Sailing to Looe for the first time.

After the disappointment of last Sat and the blow out on Sunday, I decided that today would be my first attempt at getting to Looe and back.

I had actually got up early and was attempting to get down to the boat by about 0830hrs. This would be a little before high tide, enabling me to catch the outgoing current to the West, by the time I got round Rame Head.

In the previous few days I had been installing electrics onto the boat so I could charge my VHF equipment and also run an echo sounder. The installation of the transducer hadn't gone exactly to plan but I was still hopeful it would work.

After launching and putting the trailer away, I got the boat ready. The echo sounder transducer worked fine when dangled over the side of the boat. Lerigo then suggested I try leaving a bit of water in the forward compartment and see if it would work through the hull. Apart from reading a little shallow (no bad thing) it seemed to be working fine. All I have to do now is figure out a way of fixing the transducer to the hull.

With a good guide to avoid the problems of getting too shallow I set off.

The wind wasn't very much at all but I was hopeful the sea breeze would kick in and get me going. Leaving The Sound went okay. I even overtook another Hawk 20 heading towards the Eastern entrance. For some reason they were running without a jib sail? As I left the Eastern entrance their sail disappeared completely. Maybe they gave up and decided to use the motor.

The trip out to Looe was fairly slow, approx 3.5 knots the whole way, and consequently fairly dull. I did hear a few things on the VHF but nothing exciting really. Somebody was transmitting on CH16 every now and again wiping out everybody. The blue tooth headset works like a dream. I must work out a way of attaching it somehow so I don't lose it if it gets knocked off my ear.

Using the charts, I noted when I passed Portwrinkle, Downderry and Settle before finally arriving at Looe harbour entrance at about 1400hrs. It was quite a slog but I finally made it. I decided that I would anchor up for a small snooze. Using the echo sounder I found a shallowish spot to settle down for about 20-30mins.

I didn't take down the mainsail, but did furl the jib. This wasn't enough to stop it being uncomfortable when the boat swung from side to side. I was more concerned about the anchor pulling free and me ending up on the rocks. Next time I'll lift the centerboard and rudder which will hopefully help. Still learning this cruising malarky.

By the time I lifted anchor and set off, the sea breeze still hadn't kicked in. This was probably due to the fact that it was overcast most of the time.

On the way back I struggled back to just shy of Rame Head, before finally giving in and resorting to the motor. Getting the motor started I gave myself a terrible clout on the side of the head with the end of the boom. I obviously hadn't lifted the boom high enough when putting the mainsail away. Ouch.

I still hadn't got round to topping off the fuel tank since I got it from Jones. I had a little more in a reserve tank but didn't want to risk running out before getting back. It took me just over and hour to return to MBC from Rame Head. The fuel tank felt just as heavy as it did when I started. Excellent fuel economy so far.

When I recovered the boat this time I decided to try the break back function on the trailer. It actually went a lot smoother than I thought it would. I must remember to prepare the trailer strap beforehand though.

The next day I tested the batteries in the forward compartment and found they were still at 12.54V even after 10hrs with the echo sounder on.

Landrovers at Newnham Park, Plympton, Plymouth.

Today we were off to see the Landrover trials at Newnham Park. It was myself, Ken, Anne and Maison who made it up in time. Caitlin decided not to go due to the damp weather. She did make us bacon sandwiches though, while we waited for the rain to stop.

At approx 1000hrs we decided to head out in the defender. We chose this vehicle as it was probably best suited for carrying all the stuff we'd buy at the stalls etc. I was looking for another roof rack, to replace the one I tore off by hitting a tree (another story from long ago).

As we approached the site we saw that there was also a VW camper van festival or something going on in the same park. I didn't realise how big this site was. Until coming today I didn't even register it as being there.

At the final left turn down the public road to the site, were some people in yellow tabbards trying to stop the traffic to talk to them. As I was being followed by quite a queue of traffic I decided to drive straight into the left turn. This one girl got most upset that I didn't stop, and I saw her in the mirror pointing at me and obviously shouting at somebody higher up the food chain. Sorry love but it was a public highway and you've no right to hold up the traffic, even if you think you do.

