28th May 2014 - End Of First Month Back Afloat

Living in the UK at anchor with a dog and a toddler - what can possibly go wrong?!
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Jeff
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28th May 2014 - End Of First Month Back Afloat

Post by Jeff »

Apologies for the lack of posts. Not a lot of much excitement has happened to be honest. We've not yet left the river but not due to anything other than uninviting weather and/or finding nice things to do on the Dart.

The engine has been fine. The loos have been fine. No leaks have manifest. All is well.

We've spent the whole time apart from 6 nights in the middle (due to very high winds) in the anchorage, so it's been cheap which always makes me that little bit more buoyant.

Music Festival in Dartmouth was excellent as always. Highly recommend coming here for a few days next year when it's on. The mood in the whole town is excellent - it's like one big festival with rock music, choir music, jazz, pop, blues, Caribbean... you name it. Nina loved it. Particularly the heavier rock stuff and the Gimme Hendrix experience.

Right now we've just returned from a trip up river to anchor (two nights) near Agatha Christie's house at 'The Anchorstone', just downriver from Dittisham. We should go there more often really - it's only a 20 minute chug and it's so peaceful. Few others anchor there as it's a little awkward to find the right spot due to the steep riverbed so there's almost always room.

On the way up there the sun came out and Nina decided nudity was the way forward. She stood in the doorway, starkas, dancing and singing and waving at all the boats we passed. One tiny sailing boat called 'Faith', a Paradox Microcruiser we'd seen before, years ago, high up the Tamar, seemed to be saying something. Turned out later that he's one of our 3 blog readers other than my mum!

(Hope you see this Jim. Really great to meet you and find out about your boat! I'll put a picture of you below but I have some others if you want them, in high resolution. Sign up to the forum and PM me an email address.)

Jim's boat is 4.2m long and 1.3m (ish) wide. It cost £3.60 to anchor on the Dart for one night. It has a 10cm draft and a hole right through the middle so mast, charcoal burner chimney and control lines can all enter through the deckhead without any problem with water ingress (it flows down into the hole). When we inevitably move shoreside and I'm starting to get itchy feet for seafaring adventure, I'm thinking this is the boat for me!

I just also posted a 'how to' post about anchoring in wind over tide situations like we get here on the Dart. If you're interested in anchoring subtleties, check this out:

viewtopic.php?t=752

Today we (Rose) has decided enough is enough and it's time for Nina to stop wearing nappies. I predict trouble!

Here's some pictures...

Dartmouth Music Festival - Spot Rose & Nina
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Dartmouth Music Festival At Night
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Anchored at the Anchorstone - SV Faith in the distance
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Skipper Jim in his Paradox Microcruiser 'Faith'
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Sunset at Anchor
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Trouble!
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Jim
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Joined: Fri May 30, 2014 8:24 pm
Location: Dorset

Post by Jim »

Thanks for posting the picture of my little boat Jeff. If you have more I'd be pleased to see them. The one you posted shows that there is full kneeling headroom on a Paradox..

I'm not sure that your daughter will pleased to see that picture of her sat on the loo in 10 or 12 years time, though....:-)

best

Jim
Jeff
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Post by Jeff »

Kneeling headroom :)

I'll email you some photos in a moment...
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FSDSMAN
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Post by FSDSMAN »

Great to see you are back on the water and enjoying it. I must say from your pics the interior woodwork on your boat looks great. What varnish do you use to maintain such pristine conditions?
Been out a few times in mine now and not hit anything - YET
Jeff
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Post by Jeff »

Thank you :)

Hehe glad to hear you've not hit anything yet :) (give it time ;))

I've done no varnishing at all in the area you can see in that photo. Testament to the very high quality original build of this boat I suspect. Where I have had to though, I've used Epiphanes because that's what someone once told me they used. No experience of any other product.
To join our mailing list and receive notification of blog updates, please send an email to watchblog@yacht-forum.co.uk and we'll keep you posted. You do not need to sign up to the forum to do this, and we absolutely WILL NOT share your contact details, or send you anything but notifications of new blog entries.
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