A New Year, A New Start?

 

Not a post about our boat.

 

As we closed the door on 2020, a year dominated by the Coronavirus pandemic, many of us have turned towards hope for 2021.  Throughout the last year we have been very fortunate to be living aboard our boat in relative isolation in some of the more picturesque parts of Britain.  We haven’t been able to travel much, whether by land or sea, and we keep our trips into populated places to a minimum, like so many people.  We have not been able to visit family or friends nor carry our adventure forwards as we imagined.  However, we are amongst the lucky ones.  We have remained healthy, we eat well and we manage to get out and have a good walk every day.  But our daily walks have highlighted what I believe is one of the problems we face in getting this virus under control.

 

When the tier system was introduced for England a few months ago Cornwall, along with the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight, was the only region in Tier 1, with the lowest levels of Coronavirus cases.  Not surprisingly.  The relatively low population and lack of urban sprawl, along with an absence of mass public transport systems, meant that social distancing was easy to maintain.  On our daily walks we would rarely pass other people and those that we did became familiar faces.  That all changed when the government announced that London and the South East was going into Tier 4.  The sudden influx of people heading to their ‘second homes’ in the South West in order to escape the virus was blatantly obvious.  Car parks were full, pavements crowded and footpaths became processions of people ignoring social distancing guidelines.  And then Christmas came, which only served to make matters worse.  We have become increasingly angry with lack of consideration shown by some people.  When we see a group of walkers coming towards us we move to one side and walk in single file in order to help with social distancing.  However, on countless occasions the oncoming groups make no attempt to move to one side and have an air of entitlement about them.  Why is it that people believe they are immune to the virus or that they cannot pass it on to others?  Consequently Cornwall has seen a significant rise in the number of cases of Covid-19 and we feel increasingly unsafe.  This is directly due, I believe, to the failure of people to show consideration for other people.  We have become a very selfish nation!  On a more optimistic note, the rollout of the Coronavirus vaccine will help to bring this pandemic under control.  But we mustn’t let our guards down for a while yet.  We can beat this, but we must do it together with EVERYONE following the rules.

Rubbing Up Against Life

As I think I have already said, one of the reasons we decided to sell up and buy a live-aboard boat was so that we could live our lives differently.  We wanted to rub up against life and try to remind ourselves of what it means to be alive.  We wanted to turn our backs on the comforts and conveniences of modern life.  Not in a sackcloth and ashes kind of way, but just to be more aware of our surroundings and the impact that we have upon the environment.  Well, we have made some steps towards that way of living, but only in a relatively sheltered way.  Living in a marina means that we still have easy access to fresh water and electricity.  We are safe in the knowledge that there are plenty of people around and that there is a security patrol through the night.  We also still have our car with us so we can easily get to a supermarket to stock up on food.  All of this means that we haven’t fully embraced the alternative living aspects of our plans.  Having said that, we certainly are experiencing the elements of the weather today.  Strong winds and constant drizzle/rain can dampen your spirits somewhat.

 

I guess one of the reasons that we haven’t made the full plunge yet is that it has taken us a lot longer than we imagined getting to this stage and with the winter months facing us we are better off in a safe marina.  We had thought that we would have had the summer months to get out and practice sailing and handling Wendy Woo but that hasn’t happened.  We feel that we need to do many short sailing trips to test the seaworthiness of our boat before we embark on any longer passages.  We are hopeful that we can get out of the marina and practice, but every time we look at the forecast there are strong winds and rain heading our way.  Some more confident and competent sailors might say that we should just get on with it, but I need to be more cautious.  Also, because we live aboard our boat there is lots of ‘stuff’ to stow or secure before we can get out into open water.  I feel that this puts us off a little.  We need to crack this conundrum or we might find that we become stuck to the mooring.

Another, and probably the main reason we haven’t been out sailing in more challenging conditions is the condition of the keel bolts.  Wendy Woo is 55 years old and the cast iron keel is held on by an unknown number of keel bolts.  A previous owner had a couple of bolts drawn a few years back and they were found to be ‘satisfactory’ but that does not remove the nagging doubt in the back of my mind over the condition of the bolts generally.  The only way to know for sure is to remove them for examination – no easy job!  We have decided that we cannot put off doing this task for long and consequently we are looking at getting them done in the spring, before we travel too far.  I imagine that we will end up spending a fair amount of money for peace of mind, but we have little choice.  Let’s hope that they come out easily.

Running Repairs

One of the advantages of living aboard a boat full time is that you can keep on top of maintenance and repairs.  If you look around any marina or boatyard you will see lots of boats looking neglected.  Quite often life get in the way of good intentions and owners don’t get to their boats often enough.  We, on the other hand, have the luxury(?) of seeing issues as they arise and therefore being able to address them before they have a chance to get out of hand.

