Problems: Repairs and Monitoring

We never expected to have a trouble-free boating life, but we (naively) thought that we would have some respite from maintenance work after all the refurbishment work we did.  However, that has proved not to be the case.  I have been saying that I would blog about the maintenance and repairs we have been compelled to carry out since rounding Land’s End and so this blog entry will aim to do just that.  The following aspects are not listed in chronological order and cover some aspects of repair and others where we have decided to monitor for the time being until an opportunity presents itself for full repair.

 

The first issue I want to talk about is the stern tube assembly.  The stern tube is a tube through which the prop shaft spins, connecting the engine to the propeller (I know, Granny and Eggs spring to mind, but bear with me!)  Since this tube is underwater it clearly has to be sealed at either end to prevent the ingress of seawater whilst also allowing the prop shaft to spin freely.  There are various different styles of sealing methods used but all essentially rely on a packing material (in our case, rope) clamped around the shaft by a gland nut.

  The packing material is lubricated with grease which you pump into it via a brass pump.  Some gland nuts are designed to allow a small (drip) amount of water through to help keep the packing cool when the shaft is spinning.  By all accounts, as ours is a greased type, we shouldn’t have water coming through.  When we arrived in Milford I noticed that the bilge area around the stern gland had about a litre or so of seawater in it.  Up to this point this area had been dry.  I mopped out the water and thought that the gland nut needed adjusting.  I then pumped in more grease only to notice that the grease was oozing out from behind the gland nut assembly.

  This is not good news!  The stern tube should be screwed into the back of the assembly and therefore there are only two ways this grease could escape.  Either the tube is not screwed in (far enough or at all) or the tube itself has corroded through and become holed.  The only way to know for sure is to remove the prop shaft and the stern tube, but this can only be done with the boat out of the water.  Once again we find ourselves wondering why this issue hadn’t manifested itself before we had the boat lifted out at Gweek.  I have cleaned up the area, adjusted the gland nut and continue to monitor the situation, but this is only delaying the inevitable.  Thankfully there has been very little water coming in, and it only appears if we have had to push the engine hard, so I am hoping it will hold out until at least next spring.  We are facing another hefty bill to rectify this one, particularly if the stern tube needs to be replaced.  Oh the joys of wooden boat ownership!

 

The next issue I want to talk about is an ongoing saga with the toe rail and fairlead.  You may recall in a much earlier post that we had sustained damage to the toe rail when someone had put weights on our mooring lines when in Dartmouth.  I had carried out a temporary repair when we got to Mylor last year, but it was always going to be a weak spot.  Then when we were on the swinging mooring earlier this year the fairlead was ripped out again along with a large chunk of the toe rail.  A more permanent repair was going to be needed.  I managed to source a length of iroko from a timber merchant near the marina and decided that I would scarph in a new piece to restore the strength needed to support the fairlead.  This was easier said than done.  I cut the original toe rail aft of the second stanchion so that the new piece would be well supported and fitted a bracing piece on the inside to give the scarph joint sufficient strength.  The job is not particularly pretty and there are many carpenters out there who would have made a much better job of it than me, but I gave it a go.  Having replaced the fairlead I thought all was well.  However, I still wasn’t happy that this area would hold up under the strain of a mooring line.  I noticed that the toe rail was being twisted every time the mooring line was under tension.  It would only be a matter of time before it was damaged again, so a rethink was needed.

  I decided that it would be better if the fairlead was fastened directly to the deck rather than sitting on top of the toe rail.  This meant cutting the toe rail back from the stem head to leave a gap for the mooring lines to pass through.  This works much better, and doesn’t look too bad.
 
I just wish I had thought of that idea before doing the toe rail scarph as I could have kept the original toe rail and just cut out the damage.  Oh well, you live and learn!

Everyone says that owning a wooden boat means dealing with leaks, and that certainly seems to be true.  We also expect to have water collecting in the bilge which can be mopped or pumped out.  However, one particular leak is worth talking about.  We were regularly getting a fair amount of water collecting in the galley bilge and under the galley floor boards.  We had been advised to taste the water to see if it was salty, the theory being that you could eliminate fresh/rain water leaks rather than seawater leaks.  Sure enough, the water tasted salty and so we guessed that it was probably an underwater seam that was leaking when the boat was being bounced around.  When we had the boat out of the water at Gweek we thoroughly examined all of the underwater seams and found nothing amiss.  Perhaps it was one of the, now replaced, keel bolts that was the source of the leak.  However, we were still getting water collecting in this area.  There was no obvious sign of entry.  Sometimes there would be a lot of water and others there would be only a small amount, but it was frustrating me.  Then I realised that the presence of a large amount of water coincided with filling the water tanks.  Why hadn’t I noticed this before?  I lifted the saloon floorboards and watched as I filled the tanks.  Sure enough, there was a leak from the tank lid and one of the pipe connection flanges.  I ordered new seals and now we have a dry bilge.  I ask, why hadn’t I thought of this before.  I’ll tell you why.  I was misled by the notion that salty water could only be a seawater leak.  When you put fresh water into the bilge of a 55 year old wooden boat it soon becomes salty due to a build-up of years on the water.  The rule of thumb may be true in many cases, but it’s not always the case, and shouldn’t be used to misguide you from other potential causes.  Lesson learnt?  Possibly!

