6th June 2014 - Salcombe, Visitors, Wind

Living in the UK at anchor with a dog and a toddler - what can possibly go wrong?!
Jeff
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6th June 2014 - Salcombe, Visitors, Wind

Post by Jeff »

I'm sat here at anchor in Dartmouth with Towser's stern about 15m from the side of a £3M super yacht. Strong Easterlies (25 knots in the gusts atm), forecast to increase, are trying their hardest to close the gap; and they've got a good chance of doing so because the riverbed slopes downwards east to west making it much harder for the anchor to keep hold. As if to prove my point, a yacht 100m away has just dragged its anchor - all hands on deck!

And another one! Just rowed over to tell a solo sailor he'd dragged his across the mid-channel chain (which holds the big ship mooring buoys in place). Fortunately he got free. Unfortunately he's just dropped his anchor again way too close to us, within our swinging circle. We shall meet again!

Hehe it's great fun anchoring. And to think, most boat owners pay a small fortune for a mooring and don't get to experience this excitement! :D

However, I'm not massively worried. We've got 40m of chain out in water about 7m deep (a very high ratio of nearly 6:1 which ought to be fine in a storm) and I've deployed our bridle arrangement which keeps the loads off the bowsprit (not designed to take much load in the directions the anchor pulls it) and effectively lowers the attachment point a couple of meters too - helping to increase that all important depth to chain length ratio. It also has three rubber snubbers in-line, and uses stretchy rope, which greatly reduces the forces on the anchor as we move around in the current and gusty wind.

Meanwhile, we had a lovely trip to Salcombe and back last week. Sailed all the way there in lovely weather. Spent three nights at anchor and three days with Nina slowly transferring every grain of white sand from the beaches into Towser - no idea where she was hiding it - she'd have been a brilliant tunneller in The Great Escape.

The trip back, despite being rather crunchy underfoot (sand), was in poor visibility and it was cold. What a difference a wheelhouse makes! And I got to use the radar properly for the first time. Very impressed. A very useful bit of kit indeed.

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A couple of days of sand removal and then we had a last minute visit from Rose's parents. Managed to take them out for their first sail and despite my best efforts, failed to get Sue to turn green.

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On returning to anchor a small boat came alongside. The skipper shouted over, "hi Jeff, I read your blog"! Fabulous! Nice to meet you! And thank you for coming over!! :D

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And finally a technical note...

We've got a hydraulic steering system with a header tank which isn't translucent, so the only way to check steering fluid level is to use some kind of a dipstick. But the lid to said tank forms an airtight seal, so to leave a decent amount of airspace (for expansion) above the oil level requires a level below which our homemade dipstick can reach. So I was forever overfilling. I've solved this with the addition of a bodged, transparent header tank in the form of a bent pipe. I'm very pleased with it. It cost me nothing and a regular chore is now replaced by a quick glance.


Some pictures:

Sailing to Salcombe
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Sailing to Salcombe
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The In-Laws
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The In-Laws
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The In-Laws
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Superyacht Behind Me As I Type
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Yacht Dragging Anchor
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Our Anchor Bridle
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My Free Hydraulic Steering Header Tank
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Discus
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Post by Discus »

Some good piccies recently Jeff - has someone bought you a new camera? Have you ever considered a new career as a (mad) inventor? Some genius solutions you come up with, using only pipe (cleaners) and sticky backed CT1! Hope the wind has dropped a few notches and you had/are having a good time with the outlaws. 8)
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Post by Jeff »

Thanks Rob.

Wind dropped. We were fine.

Glad you like my inventions. You should see the door roller I made with epoxy resin and a t-shirt! :)

Camera and lenses all new. Bought for business use. Upgraded from a 2002 dslr to a 2013 model. What a difference!
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Post by Discus »

"Epoxy resin and a T-shirt"? ..............

OK, now you have my attention!




Good job that 'business' camera is also useful for taking some boat snaps - stroke of luck! :thumleft:
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Post by Jeff »

Hehe.

Epoxy and t shirt.... A caster wheel under one of our wheelhouse sliding doors exploded into a few pieces. I repaired it with epoxy and a strip of epoxy soaked t shirt material wrapped around it a few times. I was able to tie a knot in it to keep it in place while it set, then file off the high points so it was round again.

I tried some glass fibre tape first but couldn't keep it in place while the epoxy set. T shirt solved that completely. It's done a week of service so far.
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Post by Discus »

Don't tell me, the t shirt is still in daily use too!

It's like that tv show The Good Life on your boat!

101 uses for epoxy - bet no one thought of the 102nd use (with a t shirt).







O :P
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Post by Jeff »

I love The Good Life! Probably partly why we're here right now!

Have you had much boat time recently? There's been some lovely days here and there over the last few weeks. And fingers crossed, some nice weather next week too. Might have a trip around to Brigham and back next week with my folks when they're down if the forecast holds.
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Post by Discus »

Jeff wrote:I love The Good Life! Probably partly why we're here right now!.
How did I know you were going to say that? In fact I predicted you would say it when I wrote it!

On boat now. Not been down for a couple of weeks due to other stuff but happy to be aboard again for a weekend. We are both off from next Saturday for 2 whole weeks! Will be heading East.......... or West depending on the weather and hoping to spend the whole time basically on the boat. I have fallen in to the trap sooooo many times of saying "yeah, we are going to go to ------------- this time, only to have the weather kick us in the n**s every time. This time there is no set destination, anywhere is a possibility. Just hope the weather doesn't crap out on us (again).

Quite like Brixham by the way - good chips!! :P
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Post by Jeff »

Great to hear you're afloat! Lovely evening isn't it!

Perhaps our paths will cross during your two week meander.
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Post by Discus »

It is a nice evening, although a serious squall passed through earlier with rain that Noah would be proud of. Great to be afloat, only marred by a whole glass of lager going over on the galley worktop. Took a while to get over the loss but we are back on track now. We are sitting out in the cockpit tent with the oil lamp going which is nice! If you are about when we are off, I will give you a shout. It would be good to meet up............... I am sure I can find you something to epoxy back together. :P
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Post by Jeff »

:)

Weather permitting we might be headed west after next week. Paths almost certain to cross at some point. Let us know when you set off, and which way..

Though there is a small chance we might be going south. Like you, nothing is being fixed on.

Wind up a bit this am! But the sun is out too....
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Post by Discus »

If your small chance of heading South is the CI's, then that is also an option for us - again weather permitting and time permitting. Bound to be somewhere close at some point. 8)
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Post by Jeff »

Channel isles are our only option south, with a dog, unfortunately.
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Post by Discus »

Pet passport? or would Luna's ASBO count against her? :wink:
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Post by Terry T »

No problem taking dogs to the CI just that you can't go to Victoria Marina . believe Beaucet is ok tho. apparently you can moor on the outer pontoon and ferry the dog in a dinghy to St PP . crazy !

Hopefully we will be at sea heading East next week if Val can shift this bloody virus . :cry: Too expensive going west now so will work our way prob Salcombe ,Dartmuff ,Torbay and hopefully this year Exeter ship canal but no hard plans .
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