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Post by paulhd on Apr 26, 2021 9:03:38 GMT
Have a great day Wednesday. ⛵️
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Post by patty on Apr 26, 2021 15:53:57 GMT
enjoy your trip out...
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2021 17:41:42 GMT
I'm planning on a shakedown launch on Wednesday. The wind prediction looks fantastic at the moment. Hope it stays that way. Also just finished repairing a knackered burgee with some gaffer tape. Now I have a black flag to sail with. Arr. I've sure I've seen a couple of narrowboats sporting a skull-and-crossbones on my modest travels. Part of me thinks: 'Good for you- stick it to the man!' And the other part thinks: 'but get that woodpile and the rusty bike off your roof, you scruffy ne'er do well'. Unless its a laydee, of course, in which case I come over all Leslie Phillips.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2021 19:34:43 GMT
I'm planning on a shakedown launch on Wednesday. The wind prediction looks fantastic at the moment. Hope it stays that way. Also just finished repairing a knackered burgee with some gaffer tape. Now I have a black flag to sail with. Arr. I've sure I've seen a couple of narrowboats sporting a skull-and-crossbones on my modest travels. Part of me thinks: 'Good for you- stick it to the man!' And the other part thinks: 'but get that woodpile and the rusty bike off your roof, you scruffy ne'er do well'. Unless its a laydee, of course, in which case I come over all Leslie Phillips. Well it were only black because I had some black gaffer tape. Besides, skull and crossbones lack a certain I don't know what. Anyhow, I noticed it didn't point in the same direction as all the other burgees so I've dropped it for a red one which according to ettyket is supposed to indicate I am racing. Oh well. Ice-cream time.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2021 19:51:50 GMT
So I spent all day down the boat club (well several hours anyway) trying to get all the details sorted. In anticipation of fairly strong wind tomorrow I rigged the 'working' jib (which is the smallest one) and since it is smaller than the rest it needed an extra strop to make it fit. Also I tensioned the mast which is not easy on your own. Then I removed everything that isn't needed from the boat, and finally thought to test-rig the entirely non-standard mainsail I have since my other mainsail does not have cringles (reef-points) and the one at the sail loft is STILL not ready (although it will be on Friday apparently). It was at this point that I discovered the main halliard has disappeared up the mast (from the foot). There was a lot of swearing but the chap crewing tomorrow says we can sort it then. I shall hope so.
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Post by thebfg on Apr 28, 2021 0:53:15 GMT
So I spent all day down the boat club (well several hours anyway) trying to get all the details sorted. In anticipation of fairly strong wind tomorrow I rigged the 'working' jib (which is the smallest one) and since it is smaller than the rest it needed an extra strop to make it fit. Also I tensioned the mast which is not easy on your own. Then I removed everything that isn't needed from the boat, and finally thought to test-rig the entirely non-standard mainsail I have since my other mainsail does not have cringles (reef-points) and the one at the sail loft is STILL not ready (although it will be on Friday apparently). It was at this point that I discovered the main halliard has disappeared up the mast (from the foot). There was a lot of swearing but the chap crewing tomorrow says we can sort it then. I shall hope so. Good luck and have fun.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2021 15:32:35 GMT
And now...the update.
I successfully (I say I, actually myself, my brother Danny, and two fairly random codgers who were very helpful) retrieved the main halliard from inside the mast. However the process took so flipping long that by the time we had the boat back in a state where it was possible to go sailing we had used too much time (and tide). So DNQ. Failure to launch. Which was a shame because the codgers took off nicely in a Wanderer (very similar to a Wayfarer albeit a bit smaller) and went like whippets up the river.
However, we all seemed to like each other enough that we may well constitute the founder members of the fledgling Mid-Week Codgers Cruising Club. Time will tell.
So Danny and I will attempt to launch once more tomorrow when conditions are predicted to be roughly similar. Stand by for the next exciting instalment...
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2021 16:27:10 GMT
And so once again...but today I actually went sailing. Wind was a steady F3 and while it was a fairly gentle experience we (brother and I) did make around 5 knots at one point.
