Regatta day 3: I feel a lot healthier today. Modest wind and a pleasant day. BBQ in the evening in the best traditions of regattas. A few bruises sre beginning to look impressive. Good stuff.

Race 1: I started on the line. I was not far behind the fast streakers for about half the first beat. But I got tired and gradually dropped back but I still had a good time. I came 10th. I am not sure whether the feeling of sailiing in treacle is my technique or the (old) boat with slightly difficult sail controls. It went wrong at the last mark (which was from a run to a beat) - I got tangled with some agressive small children in a small boat (calling for water when they had no overlap!) - concentration goes - I lost my footing and  - splash. But I did  get the boat up and finished the race.

Race 2:  I did intend to sail it but the course was the same two mile beat that I did not fancy yesterday - so I did the start (to get more points than not sailing at all) for practice and played with some sail settings - and had cake and coffee instead.

Launching and recovery is difficult due to narrow slipway and a lot of boats

Regatta day 2: Better sailing and good weather. The start times are limited by the tides - so today it was an 11-30 start - with the tide stronger for the first race, the wind stronger for the second race.
Race 1: I got a decent start which made me realise the limitations of other aspects of my sailing - slow tacking and also not going as fast as I think I should.  I did finish and was not last! - I was actually 9th. But the races here are very long for my stamina (the 'short' morning race was well over an hour).

Race 2: Discretion the better part of valour and I decided not to race. This was the right decision as the wind got up and there was a very long beat to the furthest mark (I think over two miles and against the tide) and a long run back.So I pottered around, ate cake and drank tea. In bright sunshine.

Regatta day 1:  A learning experience. There was bright sunshine - light wind in the morning with a lot of tide - good wind for the second race. I am in the second of four fleets to start - the medium handicap. All the other streakers are a lot faster - sigh.

race 1 - DNF - it was awful as I messed up the start. Too far off the start - too much tide - too little wind - too little skill. So I did about ten minutes and decided it was a hopeless case and retreated to eat rolls and drink coffee. Fell in trying to get from my boat to the pontoon - if it goes wrong - it goes wrong properly.

race 2 - started badly but I finished - not last but not far off. I was actually 8th - so the others must have done even dafter things - - . But I felt a bit better about it all. Again - a lot of mistakes (including an almost-capsize filling the boat with water).

Today - we have the preparation for the sailing club regatta. This will involve going to the shops for high energy food, getting my sailing kit together and figuring out the logistics of getting launched alongside 50 other boats.

The two white marks on the bank defines the start line. (18 is a channel bouy and not part of the course). The problem is - where to start - there is a stronger current in the middle - the far side is shallow - starboard is the favoured side of the course.

I am also trying to figure out the start line. In a southerly wind the right end of the line is favoured because one needs to get to the starboard side of the course to avoid the tide downstream. But all the other boats are fighting it out there, as well as avoiding a pontoon and various moored boats. Is it better to avoid the crowds and get ahead in clear wind. So I am going to try to start at speed over the line between the moored boats. But that is only the start of course - - - .

Typical view of the Deben - low lying, wooded banks with mud flats exposed at low tide. At high tide - the drowned vegetation is just visible beyond the (traditional) yacht.

Tuesday > Wednesday > Thursday: A sail  in Lookfar. I stayed overnight in the marina and caught the ebb downstream to Felixstowe Ferry. This was very fast as the wind (up to 18 knots) and tide were behind me. I did try to pick up a visitor's mooring in the channel - but the tide was too powerful, so I did the wise thing and found one out of the tide. I grossed-around there for the rest of the tide and then took the flood upriver a few miles to Ramsholt where I picked another bouy for overnight. I am now getting proficient at getting the bouys as long as the tide is not too strong. I went to my bunk early and slept well, helped by a hot water bottle.

Thursday - Sailed upstream on the flood (HW at 11-00). The wind was on the nose but I was helped by tide and hindered by moored boats as tacking between them takes a bit of care.

