A game of two minds......

Several months and 2000 + miles since I last updated so will cover the trip as quickly as possible.

After we left Little Killary we worked our way up to Clare Island before heading north to the Hebrides. More crowded than even last year including one anchorage that we shared with a 42.5 metre “super yacht”. Winds were fickle but we arrived finally at Stornoway, much changed, and were greeted by Eve and Andrea pootling around the harbour in the dinghy. The town now boasts a brand new marina and consequently far more visiting cruisers bringing some money into the place perhaps. We moved on after a couple of days, heading for the mainland and north to Orkney. We anchored round the corner from Cape Wrath in a small cove overlooked by a couple of hidden houses – lovely spot.

Across to Orkney trying to make sense of the tides...the winds were light and we needed to motor some of the time. The intention had been to enter Scapa Flow at Kirkwall but I “worked” out the tide would be against us so had to enter the Pentland Firth; making sure we hugged the Orkney coast to avoid being swept through. Moving through the water at 8 or 9 knots at 30 or 40 degrees to your heading is an alarming feeling made worse by the knowledge that the bit we were in was only just the beginning of the damn thing. We made it to the southern entrance of Scapa and I realised that Scapa Flow ebbs and floods via both entrances not in one and out the other. Luckily inside the entrance the flow is less strong and we made progress to our chosen anchorage. The next week was spent wandering peacefully around Scapa Flow, watching the world go by whilst all the time my mind was mulling the prospect “how do I get us out of here”? We lacked proper tide tables/tidal streams and I'd already proven I had got the entrance very wrong so as the days went by I found the task ahead becoming more and more of a weight. 
 

The celebrated Italian POW built chapel

Anchored off Kirkwall, I tried to make sense of the tide with little success and when the weather forecast indicated that we would experience northerly winds for the next week I opted for an easier option than beating into strong tidal streams and suggested we turn south and revise our plans. In the end we ran through the narrows with no fuss, Bee pointing out that we have successfully negotiated the minefields that litter the Passamaquady; Hurst Narrows and many others so she was unsure why I felt to nervous about the tides around this area.....

So south we went, exploring the mountainous western coast of Scotland and eventually back onto the Irish coast. In the little town of Arklow we tied up in the fishing harbour helped by a very friendly local. He came rushing along the dock, asked our draft and warned us to go slow as the harbour had silted up...we crept in with 30 cms under the keel and tied up to the boat he skippered. Getting out proved interesting as the only deep water was where we were and turning the boat around involved a bit of “ploughing” but south we continued. We were heading for Rosslare but the wind meant a day long beat and in an effort to make inroads into the distance we used the engine to keep a decent angle. Sadly we had left Arklow with a Dutch single-hander who was sailing a modern, light bermudian rigged boat and we watched as he easily pointed higher than us even though we were motoring..... He was heading for Wales whilst we carried on tacking through narrow channels to Rosslare. A good anchorage for the night despite the radio message that a local fishing boat had sunk in 10 metres of water a few miles from the harbour and we watched as local fishing boats combed the spot where it had sunk.

We needed to catch the tide to round the SE point of Ireland and I looked it up and realised that if left early next morning we'd have it with us for much of the journey. Or we would have done if I hadn't looked up the LW times instead of the HW times and condemned us to hours of bucking the tide. Onto to see Phil and Mary, cruisers we met when we were first setting out years ago, spent a pleasant few days catching up and watching the activity in the harbour.

For reasons I now can't remember we opted to head back to England rather than onto France – I think we were ambivalent (still) about whether we intended to continue or probably we wanted to seriously consider hauling the boat and sorting the hull paint. Luckily the yards we considered could only haul us at big springs and in the waiting period we changed our minds. 
 

River Tamar

But in between we'd sailed up the Tamar, met up with friends we hadn't yet met and some we had, then decided to head south to sunnier climes and cheap wine.

The journey across the Biscay took too long with light winds, tides that swept us far too close to Ushant for comfort but eventually saw us sailing into Muros in Northern Spain. Now, like Stornoway, boasting a new marina but still with the option of anchoring as many boats do. A day or so after we'd arrived we were amazed to see another gaffer sailing in. And I do mean sailing in as it turned out to be Thierry, a Wylo owner we'd last seen in Lunenburg where he and his family live. With no engine at all he chooses his anchorages carefully....

Muros remains one of our favourite Spanish haunts, it has tourism but doesn't seem to be the main reason for existing and all the better for it. Narrow street giving plenty of shade and an interesting waterfront plus a working harbour all add up positively.