It highlighted a few points needing attention
1. Tiller extension joint badly worn and requires replacement. 2. Kicking strap currently has a standard shackle to fix it to the mast. This is fiddly and unsatisfactory - to be replaced with a snap-shackle. 3. Foresail top swivel is too long to allow the jib to be correctly tensioned. However I have a smaller one some bludy place. 4. The spinnaker sheet jammers on the thwart are a literal pain in the bum when tacking so I may temporarily remove them until I am brave enough to actually use the spinnaker. 5. There is a small plastic triangle which acts as a sort of 'keeper' for the mast foot pulley block axle, pre-lost by a former owner and not available for purchase separately, so I will have to make one. 6. The mainsheet does not have anything satisfactory to belay the bitter end to. I'll have to add something, don't know what yet, to the boom. 7. I need to do more exercise.
However the biggest issue is that while a centre-mainsheet rig is great for whomever is helming, it leaves the crew with hardly any wiggle-room so it needs to be converted to aft-main sheeting. Not a huge deal but I'll need another block of the more expensive variety.
But the boat behaved nicely overall. The sail loft should have completed the repairs to my older mainsail soon. I'll post some pics when I have it back.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2021 21:15:29 GMT
It highlighted a few points needing attention 4. The spinnaker sheet jammers on the thwart are a literal pain in the bum when tacking... 7. I need to do more exercise. Re 4, I have no idea what a spinnaker sheet jammer is, but it sounds like a great piece of kit. I feel like I'm reading one of those Joshua Slocum books where fully 30% of the words were maritime jargon that I didnt understand, but they sounded so great that I read on anyway. I'm not entirely sure that you're not making half of these phrases up as you go, if I'm honest... I expect next week you'll be telling us how the spinnaker spoolbeam jabber collapsed and almost killed the crew, and forced you to violently postibulate the ramjudder to save everyone lives. But I dont care if you've made up every word of it. Have at it, I say. I almost preened when a young lady commended my helmsmanship a few days ago, as I cruised through a bridge hole without touching the sides (for the first time in a few months). Now I feel like a landlubbing fraud. On item 7, I can only say that an opportunity did present itself last September, to assist my passage up the 17 million locks of the Northampton flight. If you'd only carpe'd the diem, it would have led to significant muscular and cardiovascular development, and you would now have the body of a Spartan hoplite. Still, there may be a chance to redeem yourself at lift bridge 45 next week. The gauntlet is down, young man. The windlass is ready (only my cheap aluminium one, mind).
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2021 21:36:30 GMT
And so once again...but today I actually went sailing. Wind was a steady F3 and while it was a fairly gentle experience we (brother and I) did make around 5 knots at one point. It highlighted a few points needing attention 1. Tiller extension joint badly worn and requires replacement. 2. Kicking strap currently has a standard shackle to fix it to the mast. This is fiddly and unsatisfactory - to be replaced with a snap-shackle. 3. Foresail top swivel is too long to allow the jib to be correctly tensioned. However I have a smaller one some bludy place. 4. The spinnaker sheet jammers on the thwart are a literal pain in the bum when tacking so I may temporarily remove them until I am brave enough to actually use the spinnaker. 5. There is a small plastic triangle which acts as a sort of 'keeper' for the mast foot pulley block axle, pre-lost by a former owner and not available for purchase separately, so I will have to make one. 6. The mainsheet does not have anything satisfactory to belay the bitter end to. I'll have to add something, don't know what yet, to the boom. 7. I need to do more exercise. However the biggest issue is that while a centre-mainsheet rig is great for whomever is helming, it leaves the crew with hardly any wiggle-room so it needs to be converted to aft-main sheeting. Not a huge deal but I'll need another block of the more expensive variety. But the boat behaved nicely overall. The sail loft should have completed the repairs to my older mainsail soon. I'll post some pics when I have it back. I would say that sounds fun, but i really don't understand most of what you said. raise the boom my good man, i think i saw on a film once.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2021 22:36:06 GMT