It was mostly there and back again, but I did play near the sailing club for a while and went onto the pontoon there for experience and hot water. Weather - cold and then hot for a short time on Thursday - a reminder that heat is good.

Interesting - when I got up on Thursday the depression had evaporated and I have been fine since - even when I was cleaning the deck this afternoon. That's what sailing does - -

Nothing interesting - I have felt gloomy for a few days. Sailed the dinghy on Sunday to practice tacking and gybing again, but otherwise have sat around feeling sorry for myself and bad-tempered to go with it. Dentist today - teeth good - rather better than the rest of me feels. I was not even cheered by seeing masses of butterflies last week - including hundreds of gatekeepers.

 

 

 

Gatekeepr - not my picture - this from an identification web site

Plan to take Lookfar out on the river for a couple of days.

Cool exersise for various muscles

It makes you feel tired to look at it - but you actually do it more slowly so it is not as exhausting as it looks. I do a number of exercises like this which target all the muscle groups over two (relatively) short sessions. This week I have tried out some new ones as well. I try to make it to the gym now at the start of most days when I am not doing something else. Going to the gym  has added a great deal to my well-being. With the additional benefit that it makes depression (when it strikes) less painful. And no sweating it out on the machines either - .

This is the hardest but is done more slowly than the picture

Digging the road near my flat.

All this week - mega lorries and disruption - interesting in its own way.

Road and car park in heavy rain storm on Monday

Monday - a lot of rain. It does not do justice to the lashing rain and the depth of water in the carpark and gutters.

A wet and windy weekend - with no sailing by me - disappointing.
I had intended to sail in the streaker Open meeting. But prudence prevailed and I did not even think of it when I got up and saw wind and lashing rain. But it was sailed and the topper fleet was especially hardy (and young). I watched in pouring rain under threee layers of waterproofs and did a few helpful things.

The baby swallows flew the nest over Saturday night. Two of them came back on Sunday when it rained. 

They look smug more than cute!

I did not sail on Sunday -  a very long race down the river to windward (and then back) which lasted over an hour and a half in strong wind with squalls - it would probably have written me off.

All a bit depressing really - and bad weather due to continue all the week into the next round of races at the weekend.  I should be used to dubious weather by now - - but I am not.

Goodbye car - uplifted early this morning by http://www.giveacar.co.uk/ - a good and easy way to get rid of an old car. Surprisingly sad to see it go - - - .

green car - faithful friend since 2004

The week has gone by with very little to show for it - apart from a superficial reading of the easy parts of the Racing Rules and a couple of visits to the gym. A general feeling of gloom - I blame the nasty weather and perhaps some reaction to the excesses of last week.  And today I need to mend my centre board and sit in the sun before the rain and wind due tomorrow.

Another day - another best beach
Looking North towards the Deben estuary from Felixstow

Monday - I took delivery of the new car and took it out for a run to Felixstow beach - very pleasant views with car parking and a coffee shop right on the cliff top. Automatic gears take a bit of getting used to but have only grabbed for the gear stick a couple of times. It was more tiring than I expected!

Swallow's nest above a notice board at Deben Yacht Club.
Three or four swallows are getting very large and the parents fly in and out all the time.
Briefly interrupted by people when there is sailiing

More racing at the weekend - in the evening to catch to tide. Lots of nice food as well. I came second again on Saturday.
Sunday was a reminder of how awful racing can be. I got a good start but thereafter I could not get in the groove - with light and shifty winds against the tide. The wind dropped and it took half an hour to cover about ten boat lengths to the finish line. But - hey - I finished and came 4th (behind a load of Toppers). But half the fleet did not finish. Not great fun - sailing can be awful and I am glad for the reminder - in some ghastly way. I have since read up on sail settings and think I had the sail wrong for the light wind conditions - not enough outhaul.

What to do with the old car? Solution - - -  it gets scrapped (or sold) through this - which sounds wonderful - we will see - -  http://www.giveacar.co.uk/

Whatever next? A replacement car for the old green Almera which has done many years of faithful service. Spent most of today making up my mind and getting insurance sorted out.