 

The last topic I’ll cover in this entry is the electrics.  This is a combination of repairs and an ongoing plan to make ourselves more self-sufficient.  As you know we like to spend nights at anchor away from marinas whenever we can.  There are two things most skippers worry about constantly.  One is fresh water (of which we know we can last about six days) and the other is electrical power.  I constantly live in fear that the engine will fail to start when needed due to a flat battery.  We have a total of six lead-acid batteries arranged into three separate banks.  One bank is for the electric windlass (the anchor winch), one bank is for the engine starter and the other one is for the domestic electrical loads.  Even though they are separated in theory by an automatic battery isolator I was increasingly getting the feeling that the engine start batteries were being drained by the domestic loads.  I know that, again in theory, I can charge the batteries from the 240v battery charger as long as I can start the engine.  But if the start batteries are flat I won’t be able to get the engine going.  I was also beginning to think that the engine alternator wasn’t functioning properly either.  What to do?  Firstly I replaced the engine batteries as one of them was definitely not holding its charge.  I have also replaced the alternator and wired this directly to the engine batteries so that it only charges them and not the domestic batteries.  This now gives me the confidence that my engine batteries are completely separate and unable to be discharged by the domestic loads.  I have realised that the automatic battery isolator needs to be replaced as this isn’t working correctly, so that’s next on the cards.  I can still charge the domestic batteries by running the engine which can power the 240v battery charger via a separate generator.  All of this is a good step forwards, but we’re far from self-sufficient.  We have a 100w solar panel on the wheelhouse roof which is giving some charge but not enough.  The biggest electrical draw we have whilst at anchor is the fridge, and this one panel is nowhere near capable of delivering the charge to the batteries to keep up.  We need to increase our solar charging capacity as much as possible.  Space is at a premium so I have yet to work out how best to solve this one – the research is ongoing as is the cost!

 

Ok, so a bit of a long-winded summary of a year or so of repairs.  There are other things, like continual leaks, things breaking, instruments not working properly, etc., but nothing unexpected.  Keeping up with the big stuff is bad enough.  Till next time……! 

Where Did The Summer Go?

Those of you who have been following my blog won’t be surprised to know that it has been quite a while since I last posted anything.  Somehow other things keep taking up my time and I find that yet another month has gone by without me hitting the keyboard.  Therefore I thought that I would write something like a summary of what we have been up to since arriving in Milford Haven back in May.  Hopefully this blog entry will give you a taste of what challenges have faced us, repairs we have done and what our plans are going forwards.

Our journey around Land’s End was our first (and to date only) major passage and we felt a great sense of achievement having safely arrived in Milford Marina.  We planned to stay a night in the marina to restock the boat and rest before taking up a swinging mooring at a boatyard further up the River Cleddau.  We ended up staying three nights as the wind picked up and we didn’t fancy trying to pick up a mooring buoy in difficult conditions.  It also occurred to us that getting on and off the boat from a mid-river swinging mooring in a fast flowing current without an outboard motor was going to be nigh on impossible (or at least reckless).  We had been talking about getting an outboard motor for a long time.  We toyed with the idea of electric outboards, second-hand engines or buying new.  We had been given the opportunity to try a Torqeedo electric outboard whilst we had been at Mylor and we were reasonably impressed with it.  However, charging the batteries would be a problem if we spent a lot of time away from shore power.  Second-hand petrol engines could be a minefield.  We might have been lucky and found a good one that had been looked after, but when you are relying on it for your safety I wasn’t willing to take the risk.  And so we found ourselves buying a new Mariner 4hp outboard motor and I have to say that I am very impressed with it so far.  We have used it many times over the past few months and it seems more than capable of ferrying us from boat to shore and it uses very little fuel (so I don’t feel as though we have compromised on our environmental credentials too much).

We left the marina to take up our swinging mooring which we had booked for a month in advance.  I have to say that we were less than impressed with the boatyard on this occasion.  It was only by chance that we spoke to them a couple of days before our arrival and mentioned that Wendy Woo weighs in at 20 tons.  They hadn’t thought to ask us and had told us we could use any mooring buoy on arrival.  However, having told them our weight they quickly changed that and told us to use one of the last two buoys on the river as these were the only ones rated for our weight.  Furthermore, when we arrived there had been no preparation of the buoy itself and we found that the pick-up buoy and mooring strop were completely twisted around the riser chain making it impossible to lift it over the bow.  Thankfully a member of the boatyard team happened to pass by in a RIB and helped us untangle the lines and moor up safely.  Lessons learnt: always mention the weight of your boat when booking a mooring and don’t assume that the mooring buoy will be easy to attach to.  In hindsight we could have tried lassoing the buoy to make the initial attachment and then sorted it out later, but we hadn’t had much practice on mooring buoys at this stage.