One particular issue we have had to deal with is that one of our fairleads was ripped out of the toe rail.  When we were on our drying mooring we continually had to adjust our mooring lines to deal with changes in weather and tides.  We were conscious of not interfering with other boats around us as the winds shifted direction, but invariably no matter how much we tried we would end up resting against other boats.  Whilst we were off our boat for a few days our bow lines were adjusted and weights put on by a well-intentioned boat owner.  However, this put an undue strain on the fairlead resulting in it being torn from the wooden toe rail.  I did a temporary repair by moving it inboard but it needed a permanent repair.  Thankfully I had some spare material to fashion a repair piece which I have glued and screwed into the toe rail.  I just need to make the capping piece and refit the fairlead to finish the job.  I find it very satisfying working with wood and hand tools.

 

A less pleasant repair job has been the toilet pump (no photos!)  We noticed a leak coming from the manual toilet pump.  I managed to get hold of a service kit for the pump and set about stripping it down.  Many years of accumulated debris and calcified deposits had blocked the pump and needed to be removed.  Pump cleaned and new seals fitted……and the pump still leaks.  From researching on the internet it would appear that the manufacturers have changed the design slightly.  The two halves of the pump case used to be bolted together but now they use self-tapping screws into plastic.  As a result the plastic threads tend to get stripped out making it difficult to clamp the two halves together.  I have ended up using some sealant in the hope that this will stop the leak.  Fingers crossed!

 

A Long Overdue Update

Well, we now find ourselves moored up in Mylor Yacht Harbour near Falmouth.  But how did we get here?  My last blog entry was nearly five months ago when we were on our drying out mooring in Dartmouth, so something must have happened!

We launched Wendy Woo off the covered slip back in April but without her masts.  She was on a drying mooring which meant that we needed beaching legs for her.  We had a pair made from Douglas fir and bolted through the topsides.  We found them to be particularly cumbersome.  Whenever we wanted to leave the mooring we would have to haul them on board.  They would be covered in filthy sticky mud that made a mess of our newly painted foredeck.  Added to that, because the creek is tidal we were limited as to when we could leave the mooring and for how long.  We began to realise that the effort involved in actually getting out of the creek was putting us off even trying.  We desperately wanted to be able to come and go at will, so whilst waiting for our new main mast to be made we started looking at alternative berths and moorings.  But I’m jumping the gun here, there’s a lot more to talk about before I come to the actual move away from Dartmouth.

 

First, a few words about our mooring in Dartmouth.  As I said, we had a drying mooring which meant that we were limited by tides and the need for beaching legs to hold us up when the tide was out.  We were on Old Mill Creek, settling onto the mud twice a day.  The upside to this was the abundance and variation of wildlife we encountered.  The creek was full of grey mullet and sea bass, which attracted seals and cormorants.  When the tide was out we were visited by several different types of birds, including herons, little egrets, oyster catchers and black-backed gulls to name a few.  I have to say though that the highlight was being visited by kingfishers.  They would swoop and dive around the boats, often settling on our mooring lines briefly before darting off again.  Unfortunately they were very camera shy, but sometimes you just have to be in the moment rather than reaching for technology to capture something so beautiful.

 

Despite the difficulties with our mooring we did get ourselves out a few times without the rig in order to practice boat handling.  Whilst I have a reasonable amount of sailing experience it has been on more modern, smaller fin-keeled boats and Bridget had never sailed before, so we needed to become confident and competent at handling Wendy Woo.  We came up with a good system that enabled us to slip our lines and recover them when we returned, and Bridget soon became adept at handling the boathook and picking up our stern lines when coming back in.  We motored up and down the River Dart looking for pontoons to practice alongside and generally getting used to how well WW moved. 

Although she is big (42 feet LOA) and heavy (20 tons) she manoeuvres very well, at least when moving forwards (she’s not so easily steered in reverse).  One incident worthy of note however was when we came back to our mooring one evening.  The approach to our slot was absolutely spot on and I had WW lined up whilst Bridget leant out to pick up the lines.  I selected reverse to take off a little speed and applied some power, only for WW to surge forwards at an alarming rate.  Before I could do anything we had hid, and mounted, the pontoon and come to a rest with the bow high and dry.  I immediately killed the engine and started to panic.  I knew that the tide was falling and I was worried that we would get stuck.  Thankfully we still had hold of our stern lines so I was able to pull us back off the pontoon and get her moored up safely.  More importantly, no one was hurt, no one else’s property was damaged and there was only minor damage to WW’s stem post.  As to why it happened, when I investigated I found that the gear selector cable linkage had come apart and so the transmission was stuck in forwards.  You can bet that I check this linkage regularly now!  I have also fitted a stainless steel keel band to the stem post to protect the stem from any rubbing against pontoons or debris in the water. 