But from Muros the trip south has not been easy. The “normal” NW trades have given way to winds from the south resulting in heavy fuel bills for most boats. Some, mostly the larger, motor direct to their destination whilst some motor tack or simply try and sail but a frustrating time for all. Unlike previous trips down this coast we can afford, from time to time, to tie up in a marina breaking the journey as anchorages are often not within a days sail from each other. To date we have used two but only one new one. Figuera Da Foz we went into under “duress” as we had it in mind it would be very expensive and unwelcoming. It was neither and the guy on duty recognising our lack of manoeuvrability assigned us to an easy berth, coincidentally away from any boats that may get in our way. Ah the luxury of the first shower for a month........

Figueara Da Foz

Sept 5.

I'll post pics when I can

Heading North....

We left Southampton for a trial run – to see how we felt about things – and just kept going... well we stopped in Saltash to catch up with Tony and Jen before they, too, headed off to southern Portugal via the Biscay. 

Walking up from the river, the scene that greets us...

   A short hop and into the Helford to catch up with Nige and Jude, who live off the Helford and provide a wonderful sanctuary from the rigours of sea life. The Febuary storms had taken a toll and we helped shift some wood from a storm toppled tree, test their new shower, swap war stories and then on.

But not before we were greeted one morning by a bowsprit sliding very close to our stern as Luke Powell manoeuvred Agnes past us.... “Isn't that Richard somebodies old boat”? he asked, “No but it used to belong, 14 years ago, to Martin and Roma” I replied. His face lit up “That's right, built up the river from here and a fine job they made too”

We anchored off Penzance for a night before entering the harbour earlyish the following morning. We'd never been into here before and really liked the place. A working harbour that tolerates yachts as long as they're prepared to raft up and charges reasonable rates. 

The shower is good and whilst entry to the harbour is restricted to -2HW to +1HW (the harbour has a lock gate) it was a peaceful night we stayed. Oddly enough we were tied up astern of a Wylo that turned out to be owned by the ex-wife of the guy who built our hull.

We set off for Baltimore, Ireland but the wood shifting had taken a toll on my back and even Bee had felt the effort for a day or so after. Not fancying an over-nighter or two I made a fateful decision to stop over in the Scillies and sail up from there. True it made it a slightly shorter crossing but we do not share other folks opinions that these islands are wonderful for several reasons. The anchorages are, for the most part, average and coming under the Duchy of Cornwall they levy fairly steep charges for this indifference. Still we knew all this and still opted to stop so can't really complain. After a couple of days we headed off with two options; move to another anchorage or carry on, depending on conditions. We chose the latter though with a forecast of N5 or 6 we must have been doolally. Still we kept on, slowly making our way west and north. Drama presented itself in the form of a shackle distorting under load and shedding its clevis pin and later on, the sister block on the same running back coming somewhat apart. Both were relatively easy to sort out and, eventually, repair. In time we made Baltimore, chosen as it is an easy 24H entry admired the colourful waterfront and slept. With a SE forecast we moved on the following day to Schull (Skull), then onto Glengariff and then to what became our favourite anchorage for a while: Dunboy Bay. 

There seems to be more water than charted and whilst the best spot was already taken by a Vertue out of Falmouth they left after a few hours leaving us free to move in closer and have a wonderful, quiet evening. Bit of a mechanical the following morning when we left which needed us to re-anchor and sort before a long day of much motoring to get to Valentia. Valentia Harbour offers a choice of anchorages, all of which we explored before settling on our first choice although every other boat opted for the marina . Our choice was better and great shelter. Big hills and lots of trees. The following day gave us a wind shift to the NW and we moved onto our second anchorage. The scenery had been getting better the further north we got, and we were looking forward to the sail through the Blasket Islands and the dramatic mountains beyond. In the event we needed the engine to deal with the NW slop left over in the sound as we were thrown about a bit. 

Smerwick is a large bay with a number of communities around its edge and we liked the place. The fishing boat we chatted to was very friendly and helpful and though we rolled a little we left the following morning full of positive feelings for the place. But onwards as we were getting to the area we really wanted to see – Connemara. It was a longish day with reasonable winds although we needed engine help to be sure we arrived before dark. Our destination before the stiff NW's came in was to be Inishmore...... with 6 miles to go Bee read that NW winds throw an uncomfortable swell into the harbour and we switched destinations to Cashla Bay arriving about 10pm. A big, easy buoyed entry with good anchoring. A new marina exists and the harbour caters for fishing boats and the numerous ferries that run between there and various Aran Islands. The following day a local told us that the new pier in the harbour at Inishmore made it very secure and no roll entered. Well we'll just have to visit another time...

Picking up Passage Weather it looked as though we were due a long period of stiff easterlies and so it proved. The sailing was great, the scenery stunning. The sun shone and Ireland was at its best. We could see shades of Labrador and Newfoundland everywhere we looked. Small communities (although a lot more than either of those two places) huddle on the coast. Folks go about their business, unfazed by this brightly coloured boat that wanders amongst them. And it is on our doorstep!

