A couple of weeks off saw trips to the IoW and Cowes and the Folly, overnighting in Newtown Creek in the sweltering heat. We experimented with making her a cutter and got the trailer revamped with fancy new suspension and flush hubs.
There were seals, big fish and some exciting sails across the Solent. We camped in the boat and tried out the packraft – getting Nancy and the dog ashore for walkies.
We found some damage to the newly refurbished mast at the end of the week so off to Drascombe she must go for a spot of repair to stop the ironwork slipping down underload.
During our week off, we both noticed that if single-handed, we could do with a longer Tiller to steer and get forward – a trip to the chandler with the idea of picking up a cheap extension was quickly dissolved by the lack of style and high costs. So we made one.
Purchased a Holt Allen standard tiller joint and a 48mm Ash pole. The streamer is a Karcher unit for cleaning floors and kitchens, and the box is a length of drainpipe originally used for team-building games with wood bungs at each end.
I should have soaked the wood overnight; it had an hour of steaming – enough to start to soften the drainpipe, but it bent ok in the jig, but not as much as I hoped.
A huge knot at the apex made it a challenge to bend further. It also straightened a lot once it was released the next day. Some practice is still required, but it was ok as a tester to see if the principle works.
We had a super sunny week off with which to potter where we may
We had some key places but decided to go to wherever the wind and tide might be best. In the end, this was Cowes and then down the Medina and then up to Ealing – we covered about 100km, 54nm and a couple of overnight stay plus a bit of evening sailing to beat the heat
After a weekend shakedown sail of the new outboard motor, we had a few things to sort. No better way than to test the fixes than a weakened jaunt round the corner to the next river along for the evening. F2 on the way there, F0 on the way back and a quick stop in the Hamble
Winter this year saw the boat home and back under it big green tent – working off a lovely block floor rather than slabs and wet earth this year.
The mast suffered some damage this year. Some self-inflicted with the peak halyard shackle the wrong way round, which, during a deep reef, rubbed hard against the mast, and the shroud band started to slip down the mast, indicating there was some issue either with the fixing or perhaps rot underneath.
It was dropped off with https://www.drascombe.uk/, who looked after it, stripped it clean, and refurbished it. Seems it was just a weedy snapped screw and no manky wood!
The bowsprit was stripped along with the gunwales and inner combing of all varnish, and Deks D1 was applied instead. Nancy valiantly battled the leaky lockers under the seats with new sealant, sealing strips and padding foam. The lockers are recessed and flat, so any standing water seeps in.
The spars were stripped, varnished, the wood floor oiled, and the covers reproofed. The trailer was cleaned and wheels painted, and the antifouling reapplied.
Some items that are now firmly boat fixtures, like the paddles, emergency box and a boat hook, are finding forever homes with straps to hold them in place. The new item for this year is a sapele crutch for the boom to enable the mid boom lazy jacks to be swept back and a tarp cast over the full boom.
