|
| A proper shorts and tshirts summer... perfect sailing.. you can forget the full wet weather gear thank you very much.. 😀 |
...and there we go, it's the end of 2025 already.. and with Christmas
and New Year fast approaching (at time of writing) that must mean it's time
for my traditional look back at the sailing year..! 😁
I always enjoy putting this together, it's a good excuse to read all the old
posts, and look at the videos (just one this year, and riveting it is!) and
pictures from this years logs....
As I say every year, amazingly, this is my thirteenth (😲) year as owner of Sparrow and apart from the utter confusion as to where those years have gone (it only seems like yesterday that I drove into the car park in Bosham, saw her at the back, and just knew she was the one I was going to buy 😍), I still have absolutely no interest in parting with her - she does everything I want in spades... so the following is some happy memories of good times, bad times (few or none of those to be honest this year), warm weather, sunshine glinting on the water, and fair weather sailing in shorts and t-shirts... so without further ado...
What was the big thing of the year?
Quiet year this year, the only big'ish event for me this year was the
replacement UV strip on the genoa... 😁
Dull I know, but it needed doing, and
most other items or activities were not earth shattering - just 'enjoyable' in
varying degrees!
Oh, and then there was the mad half day when Smithy and I plotted the
moorings on the Langstone side with a GPS.. happily the plan has already been
used a few times by the moorings crew! 😁
What was the biggest 'downer' of the year?
Very few issues this year to be fair - just the one that left a bit of a bad taste...
On the mast raising on Sparrow we noticed that when we'd got it up we were missing the forks from two of the bottle screws.. 😒
Now one missing I could accept may have been an accident, but those forks take a lot of screwing in and two missing is theft, pure and simple.. no idea when/where it happened, either in the yard, or on the mooring, but whoever it was left the bottle screw body, just took the two forks, and also left the other four... that means it was a boater did that, and that leaves a nasty taste.. 💩
Happily, on the day, and in the best spirit of what the Jolly Boys are all about, Dave had a spare bottle screw sitting in the spares box on his boat, and wonder of wonders it fitted (and that is not a foregone conclusion as I found later) so one was done, which just left the other to source a replacement for.. I had a couple of old one's in the garage I was hopeful would do that job but it turns out they were M8, and mine are 5/16 th's (and the rigging is swaged stud rather than eye, so I couldn't just swap out the whole bottle screw)
|
| ...so near yet so far... |
Bit the bullet in the end, and bought a whole new bottle screw complete with forks, there are sources online where you can buy just the fork, but
- you need to be sure you have the the correct thread*, which was difficult to tell on the fitting I was using as a template, and
- required a wait for delivery, and
- ..was still £15
...I didn't want to faff around, as sailing awaits..
(*apologies if this is teaching grandma to suck eggs, but the following was new to me, so there may be others who it will help. One end of a rigging bottle screw is a left handed thread, and the other end is right handed, which means when you turn the body in the middle it engages the threads at both ends at the same time, and in the same direction, to either tension or loosen the rigging)
|
| ..yee gods imperial measurement bottle screws are a price... |
Maintenance:
As of this moment, although real maintenance work has not really started, as
usual she is scraped and pressure washed (and this year, for the first
time, she was pressure washed within an inch of her life on the slipway as
she came out), the essential job this winter will be the replacement of the
standing rigging.
-
the washboards which were showing signs of water ingress have remained
good despite the bodged repair a couple of years back, and there is
still currently no need to replace them.. during the summer I had a
make do and mend day and the addition of some PVC to the bottom corner
where there was most damage has worked well... wished I'd
had some more so I could have done a bigger area in fact!
- the boom cover had some patching and TLC at the beginning of the season, delivered the goods all summer, but then began to tear badly - time for a new one, the old one owed me nothing and I was more than happy to buy from the same supplier again.. they cost about £40 and they last 6 years on average, so per annum less than £7 and I paid that for a pint of beer and a packet of dry roast peanuts the other week.
- the gelcoat is beginning to get thin in places - not surprising after almost 60 years of exposure to the elements. I am not painting the whole boat, that way lies madness, but the patch repairs I did during the '22/23 layover [clicky] have continued to work well and in fact are becoming less noticeable as the paint colour fades, so I'll be doing more, but with a better colour-matched paint!
- ...an ongoing saga.. the windex (I need (another) windex [clicky]) which had held up well, and had lost one of it's square/indicator tab last year, finally bit the dust sometime during Storm Amy this year.. is 3 years a record for one of my windexes??😏New one is sourced already..