Gull Rock

 We have used the easterlies to get a bit further north, one day romping along under double-reefed mizzen and a couple of headsails at 6knots, another day beating our way slowly to the point where we now are. Possibly our favourite for a very long time. We arrived yesterday afternoon in a tremendous downpour with lightening above the hills and mountains that surround Killary. We had had a wonderful, exhilarating sail up the coast, dodging rocks and enjoying the bright sunshine. The entrance into Little Killary is narrow with rocks and we motored in. 

The gusts come down the mountain, hit 34knots and the engine never faltered as we slowly made our way in. Despite the rain and wind we were both looking to see if we could spot the cottage that might form the “Dribble Farm” the, as yet, mythical place where Robin, Jac, me and Bee hope, one day to find and create. A land base where old cruisers can retire to.... Well this could be it. Great harbour and big hills and mountains abound. Trees too! We love it here.

Dribble Farm material....?

Much has happened on this trip, yesterday for instance the shackle that holds the flying jib to the traveller unwound itself with the consequence of the #2 jib suddenly being free to flog. Luckily yesterdays winds were lighter than those previously and we were quickly able to get it under control and a new shackle substituted. On an earlier jaunt when the winds were kicking up and Bee was changing the jib to a smaller one she made a simple mistake resulting in the jib block half way up the shrouds and wrapped around itself and any other line it came into contact with. To make it worse the baggywrinke has a tendency to “grip” a line that comes into contact with it making retrieval difficult. Well we needed that block as we were under-powered without a headsail and despite the heaving deck, lumpy seas and general unpleasantness we had to get it back. The one piece of luck we had was although it was out of reach from the deck with a boat hook it wasn't so far up as to be out of reach if someone could climb up the mast using the mast-rings (they connect the sail to the mast and are leather covered steel) In situations like this Bee always volunteers on the grounds that if she fell in she had more chance of being recovered than if I fell in although, as I vividly remember, the score is 1-0 in her favour on that front. Anyway we devised a plan - “OK you do it” and she began the climb. I guess she needed to climb 3 hoops ( so about 3 metres off the deck) before she was in a position where clinging on with one arm she used the ally boat hook to snag the block and slowly managed to get it to where she could grab it. From there it became more difficult as the line needed feeding around the shroud which required her to lean out from the centre-line toward the edge of the boat, all the time hanging on at full stretch. But it was done, the block recovered, a new sail set and we carried on.

Sadly one thing we haven't been able to recover is our log. Installed by Martin and Roma when Hannah was built it appears to have died. In the past this was usually a lump of weed that stopped it revolving and was easily cleared but all attempts have been unsuccessful and the conclusion is that the small paddle wheel has dropped off. 

 

And lastly: Fladen suits. We bought some over the winter after we'd seen them in the Fisherman's Coop in Stornoway last year. Just the thing for cool/cold climate sailing and how I wish we had had them on the last Greenland swannee.

Little Killary

50 36.7N

09 51.09W

mbt

Spring clean

With April rapidly pushing on and warm weather arriving we got on with painting the rigging. We use a combination of Stockholm Tar, Linseed or Danish Oil, Japan Driers and a drop of Black Varnish or Bitumen paint, so essentially anything we have to hand really. It is a back-breaking job as you sit for several hours in the bosun's chair with a snatch block connecting you to the fore stay rather than have to hang on with one hand whilst clutching a pot and brush with the other. 

 

Bee, at the hounds.

Bee went aloft this time and stay's, shrouds and running backs were duly coated. We have to choose windless days as the stuff can go everywhere and gleaming white yachts get the Jackson Pollack treatment if we're not very careful. The mizzen shrouds were done the following day and the complaints from visitors are still going on as they unsuspectingly grasp the nice shiny rigging to help them onto the boat... Perhaps I needed a little more driers.

The saddle, mast rings and traveller had numerous coats of Neats Foot Oil to help bring the leather back to life, finishing off with a liberal coating of deer tallow courtesy of Howard, Belfast Maine. 

  The engine sea trials have come and gone leaving us free to depart when a favourable wind comes along. Less noise and vibration coupled to a better turn of speed have left us happy with the choice. Toots, for the most part, seems unconcerned with the new noises whereas simply activating the key and the alarm on the old one was enough to have here up the steps, along the deck and under the dinghy.

With a few days of favourable winds we hope to leave and head back down toward Cornwall.

Que Sera

mbt

Itchen

Awaiting sails

Haul out blues or worse...

Another haul out comes and goes and Hannah splashes with new colours, generally tarted up and made ready for the next bit. But where will it be?

16x14 prop but will it work?