Our month on the mooring buoy presented a number of challenges.  The river current at this point is particularly strong on spring tides.  Getting on and off the boat usually involved us getting wet and we were glad that we had bought the outboard motor as rowing against the current would have been very difficult.  Resupplying the boat usually took two or three return trips.  We broke up our time on the mooring by visiting family.  This meant that we also had to get Lily (our cat) on and off the boat.  She coped remarkably well with the ordeal, probably better than I did!  Our main challenge however, was riding out a Force 9 storm that came straight at us for nearly 24 hours.  The mooring itself was sheltered from all directions except the South-West and yes, you guessed it, that was where the storm came from.  We spent a sleepless night on board hoping that our mooring lines would hold us.

We had placed extra lines out to give some assurance but then you just have to sit there and be ready to act if it all goes wrong.  Thankfully our lines held, but the toe rail repair I had carried out was ripped out, and this time the fairlead ended up in Davy Jones’ locker.  Thankfully this was the only damage sustained.  Not so for one of the other yachts on the moorings as we could only watch helplessly as the wind managed to unfurl their headsail and rip it to shreds.

Once our month on the swinging mooring was up we prepared for leaving.  Our plan was to try and spend 5-6 days at anchor before having a night in a marina for a ‘shore shower redemption’ and replenishment before leaving again.  However, no plan survives first contact with the enemy.  In this case the enemy was the weather which, for most of the summer, has been fickle to say the least.  So, although we did manage several stints at anchor we were anxious that we had somewhere to go to if the weather changed for the worse.  Another ‘enemy’ was Covid-19.  Rumours were rife that Wales might have been heading for another lockdown and this might have meant that we would not be allowed into any marinas as visitors.  I spoke with Milford Marina on several occasions about the potential for problems with lockdowns.  We had our names down for a winter berthing package and they said that there ‘shouldn’t’ be a problem if the Welsh Government announced another lockdown but this didn’t fully allay our concerns.  Thankfully we were able to persuade them to allocate us an annual berth in the marina and so we find ourselves with a place we can call ‘home’ if lockdowns do continue.

Living in a marina is not what we really had planned.  However, it is serving a purpose for the time being.  It has allowed friends and family to come and visit us and the location of Milford Marina is ideal for access to some great sailing grounds.  Milford Haven Waterway is pretty well sheltered from the worst of the weather.  Yes, you have to dodge large oil and gas tankers, and the oil refineries don’t present the best backdrop for photographs, but other than that it is a great location for exploring further afield.  Having said that, our adventures have been curtailed somewhat by the aforementioned fickle weather.  Several times we have done all the passage planning to head for Tenby, Fishguard and further up the Welsh coastline only to be thwarted by strong winds and/or rough seas.  Perhaps bolder sailors than us would have pressed on regardless, but we want to enjoy sailing rather than endure it.  We have managed to complete a few trips and a couple of them are worthy of specific mention.

The first passage we did we were aiming for Fishguard.  This entails passing through both Jack Sound and Ramsey Sound, and you have to get the tide timings spot on otherwise you can get stuck in violent tidal races.  You have to pass through the sounds at slack water and you have an hour and a half to get from one to the other.  We arrived at Jack Sound, which separates Skomer Island from the mainland, exactly on time and we passed through without incident, although the water looked as though it was boiling.  However, having got into St Bride’s Bay the wind dropped and, if we were to make it to Ramsey Sound on time, we would have had to motor all the way.  We decided that, rather than push on we would explore St Bride’s Bay instead and look to anchor for the night.  St Bride’s Bay holds a special place in our hearts.  For many years we brought our boys to the beaches along the bay where we camped and messed around in the sea.  Newgale, Solva, Broad Haven, Little Haven, have all borne witness to our family trips.  Approaching these places now from the sea gave a whole new perspective.  We approached Newgale first and then tacked our way south to eventually drop anchor off Little Haven.  We stayed for the night looking at the lights in the village and remembering good times.

 

The following morning dawned with fog all around us.  We knew that a northerly force 7 was due by the end of the day so we had to find a more sheltered anchorage.  We knew of a small bay in the neck of Skomer Island that would give us shelter so we headed off in the fog to go back around the island, this time taking the seaward side.  The chart showed turbulent water close to the island and the almanac recommends keeping two miles off.  I thought that I had given the island a wide enough berth, but no.  I underestimated the distance and we got caught in the Wild Goose Race to the west of Skomer Island.  The tidal current was flowing very fast and the water was all over the place.  I pushed the engine hard and, although we were doing 7 knots through the water we were only just making headway.  I steered us further off shore in the hope of finding calmer water and once again Wendy Woo looked after us.  We made it safely to the anchorage, but not without given ourselves a fright!

The fright was worth it though.  We got ourselves close in to the anchorage and stayed there for two nights listening to the wind howl over the top of the island.  And we were treated to the sight of thousands of puffins and guillemots flying around and diving into the water.  There was also a family of seals swimming in amongst the rocks and basking in the sunshine.  We will never tire of seeing such amazing creatures.