I promise to clean it sometimes. (Oh - and it is a Merc automatic incase you wondered. This is a 'compact executive car' apparently. But it is a year older than the faithful green car so maybe not quite as posh as you might think.)

Weekend - lots of streakering. And on Saturday - I came second in the slow handicap race - which was just the right length for me. Very shifty winds - so was quite pleased by this and grateful for the experience I had at Tynemouth.

Tuesday -> Wednesday -> Thursday - on the river for a shake-down cruise. Just as well as several things worked loose including the shackles that held the main sheet blocks and the genoa blocks.

Shows how close the bouy is to Bawdsey beach - and the white bits show the strong current.

I went downstream with the tide and the wind - and picked up the big visitor's bouy in the entrance to the Deben. There was ferocious current in and out for some of the tide, but it was a fun place to stay when the wind was reasonable. I dropped the mooring at 9-00 on Thursday and went back with the wind on the nose but the tide with me. It took longer than it should because of aggrevations with shackles. I solved these by picking up a mooring and fixing them.

View out to sea and my wake in the tide.

Next task - to check all shackles and split pins

Monday: No haar - I tried another favourite beach. Bawdsey - you can park right by the beach and barely have to move all day, apart from getting an ice cream. I park overlooking the river, roughly at the end of the trees to the left. A great place.

Bawdsey Quay and beach. 
Seen from Lookfar on the visitor's mooring in the Deben, of which more in another post

What heatwave? I went to the beach at shingle street to lie around in the sun to recover from yesterday. The haar came in after an hour  (they call it sea mist here which is not such a good name).

Haar at shingle street.
It was not a proper Scottish haar but enough to keep the heat wave away.

But a nice day out.

Saturday - I completed a race - how about that! I never thought to do a race again, let alone finish one. I was last ashore - but who cares - I finished!

Course 19

The conditions are much more challenging than sailing a triangle or figure of eight on open water. It is more like an obstacle race, but I am expecting that I will learn where things are and where the regular gusts are. I went for the fast handicap - which meant three circuits of the course below Loder's Cut (which is a gap in the mud banks cut by some guy called Loder in the late 19th c.). The slow handicap fleet (I can sail in either) only did one circuit.

There are moored boats all along, the tide varies and the wind is shadowed in places by trees and banks. It also funnels down around 9 and C . So within about three boat lengths you go from being becalmed to being almost overpowered. The only decent wind was between 7 and D. It can only be good for my technique! One has also to identify the marks and remember the course (yea - it is written down but you don't want to take your eye off the wind to look.) I got lost twice - which I suppose is quite good really.

They do 5,4,1 starts from the clubhouse. I started almost on the line (which I could not see due to moored boats) - and did OK  until I could not spot 7 or distinguish D from a load of mooring bouys! There are two bouys at 14 so I headed to the wrong one - and then  the mainsheet untied itself (OK I had not fixed the knot properly) and I lost where I was whilst I re-tied it. I  slowed down as I got tired but hung on in there and finished. Fun - fun - fun. Or fun without the need to bring the boat ashore and pull it up the ramps by myself (everyone else was in) and then unrig it. But I did it and there was very nice cake and tea in the galley.

The mill pond for the Tidemill seen from the other side of the river. An image from the Frith collection.

Once a historian - always a historian - even if I swear I have said what I had to say. This is the Tidemill Yacht harbour before it was a yacht harbour. It was then a vaste mill pond for the Tidemill corn mill - just visible to the left. An econimic / social / environmental history of the boat yards and havens up and down the river would be nice. (The boat trade and the river Deben - 1800 to 2010)   In our endings are our beginnings. (You won't understand this unless you know that my first book was The Pottery Trade and North Staffordshire, 1660-1760) So have spent a day vaguely thinking about it.  I don't really have the time or energy - - do I?

Have also done the usual trivia and been to the gym and advertised a laser for sale.

Today - the summer solstice.