 Part of the reason for coming out was to fit a new shaft and prop. This was not without its problems, none major but given our fragile state of mind every hiccup felt like a mountain to climb. Things became so bad that one day we actually, albeit briefly, discussed selling up and doing something else! Well living in a canal boat since you ask and several hours were spent looking at various boats and imagining a life where weather forecasts were there to check on the amount of sunshine we might expect rather than a way of life. I think it all fell apart when we were visited by Tony, a fellow gaffer owner, who warned us that his good friend lived on a canal boat and the life was rather social. Bee, as those who have met her can testify, doesn't do social. Or probably those who haven't met her I should say... But it is interesting, at least to us, that we may be considering that another life might be calling us even if we really have no idea what that might be. Not living on Hannah is something we find hard to imagine but I have noticed my physical and mental changes over the last year and whilst Bee seems to have the ability to keep going, Toots has suffered more of  late too. We'll see.

Things were getting behind a little and I went to see the yard to see if we might have longer than the 3 weeks we'd asked for. They countered by asking if we couldn't be ready a day earlier. Nowt like a tightening deadline to spur us on. All the prep had been done and once the primer was applied everything, as it does, came together quickly.

Because the topsides had suffered we'd decided to freshen it up but gone for single pack rather than the usual 2 pack. Easier to apply, touch up is simpler too. So we set to whilst Paul supplied the raw shaft, John turned it and we settled on a Poole company to supply the prop. Several companies we contacted regarding a prop have still to respond which seems an odd way to run a business... The prop arrived with John and the shaft, we slid everything into place and tightened it all down. Props are one of life's complications. No matter that they have been around for several hundred years, that computer's now produce them; it still seems to be a bit of a guessing game. The owner supplies the asked for info but can only expect a "best guess" with the proviso that if it doesn't work changes can be made (at your own expense).....

 Last minute jobs were completed and then we found our splash was put back as a commercial job took precedent. Tuesday came and Hannah slipped into the slings and back into the water, escorted from the hoist by the same tug that brought her in. John collected us from the fuel dock and away we went back up the river to the Marina for another couple of weeks. Since then the majority of the engine work has been completed - just a couple of hoses to connect and we'll be in business.

The commercial job we were "bumped" for was a cat that was heading up to Shetland for a fishing business. We chatted to one of the folks concerned as he beguiled Bee with tales of Shetland and the joys we might find there....could be a contender?

Itchen,
Southampton

We've moved....but not far

A hectic time since we last updated when we had storm after storm battering the UK coast and in particularly, it seems, the south coast. One night in particular had us a tad edgy and concerned as the pressure change caused higher tides than predicted and with 2 hours to go we had already reached the HW limit of 4.4 metres. The water crept higher moving inexorably up the pilings that hold the jetties in place. 

 By the time the tide had peaked we were 1.2 metres over predictions and the jetty had risen to within 30cm of floating off. Hannah had additional lines strung from bow and stern in the, probably vain, hope that we would stay put should the worst happen. One jetty was a hand width from floating off..... Not a happy time. No engine, no sails, no anchor bent on and the widespread flooding caused all manner of creatures to make an appearance....

It drops through with a centimetre or so to spare..

 The engine duly arrived and was trundled down the jetty, dropped down through the skylight and took up residency on the saloon floor whilst we tried to sort out the other relevant bits. New engine beds was the starting point and it was after taking 3 days to work out the measurements that I decided that getting Paul to add a bit of professional help. What a difference! He organised my thinking, got me motivated and we moved forward. With a prop shaft now too short to reach the gearbox flange he came up with a delrin spacer to allow us to make a rough alignment. 

No more bad backs or twanging hernias

  Fed up with trying to raise the engine I got him to make a bracket that bolts across the beams directly above the engine so, with the aid of a chain hoist, we can now easily elevate the weight to change mounts etc. A small thing but it makes life so much easier and we can simply remove it until the next time we need it. When you consider the life of a boat versus the life of an engine I have to wonder why designers don't have something built in that allows this type of action.

Since October we had been in regular, monthly contact, with Itchen Marine, a yard we had used before to work on Hannah. Various delays occurred and it wasn't until late February that we were told they might be able to lift us in the next few weeks. With no engine we would need time to organise a tow and asked for a weeks notice. In the event we got less than a day, managed to persuade John to dust off his keys and drag us down river. As he rarely moves his boat these days the props were heavily fouled so steering and movement were laboured. He dropped us on the fuel dock and I wandered off to let the yard know. A launch was on its way back from the Hamble (the next river down) to move us into the hoist so we carried on un-shipping the bowsprit and then found a tug alongside us, large warps passed over and we were off. The launch arrived as we cast off but the tug skipper took us through the narrowest of gaps delicately manoeuvring the two vessels into position between other tied up boats and delivered us to the hoist. Had I been steering Hannah in under her own power I'd have been chuffed with how it all went but his skill was a joy to watch.