 

The second of our passages saw us making our way eastwards to Tenby.  The Bristol Channel is a very tidal waterway with strong currents either helping or hindering progress.  We planned our passage to make best use of the east going flood tide which meant that we would need to be at St Ann’s Head for around 9am.  We left our berth in the marina and headed out to St Ann’s Head as planned and we were all ready to turn south-east when the range safety patrol boat approached us.  This stretch of coastline is home to several military ranges: Castlemartin, Manorbier, Penally, to name a few.  We made radio contact with the range and we were told that we needed to keep 3 miles west and 4 miles south of Linney Head (it could have been worse, they can send you 12 miles south!)  So we altered our course plan to comply.  There wasn’t much wind and the water was smooth so we resigned ourselves to a slow motor-sail along the Bristol Channel, hoping to keep the favourable tide for most of the journey.  As we approached St Gowan Shoal cardinal buoy we were joined by a pod of dolphins, the first we had seen close to the boat.  They frolicked and played at our bow for about 20 minutes, rolling over to look up at us.  This was a truly magical moment.

We felt totally blessed by this gift from the natural world, but also outraged at the amount of rubbish we could see floating along the tideline in the Channel.  It encouraged us to do even more to reduce the amount of packaging we consume in our daily lives, as clearly recycling schemes don’t always work!  The rest of our journey to Tenby passed without incident and we anchored of the North Beach for a couple of nights in blistering heat.  The beach and town were packed with holiday makers and we were so glad that we had our own bit of space to relax in.

 

The remainder of our time this summer has been a mixture of frustrated passage planning and spending as many nights as possible at anchor away from the marina.  We had hoped to travel north as far as Liverpool, but each time we planned it the weather changed and frustrated our efforts.  We have had to accept that this is now part of next year’s plan to get as far as the west coast of Scotland.  Dale has become a favourite anchorage for us.  It has good shelter and holding, and there is easy access ashore using a seasonal pontoon.  This has enabled us to walk a good chunk of the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path as well as giving us inspiration for art and writing.

 

How well has Wendy Woo stood up?  In my next blog I will detail the problems we have encountered, repairs we have done, and what we plan next in order to keep her in good shape.  Till then, stay safe.

Turning Corners

Once again it’s been a while since I updated my blog, the last time being when we were in Newlyn, so I thought I had better update you on our journey so far.  We ended up staying in Newlyn for three nights as the weather for the Bristol Channel had worsened and we would have been facing strong northerly winds through the night.  We are a novice crew and after our experience of the passage from Falmouth we were being cautious.  In fact I have a mantra that, if there is any doubt, there is no doubt, so don’t go.  Perhaps that sounds over cautious, but we’re not doing this to get beaten up every time we go out sailing.  Getting to Wales was important, but getting there safely was even more so.  I’ve heard it said that boats are far more capable than their crews, and I don’t doubt that WW is more than capable of pushing on through rough conditions, but we need to look after her too.  Why take risks when you don’t need to?

Anyway, we stayed in Newlyn and kept a close eye on the weather forecast.  Thursday was starting to look like a good break in the weather.  The winds were going to be light and from the NW so we decided that it was time to go.  The crew of another boat bound for Conwy were also planning to leave so we felt some reassurance that we wouldn’t be the only ones to head around Land’s End that day.  We had poured over the charts and almanac and knew that we had two options for Land’s End.  One was to make good use of the tide rushing through the inner passage between Longships Lighthouse and the mainland and the other was to go around on the seaward side.  I decided that we would make a final decision once we could see the conditions facing us.  Either way, we needed to get to the Runnel Stone, south of the Land’s End peninsula, about two hours before high tide at Dover.  This meant leaving Newlyn about 0930 that morning.

 

And so it was that we slipped our mooring lines and headed out into Mount’s Bay to make for the Runnel Stone.  Mount’s Bay was like a millpond and there was very little wind.  We hoisted our mainsail, mizzen sail and full headsail but progress was very slow so, once again, we found ourselves motor sailing.  I was anxious to get to the decision point on time in order to get the favourable tidal conditions.  As we looked south and west the sky was blue and the sea was calm; however, looking north the sky looked less friendly and once we could see the inner passage I decided to take the safe option and head further out before turning north, giving the rocky reefs of the Land’s End peninsula a respectable wide berth.

 

Headlands are evocative features of land and sea, and they hold a special place in the hearts and minds of mariners, and have done for centuries.  They are invariably turning points, either literally or metaphorically, and often are seen as welcome sights after a long passage.  They are also surrounded by myths and legends, and very real stories of wreckage and disaster.  When you look at the charts most headlands are pock-marked with symbols for wrecked vessels.  So it was that we had a feeling of awe and respect for the headland we were looking at.

We sailed out as far as Carn Bras cardinal marker buoy and then finally turned our nose towards the north and headed towards the coastline of Wales.  Not that we could see it just yet!

 

We sailed on, and as we did so the sky cleared and we were bathed in sunshine.  We set our course for the entrance to Milford Haven, some ninety miles away, and settled our minds to a long night of sailing.  The predicted NW winds turned out to be more N or NE which were right on our nose so we had to keep the engine running throughout the passage.  We tried a couple of times to tack our way up the wind but we just ended up crossing our track almost at right angles and making no real progress towards our destination.