The lady at the car park however was a different matter. Wouldn't ignore her even if she was on the public roads. Not a lady to be trifled with. It cost me £20 for the car parking, which covered the Sat-Mon.

After parking in the very uncluttered car park we headed up the marquees etc which had been set, up in the hope of seeing the vendors for all our land-rover needs. How disappointed we were. No stalls at all. All we had was a couple of burger vans, a beer tent and a couple of people showing systems for upgrading a few small bits. Oh well I thought, never mind, at least the RTV (Road Taxed Vehicles) trials will be good.

The RTV competition consisted of small little stages dotted all over the forest. Each course had its own features. Some had extremely steep descents/ascents, very adverse cambers, lots of trees and/or water hazards. All of them had some very narrow gates to get through.

Unfortunately even these were not as exciting as I'd initially thought. There were some very tricky conditions and some excellent drives by some of the competitors. There were no maps showing where the stages were, even roughly, which meant we wasted quite some time just trying to find them.

All through this, the drizzle get on coming down. In amongst the trees this wasn't really noticeable but once back at the refreshment tents did get a little annoying.

Towards the end of the afternoon we went to look at the team recovery event. We had to stand at the top of a steep incline to look down at the pit where the event would take place. As the viewing area looked quite narrow we decided to go in early to stand at the front. They were at least 45mins late starting. What time they actually started I have no idea, as by this time the land owner had turned up in his D3 wanting to park where we were stood. At this point I decided I'd had enough and went off to head home.

I decided I was too tired after dropping off the guys to head over to Jane's for dinner and went to bed early.

If I ever go again it'll be on one of the other days which offers a bit more excitement.

All in all a wasted day really.

Mablethorpe

Bingo could be so addictive.

I'm up North visiting with my Gran.

I had originally planned to go to my Mum's today after spending the night in Gainsborough, but as she doesn't get to see me often, I agreed to go to the coast with her and my uncle for the day.

Mablethorpe, on the East coast, is a weekly day out for her, which she thoroughly enjoys.

We set off just after 10, to arrive at their usual cafe, for lunch.

Despite the heat I went for the steak and stilton pie which was excellent. Well worth the boasting. After lunch my uncle and I dropped Nan nan off at her addiction centre, one of the amusement arcades for the weekly bingo fix. Normally my uncle just sits outside with a laptop, but as I was here we went out.

The weather has been glorious all day. I hope factor 50 is enough. Merv needed some more bits for his pond so we went out of town and visited an aquatics centre. They had a display of some massive fish, including carp and some sturgeon.

After that we went back to Mablethorpe.

At the beach front car park we got a ticket with about an hour left on it. Not long enough for a walk anywhere but enough for a cup of tea.

Found the first of many fridge magnets for the collection we're starting on the Vespucci.

After waking around the cheap stores for a bit we went back to the arcade where my Gran was sat on her favourite stool. To keep her company I sat down next to her and put in some money for the game.

Such a simple idea and so easy to mess it up, by not moving the correct slide or moving the wrong one. It's this idea of trying to do a simple thing correct which makes it addictive. The cost is only 10p for 2 cards so it doesn't seem to bad. When you're playing for about 4.5hours though it soon adds up.

Thankfully my Gran was satiated by about 1700hrs so we left for home.

Swings and roundabouts - Sailing

Well it's been quite a day today.

At the BBQ last weekend I had (carelessly) invited Caitlin and Khan out for a sail today.

My original plan had been to leave at about 0700hrs and go as far as I could to the East. Not going to work with teenagers, that plan. I saw them yesterday afternoon and agreed to meet them at The Quay at 1000hrs.

I stopped at Morrisons to buy some sandwiches for lunch, and just happened to check my phone. There was a message from Caitlin saying she'd had a bad migraine and wouldn't be able to make it.