The "metronome" seconds after she'd hacksawed it off

So out of the water for the umpteenth time, hull doesn't look too bad and a week on we have got the prep work almost completed. Perhaps one last pass with the grinder. The weather has been great, warm sunny days so much has been completed. The shaft and prop are off  (thanks to Bee tenacity with a hacksaw; a blunt one at that which still cut through the 1.25" stainless shaft) and we're trying to pin down a suitable prop to match the engine... We alternate days between working on the engine or attending to the hull. Bee sanded/burnt off the old stain on the capping rails and we've managed to get two coats on before rain stopped play. We hunted around online for some additional tins but found to our horror that production seems to have ceased on it

Emerging from a session with engine beds..

A month or so ago I was told of another ferro boat in this yard and wandered down to have a look. Wild Knight is a huge boat and is up for sale as the owners health dictates a change of plan. Although over 22 metres or so in length Phil and Rose comfortably manage her by themselves and she would surely make a very comfortable world cruiser. I had a look around last night as Phil showed me over the systems, machinery and installations that he had put in. Very different from Hannah of course but not every one wants to wander the oceans in the way we do. You can see pics/details here and if you're taken - make an offer, the worst they might do is say No!

And finally. When the sails arrived back from the sail makers we wanted to look at two in particular; the mizzen and the “new” ghoster or whatever these things are called. The ghoster is a cracker - just what we want to help move us along in those gentle breezes that otherwise have us drifting. The mizzen had had a second reef put in and, as an experiment, a balancing reef but the latter wasn't successful. However once we I'd finished messing we went to tie up the mizzen but could not find the sail ties anywhere. We emptied all the sails out of the locker, checked in the stern locker, the deck box and then up to the container to root through everything we have stored up there. No where to be found and the conclusion was that the strong winds had taken them overboard from wherever I had left them. The search took place over several days but we had to finally accept they were gone.......and then Bee emerging from the engine hole via the cockpit happened to look at the small bag we keep tied around the mizzen where we stow the sail ties when the sails are up.......... I think it's time we went back to sea!

R. Itchen

Southampton

The new and the old

The old engine has gone to a new home in the north of England, the bits that were left have mostly been sold on and all that remains is the arrival of the Yanmar. Sometime this week we believe. Probably arriving the same time as this next gale/storm hits the UK...we may leave dragging it down the jetty until we get a dry day!

Some years ago we were given a gift by a good friend. Phil had a reputation for practical jokes and an avid interest in guns... I suspected the worst but was instructed NOT to open it until we were offshore. 

It was very heavy but I still remained convinced it was going to be a Glock or some such thing and we would have no option but to dump it in deep water before we made the next landfall. Well we opened it and it wasn't a handgun of course, but something from a famous (to sailors) Englishman from Birmingham. Phil had given us a Thomas Walker Harpoon Depth Sounder. 

The box looks tatty now as we kept it to hand in a cockpit locker which tended to be damp but the sounder functions as well as the day it was made. I think the design dates from 1850 or something although this one is probably much later than that. It works by setting the dial to zero and then allowing it to run freely over the side. Obviously it has a long line attached to the brass eye. The propeller spins,turning the dial until the lead hits the sea-bed whereupon the gate prevents any further movement. You haul it up to the surface and read off the depth from the scale. Naturally it shows the depth in fathoms rather than feet or metres. A fathom is 6 feet or 1.83 metres and the scale reads down to 30 fathoms. 

Thom Walker Harpoon Depth Sounder...not many left!

Unlike a normal lead and line where the skill lies in throwing the lead far enough ahead of the moving boat so that it touches the bottom as you pass vertically over the top, the Harpoon type seems to need you to be stationary before using. Defeats the object a little but we have used it a couple of times in Labrador when our electric sounder kept getting confused signals from the transducer and showed nonsense on the screen. Mr Walker's finest indicated we were in just under 17 fathoms of water. The weight of the lead makes it a fairly arduous task hauling it back up to the surface and whilst it doesn't have a hollow on the base of the lead for tallow (to gather a sample of the bed) we can achieve the same result by using plasticine.  

The hole on the left takes the line, the gate is the "hooked" piece. The lead can be seen at the top left.

 As I write the next batch of weather is arriving with 40 knot gusts being recorded down river from here although the worst is not due until tomorrow. More during the week and yet again at the weekend so it'll be a tad uncomfortable no doubt.

A few nights ago we were awoken by the arrival of Toots on the bed sometime between 3 and 4 in the morning. Nothing unusual in that of course as she'll go where she thinks the warmth will be. But this time she seemed a little agitated and I switched the light on to check and found her soaking wet from the neck to tail tip. Water entry number 14 had occurred, thankfully at low water as the double HW we get here causes the ebb to roar out. It has taken us a week or more to work out how she extricated herself - using a fender we had borrowed from a neighbour that has a "sock" around it to scrabble to safety. 

and lastly...we've just listened to the Shipping Forecast and for the first time ever we heard this description of sea state:

1. Plymouth

   Gale Warning: Gale warning issued 4 February 15:46 UTC (Open)

   Storm force 10 veering southwesterly soon
   Go to top of page

   • Wind

     South veering southwest, gale 8 to storm 10.

