Maintenance
Once again, Steve was thwarted in getting as much done as he’d hoped, dodging showers and rainstorms forcing breaks in varnishing the spars. At last the storms have abated and the mast was re-stepped on 25 June, 2024.
Read more “Mast, spars and brightwork”
Sail, oar & paddle
As Steve was restoring ‘Cachalot’, he was already thinking about a tender, so why not build one with similarly elegant lines?
Read more “‘Cachalette’: aka ‘the little boat’”
Maintenance
After our extended winter roadtrip to Spain and Portugal in Spring 2024 Steve decided there was just about time to lift the mast out for some overdue maintenance before going sailing this season.
Read more “Time for some maintenance”
Maintenance
With Storm Babet threatening, we retreated home after Bev’s second birthday party and returned to finish the laying up at the end of October.
Read more “Laying up, October 2023”
Maintenance
Once the OGA60 celebrations were over in September 2023, Steve started work on the double bunk, allowing three full length berths in the main cabin.
Read more “An extra berth”
Sail, oar & paddle
With nine miles of river downstream and another three or four upstream, under Wilford Bridge, the River Deben provides great opportunities at most states of the tide.
Read more “A new sail for ‘Cachalette’”
Sailing
Once again, we were thwarted in attempts to take part in the whole East Coast Cruise!
Read more “OGA60: Jubilee Cruise”
Sailing
Ben had agreed to crew with us again for the Jubilee Race but we were quite anxious about the weather.
Read more “OGA60: Jubilee Race”
Sailing
On Friday morning, bright and early, BBC Radio Suffolk arrived to record the first of three interviews broadcast throughout the morning.
Read more “OGA60: Parade of Sail”
Sailing
The weather doesn’t look promising for the OGA60 Jubilee Party and we have no crew for the trip to Ipswich.
Read more “OGA60 Jubilee: arriving in Ipswich”
Maintenance
There’s always plenty of jobs to do aboard ‘Cachalot’ to make life on board that bit more comfortable as well as improvements to her sailing capabilities.
Read more “Some more fitting out . . .”
Sailing
‘Cachalot’ is 125 years old this year and we’ve invested in some crew kit: t-shirts and caps made by Nathan at ‘Quiller’ in Matlock Bath.
Read more “Suffolk Yacht Harbour Classics, 2023”
Maintenance
‘Cachalot’ didn’t come out last year, and there’s plenty of weed on her hull so we booked her out for a week at Larkman’s Boatyard, Melton.
Read more “Antifoul, painting and varnish”
Sailing
On Good Friday, 2023 we were all ready to depart the Tidemill once there was enough water over the sill.
Read more “Easter weekend, 2023: out in the Deben”
Maintenance
It’s a record that we’re out in the river already: Good Friday, 7 April, 2023!
Read more “Fitting out, 2023”
History
During our European road trip in early 2023, we spent a couple of hours wandering the quaysides of Sète in the Mediterranean sunshine, trying to find where ‘Cachalot’ may have moored in 1955.
Read more “Where was ‘Cachalot’ in 1955?”
Sail, oar & paddle
There’s a lively community of river users on the Deben including kayakers, paddle boarders, swimmers and sailors.
Read more “Kayaks & ‘Cachalette’: 2022”
Sailing
June 2022 found Steve with Ben and PJ as crew at the Classics Regatta.
Read more “Suffolk Yacht Harbour Classics, 2022”
Sail, oar & paddle
By 2022 we were quite proficient with paddling the kayaks, enjoying motoring in ‘Cachalette’ with the quiet outboard and her maintenance was much easier now she’s kept permanently at Robertsons Boatyard.
Read more “Messing about on the river”
Sailing
Steve and Ben sail ‘Cachalot’ down to the River Blackwater to watch the Barge and Smack Race, 6 August, 2022.
Read more “To the River Blackwater and back, 2022”