It's quiet - too quiet.

[Silkie]

I know it's the weekend and I've been hanging with the guys on the appliance repair forums for a couple of days (and can report that I have managed to repair our dishwasher which hadn't previously missed a beat in 14 years) but where is everyone else?

PS - Happy Birthday to Marisca.

[Gardenshed]

Silkie,
I was out sailing yesterday, but not in home waters. 35deg, shorts, UV protection Tshirt & factor 50 sunscreen. Crewed on a Nacra F18 cat with asymetric spinnaker, 3 races, 2 firsts & a second and then splashed around in a laser for about and hour.
A different kind of enjoyment from going round the Mull at night with Lords Webcraft & Macdonald.
Life's a beach.....
http://www.varuna.org/index.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[marisca]

Many thanks for the "happy returns". The birthday pressie of the new genoa is supposedly on a dog-sled somewhere between Tralee and Ed'burg and my children are resigned to their expectations being frittered away on the boat. One downside of the birthday thing was a 3-line whip to not go racing today - it's a totally crap day with sunshine, blue skies, temperatures above freezing and no wind so hopefully no-one will finish and next Sunday will be cold, wet and windy for the last race of the year.

Coincidently, I have just given up on our 21 year old dishwasher - the last seal repair failed and confidence in my latest bodge to prevent kitchen flooding was pretty low + there was a bit of quid pro quo for the new sail . So we have a brand new yin and the difference in performance is startling. I think it might even get the tea stains off the boat mugs it's so good! It almost needs dark glasses when emptying it, the glare off the dishes and cutlery is so bright.

[Silkie]

I'd be interested in your opinion of the new genoa after you've had a chance to try it out. What spec did you go for? Thinking on, it's probably a super racy laminate and not quite so relevant to the kind of sail I might consider for the good ship Silkie.

[Silkie]

http://www.varuna.org/index.htm

Sounds like my kind of club. "0730 - 2400 Bar"

[ash]

I winterised the Beta today - I know - horses bolted - stable doors bolted - too late.

I don't leave any heat on, and of course the water in the raw side is fresh so I feared the worst for the pump / heat exchanger / water lock.

I opened up the pump before starting the engine and I did find slivers of ice in there. I can see no signs of external cracks / leaks and I hope that the tube bundle is OK too, and that I've got away with it. I think that the anti-syphon valve allows enough air in to give enough space for the ice to expand.

I'm told that it took a few days for the marina to freeze over, and that the temperature got down to minus 9 degrees centigrade. It all melted but then formed a thin skin ice again last night at minus 2.

Ash

PS - the pump still has all it's lobes, which is a first...Missing Lobes

[Gardenshed]

http://www.varuna.org/index.htm

Sounds like my kind of club. "0730 - 2400 Bar"

food & drink cheap, boat boys to rig, launch, recover and de-rig your boat... could get used to it.

If you are thinking of getting a new Genoa for Silkie, go and have a chat to Chris Owen. He did a great job of my main and Genoa. Just a shame that the marina have fallen out with them as Owen don't want to add a surcharge to their bill for all work carried out in the marina.