Less hassle for me as I could leave the slipway and go straight out to the Sound rather than motoring up to Oreston first.

I eventually left Mountbatten at about 1030hrs. I had to get a replacement key card as mine had stopped working for some reason.

The weather was very changeable today. The weather forecast was for WNW winds, but I don't think I saw anything from that direction at all, all day. I think the sea breeze effect must have blasted it out as the predominant direction was Southerly.

To get across the Sound I had to tack, but once I got near the Eastern entrance it turned into a reach.

Just as I left the Eastern Entrance I remembered that I'd left my boat cover hanging on the railings near the trailer. A quick phone call to Mr. Lerigo had it secured. Excellent.

I had thought about going up the Yealm, but as I seemed to be going quite quickly I decided to see how close I could get to Burgh Island in Bigbury Bay. As I rounded the headland however, I saw other boats heading West and they seemed to be punching the waves a bit. So as to make sure I didn't get stuck, I altered my plans and started heading back. It was about 1230hrs by this time.

As it happened, my speed actually increased to just over 6kts. Oh well decision made. I then made a decision to head into the Yealm to see how far I could get before the low tide stopped me.

The trip up the Yealm was quite easy, as it turned out, as the wind was being funneled up stream, so most of it was on a run. There were little blank spots every now and again. I started the engine just as a precaution, because there were a lot of very expensive boats closely packed together.

I just kept on going. It was very scenic, and well worth the effort. Next time I might go up and anchor there for lunch or something. I went past a few guys turning the baskets of cockles. Not long after this I had to turn around as I noticed that the centerboard was touching bottom.

This is where my troubles started.

As I was now heading into the wind I had to tack out between the lines of boats. Because the tacks were quite short and sharp the jib sheet was getting caught on all sorts of things around the mast. At one point the sheet actually lifted the jamming cleats for both the sails lift. Needless to say this caused both sails to drop at once. Not a good situation in close quarters. Luckily there was a free anchor buoy right next to me which allowed me to stop and sort it out.

The engine was restarted again as a precaution.

As I was tacking I noticed that the tiller seemed to be stiffer and stiffer and was having less of an effect than previously. Unfortunately I couldn't stop to check it out. It got worse and worse. As I neared the entrance the quick release for the jib came off, meaning I suddenly lost a lot of steering.

Nothing for it but to use the engine.

I got to the sand bar and put the anchor out to try and sort everything out. It also gave me a chance to have some more lunch.

I managed to check the rudder. It seems that it wasn't only the centerboard which had hit bottom. It looks as though the rope for the rudder down haul has given up the ghost. It won't stay down on it's own.

Getting out of the Yealm entrance back towards the Sound was quite a long haul as the rudder was causing extra strain on the tiller so I had to take it easy.

Thinking that I might put too much strain on the tiller tube, I decided to drop the sails, near to the Shag Stone, and go back home under engine only.

The swell was coming in from the SW and made the steering difficult. The engine only has a small rudder effect but I couldn't use the main rudder.

It took me about 40mins to get back alongside the pontoon, arriving at about 1640hrs.

After such a long day it was quite an effort to maintain some calm when trying to get the boat back on its trailer on the slipway. I think I've got a few more gouges in the anti-foul again.

So a good days adventuring but broken kit. Swings and roundabouts!

Total time afloat - 6h 31m

Distance - 23.59nm/43.5km

Gardening

Time to get busy in the garden.

After getting back from work last Friday I saw I'd completely missed the tulips flowering. All I got to see was the colourful petals on the ground around the empty stems.

Other than these, the garden was looking a bit dull. I'd already cut the grass last week but I needed to get some more colour into the garden before the BBQ on Sat.

I needed to buy another compost heap as the grass cuttings had completely filled the first one. I got the plastic heap cover at Totem and later found it was very over priced as it was cheaper at Otter by nearly £20.

At Otter I bought a few colourful plants to add spots of colour around the garden. Still cost a packet though. It would obviously be cheaper to grow my own but being away fro 5 weeks at a time I'm not able to tend them, prick them out at the various stages etc.