  On the plus side, we were treated to a fantastic sunset, a full moon rise and then a beautiful sunrise.  In fact we saw very little dark hours.  We also saw very little other traffic in the Celtic Sea.  There were a few trawlers which we gave a wide berth to, but other than those we had the sea to ourselves.  We had been expecting to see a stream of tankers and cargo vessels heading in towards Milford Haven and all ports east, but this was not the case.

 

As the sun rose we could make out the high ground of West Wales, but a coastline is a long time coming.  We were about twenty miles off and it would take us another four hours of motor-sailing to get there.  As we approached Milford Haven I called Port Control to check if there were any large ship movements to be aware of as we didn’t want to encounter traffic ‘on the corner’.  Thankfully there was nothing planned until the Irish Ferry was due to depart later in the day so our arrival was uneventful.  I then contacted Milford Marina lock control to request access to the lock for the marina.  Neither of us had been through a lock before and we weren’t sure what to expect, but there was plenty of room and no rush, so we were able to pull up alongside the lock basin without problems.  The final stage was to exit the lock and find our allocated berth in the marina.  The berth was thankfully wide (there was no boat in the adjoining berth) and so we had plenty of room, but the finger pontoons were quite short and so I was having difficulty placing WW in the right spot for Bridget to step ashore with our mooring lines.  Thankfully, once again, there was a fellow sailor nearby who was happy to grab our bowline, and before we knew it we had three helpers bringing us gently to a stop.

 

After 26 hours of motor-sailing it was a relief to get secured alongside and shut down the engine.  Once again we were impressed by the general helpfulness of the sailing community in assisting us in our safe arrival.  It was time for a shower and a sleep before checking WW over for any issues.  I will write about those in my next blog (there are a couple) but until then, keep safe and may the winds blow in the right direction for you.

Rough Water And Wrong Winds

 Our time in the comfort and relative safety of Mylor Yacht Haven has come to an end.  We have enjoyed our winter berth there but it was never our intention to remain permanently in a marina environment.  We want to explore and stretch our horizons, and live closer to nature than the sanitised marina environments give.  Not that Mylor was devoid of nature and, as far as marinas go, Mylor is a much more relaxed place to spend a winter.  However, now that the sailing ‘season’ has begun, the atmosphere and the financial cost has changed, so it was time to move on.

 

The first task in this next stage was to get rid of our car.  Having owned a car for over thirty-five years this has been a significant mind shift for me.  Those of you who know me personally will know that I have always loved cars and that from the age of about twelve I have tinkered with, broken and fixed a variety of cars, both modern and classic.  But as I have said in my earlier blogs, one of the reasons for our change in lifestyle was to reduce the environmental impact of the way in which we live.  Therefore owning and driving a car had to come to an end.  Apart from that, moving a car as well as a boat in a nomadic way is a logistics challenge.  So the car is gone, and we now use public transport and foot power when we are on land.

 

The next task in hand is the minor issue of sailing Wendy Woo around Land’s End and on to Milford Haven in West Wales.  Bridget and I have poured over the charts and the almanac, and consulted half a dozen different weather forecasts to plan our passage.  We have considered sailing to the Isles of Scilly and on to Milford Haven, rounding Land’s End and anchoring in St Ives Bay before crossing the Bristol Channel, or sailing to Penzance/Newlyn then rounding Land’s End and striking out for the Welsh Coast.  Whichever option we chose we were facing a night passage and about twenty-six hours at sea.  The weather was also a major consideration, and wouldn’t you guess it, a prolonged spell of easterly winds were forecast to bring strong winds to the south west. 

We needed to wait for the winds to pass so we found a mid-river pontoon up the River Fal where we spent four nights alongside.  This gave us protection from the easterly winds and also a taste for what it will be like not being able to leave the boat for a prolonged period of time.  Water and power management loomed large in my mind but we impressed ourselves with how little water and power we used over the four day period and it made us realise how much we have taken for granted easy access to water and electricity.

 

We finally settled on a passage plan to leave Falmouth, head for Newlyn for a night and then round Land’s End and on to Milford Haven in a single leg. 

We booked a berth in Port Pendennis Marina for the night before we left so that we could restock our cupboards, fill our water tanks and charge our batteries.  That was Sunday.  The advice in the almanac was to leave Falmouth (Pendennis) about three hours after high tide to make the most of the ebb tide to take us around The Lizard and into Mount’s Bay.  This meant slipping our lines at around eight in the morning (quite respectable) and heading out of the marina.  The weather forecast for Monday was for Force 5-7 from the East/North-East but set to moderate as the day wore on.  The sea state was set for Moderate/Rough again settling to Moderate as the day progressed.  This wasn’t sounding too good but we decided that we would head out and if we felt that it was too much we would return to the pontoon we had been using for another night.