Of last winters jobs the one that worked beyond compare well was the UV
strip replacement mentioned above, also the cockpit locker lids, which must be on about the third or fourth iteration,
are at the moment also still behaving... I've taken them off the boat for
the winter and put the temporary ones covered in plastic bags in their
place.
...so, along with all the usual unguent splashing, and also the triumphant find of a decent outboard service engineer [clicky], I would say it was a good year for maintenance and projects - go on then, 9/10.... 😁
Summary of the season:
Overall I would say I had a good seasons sailing in what was a mixed bag of weather at times, but which majored on 'hot and sunny' - mid 20's C in May! - one of the better seasons I've had in 'Sparrow' (or my old boat 'Papillon' for that matter)... couple of comments though...
One, as mentioned the weather compared with last year was cracking - but it was windy... ! Most of the logged trips are F3+ with lots of 4's and 5's. It was also my perception that we had a lot of easterly's given our prevailing should be SW'ly.. turns out the perception wasn't far off, as I make it we had about 29 trips out, and we had E in the wind for 18 of them..
Second, it was another stonking year of trips out with the Jolly Boys -
always good fun, and always longer trips than on Sparrow, we're all retired
now so I look forward to that continuing... the downside is
that means less time on Sparrow, but I can live with that!
We came up with a cunning plan to do overnighters rather than the more usual
extended cruise a few years back - with the best will in the world we're all
getting on a bit, and cramped conditions for two or three nights doesn't
have quite the same cachet as it used to, so no extended cruise this year - for one reason or another we were all too busy for extended trips, but having said that
we did get away for one over nighter this year - to Lymington [clicky].. and what a sail that was!😁
|
| Leaving Pompey behind on warp drive for the Lymington trip - another breezy easterly... |
Twenty seven (!) trips out this year (c/w 20 last year) of which fourteen
were either on 'AmiLy' (Rod's boat), 'Hanoly' (Smithy's GP14), and for the
first time fellow club member
Julian's catamaran 'Macavity' [clicky], so not included in my mileage totals.
Like a spider dipped in blue ink and left to wander all
over Google Earth - here's where Sparrow went this year.. yeah, further
east and north than last year, but not as far south, and certainly not
enough Solent venturing, but maybe next year... 😏
...but the following in "AmiLy and "Macavity" this summer...😀
 |
| Green for Lymington, pink for Macavity and blue for day trips.. |
..and in "Hanoly", Smithy's GP14.. 😊
~~~~~~~~~
Number of visits down to the boat (ie. actually on it): Difficult to say, but about the usual 25+ ... 13 actual sailing trips c/w 12 last year which is OK, and sometimes even sitting on your boat on the mooring (and I did that more than a few times - usually flat calm or the opposite), or in the car park come to that (been four or five times just this year since lift out!), is preferable to not being on your boat at all... sometimes you just miss that "boat smell" 😀
|
|
..driving a boat to windward with just the right amount of
sail up and a decent breeze.. is there anything better? |
Total distance sailed: Just over 112 miles which is
better than last year, and OK in light of the amount of time I was
sailing elsewhere... 😏
Speaking of which.. 11 trips on AmiLy this year, 12 if you count the
overnighter to Lymington as two, and a total of 255 miles - which compares
with 10 and 256 respectively last year..
Nights on board: Nada - 'nuff'ing.. I've done it before and
it's usually cold and uncomfortable.. 😏 Slightly different on AmiLy of course but
only 1 night on her this year (c/w with 5 last year)
Crew on occasion: None.. nada.. even grandson didn't make it this year.. never mind, I'm my own good company.. if I start talking to the tiller pilot (who I love by the way) I know I've got a problem.. 😜
Crew on occasion: None.. nada.. even grandson didn't make it this year.. never mind, I'm my own good company.. if I start talking to the tiller pilot (who I love by the way) I know I've got a problem.. 😜
 |
| East Head errr.. ahead - short cut across the sands - never less than half a metre under the keel.. but it was a rising tide..😏 |
Cruising range: Just shy of West Winner to the south,
Rookwood to the east, and ignoring the fact my mooring is almost as
north, just shy of the pontoons in Emsworth to the north..