After getting home I started by putting the second compost cover next to the first. As I opened the lid to move the contents over a cloud of steam escaped. I know compost heaps are supposed to generate heat but it wasn't that cold outside? As I grabbed a handful of the grass I'd put in there, only 3 days earlier, I had to drop it again quickly, as the heat was quite a lot more than I expected. I estimate at about 40°-45° C.

Generally the garden looks a little dryer than I expected. I thought people had said it had been raining a lot, but I misunderstood as they said it had been cold, not wet.

Busy old day.

On Saturday it was a very busy day indeed.

My mate, Ken, gave me a lift to get the Landrover back from James Tennat's after a hefty service. It was going to be an early start because as well as the Landrover, we needed to get some wood for Ken's building projects, and all before they closed at lunch. The weather was looking a bit cloudy and a lot colder than I expected. Getting off the ship in Norway it was cold, but here it felt a lot worse.

Nearly 600 quid for the service. Still it means I don't have to worry about it and I can just get out there enjoying it.

We got back with the wood just before lunch. After dropping it off at Lower Oreston we picked up Jane and Maison and went off to the hideaway for lunch. I had been looking forward to a cooked breakfast ever since leaving fro Spain. Taking this into account I went for a #4. Lovely.

During lunch, everybody was taking the piss over my new promotion. Yes chief, certainly chief....Grrr!

Maison suggested we go sailing in the Hawk after lunch. I was a little dubious as it was already after 1300hrs and I wanted to be back in plenty of time for the Australian Pink Floyd Show in the evening. He finally convinced me to go for it.

Had a bit of an issue finding the boat keys and I had even tried calling Lerigo to see if I'd left them with him. Eventually I had to resort to taking the spare set instead. I hadn't got all my thermals as I'd left some of them onboard the vessel. Still it was only for the afternoon. When we got down to the boat I couldn't find a spare key for the wheel clamp. Bugger, THAT was the key I left with Lerigo in case he needed to move the boat. Maison had already started to remove the cover. Oh well I thought, that's the end of that plan then. As I was preparing to get on back home I looked under the cover to see what sort of state the boat would be in after 5 weeks away.

Oh look, over there on the opposite gunwale.... the bloody keys.

Very surprised they were there after 5 weeks. Launching was a lot easier with two people certainly. It was a bit chilly but the wind was great. Maison did all the actual sailing while I did some small maintenance bits with ropes etc. Maison was making suggestions all the while about how to improve the handling and performance of the hawk. Some of them I'll take onboard.

We didn't get too far as we needed to be back for my concert. I also needed to get some supplies in as I hadn't even got any bread and milk in yet. Jane and Maison were also going to the Selwyn's for takeaway dinner. After putting the boat away I headed to the supermarket for the basics. Just before leaving there I called for a taxi to the pavililions in 30mins time. It would mean that I wouldn't have any more time other than for a quick change, a quick sandwich etc. Sure enough the taxi was early but I was ready, if quite tired.

I made it to the concert in time to get 1 pint of Guinness to go with my apple. At least I'd get some calories from that.

The amount of promotional material, such as T-shirts, mugs, key-rings etc., at the door was actually quite pathetic. Not cheap either. £22 for a t-shirt and I only had a choice of 1!

The actual concert more than made up for it. It started at 2000hrs and I didn't leave until about 2245hrs. One thing that did annoy me was the people who were late coming in. It distracted a bit from the show. Luckily I didn't have too many near me.

Last year they did the whole of 'The Wall', but this time they chose to do a selection of songs from various albums. Before the interval the projection showed Bruce in his bedroom listening to music and then getting up to choose an album from his collection. The cover shown indicated the album from which the next few songs would come. There were quite a few I'd not heard before. Oh by the way Bruce is the cartoon kangaroo that the 'Australian Pink Floyd Show' use. After the interval Bruce took out a walkman with a cassette titled 'Floyd Mix'.

Part of the encore is posted here...