   • Sea State

     High or very high, becoming phenomenal for a time.

   • Weather

     Rain or squally showers.

   • Visibility

     Moderate or poor.

 Lordy lord....

Itchen River
Southampton 

Engines......

After a fallow period I finally feel as though I might have something to write about. We seem to have spent the last 6 or so weeks being swept by wind and rain with Hannah pinned to the jetty as 40 knots or so came blasting across the river knocking us over. The winds, mostly out of the SW or S tend to hit us on the beam and despite weight and draft we could feel the boat leaning heavily on the jetty. As we're tied up on the outside we tend to act as a breakwater for all those tied up downwind of us, few of which have anyone living aboard. 

The next marina down from us....

One evening at the height of the spring tides, with the shipping forecast giving out Storm Force 10 conditions just about everywhere, the pontoons floated to within 40cms of the top of the piling. As the wind was out of the south we might reasonably expect it to limit the amount of water that could ebb out of the river so that the next incoming tide would have more water to build onto. The 40cms we had the night before could easily be swamped and we 'd find ourselves tied to a jetty that had floated free. Didn't happen of course but I spent some time considering what our actions might be. Particularly as we had drained the engine of oil and water prior to removing it....

Aah the engine! It exists. We change the oil and filters but by no stretch of the imagination could we be described as engine friendly people. Anyway with 5100 hours on the clock it needed some work doing on it. The first step was to get it out of the boat. Previously we hoiked it up through the companionway hatch using the boom (braced), a chain hoist and muscle power. With a fixed doghouse that wasn't an option anymore so Bee patiently removed the sealant we had used to make the base of the skylight watertight and then we set about gathering materials to make the hoist possible.

Almost clear, the stains are from a burst water hose I think

 

Safely up.

 Easy enough in a boatyard and before long we had a couple of towers, a willing helper(Andy) and away we went. It went smoother that we thought helped, in part, by the removal of the gearbox, alternator, starter motor etc to both lighten the load and make it as small as possible. 

 

About to start the run across the planks and onto the flat bed. The skylight sits on the garage.

 We dragged it across the boat, over the capping rail and onto a flat bed trolley where we left it until the following morning when high water and daylight would make the job of getting it up the ramp easier.

We looked at rebuild versus new and though very tempted with the rebuild (cheaper) the cost eventually would have been 60% of a new engine and that really didn't make economical sense. Particularly as dealers are offering deals at this time of the year on new engines. Although we considered several we were limited in choice by what would actually fit in the space available and we soon found that most were longer than the engine bed permitted so a Yanmar it was then. It arrives at the end of the month giving us time to clean the beds and the engine area. The Ford should go to its new home this week so things are working out. 

Awaiting a new owner

Southampton

 

2411 days, 41837 nautical miles and a circle completes..

With a threatening easterly we left the Helford for the security, at a cost, of Falmouth. The anchorage is tucked into a space close to the town, with access to both dock and shower...but at a cost of £11.00. I don't know of any other country that charges you to lie to your own anchor but they certainly do in Cornwall. Does the high cost of tying up in a marina have any connection with the few foreign flags to be seen on yachts on the south coast? Who knows but we knew there would be a charge so paid up, showered and then checked out the town before heading out the next morning for Plymouth. The seas were a tad confused as the strong easterly had given way to a strong westerly but with our reduced rig we romped along happily and were sailing into Plymouth Sound and on toward Saltash long before daylight faded. Once anchored we were visited by Alan and Kay to warn us of the impending storm that the media was full of. A lot of conjecture at that stage but it did seem to be promising strong SW or W winds. The anchorage is a little exposed to the SW  but we preferred to be at anchor than taking up their kind offer of a fore and aft mooring with the subsequent strain on the boat. The moorings we knew would be fine as they're maintained by Alan and Kay (mostly Kay I think) but nevertheless from our brief experience of them before, we knew the self-steerer comes under a lot of pressure as the lines get dragged across it. So we spent a bit of time the following day anchoring and re-anchoring in an effort to get as much shelter as we could. Finally we were satisfied only to find that the area we were in suffered from a counter-current and despite the wind we frequently ended up beam to the wind and moving slowly in toward the mud. We moved further out, dug in well and settled down to wait. With no internet access but some great texting from Pete who was at home feeding us weather info and regular listening to the radio we were able to monitor the progress. For us it was an anti-climax as we doubt winds were much above 45 knots whereas the Isle of Wight got a much trumpeted 100mph and was, coincidentally, where we were next bound. October storms are a fact of life aboard Hannah it seems; dodging hurricanes on the other side or the effect of those huge lows that seem to come out of Ungarva Bay and pulverize the UK. Whatever they pass and we made ready to move on. As it was quiet we took up the offer of the mooring buoys finding, as we did so, that our windlass had jammed! By the light of torches we dismantled it, located the nut that had come off and reassembled, heading out the following morning. Progress was good despite still not having a mainsail; at at one time it looked as though we might make the Needles channel in the early hours of the morning. As ever with these things, the wind eases, speed drops and with 15 miles to go we opted to pull into Studland Bay, rest up and then head through with the next favourable afternoon tide. A wise choice in the end... There are two ways to get through the Needles; either the North Channel which, with SW winds puts you on a lee shore but avoids the worst of the seas or through the main channel with the problem of overfalls etc. With no main the North entrance wasn't really an option and in the end the main channel proved relative easy, particularly in daylight. By the time we reached Hurst at the narrows we were zipping along at 8 knots and shaped our course for the nights anchorage: Newtown Creek, a narrow, shallow creek east of Yarmouth. Oddly enough there were a number of boats in already (one aground) but two left as we searched for an anchorage. Our first choice, in a rising wind, gave us very little water underneath the keel and with all the deep water claimed by buoys I opted for one of them. Bee smoothly picked up a spare and we both noted the proximity of the adjacent boat.... A couple of hours later we felt a bump....then another one...The other boat was about 45' and modern with little underwater profile other than a deep fin and was consequently "sailing" around the buoy it was occupying and then clattered into us.  As we were the last boat there we should move but the other guy said he would, recognising he would find it easier to move than us. He was absolutely right of course - the tide was roaring in, the wind was rising and Hannah has the maneuverability of a tram at the best of times. With his bow thruster and powerful engine he did, eventually, get clear and motored up to the other end to pick up a buoy. All this in the dark with rain falling. We thought about letting go the buoy and anchoring or even fleeing the anchorage as the wind was still increasing but neither were a sensible option - the creek has no lit marks and a simple mistake could mean disaster so we stayed put, leaving around 7am the following morning.