When we embarked on this change of life we had no idea how difficult it would be to find a mooring where the ‘authorities’ are happy with people living on board full time.  We wanted to be upfront about our plans rather than trying to sneak under the radar and several times we were told that a particular place had room for us only to swiftly change their minds when we told them of our circumstances.  We were starting to get quite worried that we wouldn’t be able to find a place to hide out the worst of the winter weather.  However, we did finally find that Mylor Yacht Harbour near Falmouth were happy with us over-wintering there.  Furthermore, Cowes on the Isle of Wight were also happy to take us, so we had two options to work with.  We started making passage plans for heading either east or west from Dartmouth, with our favoured option being Cowes (owing to it being much cheaper).  The problem with heading for Cowes from Dartmouth is getting across Lyme Bay and around the Bill of Portland with the best tidal flow.  This, combined with our restrictions of tides on the creek would have seen us leaving Dartmouth in the dark at about four in the morning.  Also, Lyme Bay offered us no ports of refuge if we ended up in trouble.  With the winds in the east and a two-day break in the weather we made the decision to head for Mylor.  We planned a two-day sail stopping overnight in Plymouth.  Of course, as luck would have it, once we made that decision the winds swung around to come from the west!  We ended up motor-sailing most of the way, pushing into a pretty lumpy sea, to get to our destination.  We could have tacked up the wind but I was anxious to get to Mylor in daylight.  WW looked after us well, averaging 5-6 knots all the way and we finally moored up alongside the visitor’s pontoon around five in the afternoon.

Since arriving here we have had a lot of very strong winds buffeting us from the north.  It also seems to have rained incessantly and so we have found several leaks around the boat.  Captain Tolley’s Creeping Crack Cure is being put to good use!  I have also filled in the beaching leg holes and primed them, but I need to wait for some dry weather to put the topcoats on.  WW is currently sporting a large grey patch on each side, spoiling her overall good looks.  She has attracted a number of favourable comments and we have noted another couple of Hillyard’s in the harbour, so she is in good company.  We now need the weather to ease up so that we can go and practice our sailing on the beautiful Carrick Roads.  Till next time………………

Afloat At Last....

Or at least we are when the tide is in!

So what has happened since my last post, over a month ago.  Well the main thing is that we finally relaunched Wendy Woo and moved aboard.  We completed the work to make her water tight (or so we thought, but more about that later) and then waited anxiously for the tides to build.  Finally, on Tuesday 7th April she was moved down the slip on her cradle and the afternoon high tide floated her off.  This was a very emotional moment, being the culmination of many months' hard work, blood, sweat and tears!

She spent the first night alongside the quay wall, ballasted on her starboard side to ensure she leant in against the wall as the creek dries out at low tide.  We did manage to have our first 'meal' on board before leaving her for the night.

The following day we  moved her around to her mooring, and that is where we have stayed since.  The river is closed to all but essential commercial traffic due to the current lock-down arrangements, which is very frustrating, but totally understandable.  I spent my first night aboard that evening, ensuring that she settled on her beaching legs and that there were no problems.  Suffice to say, I didn't sleep much as I was aware of every noise and movement of the boat.

We spent the following few days moving all of our things aboard and finally moving out of the chalet that has been our 'home' for the past six months.  It feels so good to be out of there and starting on the next chapter of our journey.

The mooring we have dries out every day which is far from ideal.  We have beaching legs fitted to keep us upright, but we don't have a pontoon from which to board our boat.  We have to moor bow-to and, because we have a large draft and freeboard height, a ladder is not particularly viable.  We are currently climbing onto our neighbours boat to get to ours.  It's just as well that there is no one aboard that boat as we would be disturbing them on a regular basis.  We are waiting for the boatyard to install a finger pontoon to help us, but this seems to keep getting put down the priority list.

We have been blessed with great weather most of the time since we launched.  However, the past few days have brought heavy rainfall which has revealed several leaks from the roofs.  I'm pleased to report that, so far, all of the leaks have come from places that we have not done any work on, but the snagging list is starting to grow.  I have managed to seal each leak as it's become apparent, but these are temporary solutions and I feel that we will have to replace the aft cabin coach roof before too long.

Other things on the snagging list are that the radar does not work and nor does the depth sounder.  I can live without the radar, but knowing the depth of water under the keel is rather vital.  I have got a replacement transponder but I'm struggling to pluck up the courage to remove the existing one.  If I don't get it right we will have a one inch hole in the hull of our boat, which will focus our minds somewhat!