It highlighted a few points needing attention 4. The spinnaker sheet jammers on the thwart are a literal pain in the bum when tacking... 7. I need to do more exercise. Re 4, I have no idea what a spinnaker sheet jammer is, but it sounds like a great piece of kit. I feel like I'm reading one of those Joshua Slocum books where fully 30% of the words were maritime jargon that I didnt understand, but they sounded so great that I read on anyway. I'm not entirely sure that you're not making half of these phrases up as you go, if I'm honest... I expect next week you'll be telling us how the spinnaker spoolbeam jabber collapsed and almost killed the crew, and forced you to violently postibulate the ramjudder to save everyone lives. But I dont care if you've made up every word of it. Have at it, I say. I almost preened when a young lady commended my helmsmanship a few days ago, as I cruised through a bridge hole without touching the sides (for the first time in a few months). Now I feel like a landlubbing fraud. On item 7, I can only say that an opportunity did present itself last September, to assist my passage up the 17 million locks of the Northampton flight. If you'd only carpe'd the diem, it would have led to significant muscular and cardiovascular development, and you would now have the body of a Spartan hoplite. Still, there may be a chance to redeem yourself at lift bridge 45 next week. The gauntlet is down, young man. The windlass is ready (only my cheap aluminium one, mind). I'm not making it up, honest. On a sailing boat a sheet is the bit of string attached to the sail (at the clew) which you use to pull it to one side or the other. A jammer is a specific type of cleat, and the thwart is the bench set from either gunwale. Some history: in the old days the sheet was called the brace, and the one attached to the main sail was (naturally) the mainbrace; it was the biggest line on the ship. In use (or battle), if the mainbrace was damaged, it needed to be repaired by splicing it back together, since without it all control of the ship would be lost. Also, since it was such a big thick rope, it was a specialist job and also quite difficult. Only a few could do it. So if the mainbrace needed splicing, whomever did it was typically rewarded with extra rations of rum. When sails gave way to engine power, the term 'splicing the mainbrace' became a euphemism for having a drink. Perhaps you might find the pics below interesting. Incidentally, both pics show the boat with centre-mainsheet rig. What I'm on about is to dispense with the part of the mainsheet that goes to the centre of the boat and have it attached at the the stern only instead thus giving much more room for the crew to move about.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2021 23:09:40 GMT
And so once again...but today I actually went sailing. Wind was a steady F3 and while it was a fairly gentle experience we (brother and I) did make around 5 knots at one point. It highlighted a few points needing attention 1. Tiller extension joint badly worn and requires replacement. 2. Kicking strap currently has a standard shackle to fix it to the mast. This is fiddly and unsatisfactory - to be replaced with a snap-shackle. 3. Foresail top swivel is too long to allow the jib to be correctly tensioned. However I have a smaller one some bludy place. 4. The spinnaker sheet jammers on the thwart are a literal pain in the bum when tacking so I may temporarily remove them until I am brave enough to actually use the spinnaker. 5. There is a small plastic triangle which acts as a sort of 'keeper' for the mast foot pulley block axle, pre-lost by a former owner and not available for purchase separately, so I will have to make one. 6. The mainsheet does not have anything satisfactory to belay the bitter end to. I'll have to add something, don't know what yet, to the boom. 7. I need to do more exercise. However the biggest issue is that while a centre-mainsheet rig is great for whomever is helming, it leaves the crew with hardly any wiggle-room so it needs to be converted to aft-main sheeting. Not a huge deal but I'll need another block of the more expensive variety. But the boat behaved nicely overall. The sail loft should have completed the repairs to my older mainsail soon. I'll post some pics when I have it back. I would say that sounds fun, but i really don't understand most of what you said. raise the boom my good man, i think i saw on a film once. If the mainsail is reefed, this also has the effect of raising the boom height, thus making it less likely that it may hit your head.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2021 7:12:37 GMT
Yes i thought that
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Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2021 8:08:03 GMT
When sails gave way to engine power, the term 'splicing the mainbrace' became a euphemism for having a drink. I can almost feel the salt spray in my hair... One of these days I'd love to come down and help out with all that sheeting- save you from Davy Jones' locker, etc. You'd have to speak English though. Be no use asking me to grab the luff and spriggle the jimmy lug, or any of that nonsense. Besides which I'm not grabbing a gentleman's luff. It's just not me. This nautical jargon all sounds faintly 'suggestive'... or is it just me? I feel it might have been written by the Carry On scriptwriting team. "Yes doctor. I've got a problem with my luff." "Oooer" Etc, etc
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Post by JohnV on Apr 30, 2021 9:40:02 GMT
wait until someone names a certain type of splice
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