Cripes... It's March!

Heeeelp... it's well into March and I have done virtually nothing since Ciao Bella came out at the end of last season.   So here come the excuses.. Work is mental at the moment, the weather has been the worst since I don't know when, the valentines day storm wrecked the pier at the sailing club did a lot of damage to the building and my Mum has been poorly so playing with boats has been way down the list.

 Anyway, the sun came out today so I snuck out and did a bit. I started with stripping paint from the tread areas on the foredeck.  I used Owetrol marine stripper, my expectations where low as I've never had much luck with chemical strippers.

I coated the textured areas with a thick layer of the Owetrol, it sits like a gel on the surface and hopefully does its stuff.  An hour in and it didn't appear to be doing much.

The next items to grab my attention were the locker lids and wash boards.  The washboards got a quick flash over with the sander and were treated to a coat of varnish, only another four or five to go!  

 The locker lids needed a bit more attention.  One of the lids needed some repair.  The rain water had got under the top layer of the ply and had started to lift it.   I used a stanley knife to slice into the effected area and squidged  PVA in, I then put weights on to hold it down.  I hadn't got round to filling the grooves in the port lid with Sika flex last year so I masked that up smoothed in the black stuff.

While the paint stripper was doing what appeared to be not a lot and the varnish and sikaflex were drying I turned on the main sheet traveller cleats.  These had started to pull out during the course of last season.  When I took them off the wood screws that hold each cam down had bent and the bolt through the base plate was threaded into the GRP without a nut on the back of it.

 I found some suitable bolts, drilled through the grp and bolted them down on a bed of Sikaflex.  The pic above shows the inside.  The base plate bolt now has a penny washer and a nut on it but there was no space for washers of any kind on the bolts for the cams.  I need two more bolts as the I'd run out of the length that I needed to go through the cams, base, GRP, nut and have enough for a few spare threads :)

Meanwhile the Stripper had been busy working away.  It doesn't bubble or flake or do anything to show that its working but once the pressure washer get to work the paint just washes off.  Below is a piece of paint dislodged from the boat. 

I'm still here

Ah well, you could be forgiven for thinking that I'd given up or won the lottery or been abducted.  The truth is I'm not clever enough to know when to give up, lucky enough to win the lottery or desirable enough to abduct so I guess my absence can only of been down to the weather, which has kept me well and truely pinned down.

Shortly after putting the tarp over Ciao Bella we had the gales so that had to come down, the rain has been both persistent and horizontal. With a break in the weather on Sunday afternoon I went for a nose around. On lifting the cabin sole I was greeted by two inches of rain water, no mystery here; it had been blown between the hatch and the washboards.

I picked on a job that I could do quickly, the rudder pintle repair that I did last year on the beach needed some adjustment.

I had somehow measured incorrectly and when it came to fitting it between tides I'd had to make a hurried bodge job.  As you can see in the picture above, the stainless straps don't project far enough past the skeg. I'd had to drill through the bottom plate and attach the Plastic bush with a vertical bolt.  This was a bit wobbly in use and didn't inspire me with confidence when it was hauled out at the end of the season.

My solution was to move the fitting back and redrill the skeg.  The bush is now held with a horizontal bolt which will keep it in position in the SS channel.  When the temp picks up I will need to remove it again to epoxy fill the original holes but it feels like a step forward. 

I had also had trouble with Antifoul adhesion last year.  I think I had used some silicon based cleaning products and hadn't prepared the areas to be painted well enough.  While it was still dry and light I went around and scraped the effected areas back to the gel coat.  I will ensure it is properly keys this year.

Got the January blues

It's wet.... It's so wet and cold that I've barely moved from in front of the TV in weeks.  Not that there has been anything worth watching on telly.  Wall to wall star wars and crap costume drama's. Ughh!
The cabin fever is getting too me and the day job is not, as they say, floating my boat at the moment.
This morning I made rather too much espresso and banana gelato,  can I eat my way out of January?  One of the many excuses that I have for not doing anything on Ciao Bella is that it's just too wet, the cabin is constantly damp and cold and the cockpit is swimming as the scuppers keep getting blocked with leafs and moss off the house roof.
Well following a conversation about setting a date for this years cross channel attempt, oh yes; 21st June and the following week are in the diary; I did get off my are this afternoon and drape a tarp over the cockpit and cabin.
Hopefully now the locker lid will dry out so I can rub them back and varnish. I'll also be able to leave the wash boards out to let air circulate and maybe even start to strip paint from the anti slip areas.
Its been a long time coming but I think the enthusiasm is starting to build again... I'm off to the boat show on Monday with Sparrow Steve so I'd better get a wish list together.
Projects for this year include:
Rig the boom for easy reefing.
Move the heads and create a functioning V berth.
Overhaul the mainsheet track and fittings.
Cure some more leaks.
Make a sail cover.
Paint the decks and coach roof.