2011                        2011
                   d  h  m           d  h  m
 Equinoxes  Mar   20 23 21    Sept  23 09 05
 Solstices  June  21 17 16    Dec   22 05 30

Not sure how to acknowledge it even. I thought it was the whole day - but apparently not - the time (GMT) given here from:-
http://www.usno.navy.mil/USNO/astronomical-applications/data-services/earth-seasons

Needless to say the sun itself is not in sight.

Swallow on a noticeboard - Deben Yacht Club

The noticeboard is outside the changing rooms. They have nested late here - some nested earlier under the balcony. They stayed with the nest all day - inspite of masses of activity within a few meters. Swallows were here in a similar position last year.

I am surprised not to have a lot of aches and pains today - maybe the good effect of resistance training. I did not expect ever to race again and it reminded me - what fun and enjoyment - what effort and pain.

Grossed in sun and did a minor repair all day.

River walk from the sailing club balcony

Today - the Woodbridge regatta. The river bank and all the open areas adjacent were full of stalls, eateries and people.

Just after the start of the Topper race. The wind got up later.

And there was some racing in sight of the revellers. I did two laps of a big course in the streaker which started after the toppers had finished (I came in after an hour and a quarter as I was tired and also had some equipment failures). The first time I have raced for about three years. The wind was pretty good for about half the time - then dropped. It is very variable here - a lot of gusts and shifts. Various muscles are protesting but I don't feel any worse than I did a few years back.

Aim - to finish one race this season (they do very long races and wonder why more people don't race). (One of the problems of handicap racing due to the need to give the really fast boats a decent length of race which is too long for the slower boats.)

The week - full of domestic trivia and bad weather. I even did some shopping and cooking. Do feminists bake cakes?

The weather is frustrating attempts to go sailing in Lookfar or in a dinghy. High wind is forecast over the weekend and into next week. With rain. It looks as if I will be forced to write documentation, as I have almost tidied the flat and done my accounts.

All the usual trivia - and the weather sunny - a bit spoilt by not being out of doors enough.

DYC standard courses: starts from the clubhouse

Aimed at my friends in sailing clubs - this seems a good idea. Apparently it helps to get sensible courses - helped by the ability to leave the marks in over the summer. I have had to draw them out on maps, with coloured pencils, to make any sense of them.
Very horrible weather still.

Sunny in the morning but it became cold and windy, with heavy rain after lunch.
I went to the boat and  fixed the mainsail on the boom before it rained.

At low tide alongside the town quay - the entrance to the Tidemill marina is between the white buildings

Talked to the families that own these boats on the way there. Scuttled back as the wind got colder and the rain nastier. The rest of the day indoors - partly doing some useful things (such as studying the sailing club's standard race courses - which were incomprehensible but are getting easier as I get more familiar with the river)  but mostly not doing much at all.

a.m. A good session in the gym. The rest of the day trying to sort out my house (as usual - it seems a never-ending task) and an expedition to the shops and to drink coffee in Neros - yet again. The weather is not nice - so no grossing in  the sun. Wrote emails and watched tele - as usual.
I am wondering how to exesise the brain - implying a re-think about how to live.

I had lunch with Aidan in London - got drenched with heavy rain - wandered around a couple of old stamping grounds - headed for the train back quite early. As there was some chaos on the line ahead this was just as well - but there was only a minor delay in the end. Then supper at the sailing club. A rather long day - but I felt good at the end of it.

a.m. The birds indicate an improvement in mood this morning - they are supposed to move around - very silly.... Almost finished doing tax accounts - now a lot of checking tedious detail - not as if I have a mega-income.

p.m. Visit to Ipswich hospital to oncology clinic and to get more supplies of the wonder-drug. It all seems to be working and indeed I feel quite 'normal' - whatever that conveys to you. Heavy rain on my return somewhat dampening to mood.

a.m. A bit gloomy when I got up with nothing very interesting in prospect. Still putting books on shelves, a blood test and home via the shops.
p.m.  stayed around the house in the afternoon waiting for a chair to be delivered - which it was. Some progress with doing tax. Sunny and windy outside.

