Search This Blog

Monday 18 March 2024

Progress Update

 Boot stripe is painted, two coats of underwater primer and two of black hard racing antifouling. Not as straight as I'd like but various club members were complimentary so all good. White gloss on deck is finished, cockpit needs doing. Grey anti-slip needs doing when the weather allows. Before launch I need to prep the prop and antifoul the hull so getting closer. Forepeak was tackled, white vinegar sloshed everywhere to control the mould. Horrible job but hopefully I am getting it under control. Deck leaks are sorted with re-bedded tracks and starboard window. Coach roof rails are done, a bit more oil and maybe a bit of filler to complete. Cabin table isn't a viable offshore option so I'll revert to my mini table for cup and phone. Cockpit bench slat ties are in on the port side, starboard to do which I'll tackle when I do the mould in the quarter berth. 

Next I need to start loading up for my summer plans and the big job is the mast trysail track which will have to wait until I am afloat. 

Thursday 15 February 2024

Storm Trysail

A new poject, after the weather experienced en route to the Azores in 2022 I have decided to fit a storm trysail. Several times I had to stow the main sail and this should help improve my pointing angle which was 90 degrees off the wind in F8 when the sea state was significant. Having investigated several options for a luff fixing I have opted for a separate track. Using the existing main sail track was an option but the complications of changing sails on a single track in gale conditions put me off. A luff wire running parallel to the mast is also an option but appears to put quite a strain on the mast and gets in the way of the existing luff systems. 

Having found a suitable sail on eBay and bought the hardware from Allen Brothers I will await a warm dry day, there must be one soon! Along with riveting the track I will use Sikaflex 252 and SA 205 primer to adhere the track to the mast. 

Tuesday 19 December 2023

Winter Maintenance on Hold

Having a granddaughter is a joy and a blessing but it comes with risks, each time I visit her I catch the current cold going round the playgroups she is part of. This, along with the miserable weather, has hampered progress on the winter job list. The decks are about 1/3 painted but some of the paint was over a damp deck so needs to be re-done. Work back at home; new handrails, outboard bracket and cabin table, has been put on hold while home renovations take precedence. 

Sunday 8 October 2023

Winter Maintenance

 Louisa is out of the water for some winter maintenance, first time in a few years. I am more nervous about her being on the hard than I ever was when she was on her various moorings.



On the list are painting the deck, painting a boot stripe and some minor works to simplify the electrics and clean the interior. Of the deck fittings that are coming off, only the starboard genoa track is proving difficult to remove. 13 screws, none of which will budge with an impact driver. Next ideas include a pneumatic impact driver and drilling them out!
 


Tuesday 29 August 2023

Club Cruise to Brightlingsea

 A very pleasant, albeit not enough wind, cruise to Brightlingsea. I sailed round to the Swale from the Medway for an overnight stay. Arrived nice and early so made some bread in my new Omnia oven. It was very nice, better than shop bought! On Saturday I sailed to Brightlingsea and despite the light winds didn't need the engine. Sunday was an ashore day with a curry in the evening. Thoroughly recommend the Raj Massala, Tower Street in Brightlingsea. The food was great and the staff are a bit Fawlty Towers! Monday sail / drift / engine back to the Medway. 




Saturday 22 July 2023

Late season hull scrub

I was hoping the hull would last until I lift her out for the winter but the hull is badly fouled and there is a possibility that I might join the club rally at the end of August. So it was onto the scrubbing dock where I removed a couple of wheel barrow loads of barnacles and weed. A thin coat of anti fouling and back on her moorings. I decided against a sail as the forecast this weekend is not great, Fastnet racers should have fun! 

There were a couple of adventures while I was down at the club. One of the club boats broke down so an intrepid crew set off in Heather to recover the engineless boat. One their way back the engine on Heather overheated so they drifted down on to a buoy to sort themselves out. As I was going their way I towed them into the club dock.

The next adventure occurred when a boat was coming into the club dock and missed the tide by a few minutes resulting in grounding in the mud just short of the scrubbing dock slab. I moved heather round to sit between her and the dock and then we moved pontoon blocks, lines and fenders around until she was stable. In the morning it all had to be undone.

Sunday 2 July 2023

Things playing on my mind

 As you will know if you have checked out this or my previous blogs, I love the Jester Challenge and all it offers someone like me. Singlehanded sailing, cheap boat, own endeavours, limited rules and going to a specific location pretty much sums up my approach to sailing. Having a year off has given me time to think and plan. While I would really like to go back to the Azores and quite like to go back to Baltimore for the craic I need to think about the implications for everyone involved. The JBC23 brought this into sharp relief. For my family, the worry factor ramped up considerably after last year's health scare. The tragic events of this year's Jester Challenge increased this worry yet further. What it must have been like for those that took part, and even worse those that heard the regular coastguard broadcasts, is difficult to imagine but they all entered the challenge with some concept of the risks. What is unimaginable is the distress felt by the family of the Challenger at the centre of the incident. There is no value in speculating about the cause or what anyone would do differently until the investigation is complete. Even then there may be very little that Jesters will do differently and if additional rules are brought in then it might not be the same.       

The following extract from the Jester Challenge website sums up the situation far better than I can.

Jester Baltimore Challenge 2023. SITREP 5 04/07/2023

However, the usual socialising at Baltimore was quickly tempered by concern for the whereabouts of Duncan Lougee and Minke, who failed to arrive as expected.

Most of you will by now have heard the sad news that after a protracted search in the Celtic Sea, Minke was finally located. Duncan was not aboard and the chances of finding him are slim.

It is as yet far too early to try to seek explanations as to what may have happened; and in any event any explanation is unlikely ever to be more than mere speculation. It would also be premature, while we are all still totally perplexed and numbed by this heartbreaking turn of events, to catalogue and celebrate Duncan’s huge contribution and influence as regards the development of the Jester Challenge, along with his many other fine qualities. That will come later, at an appropriate time and in an appropriate way.

This tragedy is a huge blow to all the members of Duncan’s family, and our thoughts are first and foremost with them. The tragedy also brings great sadness to the Jester family, which now numbers several hundred participating or aspiring skippers. Hopefully it will serve to make us stronger and more determined. Such is the Jester spirit.

For the moment, as we all come to terms with what has happened, in our own ways and in our own times, it seems that deep and quiet reflection may be in order. We all know in our hearts that over the thousands of ocean miles we have sailed, we have all been, at some point or another, within a hair’s breadth of calamity. The ocean is a dangerous place and the sea remorseless. We are the lucky ones. Let us reflect a little on those less fortunate.

Next year is an Azores year and while I would love to go back and visit my friends out there again and some other islands, I am only 50/50 about taking part. If I can get a year of good health and increasing stamina under my belt this will go a long way to giving me the confidence to have a go. Hopefully this won't be tempered by any changes in the challenge format. I consider the precautions I take for my safety to be adequate but I am always open to ideas. Regular reporting in would put me off, as would any form of pre event checks. My respect for the Jester Challenge organisers has always been high but during the last week they have managed the situation excellently, communicated where appropriate through the website and, most importantly, kept those ashore who were most affected in their thoughts and actions. This has reassured my family that if the worst were to happen then they would be considered.

2026 is scheduled to be the full challenge to Newport, RI. Whether or not I consider this in my plans will depended on factors that will transpire over the intervening period. If I had to decide today I won't be trying.