Posts Tagged: rigging
Fitting out, a new ‘toy’ and a trip to Clacton
We’ve bought outselves a new ‘toy’ and decide to take it down to Woodbridge with the van at the end of May! It’s a Mazda MX convertible . . . On Sunday 29 May we take it (with the Landy) up to the farm to collect the Adria. Depart Grangemill 1200 noon in convoy (Adria and Mazda) to arrive at the Tidemill 5pm after a steady drive without much traffic. Bev drove the Adria all the way and didn’t enjoy the huge rainstorm on the A14, but probably better than being in the Mazda. Unpacking in the rain we decide on F&C from Woodbridge chippy – just in time with last orders at 8pm.
It’s pretty cold and overcast with strong wind but no rain so Steve took off the winter cover on Monday. He was most disappointed to find an area of damage to the capping rail by the cockpit. Looks like the boat has been forced against the pontoon during the winter storms and it’s broken the capping rail at one of the scarfe joints. We have a rethink of the OGA Jubilee Rally plans and meet up with Leigh to decide what to join in with. Not much point trying to take ‘Cachalot’ down to Waldringfield as a) she’s not ready and b) the tides are all wrong to get out and back into the Marina. The revised plan is for Steve and Leigh to sail ‘Cachalette’ down from Robertsons on Thursday, Bev and Aileen to go down in the van for the barbecue, leaving options pretty open for the rest of the week when the weather doesn’t look promising.
Huge rainstorms overnight soak the winter cover drying after Bev had cleaned it yesterday! Steve has a list of bits to buy from Classic Marine and goes to Levington then Ben helps him go up the mast to fit new blocks above the cross-trees. He takes the wrong rope up, but no worries, he can run the right one up tomorrow by stitching them together. It’s getting late, so Bev stretches supper out for Ben after drinks aboard the boat, now without her winter cover which is drying again nicely, spread out on the grassy bank. Ben needs drums of rope so he and Steve go shopping in the car on Wednesday. Just as they return there’s a hailstorm and we quickly bundle the winter cover up and take shelter under one of the boats on the hard.
Ben helps Steve go up the mast 
New blocks at the top of the mast 
A hailstorm, but the cover is dry! 
Sorting out the gaff 
Bending on the mainsail
Bev’s kayak paddle research has resulted in an option of collecting one from Clacton, so we drive down there with the Mazda’s top down, now the rain has stopped. Clacton was much better than expected. We had a very interesting chat with Derroll at Nucleus Watersports and bought the new paddle. Strolling along the deserted prom. we found a kiosk selling excellent ice cream with fresh-cooked donuts and chocolate sauce. Maybe worth another visit . . . and interesting to find a bit about it’s history. Bev drove part of the way back and enjoyed it immensely even though the roof had to go up a couple of times to dodge the rain.
Clacton Pier was built 150 years ago as a landing platform for the Woolwich Steam Packet Co. Between the wars it was lengthened with a theatre and other entertainment facilities added resulting in Clacton becoming a leading seaside resort. Looking 7km. out to sea towards Gunfleet Sands there’s the 50 turbines of the Offshore Wind Farm, generating enough clean energy for over 150,000 homes.
Away for July and new bowsprit shrouds
New shrouds for the bowsprit
Dynema bowsprit shrouds
We pack up the boat on 5 July, leave the Mini safely parked in the Marina and take the van on her maiden foreign trip . . . first overnight stop Harwich Harbour, ready for an early morning crossing to Holland. Returning from our 2,000 mile tour down to the Swiss Alps and back on 23 July there’s just two days in Woodbridge before we leave on ‘Kestrel’ for the OGA Summer Cruise. We check the boat and find the bilge has started going off rather more frequently, the counter seems to indicate it’s maybe as much as three or four times a day. A bit worrying, but there’s no time to do anything about it now . . . securing everything as best we can, we meet James and sail from Waldringfield on 26 July, returning after a great ten days on 4 August.
Whilst we’re away, Steve meets a man in a van and is able to purchase some Dynema at a very good price, so the bowsprit is now secured with a new set of fine shrouds and pelican hooks.
Bending on the mainsail
Steve climbs the mast with help from Pete
Setting up a couple of new blocks
Hoisting the mainsail
The weather means we can take the winter cover off at last, relying on the summer one finished off perfectly by Baz.
With sunshine forecast, and only light winds, Steve decides it’s time to bend on the mainsail.
Once that’s done, there’s a bit more ‘rigging and reeving’ to do and Pete offers to come round and lend a hand. Steve climbs the mast to set up a couple more blocks and tidy the new rigging.
Woodbridge Maritime Festival
Barges in the Town Quay
Rigging and reeving with Pete & Clare
We’d been invited to join in with Maritime Woodbridge this year and set out from the Tidemill Yacht Harbour an hour before high water on Friday to motor round to the Town Quay. After running aground twice, and concerned about the fast approaching high water, we returned to our berth in the marina.
