BLUEMOMENT

I go away for a few days and it's like Sleepy Hollow 'round here! Even my latest blog entry is more interesting than this!

I composed a long and witty reply to this post on Thursday afternoon, then hit that mystery key on the keyboard that causes it to irretrievably vanish. Tried again and the system I was on (institutional paranoid IT dept variety) wouldn't let me post.

And that's all there was time for . . . too busy sewing mainsails, scrubbing bottoms and fixing aerogens (Oh yes, and work . . . trying to forget about that).

Down at Loch Melfort last Sun / Mon on the scrubbing berth with the rain and the midges and the mud and a tide that wouldn't go out then wouldn't come in. Couldn't help noticing the grubby bottom on a certain motor sailor - we now have an 'ansom transom and after debarnacling and general slime removal can report an extra two knots in light airs.

No sailing this weekend - gone East by horseless carriage. Hope Claysie's Whitsun cruise is going OK in spite of the weather - better in the West today I think. Back on the water next weekend.

Excellent blogging Dave dude. There's a few more signed up since Good Old Boat mentioned YotBlog in their newsletter.

- Nick

Nick wrote:I composed a long and witty reply to this post

Of course, we've only got your word for this.

Nick wrote:. . . too busy sewing mainsails

New mainsail fund suffered a setback?

No sailing for me either this weekend - perhaps just as well given the forecast winds - wouldn't want to destroy my new-found single-handing confidence so soon.

Nice plug from Good Old Boat Newsletter BTW.

Think I might have to dream up a retrospective blog entry to keep me entertained.

Dave

PS Regards to the first and second mates.

Hi Dave, DaveS's obviously had a deep effect on you and you're going all Avilion! Next thing you'll have modified reefing, and special mooring techniques.

Those are the bits that scare me a wee bit - our reefing system is a modified roller boom, so it's already got it's "special techniques", harrumph. Trouble is, they take ages and don't work too well. Anyone know where to get cheap booms?

We should be afloat in about 3 weeks, with maybe another week getting her ready and finishing off all the unplanned wee jobs. For example, when I do one job, I always find something else wrong - or, more likely, a break something, which then also has to be fixed!

Original plan was back up to Argyll (Melfort, Creran, Linnhe etc) for a short term mooring, then south to Ireland, and maybe Scilly Isles. But with the delay in getting back into the water, our plans have all gone awry. Anyway, I'll let you, Dave, Nick, Claymore know if I'm going north.

Good luck with the season!

It's a case of needs must. If no-one wants to sail with me then I'll just have to do it by myself. Perhaps I should try improving my personal hygiene?

I've been looking at crewing websites recently (there are a quite a few folk signed up to Find a Crew but it's remarkable how few people just want to go for a sail in a wee boat in Scotland though there's any number would be happy to hostess on an 80-footer in the Caribbean!

CREW WANTED

Freshly showered 50yo seeks congenial crew for mini adventures in the Mull area. Age or experience unimportant. See my blog to get some idea about me, the HOA website to find out about the Hurley 22 and there are a few pics of Silkie here. PM me with a wee story about yourself if interested.

Would you reply to that? No, I don't think I would either, and I know me!

Dave

Shard wrote:our reefing system is a modified roller boom

When you say modified do you mean that you still use the roller reefing (but modified) or has it been converted to slab reefing? I've still got the original roller boom but it's been converted to slab reefing by the addition of a piece of track with a couple of sheaves at the clew end and hooks at the gooseneck. I don't suppose it's any slower than any other reef-at-the-mast slab system.

Dave - it's an old roller boom now in a fixed position. The slab reefing is fine, it's just that the reefing lines don't have proper jamming devices, but old fashioned compression slots (for wont of a better description). They work fine until they don't - it's a bit disconcerting and bloody fast when they go. So now, we reef in, and then add an extra sail tie from the eye in the leech to the end of the boom fro additional security. Works fine, just a pain, and a bit dangerous in a blow.

I can keep on spending more money and modifying it, but probably better investing in a new boom.

Silkie wrote:I've been looking at crewing websites recently (there are a quite a few folk signed up to Find a Crew but it's remarkable how few people just want to go for a sail in a wee boat in Scotland though there's any number would be happy to hostess on an 80-footer in the Caribbean!

Maybe they don't know any better! Anyway, I'm sure there are people who'd really fancy dailing on the west coast - I'd suggest trying a message this massively underused site (there's even a special section), and YM's Scuttlebutt.

Shard wrote:The slab reefing is fine, it's just that the reefing lines don't have proper jamming devices

I've just got regular horned cleats at the forward end of the boom to secure the reefing lines to. It seems a bit primitive but appears to work OK. It's one of the systems that you can't see on other people's boats, for comparison purposes, while they're tied up alongside!

Still, a new boom does sound like a sledgehammer to crack a nut, unless you've got other issues you hope to resolve at the same time.

Ach Davie man, in my declining years, I'm never totally certain whether I'm addressing Mr Silkie or Mr MacHurley, however, the good news is that she's now being coated up and was looking chust beautiful this afternoon. The verry thocht o' her back in the water puts all of these minor concerns into a different perpectif wouldn't you say. So the boom and all of the other terribly important paraphernalia will haff to wait a year or so. I shall be in touch once more after the great effent at the end of this month.

Great to hear you're at last getting closer to, rather than further from, being on the water. Hopefully expenditure estimates should now have levelled out? Have you decided yet which way you're headed for the season?

PS - My advert above hasn't elicited any responses yet so I don't think I'll bother with one on the "Crew" forum!

Silkie wrote:Have you decided yet which way you're headed for the season?

Nup. We'll probably keep it on the Clyde until end July. Then take 6 weekls or so, either north to the Western Isles, or south to Scilly Isles, via Ireland and South Wales. If the weather is settled, and we get some high pressure areas at the end of July, I'll stick to Scotland. But if it's like last year, I'll head south. Got enough charts, the current CA/Imray almanac, and last year's Reed's, to manage going south, but I had a look for the local sailing directions. Chandlers at Largs wants £37 for the ICC pilot guide to north and east of Ireland! Forget it (unless there are any bargains at Chartsales).

To be honest I'm thinking of just printing off the free US Navy sailing directions. They're pretty good for use by a yacht.