The journey to Quayside was uneventful, boring and under power as little wind was available. We noted the changes we could see, more housing, less industry, more pontoons and then we rounded the final bend and saw the pontoon ahead. We tied up around 11am.

We've been here 6 days now and as we stare out over the, so familiar mud flats at low water, you can't help but wonder whether the last 7 years actually happened....  

Itchen River, Southampton

A small wander across the Biscay..........and back

Well over half way through October and it has been a bizarre time. After various wanderings between friends and harbours we finally thought we were ready to go. We had sailed back down to the Helford for a last few days with Nige and Jude and much of the time was spent setting up their wood store for the winter, a project we both thoroughly enjoyed and they seemed to appreciate. In our curious off-grid world we seem to inhabit, the sight of row upon row of neatly stacked rows of logs seems to represent security, comfort and enormous pleasure even if they aren't ours!

A week or so before we left a junk rigged boat came into the anchorage and anchored across from us. I rowed over the following day to meet and chat. Mike had recently returned from the Caribbean and we spent a very pleasant few hours talking about boaty bits and common friends. All the usual suspects cropped up of course, more, I think, a feature of the unusual nature of our respective boats than our personalities. Junk rig does interest me; the simplicity of the rig for one thing and certainly the way Mike handled the boat on this and a subsequent occasion we met made it all seem desirable. Not least, in my view, was that Mike is 75 and still able to handle the rig.

Watching the weather we spotted a small window of chance to run south. A last meal with Nige and Jude and on Wed Oct 9 we slipped their buoy and headed off down river to the accompaniment of fog signal toots from Nige on his verandah. What he hadn't realised was the enormous struggle we had gone through in trying to convince ourselves that we really wanted to be doing this, to be setting off after so little time with family and friends. More importantly Bee needed to come to terms with her mum's death and, we later established, felt she wanted to remain close to home for that process. But the habit of the last decade or so was deep and we reluctantly decided we'd head off and that, like so many times in the past, our misery would dissipate and we'd settle into the trip. Not so this time. 50 miles into the trip we knew we had made a mistake and that we should have stayed...our problem now was the northerly wind and following seas made a route reversal very difficult. We pressed on. The following morning I felt better but Bee didn't and as the day got older so our mental positions changed about. We might have turned for Brest but didn't, all the time hoping that: a) our moods would lift and b) we would make it around Finisterre. As each day passed it became obvious that our chances of actually getting around Finisterre were becoming slim as winds eased and our reluctance to motor meant we would cover less than 100 miles a day. On Sunday 13th Oct - the day we actually began owning Hannah in 2000 - we heard from a passing ship that the string of northerlies were over and that we would see SW winds begin the following day, building from 4-5 to 7. We tacked for a while and got to 70 miles from La Coruna but with the increasing wind and a powerful current it became clear that our only prospect lay to the east and about 140 miles away - Gijon. The last thing we needed to do was to get pushed further east and end up where we really didn't want to be so we turned for home. With the wind behind us again, the seas quickly built up. That night was glorious, a clear sky with stars everywhere. The next day dawned grey and gloomy with the forecast of increasing winds. We prepared; setting the trys'l rather than the main and once the wind hit we quickly opted to heave to as the seas made it difficult for the self-steerer to cope. Worse may yet be to come we thought as in order to enter the English Channel you need to cross a substantial bank where the seas bed rises from 4000+ metres to around 100 metres and can give rise to massive waves with the wind and tide in the right direction. We would see. The following night we spent in the company of pilot whales who "sang" to us for hours. We could hear them clearly through the hull as Hannah sailed on at 5 knots towards Cornwall. The day dawned, the sun shone, the barometer was steady and all was well aboard. The hours passed. The only thing that interrupted life was the huge number of ships that pass between Finisterre and Ushant.... with AIS of course life has become much easier as ships are clearly identified by name and will respond when you call. One such ship did respond and assured us blithely that things were fine and we would pass starboard to starboard. And so we did, but we watched with some concern as he passed about 600 metres from us. I doubt he would have done that with a bulk carrier or indeed any other ship.