Lets make a start

Well I have finally made a start on the winter jobs.   I haven't put a lot of thought into what I want to achieve this winter, so I started on the basics.  I gave the hull a good scrub and washed it off with the pressure washer. This years anti foul had worked quite well but it hadn't adhered very well. I'm not sure why, possibly due to poor preparation last year or maybe something I'd used on the hull. What ever the reason, I shall have to take it back to a good base this year. While I had the pressure  washer out I set about cleaning the caked on seagull poo of the decks... Yerk!

I then set the engine up so that I could flush it out and run the carb dry.  While it was running I checked to output from the charging circuit.  I'd never used it before as it didn't seem to work.  The reason had been because one of the wires under the cover had become broken.  The output was up to 15v at full revs but at normal speeds it only puts out about 7 or 8 volts.  I will install a socket to allow it the assist with battery charging.

Somethings which occurred to me while cleaning were...

• Set up the boom to allow easy reefing.  
• Improve out-haul system.
• Make new point for topping lift to attach to.
• Strip the paint from the decks and coach-roof, repair any damage and repaint.
• Remove all deck fittings and re-bed to stop leaks.
• Rub down and re varnish all wood work.
• Redesign main hatch sliders.
• Move heads from current location.
• Make cushion covers.
• Make sail cover.

I'm sure this list will grow considerably over the next few weeks.

Haul out

Well the end of the season has arrived with a bang.... Ciao Bella is safely ashore as we wait for the worst storm since 1987 to hit.
I did it the easy way this year, Salterns had a special offer on hoist outs this year and I couldn't bring myself to go wading around upto my neck at Baiter park.   Paul and myself booked for the same morning, it's easier if we help each other.  The first lift was booked for 11am with the second at half past.  Fortunately they were flexible as we were a little late getting there.  Not much to say about the lift out, except it was a doddle. There is a wee vid clip below (It starts with Pauls Corribee then switches to Ciao Bella, just for continuity of the process).
Despite using the cheapest antifoul the wetted area seemed remarkably clean, it looks like I'll have to raise the boot top again, she's had a head start for Movember :)

Once out we had to concentrate on getting the masts down and strapping the boat down ready for trailering.   Both went remarkably easily considering the wind.  We didn't have A frames, just used the roller furler to steady the decent.
Paul had a posse ready and waiting at his house to help push the trailer up his drive, we then flew back to Salterns to pick up Ciao Bella.  By 4pm both boat were safely back at their respective winter homes. That's one heck of a relief with this lot coming...

Out on a grown up boat

Omega in Dartmouth

Last weekend I had the chance to crew on Omega, a Harmony 34, sailing around Torbay.   I couldn't turn it down..  Roger picked me up early on Saturday and we made our way to Torquay.  We met Nick, the owner down at the marina and readied the boat for sail. There was absolutely no wind as we set off and I thought we'd have to motor everywhere.

Motoring in light airs

Eventually the wind filled in and we made our way around Berry head towards Dartmouth.  As we approached the entrance to the river Dart Nick Suggested that we stayed out in Start bay, what a good call. We had a magical hour or so just messing about on the water.

Nick taking a rare turn at the helm.

The Harmony has a wheel in place of a tiller, I have to say it took some getting used to. Initially I made some school boy errors; turning it the wrong way and struggling to find the central position.  Once I'd got the hang of it it was a dream to helm. We reluctantly made for the harbour, the Devon coastline and the entrance to Dartmouth are absolutely stunning.

