Solo Ventures

  As if bluewater sailors don't have enough navigational hazards to avoid. Now they have unidentified drones, on or under the water! Apparently the military have been using them for surveillance, pirates load them with explosives to attack ships and criminals load them with drugs (and probably arms), for export. You would have to ask where these pirates and traffickers get their funds.  To have engineers design and construct such a craft in secret,  would cost a lot.   At a time when left-leaning economists is reporting a 50 year old chasm between wages and corporate profits, it's obvious that crime will at least pay. It's working for politicians and the corporate types. Apology: Nothing in this post is aimed at feeding any myth that life at sea is dangerous.    -   +   ×   ÷   =   /   _   €   £   ¥ Type one word and let Auto Correct complete the sentence: "Flower...

 Oh it's a foggy morning just now.  I've bought some lengths of doweling to plus old screw holes,  but with such damp air drilling and glueing quality will be compromised.  The wood will tear and the epoxy may go milky. Hope it fines up.   I could bring the mast to the house and replace all the rivets.    By Winslow Homer,  of human resilience.  Shamed by whinging about a bit of fog,  while studying the painting above,  I got to work.   Mast: drilled out rivets and refitted stainless steel rivets. Hull: drilled out old headsail track screw holes to accept 5mm dowel and epoxy glued this in.  Same procedure followed fort various old holes in the transom as well as two sets of pintles that I removed.  Once the epoxy is dry,  the dowels wil be cut down and sanded flush,  then oiled and varnished.  A good day. 

 When first I laid eyes on the Jacaranda her boxy cùddy cabin made me wince. That amount of we windage would surely not be tolerated? But, then I thought of the benefits of having a space of relative comfort in a blow.  Somewhere to go,  somewhere to store.  Very practical in a double-decker way. Perhaps it may stay?

 As a mostly fiberglass boats sailor, buying a serious timber boat called for some re-education. I've been studying this book:  It is mostly Scandi', written in 2011 and based on traditional timber boat building methods.   The author makes it very clear,  that sealing wood to prevent freshwater ingress and careful air circulation,, are paramount.  After constructing a soft shelter, I checked for any problem areas. I didn't have to look far,  a headsail fairlead track with no less that eight screws ie: holes, per side.  These were removed and linseed oil dribbled into the cavities.  Later,  these will be drilled and plugged.  Several bollards were a bit thin on varnish and their fixing bolts looked like they had cracked through normal expansion and contraction.  These were dowsed in linseed oil.  They will be wiped dry,  lightly sanded and given several coats of thinned varnish.   The little bowsprit showed s...

 Jacaranda's wooden build is emerging as something of significance greater than I had considered.   During my first quiet familiarization session I worried over the cùddy cabin.  So many joins,  shady corners and areas of the hull interior that were inaccessible.  While I would enjoy having somewhere dry to store gear, the hidden corners seemed to haunt me.     I was already considering removing the cuddy cabin because it looks a bit ugly.  So last night I e-mailed they local chapter of the Wooden Boat Association to ask if they could offer guidance on how I might get this job done. Obviously attacking the structure with a saw would be simple,  my concerns relate to the need to reinforce the remaining hull,  especially the mast base which would then be hull mounted   I was delighted to get a response from the secretary within 48 hours offering assistance.  

 "The Big Book of Wooden Boat Restoration " by Thomas Larrs:- Fresh water,  or water from above is the greatest enemy of wooden boats. Water may be prevented from building up or drained via a plug in the bilge.  Efforts must be made to stop fresh water entering by separate canopy,  deck cover allowing air circulation etc.  Water can enter the structure close by joints and fittings; these should be adequately sealed. The bilge must be keep clean and ventilated to prevent growth of mold or fungi.  The bilge must be kept varnished or painted.    Varnish ages and cracks and must be replied annually.  Sunlight can split varnish,  allowing moisture which can heat causing steam which further cracks or splits varnish and timber.   Keep varnish from direct sunlight as possible to limit aging the varnish, and then  expansion and contraction which compromises the seal.  