 

We lifted our sails in the Carrick Roads with a third reef in the mainsail and a reefed headsail and set our course to aim for The Lizard.  Another sailing boat was heading out from St Mawes ahead of us so we felt as though we weren’t the only mad people around.  Once we cleared the mouth of the Fal and were in open water we really started to get bounced around.  We were sailing at about five knots but we were side on to a very choppy and lumpy sea.  This was not very comfortable at all!  We had to compromise on our heading in order to ride the waves with the downside of prolonging our passage.  It was at this point that Bridget started to feel unwell.  We carried on a little longer, with Bridget seeing more of the sea over the side of the boat than the coastline and so we faced a decision – do we carry on or turn back.  We had been out for about two hours on an seven hour passage.  If we turned back we would have been out for four hours and ended up back where we started.  At least by carrying on we were making progress, and the forecast was for improving conditions.  WW was being thrown about a fair bit, but she was coping well (better than us if the truth be known) so we carried on.  I put the engine on to help us push through the water and we were cruising at seven knots.  Bridget was harnessed to the boat so that I could concentrate on helming and we pushed on round The Lizard.  I could now see Newlyn some seventeen miles distant, the sun was out and the sea was starting to calm down so we were through the worst of it.  Bridget started to pick up a bit and took over the helm as I called up Newlyn Harbour on the VHF.  Thankfully they had space for us.

 

Newlyn Harbour is primarily a fishing port and is a stark contrast to yacht marinas.  The available berth was a very tight turn in, and not on our favoured side, so I mucked up the approach a little.  Trying to manoeuvre WW around the large fishing boats was difficult and I was struggling to get close enough to the pontoon for Bridget to step ashore.  Thankfully another yacht had come in just before us and they could see we were having difficulty so they took our lines and secured us to the pontoon.  Coincidentally they were the boat that left St Mawes ahead of us that morning.  A big thank you to Fi and Chris of ‘Pyewacket’ for their assistance.

 

So here we are in Newlyn.  We had planned to stay one night and then continue our journey but after the beating we had taken we felt it prudent to have a rest day.  Also, there were a couple of maintenance jobs to attend to.  The stern gland was leaking a bit too much so needed adjustment and one of the bottle screws on the rigging had come loose so I needed to wire-lock them in place.  Of course now the weather has cheated us again!  We are expecting Force 5-6 Northerly winds through the night which is when we would have been half way across the Bristol Channel, trying to head North, so we have decided to hold up here until that passes.  There are worse places to hide from weather than Newlyn Harbour. 

As I type this we are getting the boat ready to leave in the morning and hopefully we’ll be around Land’s End by early afternoon and heading in the right direction once again.  We'll soon be able to raise our Welsh Flag on the correct side of Wendy Woo for the first time.  Till then, keep safe.

Back On An Even Keel

 

We left Gweek Boatyard (www.gweekquay.co.uk) over a week ago and I thought I would blog about our experience there and what we have learned about keel bolts.  In my previous blog I spoke about the tricky navigation up to the head of the Helford River and our relief of having made the passage safely and having Wendy Woo lifted out of the water.

 

As soon as our boat was safely on the trolley we set about stripping out the internal fittings to give access to the keel bolts.  The saloon floor needed to be removed first, followed by the water tanks, the waste tank and then the lead ballast blocks.  This all sounds straightforward, but nothing ever is!  We have a lot of things to move first, and it reminds me sometimes of those puzzles where you have to move tiles around to make the picture.  Each tile moved is in the way of the next tile and so on.  As soon as you start removing things they get in the way of the next stage.  Cushions were stacked up, the saloon table was lifted up on to the bench seat and the floor boards were stacked to one side.  The more dismantling we did the more we had to climb over or around the things we had moved, but at least the floor came up without a problem.

 

Next out were the water tanks.  Despite having emptied the contents into the bilge on our passage to Gweek there was still a surprising amount of water in the bottom of the tanks.  We pumped this out using a handheld bilge pump to avoid spilling it all over the boat once the pipework was removed.  We also faced the issue of removing floor joists to get the tanks out.  I was a little nervous removing these as I wasn’t sure how ‘structural’ they were, but a quick chat with the shipwright (Andrew Massey (www.masseyboats.com)) reassured me that they could be removed without too much risk of the boat changing shape.  In the end I only had to remove one to get the tanks out.  There were a lot of pipes and wiring to disconnect and then we were able to lift the tanks out.  The freshwater tanks were fine, but lifting the waste tank out was precarious to say the least.  Despite the fact that we don’t use the tank as a rule (shore-side facilities are much more preferable) there was residual ‘matter’ in there that was at risk of dribbling out of the open pipework if we didn’t keep it level.  Gloves were definitely needed! 

 

The final stage was to remove the plywood panels from under the tanks and then we could see the heads of the keel bolts.  But before we handed over to Andrew I wanted to give the bilge a thorough clean.  Years of accumulated dust and who knows what had congealed with water into a thick paste in the bottom of the boat.  I removed two bucket loads of filth including a rusty screwdriver and a pair of mole grips.  It was dirty work but well worth doing.