On the morning of the 17th, with 60 miles to go to Helford I came up on deck at sunrise to look around...all seemed well until I glanced aloft and saw what looked like a ribbon of moonlight glinting along the sail. I stared harder willing what I believed I was seeing to be untrue. But no amount of head shaking, squinting or turning away and looking back could alter the fact that we had a one metre split in the main between the second reef and the gaff making it unusable. The "moonlight" I was looking at was the sky through the rip.  Not a good  moment as the last forecast we had received warned that the SW winds would switch to SE. and then back again to the SW. Well we're a ketch and under mizzen and a couple of heads'ls Hannah will romp along happily...indeed we ran from Grenada to the DR under just that rig. BUT if the wind backed further to the east we would lack enough oooph to keep us moving along our course and we would end up sailing north rather NE as we needed to. Coupled to that came a drop in the wind and speeds fell to sub 2 knots as the current began to turn against us. OK enough is enough and the decision was made to motor, as we did all the way back. By playing the current we were able to make a reasonable speed and the batteries got a decent charge into the bargain. As we closed the coast we were able to get some credit onto the mobile and warn Nige and Jude that we were about to reappear in their lives. Visibility was poor as we made our way toward Helford - ships would appear less than 4 miles away moving very quickly at 15 knots but weren't visible until 3 miles or so from us. From the Manacles to the entrance we bucked the ebbing stream but eventually made it into the Helford and threaded our way through the buoyed boats towards our mooring. At some point I had noticed that the audible clunk we hear when we engage forward gear had gone and, naively, I put it down to the engine getting a good workout. We approached the mooring, tide running against us and engine in neutral. Bee was on the fore deck ready to grab the "pick up" As we were doing 1.8 knots I dropped it into reverse and revved to take the way off the boat......we went faster! Not believing what I'd just observed I did it again (file under idiocy) and, surprise surprise, we picked up speed. At my end I worked out that we had no reverse, that somehow the gearbox was stuck in forwards and we had a bit of an issue. From Bee's end she suddenly saw us closing rapidly on the boat upstream of our mooring, wondered if I had completely lost the plot and pointed out that she had asked to slow down. As luck would have it she hadn't grabbed the "pick up" so I was saved the embarrassment of Bee either bringing the boat to halt by refusing to let go or more likely being whisked over the side by the inertia generated by our forward motion. Because the tide was running against us we we easily able to manouvre away from the boat ahead and made our way into the anchorage. Once we had anchored we found that the cable had come adrift from the lever attached to the selector and so we were permanently in forward.

And so we found ourselves back on the Helford after an, almost 900 mile trip, to nowhere. Interestingly fellow sailors had been following the weather and all wrote to us whilst we were at sea expressing doubts that we'd make it before the weather turned against us. One, Mike, in a phone conversation later, said had it been him he would have motored but as he knew we wouldn't he also knew we'd end up short! But we're back in the UK, Bee will get to spend time with her sister, I'll see my family and, hopefully, my grandson and next year is another voyage.

Since we installed the Air-only vent the company that produces them have introduced a 12v fan as an add on and when we bought the second vent we also bought 2 motors to go with them. We're great fans of these vents as you may know. Despite shipping water across the deck the one installed at deck level hasn't let a drop in even though it has remained in the wide open position. The motors however simply take the unit to another level. With a 2-speed switch and built in light they improve air flow enormously and the light warns you that the unit is left on, although its consumption is so low as to be negligible - 1/10 amp. But the light also acts as an effective night light allowing us to move around below with vision whilst not disturbing the off watch. If you are thinking of new vents then these really should be top of the list. 

A month or so back Bee wandered into a charity shop and found a cd she thought we might like. It had been very popular when first released but had passed us by. Anyway this track is from it and is sublime, an absolute gem. No doubt many of you will know it already so bear with us.