11-50 hrs: got up feeling a bit depressed - an hour in the gym was good and am now trying to catch up with domestic admin, dealing with U3A website and putting books on shelves. (Yes - they are still on the floor).

eve: The rest of the day - lots of minor things -domestic admin,  cycled to the boat (put on the genoa), back via the shops and more domestic triva alongside watching tele.

a.m. Heavy rain all day and a cold wind - back into winter clothes and off with sandals. I am intending to make a daily entry on the blog - as good discipline for me. Not, I hope, a substitute for writing proper letters (ie emails).
 

21-00 hrs: Geology group of U3A - last meeting until September. I like geology - I like the stimulus the group gives, but I often find going to a meeting a bit annoying. I also find U3A a bit annoying too.

Went into Ipswich hospital for an Xray after, which did not take very long as oncology xrays are fast-tracked.  (The special xray unit for oncology was merged with the general unit and the deal was that we would not have to wait long.) Usual feeling of unease as I was called before some other people - but also pleased at not having a long wait.

Did nothing of any significance for the rest of the day - dropped into the letting agent to get someone to fix some electricity glitches, had a coffee in Nero's and bought a pair of shorts and a sun hat in the hope of better weather. General feeling of dissatisfaction by the evening.

Saturday

Downwind finish - Mike in his streaker.

Monday 8-40 hrs: The last five days much taken up with boating - but I have not been afloat. The long race on Saturday (6 N miles approx) was too windy for my muscles - (three boats launched from the club and only two finished). I hung out on the balcony of the club and sat in the sun. This was frustrating as I had prepared the boat and myself for the event. Then Sunday was too windy as well, so I visited Lookfar, where it was cold and windy by the afternoon - but I did fix a few things apart from which I did nothing all day apart from reading a few pages of a geology text book. Too much tele . .

Lookfar lifted. Tidemill office behind the bow. The green car has all my picnic gear spread out next to it

 20-40 hrs: Up an hour earlier than usual to go to Tidemill - the boat was due to be lifted and the repair finished. Sat in the sun (and tidied the car) whilst the crane did other things. It was hot and still and quiet - one of those summer mornings.

The underside - showing the new gasket and the refurbished plate holding it in.

Then - the slot gasket was done and ( after the picture) I patched the anti-fouling. Launched after lunch and did nothing much else for the rest of the day, apart from lounging in the cockpit. It clouded in the afternoon  and a cold wind came in - but still shorts-weather. The deck is dirty and the inside needs to be sorted out - but we are at least back in the water.

20-00 hrs: Went streakering this morning and am beginning to feel at one with the boat. Righted a capsize and got back in easily. Lots of muscles I did not know I had are now aching. Excellent fun. And have done very little since apart from look at piles of books on the flooir in the hope that they will put themselves onto shelves.

Week in Woodbridge 7

a.m.: to the gym, which was crowded and my muscles tired from yesterday, but came out feeling better. Now settling down to do something useful - - namely a re-organisation of the books, files and other stuff in my room.

20-20 hrs: I spent the afternoon at B&Q getting shelves and other bits to help with the tidy-up. I fear it is displacement activity to avoid tax and writing! Spent time since I got back making the shlves and carrying files and books around - it has to be done I suppose.

Week in Woodbridge 6

a.m. Off to accompany trainee sailors in Wayfarers downstream - over the tide - to have a picnic at 'the Rocks' with lots of warm clothes and food  packed.

I drove the big DYC Safety boat - with bouys, bags of food and much else.
We had two Ribs with us as well

19-45: just back - missing Dr Who. An interesting day with wind gusting 20 to 30 knots - several boats under jib alone going at 5.5 knots - with the tide - on the way back. More harmless fun.

Week in Woodbridge 5

The central part of Woodbridge - covering my normal stamping grounds.
The sailing club is just off the map, downstream  to the left.
Copyright  John Roberts, Top Floor Studio, Woodbridge.

a.m. The gym before anything else - usual beneficial effect on well-being. Indigestion all night due to eating too much too late yesterday - dodgy digestion came back during the day from time to time - proof that side-effects need to be respected.