 

Now for the main work.  Andrew and I worked out that there were six main keel bolts and one additional ‘light weight’ bolt at the forward end.  One of the main bolts is under the engine and I know from Wendy Woo’s records that this was drawn about eight years ago and ‘found to be satisfactory.’  Therefore we agreed that we should leave that one alone – I didn’t fancy trying to remove the engine.  Andrew started on the one in the galley and, surprisingly the nut came free with relative ease AND the bolt started to move when hit with a hammer.  He managed to knock it almost completely out and, from what we could see, it looked in reasonable condition.  He then tried the next one forwards.  When he tried to clean the rust off the nut there was no nut there, just a ball of rust!  Again though, when he hit the bolt with a hammer it moved so at least we had two out of two that could be removed.  The nuts on the third and fourth ones came away easily but again the fifth one was just a ball of rust.  In the end Andrew managed to remove all five bolts with relative ease, but they were all clearly in a very sorry state and would need to be replaced.

Andrew arranged for new keel bolts to be fabricated.  The original bolts looked as though they were made from forged steel, but they may have been wrought iron, it was difficult to tell. 

However, the new ones are made from mild steel so will need to be checked periodically for deterioration.  We would have liked to fit forged steel ones but the lead time on replacement bolts would be too long.  As it was, we were up against time to get the new bolts refitted and the boat rebuilt before the next spring tide.  I have to say that Andrew pulled out all the stops for us.  He turned up on the Saturday morning to fit the new bolts for us even though he thought they wouldn’t be ready until Monday at the earliest.  Service like this is getting increasingly rare these days.

 

Meanwhile Bridget and I cracked on with repainting below the waterline and applying two coats of antifouling.  We also did some minor repairs and, oh yes, I fixed the plumbing leak we had (hopefully!)

 

Wednesday morning was our relaunch date and we were at the yard for 5:30 to watch the yard team swing into action once again.  It was very cold, and still quite dark, but by the time we were floating again the sun had risen and the mist over the river was magical.  We were escorted back down the river by David from the boatyard and, as we bid the team farewell, we saw a deer swimming across the river in front of us – a truly magical moment.

 

We are now planning our forthcoming passage around Land’s End and on to Wales in the next few weeks.  However, before I close this entry I would just like to say a huge thank you to Gweek Classic Boatyard and Andrew Massey for their outstanding support and the efforts they went to for us.  We cannot sing their praises highly enough.  From the moment we first made contact with them they have given us excellent support and their professionalism, team work and enthusiasm have been second to none.  We wouldn’t hesitate for a moment to recommend them to anyone considering having work done to their vessel.  And, to top it all, the location is magical.  Thank you Andrew, David, Luke, Dusty, Louise, and all the rest of the team!

It's All Gweek To Me

 

Having made the decision to have the keel bolts checked we had the tricky task of navigating our way up the Helford River to Gweek Classic Boatyard.  The Helford is a drying tidal river so we needed to get the tides right in order to ensure sufficient water for our pilotage.  But I’m running ahead of myself.  First, let’s talk about the best laid plans of mice and men!

 

We had booked our lift-out for the morning of 1^st April.  The tide would be two days after springs but there should still be sufficient water for us.  However, as the day came closer the weather forecast was starting to look dodgy.  The entrance to the Helford is well sheltered except if there is any easterly component to the wind.  Sure enough, for our planned day the forecast was for a Force 5-6 wind coming direct from the east.  Everyone we spoke to told us that we would be fools to try, particularly as we had not been there before.  So a quick call to the Boatyard team and we were able to bring our lift-out forwards a day.  This would avoid the wind and give us a little more water in the bargain.  The only downside was that we would have to be at the quayside a little earlier, a small price to pay.

 

The next point to consider was whether to leave Mylor the evening beforehand and pick up a mooring buoy in the mouth of the Helford for the night.  This seemed like a sensible idea and would de-risk our passage up the river the following morning.  So that was decided.  But here’s a lesson learnt.  Don’t let the kind offer of assistance lead you to rush and miss things.  As we prepared to slip our lines from Mylor a fellow boat owner kindly offered to help with the rope work.  This lead me to rush as I didn’t want to keep him hanging around.  So we quickly slipped our berth and headed out for open water.  I had forgotten two things.  I had left the galley porthole open which resulted in sea water coming in and soaking our stove and other things.  Thankfully it was only spray, but it could have been much worse.  Secondly I had intended on switching off the water pump before leaving the harbour.  Needless to say that one of the plumbing pipes came off whilst we were at sea and the entire contents of our fresh water tanks dumped themselves into the bilge.  Not a good outcome to a couple of hours at sea.  However, all of this was soon forgotten when we picked up a mooring buoy (first time Bridget) and settled into the tranquillity of the Helford River.  What a special place that is.

 

The following morning was an early start.  Gweek is about 5 miles up the river and we needed to be there for 8:30, just after high tide.  We awoke to thick fog around us which was going to slow our progress, although slow and steady were the watch words for this pilotage.  I had studied the charts, wrote copious notes and watched the Boatyard’s video several times in the previous weeks, but I was still very nervous.  When the tide is in there looks like there is a huge body of water, but in actual fact most of it is far too shallow for us.  There is a very narrow and winding deep water channel which needs to be followed closely so as to avoid mishap.  Thankfully the upper reaches of the channel are buoyed, but they can be disconcerting.  Some of them appear very close to the riverbank and, had it not been for the words of the yard staff the day before telling me to trust the buoys I would not have believed we would make it.  We even had to contend with a boat coming down the river but we managed to pass each other without drama.  We were almost there when we were met by the Boatyard team in their rib coming to guide us in.  They were fantastic, and really gave us the confidence that all was well.  We were soon tied up alongside the boatyard quay.