The other main thing to work on now are the masts.  We are having a new main mast made as soon as the yard can get to it, but the mizzen mast and booms are remaining original.  I have stripped them back to bare wood and I am in the process of re-varnishing them to protect them for years to come.  It is a little frustrating that each time I have tried to put a coat of varnish on the mast it's either raining or someone nearby is sanding!  Still, I have two coats on now and I am aiming to get at least five on before it is refitted.

In my next post I will talk about the challenges of small space living, and the additional issues that have come to light as a result of drying out twice a day.  Until then, stay safe everyone............

Sniffing the Air

Progress continues, despite the anxiety of Covid 19.  We were hoping to have relaunched today; however, although the predicted tide should have been sufficient to float us off, the high pressure we’re experiencing meant that there wasn’t enough water in the creek!  Still, it has been a beautiful day and we have made a lot of progress since my last post.

Our aim was to have the boat as watertight as we could prior to relaunch.  We started by concentrating on refitting stanchions, toe rails and rubbing strips over the past few days.  Every bolt has fought hard.  When we removed the stanchions I didn’t measure where the existing bolts were as I thought I would be able to pick up the original holes.   However, this was before we replaced the whole deck which, in the process, took away all the old holes.  The only remaining datum was the two screw holes in the stem post where the toe rail was attached.  We have had to work our way back from this point which has been quite a battle.

We have also made new quadrants for the coachroof and fitted and sealed them.  More plugging for Bridget to do!  We have refitted the windlass onto the foredeck.  This involved fixing an oil leak and making a new plinth out of iroko.  Once installed we were able to lift the anchor chain and anchor back up into the forepeak which I was anxious to do before we moved the boat.  I didn’t fancy having to walk across the boatyard with forty metres of chain and a danforth anchor!



There’s still lots more to do, but we now have to wait until Maundy Thursday before the next spring tides come back and hopefully, at last, lift us up off the slip.  Till next time…….

Frustrations and Successes

It’s been over a month since I last updated this blog and we’ve really struggled with many aspects of our new life.  We had hoped to be on the water many weeks ago but as I type this we are still on the boatyard slipway and watching the latest spring tide come and go.  This is a real frustration for us.  We are dependent on a spring tide to float us off the cradle and allow us to move down the creek to our mooring, but we are a long way off being ready to leave the protection of the covered slip.  Bleat over, what have we been up to since my last post?



The main leap forwards is that we have completed the replacement of the deck.  Sheathing with fibreglass cloth and epoxy resin was a really unpleasant job.  Not only is it very messy, it was also difficult to get a really good result.  Overall, it’s not perfect but it will give strength and protection to the underlying wood.  It also has had two coats of 2-pack epoxy primer ready for several coats of deck paint.  We decided that we would be able to improve the deck finish over time if any issues arise – one of the advantages of living aboard I suppose.

The topsides have also received much attention.  Bridget has sanded and painted, and sanded and painted, and sanded and painted!  We opted for Epifanes #24 for our colour choice.  It is a lovely, creamy off-white colour that suits the teak superstructure well.  We intend to put a couple of further coats on before we hit the water, but I’m anxious to get the toe rails, rubbing strips and guard rails fitted whilst we have the staging around the hull.







We have found it immensely satisfying to start putting things back on.  We have refitted the forward hatch which was the final stage of making the boat watertight once again.  We do get some rain falling onto the bow, despite the tarpaulins, which trickles down through the hatch opening, so finally being able to shut this over was a significant milestone.  We have also refitted the deck filler caps for the fuel and water tanks.



The big achievement was finally fitting the wood stove.  This is a major investment into our future comfort, so we wanted to get it right.  We chose the Hobbit stove from Salamander Stoves in Devon.  That was the easy bit……working out how to fit a flue and what material to use for heat protection proved more of a challenge!  We finally decided on using heat resistant tiles on a cement-board backer, with a 2cm air gap between the backboards and bulkheads.  We think the overall look is fabulous and will become a real focal point for our new ‘living room’.  We opted for the ‘canal boat’ flue fitting kit as the nearest match to our situation which uses a twin-wall pipe to reduce the heat transfer to surrounding material.  However, this meant cutting a 9-inch hole in the roof of our saloon.  I tell you, nothing focusses the mind more than cutting large holes into your boat – measure 10 times, cut once!  Anyway, the deed is done.

So, we have a lot to do yet, and we hope to finally take to the water in a fortnight’s time when, hopefully, there’ll be enough water to float us off the cradle and finally onto our mooring.



Till next time……………