And the rest of the day - did things at home, cycled to the Tidemill (to get some screws from the boat and also had a pleasant chat with a boat owner who has just moved here) - then to the sailmakers (to get some rope for righting lines) and to the shops (for food). Back home - lots of minor domestic things and a few emails. Also took an hour and a half (and two drills) to drill two holes in the Streaker's rudder so that I can fit a better way to hold the rudder down and also get it up in shallow water. Nothing dramatic - and very little  stirring of the mud

Week in Woodbridge 4

a.m. Today we have - - things to do to put off the hour of writing documents. Easier because the weather is overcast and cold, so I am not tempted to go out into the sun. A pleasant morning writing letters and surfing the web for dinghy goodies.This day two years ago I had arrived in Wells. I still feel - what is the word - disturbed at not living that life anymore - like mud at the bottom of a pool being disturbed if prodded. Maybe I will buy some dinghy goodies as consolation - - -which I did. And spent the afternoon mooching in the shops and avoiding heavy rain showers. 

Start of evening race seen from the clubhouse - just after the start gun.
The start line is the two white dots on the far bank and the fleet are heading into the wind and current - so is there a reason for being shy of the line?

 Evening racing - I thought it would be too windy so did not take my gear. Spent the rest of the evening eating and looking at rigging on streakers.

Week in Woodbridge 3

a.m. Not sure how to spend the day - sunshine forecast so am temped by the beach. In the end - decide I need to recoup strength, so go to the gym and plan to do useful things in the sun. The gym - a life-saver and an important part of my life here; I try to go every other day. I do a varied routine of resistance training using free weights which normally takes about an hour to an hour and a quarter. At the moment I am gradually increasing the range of what I do and the weights I use, so it also confirms my general well-being or otherwise.

But some unease inside - two years ago I ran away to sea but only got as far as Woodbridge. I did intend to go much further and have to be careful not to rage that it has not been possible. Why not rage? - good question - I feel that I have landed up somewhere with a better lifestyle than I had before - interesting sailing, different boats and two bathrooms - so I would not be respecting my life if I did too much weeping and gnashing of teeth. But - - - -

21-30: I have spent the whole day doing various small things - mostly in the sun - and (probably) avoiding doing some writing. It is often thus. All the trivia - including putting out the rubbish, mending a sail, looking at boats,cooking a batch of fish pies, buying things and gossiping to various people about all sorts of things like how to make vegetable stock out of broad bean and pea shells. But I did put in two hours on the U3A web site updating a lot of articles about interest groups.

Week in Woodbridge 2

the beach with pebbles and waves: to cheer me up

21.15: Tuesday - a different day - reaction to several busy days. A lot of sun and a cold wind. 

Slept badly and got up feeling feeble and continued to feel out of sorts all day. I got to the marina for 9-00 in order to give Richard some bits of boat to be collected by a rigger. Then did nothing and dozed fitfully in the cockpit but I did sort out the boot of the car to leave room for picnic things for beach visits. Got home for lunch - watched a bit of TV - lazed around and did nothing.

I intended to sail the streaker in the evening - so I went to the sailing club with my gear at 17-00 but I really did not feel like it. I did help someone rig their boat and mend a small gash in my sail. Had some coffee and a wee chat and came home. Watched TV whilst I made and ate supper. Relunctant to go to bed incase I don't sleep and cannot be bothered to do any web work or documentation. So it is not all rush-around in Woodbridge.

Week in Woodbridge 1

From Bawdsey beach - looking upstream across the Deben to Felixstow Ferry;
sea kale in flower in the foreground

20-50 hrs: I do not expect this week to be typical - for one thing there is more wind and sun forecast than usual. And I plan to do more sailing things than usual.

Monday - to the gym (geology group not meeting today) and then packed a load of beach-survival-things to go to the beach to look at the waves and gravel. But a lot of fussing around the flat - clearing the gear from being on rescue yesterday, filing papers, answering a couple of emails. I make it out eventually and go to the shops on the way  to Bawdsey Quay, (about 8 miles away) where I park the car overlooking the river - eat - drink coffee - watch the waves - usual things. Both an early and a late lunch.