Biggest Cruise: This one was easy - at just shy of 14
miles, and the furthest I've been in a while,
this [clicky] was just a glorious days sail in the middle of a
heatwave ....😀
 |
| So many expectations.. so little delivered.. 😂 |
Best Cruise: A few to choose from this year,
the
double transit in the sun [clicky], the trip to
Rookwood for the first time [clicky], or even the
28 tacks to Marker trip [clicky]... on balance the double transit trip gets it.. as I
said afterwards, I'd be happy with a trip like that if it was the
only one we had all summer!
 |
| Rookwood - looking north - entrance to the Thorney Channel opposite |
Worst cruise: Couple of contenders this year - the very last sail of the season, where I also almost ran her on to the putty, or the sail after the trip to Rookwood where expectations were high and delivered little.. 😁
Oddest cruise: Yeah- that last sail of the season gets this one.. genoa only, blowing old boots, almost a mishap on the mud.. it had it all.... 😀
Best anchorages: None - all moorings and pontoons again
this year..
Best mooring: …same as last year I think.. the waiting pontoon at the sailing club [clicky] while I waited for my lift out - so warm for October, and a
lovely opportunity to catch up with a lot of members I hadn't seen
all season..
Worst mooring: Somewhat amazingly I had no bad moorings this year - they were all good - the putty might have been a contender on that last trip but luckily wasn't... 😁
Number of fish caught🎣: A new category for this year - two - which compares with three last year (though the grandson caught two of those 😁)
 |
| Baby bass... schooly... seal snack.. |
Plans for next year:
-
No Jolly Boys Extended Cruise currently planned for 2026, but
few things in life are more certain than that we will go sailing together again.. the
overnight trips work well as a format... but maybe Poole
this year??
- Looking forward to getting Grandson out on the boat again - the stars didn't seem to align on that this year
- SailGP is coming to Portsmouth [clicky] again next year - might be good to be on the water to see at least one of the days
- Looking forward to going out on Smithy's GP14 again.. maybe some racing?
- Sail Sparrow on more occasions next season... 🤞
Riveting video award:
No review of the weeds on the bottom this year as I removed them too
quickly... so you'll have to make do with this one which was taken
while on the
Emsworth Channel trip... 😏
 2025: (Click on the date to go to the log
entry post) |
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|
NB.* Means mileage not counted in year total... probably because I'm on someone else's boat, or it was all on engine... |
|||||||
| Date | Distance: | Wind: | Direction: |
Sail Plan: |
Max Speed (knts) |
Avg Speed (knts) |
Comments: |
| 25th Feb | 3.94* | F5 gusting F6 | NW | n/a | 5.4 | 3.3 | Delivery trip for AmiLy |
| 19th March | 28.0* | F3 gusting F4 | SExE | Main/genoa and asymmetric | 7.6 | 4.1 | Freezing cold dash to Cowes for lunch on AmiLy |
| 8th April | 7.59* | F1 occasional F2 | ENE | Main and jib | 4.0 | 2.4 | First trip of the year in "Hanoly" the GP14 - north to south NW passage |
| 10th April | 24.77* | AM: F2 PM:F3 | AM: E PM:SWxW | Main/genoa | 7.5 | 2.5 | Much warmer run to Cowes than last time for the Jolly Boys - mostly on motor |
| 28th April | 4.83 (4.83) | Both ends F2 | SExE going SW | Main/90% genoa | 5.5 | 2.4 | Shakedown sail and the first fish |
| 30th April | 23.74* | F2 going F3 | SSE going SE | Main/genoa | 7.8 | 3.9 | Blisteringly hot motor to Cowes on a huge spring tide |
| 9th May | 10.6 (15.43) | F2 going F3 | NExE going E | Main/genoa | 5.1 | 3.1 | Double transit in the sun with an easterly - glorious! |
| 14th May | 14.47* (15.43) | F3 | East going SWxS | Full main but mostly motor | 6.3 | 4.4 | Macavity delivery |
