 and I was on the boat at half past nine, first signs were good - the yellow thing was there - but it was also noticeably breezy, and yet again again a non-prevailing direction (NW'ly), and that north added a little cold to the equation.. 

Decision taken, and having fired up the metal donkey (with fresh fuel on the day) to warm up I wacked in some reefs on the main, and with the sail already up decided to sail off the mooring, as with the direction we had it would be on a dead run down the ditch..

I was spotted from afar... my thanks to Julian on Macavity for the photo 😊

I was pleased I'd put the reefs in - once we got out from behind the shelter of the bund, it was clearly a little breezier than I was expecting. Continued on the run until Sweare Deep where I gybed, and with enough clearance to now make the genoa work, rolled that out too..

Fast transit to the bottom of the harbour - I could get to like steaming past Marker like it's standing still - but although this wind direction is good for that, any destinations east of the transit line will inevitably mean a beat back to home - so what you win on one hand you lose on the other..

As it was, I made a fast passage to NW Pilsey where I then tacked, and headed for home on the last legs of the incoming neap - what a stonker of a beat is all I can say..

..driving a boat to windward with just the right amount of sail up
and a decent breeze..  is there anything better?

She went up wind like she was on rails, a constant series of 5's SOG, making my west'ings every time the wind shifted slightly in my favour in order to clear Marker fairly comfortably in the end.. 

Dodging the dinghy fleets, and with the wind building, and with me beginning to feel cold in the wind, the engine went down (and on) off Sweare Deep, and sails came down under auto pilot on the way back to the mooring in a growing breeze (bottom end 5 by the time I got back)

Short then, but very sweet..

Maintenance/snag list/notes:

• Refilled fuel tank - 4 ltrs
• Fuse gone in the masthead light switch

Log:

Distance: 8.03 (cumulative total in the mileage tab at the top)
Wind (Speed; Direction): Both ends of a F4 with occasional F5; NWxW
Sail Plan: Reefed main and 75% genoa
Speed (Max/average in knots): 4.6 / 3.4

Beautiful boat..

Two weeks since I was last out on Sparrow for that beatific pan-harbour cruise in company with Simon and Martin on their boats, and since then it has been an almost constant series of wind, and or interspersed with the odd shower..  definitely time for a sail...

Late HT - 16:05 - and also a massive Spring, so once again there was a lot of water sloshing about when I finally managed to get to the boat at about 1300 (roadworks and associated traffic jams..  summer's here...😏) but having decided not to hang around, the engine was on and I was heading for the Rythe down the ditch about 20 past, waving to Jolly Boy Dave as I went past...

Sail cover and sail ties off  and halyards made ready as I went down the ditch (thank you you tiller pilot..  again..) and I turned and hoisted sails just off Northney and for the first time noticed what a weird direction it was coming from (in my defence the mooring is behind a bund which shelters the boat from the wind so sometimes it's not always obvious 😁) - westerly!

So the slightly weird sensation of a run down the Rythe to Sweare Deep, before bearing up for a beam/close reach all the way past Marker - and every minute I was expecting it to go more southerly..  and it didn't..

This beauty went past me like I was standing still, would love to know what she was..  looked like a wishbone, or spur insignia on the sail?

Strange old day wind'wise, as it was also alternating between a F2 and F4 but I guess it wasn't warm enough to generate a sea breeze so westerly it stayed all the way down the harbour until I tacked and turned for home just shy of the Fishery cardinal by HISC..  at which point someone put their foot on the accelerator..

With the tail end of the flow, and an increasing wind on the quarter, she was flying - and although the GPS missed it I was getting 6.1's and indeed a 6.3 (albeit SOG 😏) in fact it was getting quite feisty in the gusts..  hurtled past Jolly Boy Dave with just time for a wave..

Getting cloudy, and cold, and I decided enough was enough and it was time for the pub..  sails down in Sweare Deep and then a quick motor back to the mooring in what I think must have been a F5 by the time I got there..  great sail, even if it was short!

Notes: Outboard fuel tank drained - launch day was two months ago and I like to try and keep the fuel fresh - took home about 2 litres I think of the original 4 I put in and poured that in to the car. I'll fill up on the way to the boat next time..

Log:

Distance: 8.13 (cumulative total in the mileage tab at the top)
Wind (Speed; Direction):  F2 occasionally F4; W
Sail Plan: Full main/90% genoa
Speed (Max/average in knots): 5.7 (6.3!😏) / 3.0