Our very own Keith Floyd

Rog took command of the Galley, which was great as it meant we'd eat well.  It's fabulous being able to walk around stood bolt upright on a boat... not something that I am used to :)
Dartmouth is beautiful at anytime of the year but just out of season is my favourite time.  There are some wonderful places to eat and drink, I suggested the Anzac street Bistro as I had been there before and we weren't disappointed.  Great food, reasonably priced and a nice atmosphere with Simon and Aga as great hosts.  We then strolled of to the Seven Stars for Rog to check out his old stomping grounds :)
Back at the boat and we couldn't help but notice that there were pirates every where.. One was even taking a large open wooden motor boat out.. I couldn't help but think he'd already been on the Rum ration.

Flying the Hurley flag

The Sunday morning was heralded with a cuppa and the smell bacon and eggs.   We had a very chilled start to the day and eventually got the boat ready to head back to Torquay.  We had a downwind run back around the head and made great time. All too soon we were back in the marina and packing up to come home.
A huge thanks to Nick and Rog for inviting me along.  I had a great time.. Proper boats are fantastic,Omega feels more stable (because it is) faster (because it is) points better (erm, because it's not a bilge keeler) and roomier... however I have no plans to sell Ciao Bella and move up to big boat ownership.  Aside from the costs Ciao Bella does everything I want a boat to do,  reasonable performance, tough & safe, easily manageable single handed, I can get into shallow creeks and rivers,  cheap to buy, run and keep and I don't have to travel to far to feel like I've had an adventure.

Thanks again Nick, and if you still want cross channel crew, let me know... I'll bring the Pastis instead of the Pasties :)

Rock & Roll to Yarmouth

The trip to Yarmouth was an absolute bonus.. I'd committed to Family duties but on the Friday I was told that I'd been double booked.. What could I say, I tried to look offended and said well I try and find something else to do instead ;)

The forecast for Saturday was pretty rubbish for going to Yarmouth.  F5 upwards coming directly from the East.  I decided to give it a go, if it looked like I couldn't make it it wouldn't take long to get blown home.

The Tern defenses that I'd rigged before going home last week seemed to have worked.. Much less poop on the boat.

Tern defenses

I got away from the mooring just before low tide and made my way to the entrance.  The harbour is well protected from easterlies so I would get a feel for the conditions until I got out of the harbour.   The wind was much weaker than expected and I was able to made way with full sail, deciding to take short tacks along the beach as I was pushing the last of the west going tide.  

An hour in and the wind had strengthened conciderably, I put a reef in the main a used the furler on the genoa to regulate as required.  As the tide started to flow with me I took a longer tack out to take me past the Hengisbury ledge.  The sea state out here was pretty full on, the boat would drop off the top of a wave, crash and judder into the trough, the bow would then dig into the next wave and as it came up it would toss gallons of water over the cockpit...  My brand new foulies are now completely caked in salt :) As you can appreciate there are no photos from this part of the journey!

I tacked back and made a good course along the 'right' side of the headland. 

Beating past Mudeford beach huts.  

Even though the wind was blowing at the headland the sea state was much calmer in Christchurch bay.  The sailing conditions where much nicer here, however time was getting on so I planned to sail as close to the beach at Highcliffe as possible then tack back and motor head to wind towards hurst. 

Motor sailing towards Hurst, time to put my feet up.

I furled away the genoa, started the engine and motor sailed to Hurst.  It was nice to be able to relax for a bit, the last few hours had been hard work.   Although not sailing side by side I had come across in company with Lapwing.  Pauls engine at this point was not pulling very well and was only making 4 knots.  We stayed together because if we got to Hurst too late we might not be able to get through so would have to find another destination.

Before entering Hurst narrows Paul refilled his outboard with fresh petrol, it was like magic, back upto 5 knots.  We got to Hurst at slack water, perfect,  the chop was building as we approached Yarmouth but who cares.. we were nearly there. Including Paul and myself four boat had made the trip.  We were welcomed with a large glass of Ardbeg on Gazelle then nibbles on Whisper before heading into town for grub at Saltys and a few beers.

The return journey was much less eventful,  we left Yarmouth a little after 9am and had a pleasant run back, goosewinged most of the way. There were various forecasts but they'd all over egged it,  F3 max from the east, Perfect.  Apart form motoring out of the harbour the engine stay off and out of the water, I even managed to pick up my mooring under sail.

Lapwing passing Hengisbury.. Much calmer than Saturday.