 A vast expanse of saline and brackish waters  a veritable inland sea, complete with two separate river systems,  and vast shallow lake,  surrounded by national park-lands, more than a day's sail north. Ancient waters geologically and socially,  where native inhabitants of various nations met to feast and conduct rituals in the shadows of volcanic sentinels.  Fortunately free of the black rape which plagues the areas to the south amd west.  Where tracts of earth are disgourged into ocean going leviathons to benefit the dense population centres of the sub- continent ... and a handful of local barons.  However , their reach is broad and meteorological changes bought on by the burning of their "black gold" are wreaking havoc, eroding shorelines, ignoring forests and confusing traditional cycles in nature.  Yet,  we, the adventurous must continue to go forth. In tiny timber boats,  we meander the edges, sip tea and inwardly weep tears o...

 After a long day's motoring,  my worst pastime,  I finally have Jacarandah  at home and it feels great. Within just a few minutes of taking over possession and wheeling her onto the street, I had; one offer to buy, an offer of assistance and a " what are you going to do with her? " query. I told the last guy I hoped to " sail her keel off ".   Not knowing how much strength was left in the rusty trailer,  I  opted to load her onto a trailer. In hindsight I could probably have got an Unregistered Vehicle Permit. But,  I was worried, the trailer had not been used for a decade. While setting the loading ramps,  a young guy actually parked up,  walked across the street and asked if I would like a hand. Wow! Just like my old Mirror Dinghy,  this boat attracts Random Acts of Kindness. My next visitor was was Large Walking Man. He bawled out: "That's a beautiful little boat" and then "I would love something just like her".  When ...

 From Roger Barnes' video,  some ways of running his boat are worth noting: Stockholm Tar is used to seal bottom boards.  Transom is notched for admitting the sculling  oar. Soft shackles are used.  Tiller taming device used by DCA, features a fixed line between attachments on each quarter. A bite on this line is fed rewards through a metal ring just back from the handle of the . A line with bungee cord attached is hooked through the bite. The other end runs through a clam cleat to adjust tension for heavier winds.  It offers brief moments of self steering to relieve the helmsman to dash forward or grab a bite.    Auto electric bilge pump. Battery is removed for charging after each sail  Waterproof bags are used for dry storage.  These  lashed under the seats,  act as flotation.  

 I don't know how many boats I've had but I did tell a little white lie today: "I never saw a boat I didn't love". Pig course I have,  but mostly I can find something lovely about each sail boat because like dogs and teddy bears, they " don't answer back, & they don't tell you that you look fat ".  Anyway, after lurking for a few weeks, I went to inspect a 15 ft. timber clinker dinghy in pea green & varnish. I had bugger all money for such a thing,  but I hoped to offload a bike to help me out should I decide to go ahead with the purchase. In my mind I  knew that a half-century old dinghy was likely to have issues. So I harboured,  some misgivings & there was the rusted out trailer to throw into the deal. I could barely afford the boat let alone a basket case in need of rescuing.   As I went through the gate and saw a gleaming pea green clinker hull before me, all my objectivity melted into the concrete.  I had to have this boat! ...

 I recently moved Ka'nu's port hull up to nearer the house so I could use power tools to sand the decks,  hull and old antifouling below the waterline. I made sure she sat level & the weight was evenly supported.  I had problems at her previous location as strong autumn winds blew her canvas cover or ike a balloon & capsized her,  twice. Apart from being a pain to right her,  the risk of holing or damaging the hull had bothered me.  So, this time I took the wheels off her cradle to give her a lower centre of gravity & surer footing.  Board the port hull & messing about below opened my eyes to how narrow the Tiki 21 is. The widest part of the hulls is actually quite a way forward from the hatch, but there is no hatch there for comfort.  I noticed properly for the first time,  the the onboard  section of the deck drought by the hatch,  had been repaired.  There is timber on the outer face for the job sheet block, ...