 

As soon as we had tied up the yard crane burst into life and Wendy Woo was lifted up out of the water and settled into a cradle.  Now the stripping out work can commence.  I’ll talk about that more in my next blog.  Until then, keep the easterlies to yourself!

Trying to Make Plans

 

We’re definitely starting to get itchy feet and we’re ready to move on.  However……  First we have to get the keel bolts replaced to give us peace of mind for our big adventure.  I don’t think there is any imminent danger of the keel falling off, but as everyone we have spoken to has said, the only way to know for sure is to have the bolts drawn and replaced.  The bolts have been in situ for over 55 years so I just hope they come out without too much trouble.  To have this work done we are going to take WW up to Gweek Boatyard at the head of the Helford River in Cornwall.  This is a drying river so we need a good spring tide behind us to give sufficient water to navigate.

 

The other issue this has given us is that we won’t be able to live aboard whilst the work is being done.  A combination of Covid restrictions and the high cost of accommodation in Cornwall has certainly exercised our brains, not to mention our purse strings, over the past few weeks.  Thankfully we have found somewhere we can stay for a fortnight at the beginning of April.  It’s far from cheap but we have ended up with little choice.  I just hope we can complete the work in two weeks and then get back on board.  Fingers crossed.

 

 

None of this stops us from planning though.  In a ‘Big Hand, Small Map’ kind of way our plan is to sail first to South Wales, then the coastline of Wales from South to North, and then on to the West coast of Scotland, perhaps over-wintering there.  Sounds simple doesn’t it?  Then you look at the detail.  The first stage, heading for Milford Haven, involves navigating around Land’s End and the mouth of the Bristol Channel.  We have several options.

The first option is to aim for the Isles of Scilly, then strike out directly for Milford Haven.  The second option is to follow the coastline of Cornwall around Land’s End and up as far as Padstow, before crossing the Bristol Channel.  I am currently looking at charts and the almanac to see how these options develop.  Either way, we have some long sailing legs to contend with.  Given that we haven’t done any overnight sailing in WW yet it’s a little daunting, but what’s life if not a challenge?  WW is more than capable, but are we?

 

Any thoughts or advice gratefully received.  We are always open to suggestions.  Of course all of this depends on actually being able to go anywhere under current Covid restrictions!  Per Ardua Ad Mare!

Wind Damage and Running Repairs

Living on board a boat, or I imagine any rudimentary shelter, certainly puts you close to nature.  This past month or so has seen almost constant strong winds and heavy rain batter much of Britain.  And when it hasn’t been raining the winds have shifted to the East bringing very cold air with it.  Our mooring here at Mylor is pretty well sheltered, except when the wind is in the East.  Any blow from the East blasts us stern on and gives us little chance for sleep.  We have spent a lot of time tying off our halyards and rigging lines to prevent noises, but there is one noise we cannot seem to eliminate.  I think it’s coming from one of the rigging lines on the mizzen mast striking the radome, but there’s nothing I can do about that.  It’s so frustrating because it seems that the only place you can hear the noise is in our cabin…..and mainly at night!

 

Anyway, we have survived pretty well and there has been little damage done.  One thing that has not faired so well is the wheelhouse spray cover.  There are a couple of areas where the material has chafed through and the canvas has torn around one of the fasteners.  These were minor concerns, but then one of the zips became torn which prompted me to do something.

 

Like with the Eberspacher of my last post, I like to have a go at repairing things if I can.  Not only does this save money but it also gives me the opportunity to understand how things work and learn new skills.  Now needlework has never been my strongpoint (in fact it wouldn’t even rank as a weak point in my life!)  I also heard that replacing zips is a specialist task and needed an industrial sewing machine to do it.  But then I discovered the Speedy Stitcher® sewing awl.  A quick look at YouTube and a bit of online shopping and I had assembled the necessary bits to have a go.

 

 

Now, I wouldn’t say it was easy, and I certainly won’t be challenging for first place in any needlework competitions, but I think I have done a reasonable job.  I decided to only replace one side of the zip as the replacement zip was an exact match for the original.  That saved me from having to run another two lines of stitching.  The wind was blowing quite strong and there was rain threatening, so I didn’t remove the canopy from the frame.

 

 

In hindsight it would have been better to lay the canvas on a flat surface but I didn’t really have that option.  By the time I had done the one half my hands were pretty sore and I had managed to stab myself twice.  But I have to say that the Speedy Stitcher® was a really useful tool and made the job so much easier.

By doing this repair I have managed to save a fair bit of money and give the spray cover a little longer.  I think we will inevitably have to replace it sometime in the future, but hopefully not too soon.  I plan to put some additional struts onto the frame to keep the roof part taught as it tends to collect rainwater.  But that's for another day.

Take care everyone!