Maldon trip

Not sure how to do this but I am trying to attach a file  which if you open in Google Earth shows where I went this weekend.

Not sure how or why but the Navionics chart plotter on my mobile phone works again!?!?

I sailed from Bridgemarsh to the anchorage just off Osea Island before I activated the tracker on my mobile. The achnorage was very busy with lots of people waiting for the tide to make it up Mayland Creek. So first of all I visited Maylandsea. Very tidal, 1 hr either side of HW. 



After this little excursion it was too late to go up to Maldon and mooring there is almost impossible so I decided to leave it until high water on Sunday. I tried to find deep water to anchor off Heybridge which wasn't in the channel. 



In the end I gave up, used a buoy and prepared for a night lying on a bulkhead. Deepest mooring resulted in 4 hours nestled in the forecabin. Not too bad. 

Next morning I was up early to take the tide up to Maldon. There were a large number of Thames Barges, most had BSBM 2013 pennants which I assume is some sort of rally. 



I caught Repertor in the sun.



I made it up to the top of Maldon before my camera battery ran out.



On my way back I kept pace with Niagara, she looks like a new steel hull. she went off to the Thames estuary and I went back to the Crouch. 

A good trip all in all, nothing broke and boat went well.

Not sure how this post will turn out, Photobucket etc and Preview function isn't working on my machine. 

End of the Engine Project

We went sailing today, the engine alignment wasn't brilliant but it seemed good enough for my owner. Anyway, great to get some air in my sails and visit the seals in Yorksfleet creek. I enjoyed the cleaning as far as it went, if he finishes the rest of it I'll feel great. The engine seems OK, a lot less vibration than my old concrete mixer.

Spot of Luck update

Well, he made it back from the Med. It was, by all accounts, quite an adventure. If you want to know more sign up to 'small boat club', http://smallboatclub.proboards.com and look for the longest thread in its history + 'voyage of a lifetime' thread.

Anyway, I am back in the water, my stern gland is slowly dripping and for once I hope I see my owner before the water reaches my new engine. Hopefully he'll be back this weekend. It almost sounds like I miss him.

Ready for launch 2013, at last

After two long days, one with a friend, my owner has finally got me ready for launching. Yet again another strange colour of anti-fouling. Polish was not finished and apart from some fresh bright work and a replacement engine I feel really scruffy. I hope he has done the stern gear up nice a tight as I don't want to sink! For progress on the engine see the projects section.

A Spot of Luck

It's freezing and my illustrious owner seems to be keeping warm while I am covered in snow and frost. Engine project is going as well as all of the others, its at a stand still.  Now I hear that he has had a spot of luck.

He is off to the Med for a holiday around the Balearics, Corsica and over to Italy. Through his musings on SBC he has landed a trip on a relaxed yacht delivery. Here's hoping the owner and skipper can instill some sense, I just hope that he doesn't like the warm weather, lack of tides and mud banks too much. On second thoughts if he does he might find me a new, more caring owner!

Warm Weather

End of the warm weather is about to hamper his efforts to give me a 'heart transplant'. St Jude being his patron saint, my owner is trying to re-power me so it should be interesting to watch. The story is unfolding in the Projects page.

Paint Remover

The fool has a joke that is starting to become a reality. The joke is that you need the same colour paint remover as the colour of the paint that you are trying to remove. Not very funny but it is code for colliding with painted items and needing to remove the mark.

This season has been an unmitigated success with regards to him keeping me off the bottom. He hasn't run me into the mud once. However, almost every standard Trinity House colour of paint remover has been needed. Green paint remover was required after running into a fairway channel mark in the Crouch. The day was ideal, a fair South Westerly wind was taking us back to Bridgemarsh and there was an almighty crunch that shook the me to the core. He was convinced that the motor boat to port caught it on a camera, they must have seen the situation developing. So far no sign of it in any of the main sites like you tube!

The worst collision involved a boat in a marina. The colour was maroon but red paint remover would have solved the problem. He grovelled and apologised to the owner when he met him. The other boat owner was very forgiving and he learnt a valuable lesson. Don't try and moor up on my own with a strong off shore wind!

Yellow paint remover was required this weekend, on Friday he managed to sail us up to Battlesbridge on a rising tide in the pouring rain. Sail came down and engine went on at the final bend before the basin. A neatly executed 180 turn and a stooge about in the basin until the owner of Hazel May came up on deck to make sure that we weren't about to moor up alongside. Then we motored back to the river moorings off N. Fambridge. As there was no wind in the morning he decided to set off before it was light and get back to Bridgemarsh before the tide ran out. We hit Short Pole Reach as we drifted down the river. A minor glancing blow but it did leave a little yellow mark on my bow.

So paint remover is code for a cock-up involving embarrassing coloured mark on my hull. Let's hope he doesn't need any more paint remover!