On Saturday, we tried again. It looked like there would be more water in Bass’s Dock and we approached slowly, running aground again alongside the Dutch barge ‘Inez’, but there was plenty of time before high water, so we waited. As the tide came up, we gradually warped our way into the dock stern to with several helping hands joining ‘Flooka’ and three Albert Strange yachts ‘Mist’, ‘Galatea’ and ‘Nirvana of Arklow’.
There were plenty of visitors braving our gang plank to come aboard, with lots of admiring comments for ‘Cachalot’. The event was held in the newly redeveloped Whisstocks Centre and seemed to be very successful with plenty going on.
We hoisted the mainsail when OGA friends Pete and Clare came aboard . . . thanks for all the help and advice with rigging and reeving!
Back to Derbyshire for the Bank Holiday
As the end of August approaches, the weather changes to a more typical summer of chilly evenings and rain, so we decide to make a temporary boom cover from the emergency winter cover supplied by Suffolk Sails in February. Half of it will be plenty, so it’s laid out during a dry spell and Bev tries out the grommet punch. After two hammered fingers (and only two grommets inserted) she reluctantly agrees to give up, and Steve finishes the job.
We’ve been timing the bilge pump activity and it’s running at over 30 hours consistently now, depending on whether it rains, which is very encouraging. The solar panel isn’t coping as well with recharging the batteries though. We’re using 12v lights now and there’s more cloud cover . . . so we switch to 240v battery charging for a couple of days . . . this seems to provide enough power to revert to the solar panel when we leave on Saturday for a few days back in Derbyshire.
While Bev takes a day trip to London by train to visit the James Cook exhibition at the British Library, Steve re-sites the running backstay deck fixing points. By Wednesday the weather improves enough for more varnishing, so we decide to stay a couple more days. We bump into John & Catherine at Larkmans and invite them to join us for supper on Friday. There really is a great community along the river and we certainly feel ‘at home’ here. Before leaving on Saturday, we do some more tidying of the site where the tent was, which has to be cleared by the end of September, timing our departure to avoid most of the holiday traffic and making it home in daylight.
Temporary boom tent made from emergency winter cover
Bev goes sailing while Steve ticks off more jobs
Through the deck fittings for navigation gear
Bowsprit ready for use
After a few days in Derbyshire, we’re back in Suffolk for the OGA Summer Cruise. After a passage race on Friday, 20 July and the East Coast Race on the River Blackwater the following day, the week’s cruise ends with a parade of sail up the River Orwell today. ‘Cachalot’ isn’t ready to take part, so Bev crews with James on ‘Kestrel’.
While Bev’s out sailing, Steve gets on with fitting out with evening trips to various locations to join the Gaffers by car. The work is made harder by the blistering heat and lack of shade, but he manages to to get a lot done including installing the VHF radio and navigation lights, setting up the Wykeham Martin jib furling gear, bobstay, bowsprit shrouds and anchor (without the newly-acquired winch, for now).
He spends an enjoyable couple of days with Steve, from Ratsey’s, who’s visiting the Tidemill YH on holiday from the Isle of Wight and also repairs another area of winter damage where the new capping rail has split. All these ‘little jobs’ take time, and it’s sometimes hard to see progress, despite ticking them off the list!
Fixing the damage to the capping rail
Still lots to do before she’s ready to launch!
Coachroof skylights and hatch back in place freshly varnished
There were two weddings, another ski trip to Val Thorens and the kitchen project to occupy us from January to mid-April 2017, but Steve made time to write a long list of all the jobs that need to be done in preparation for getting in the water this year!
There’s new sails to be made, and Ratsey & Lapthorn have been engaged to make these, so we’ll be off to Cowes later this month.
Moray McPhail, at BronzeWork in Martlesham, will be making the new keel bolts and sorting out all the other metalwork for us. Following discussions over the chainplates, it was agreed to have a channel to carry the shrouds over the bulwarks so, on our return to Suffolk at the end of April this was the first job to be done, port and starboard.
After joining the OGA at the Tollesbury Rally on 29 April, we returned to Woodbridge but the incessant wind forced us back to Derbyshire by the end of the week!
Winter projects 2015/16: rigging, gaff and blocks
Serving the standing rigging
Serving the standing rigging
Lanolin for serving the standing rigging
New deadeyes for the standing rigging
Standing rigging all ready for 2016
Stitching leather to the standing rigging
Serving board for the standing rigging
Ash tree from the garden
Ash, first cut, for parrel beads
Ash, trimmed, ready for the lathe
Ash on the lathe, making the parrel beads
Parrel beads ready for cutting
Set of parrel beads, fresh off the lathe
New parrel beads, tree to sea
Remains of the old gaff, ready for a new one!
Making the new gaff jaws at the top shed
Varnishing in the sitting room - too cold outside!
Back outside now the varnish is dry
New gaff, ready for return to Suffolk
Set of new blocks, made from ash, and re-varnished rudder stock cover
‘Your boat has sunk!’
Just one small area of rot on the mast
Caulking had failed in many seams
Leaking like a sieve when they hauled her out, December 2006
Therapy for Steve, handmade blocks in the winter months