Eventually walked out to the beach along the footpath - put on a lot of clothes due to strong and cold wind. The waves in the river almost show in the picture. Took pictures of sea kale, gravel, waves and a few plants. Collected two kilo of gravel for an experiment (of which more later - but probably unsuccessful). Returned to the car and grossed out in the tea room. Then back to Woodbridge. 

Nothing much since apart from eating a small supper (due to a lot of eating during the day) and doing some editing on the U3A website - it needs to be done asap.

the keel on the ground - ignore the ladder

11-00 hrs: The keel runs up and down on runners on each side - the red arrow points to one of them. The blue strap winds the keel up and down from inside the boat, through the slot at the bottom ( a red arrow points to this). 

What stops it falling out? Answer - nothing apart from the strap. It may have rested on the fitting that holds the slot gasket in place.

The design is for a nylon bush to be fitted at approximately the place of the round red circle. This then catches on a ridge in the keel casing and stops it falling out. Nice. But - mine did not have one. It does now,  the Tidemill staff made and fitted one before the keel was put back.

But - you may say - how do I get it out next time I need to inspect it? Good question - the nylon bush unbolts through holes in the keel case inside - necessitating the removal of a lot of woodwork and the galley to get at it - so a non-trivial thing to do. But feasable.

At least I am not going to have the keel fall out of the bottom next time I do something daft. And I better understand the whole mechanism as a result of all this.

Sloes

11-15 hrs: They are fat and nice near water but those in dry areas do not seem to be so good. They also seem quite early - as are the elder flowers.

The keel - and the gasket. Note the runners at the top and the blue tape

The slot. The blue tape is used to wind it up.
The marks of the runners show along the edge of the hole.
There is a fitting to go into the grotty part.

13-15 hrs: Good stuff. The keel is back in having been checked over and some re-furbishment done. There was a lot more to doing this than a simple statement suggests. And Richard did some cool crane-driving to position the boat to get the keel back in - and the staff did a lot of positioning of the keel as well. More to it than meets the eye. I did not have my camera on me when it happened - - - .

Now - a new slot gasket which means another ride on the crane - probably middle of next week.

I will also tell you in another post what stops it falling out of the bottom of the boat other than the blue tape.

Lookfar is lifted high enough to get the keel out. Getting it back in was the fun part as it is pretty heavy.

13-40 hrs: This is really a picture of the crane. The keel is out for inspection and I hope to have a repair plan soon. 

Last week - a lot of hanging around - and an infection in my right eye. Weather dull but warm except for cold winds - trouser weather - good bye balmy days of early summer.

my streaker and DYC dinghy park

16-00 hrs: I have not forgotten you all - or how to capsize. (Last time I capsized - maybe three years ago). I went streaking a couple of times and finished up being tipped into the river by a mooring yesterday.  Righted the boat without trouble but then found - - - I could not get back into it. Much effort and use of the safety cover got me ashore eventually. And note this - you sailors in the North - it was like falling into a bath - it was not really cold at all (I had three thermals, a watertight jacket and short wetsuit). Fun - fun - fun. I now need to make a ladder to get myself aboard and do a lot more dinghy sailing - I had forgotten what pleasure it is - -

Life here is sunny and windy, - shorts/tee shirt weather. The battallions of  side effects are under control, I have sat around on the beach and done nice things. I also have had (including the capsize) epic sailing in the streaker. Lookfar is waiting the be lifted by the big crane and I have done a few improvements to the rigging. I have mostly kept out of trouble.

 

 

 

Gravel bank at the mouth of the river Deben - looking seawards.

20-00 hrs: It has been very windy and sunny all weekend. I walked out onto the gravel banks at the mouth of the Deben and then along the beach. Rough sea and cold wind - but I found sheltered places to gross out. Much needed after the excesses of last week.