| 14th May. | 26.34* (15.43) | F4 gusting F5 | NExE going NExN | Full main and genoa with/without motor | 6.8 | 3.3 | The Jolly Boys go to Cowes again, cold and breezy! |
| 31st May | 8.13 (23.56) | F2 gusting F4 | W | Full main/90% genoa | 5.7 | 3.0 | 6.3 knots SOG on the final flow of the late tide! |
| 8th June | 8.03 (31.59) | F4 occasional F5 | NWxW | Reefed main/75% genoa | 4.6 | 3.4 | A quick blast to Pilsey to blow the cobwebs out |
| 15th June | 7.14 (38.73) | F4 gusting F5 | WSW occasionally SW | Full main / 90% then 75% genoa | 3.1 | 6.0 | Lighting the afterburners for a return to the mooring |
| 19th June | 27.06*(38.73) | F2 occasional F3 | E going W going SE | Full main and genoa | 2.5 | 6.3 | Lunch on the verandah at ISC |
| 1st July | 9.02 (47.75) | F4 going F3 | WSW going SW | Full main/90% genoa | 5.0 | 3.0 | Last minute opportunity grabbed for a beat to (Mid) Winner and back |
| 11th July | 13.49 (61.06) | Both ends F3 | SxE going SSW | Full main and genoa | 4.8 | 2.8 | Rookwood for the first time |
| 13th July | 9.26 (70.32) | F3 going F4 | SSE going S | Full and reefed main/90% and 75% genoa | 4.8 | 2.7 | Sublime to the ridiculous.. 😁 |
| 24th July | 28.51* (70.32) | F3 ending F6 | NxE going NNE | Full and reefed main / full and reefed genoa | 7.1 | 4.1 | The Jolly Boys go to the Folly.. |
| 27th July | 15.42* (70.32) | F2 gusting F3 | NW | Full main and genoa | 7.0 | 3.5 | Jolly Boys (and girls) do a delivery trip.. |
| 9th August | 9.59 (79.91) | Both ends of a F4 | W x S | Full main and 50% genoa | 5.4 | 2.6 | West Winner on a single tack against a huge tide |
| 11th August | 11.04 (90.95) | F2 gusting F3 | SSE | Full main and 95% genoa | 4.8 | 2.8 | Target rich environment..😏 |
| 21st and 22nd August | 47.04* (90.95) | F3 gusting F5 | NE and WSW | Full and reefed main / full and no genoa | 7.7 | 4.2 | The Jolly Boys go to Lymington for the night |
| 24th August | 7.94 (98.89) | Mid to upper F4 | SSE | Reefed main/75% genoa | 4.6 | 2.8 | Dodging the Opi's and a trip to Emsworth |
| 28th August | 10.9* (98.89) | n/a | n/a | n/a | 8.0 | 6.5 | Seal watching trip.. |
| 5th September | 28.26*(98.89) | F3 AM going F4 PM | WNW AM going SW PM | Full main / full & no genoa | 6.8 | 2.9 | A much needed dash to Cowes on AmiLy in a break in the weather |
| 9th September | 8.56 | F4 gusting F5 | S going SxE | Reefed main / reefed genoa | 4.4 | 2.6 | 28 tacks to Marker on a mahoosive flood tide |
| 19th September | 21.93* | F3 going F4 | SSE going SWxS | Full main and genoa | 8.2 | 2.7 | The very, really, last sail on AmiLy this season |
| 24th September |
4.85 (112.3) |
F4 gusting F5 | NE | Full/reefed genoa (no main) | 4.7 | 2.6 | Short and spicy genoa only blast, and a kiss of the putty to finish off! |
| . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
Summary:
2024 total (in Sparrow): 102.72 miles
2023 total (in Sparrow): 115.75 miles
2022 total (in Sparrow): 124.72 miles
2021 total (in Sparrow): 44.5 miles
2020 total (in Sparrow): 0 miles (COVID)
2019 total (in Sparrow): 77.59 miles
2018 total (in Sparrow): 151.12 miles
2017 total (in Sparrow): 141.91 miles
2016 total (in Sparrow): 138.29 miles
2015 total (in Sparrow): 141.29 miles
2014 total (in Sparrow): 137.98 miles
2013 total (in Sparrow): 113.73 miles
2012 total (in Papillon): 173.29 miles
2011 total (in Papillon): 193.41 miles
2010 total (in Papillon): 154.23 miles
2009 total (in Papillon): 125 miles
2021 total (in Sparrow): 44.5 miles
2020 total (in Sparrow): 0 miles (COVID)
2019 total (in Sparrow): 77.59 miles
2018 total (in Sparrow): 151.12 miles
2017 total (in Sparrow): 141.91 miles
2016 total (in Sparrow): 138.29 miles
2015 total (in Sparrow): 141.29 miles
2014 total (in Sparrow): 137.98 miles
2013 total (in Sparrow): 113.73 miles
2012 total (in Papillon): 173.29 miles
2011 total (in Papillon): 193.41 miles
2010 total (in Papillon): 154.23 miles
2009 total (in Papillon): 125 miles
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