wind dodging

For the last couple of days, we'd been watching the weather forecast with some trepidation. It was looking awfully like we were going to get stuck in Oostende again with bad weather. Roger (Sailorman) had left early to get away before the wind came through, Jim (Full Circle) had decided to head down the coast and shorten his crossing, and we sat tight, along with Sirenia. The forecast however, wasn't very accurate. Monday had suggested pretty foul weather, with winds F6/F7 so we had planned to go to Brugge (again!), but when we arose, the forecast North F7 was actually a South F2..... so we looked at the charts, decided that wind was still coming, but that we had a few hours before it arrived, and made a plan to head off down the coast towards Dunkerque, along with the good ship Sirenia...Given that we had been expecting very strong winds, there was some irony in the fact that we had to motor the whole way, with the wind never getting above 3kts, and bang on the nose. There was a bit of a rolling sea about, a sign of the much heavier weather being experienced back in the UK. Jim had called to report 35kts in Ramsgate, so we steadily plodded on. The run down to Dunkerque is easy, and well buoyed, so pretty painless. The only challenge experienced really was that several of the buoys marking the very shallow sandbanks were in different locations to the ones shown on the charts... a need to do some corrections is noted!It was only a short run to Dunkerque, and we tied up safely in YCMN by 13h30. The plan is now to spend a couple of nights here, have a look around, and then head back towards the UK on Wednesday. This evening, we invited the Crew of Sirenia aboard for a meal. Jessica arrived bearing a rather splendid Salad, and a fabulous tray full of home made Pizza. We supplied a Bolognaise sauce and Pasta, and then educated them in the fine art of Skank, a rather simple dice game, that the kids love, and resulted in much laughter and a super evening.... early night, we're all exhausted!

Miles logged 31nm
Miles this trip 129nm
Miles this season 402nm
Miles since this blog started 2,196nm

Oostende bound

After arriving down at the boat Thursday evening by 21h00, we quickly got ourselves sorted, and to bed at a reasonable time. For once, I slept soundly, but was rudely disturbed by my alarm call at 03h00. We took our time getting ready, stopped on the fuel pontoon for a quick top up (we had 3/4 of a tank left but forecast suggested very light winds), and locked out at 03h50. CliveG was also leaving from Harwich, but we couldn't see him on Halfpenny pier, so he'd obviously left earlier.There was no wind at all, so we motored out towards open water. Despite needing nav lights, it was definitely approaching dawn, so navigation was really quite easy, with the buoys being visible, yet the lights still showing. We reached Landguard spit, when the VHF spluttered into life with a call from Clive. They were just off Cork Sands, so around 4nm ahead of us. We carried on motoring, as the wind carried on being absent. By Rough Towers, we had caught up with Clive, and shot past him. Despite being windless, the sun wasn't overly keen on showing its face, with the odd burst here and there between clouds, but regardless, it was quite warm, so a pleasant time was being had. It only took us until 07h30 to reach Long Sand Head, at which point I calculated the course to the next waypoint, some 30nm distant at West Zuid buoy, marking the start of the second TSS and intowards Belgium.This leg involved crossing the main North Sea TSS, after about 20nm, and so we set off, ready to keep an eye out. With the visibility OK limited by a haze, but OK enough to be able to see at least 3nm, not too much to worry about. We found ourselves several miles into the leg, and in our own little world... no sign of anything else at all... the sun was starting to show itself occasionaly, and it really was quite pleasant, even though the complete lack of wind meant that we had to continue motoring....Before long we entered the TSS.... with the engine running, I decided to use the radar, as no concerns over battery power!, and it showed a couple of targets, one of which we had to alter course for, and then as we entered the other side, with north going traffic, another alteration for a ship... bad luck really considering that we only saw 4 ships in total!Passing West Zuid, we altered course to cross the smaller TSS at right angles, and saw no traffic at all, and set course for Oostende, some 18nm distant. After 2nm, I realised that I had chosen the waypoint at Nieuwpoort rather than Oostende (a big hoorah for bothering to plot on the chart), and so with really no great pain caused (other than a very minor detour, and even then not much) we headed towards Oostende. It was an uneventful run in, with the wind still being completely absent, so safe to go straight across all the sandbanks, until we reached about 2nm off the entrance, where we saw a small coaster heading along parallel with the shore. We decided that we would be clear of him if we kept our speed up, so I gave Morgana a bit more throttle, picking her speed through the water up to about 8.8kts, and we looked to be safely infront of her, until she made a sharp course alteration to head straight towards us... I immediately turned hard 90 degrees, as she was now only 1/2nm off, and she then continued her turn, and also executed a 90 degree alteration.... it was a large dredger, clearing the Oostende entrance..... darn!As we closed in the last 1/4nm towards the piers, the lights changed, to green white green, which is permission needed.... so we waited... in total nearly 30 mins until we then had the delay kind of rewarded by being asked to follow a lovely square rigged tall ship into the entrance as she ghosted in under full sail.... fabulous!Within a few minutes we entered Montgomery dock to find it quite full. We saw a spot, and headed towards it, where upon the Harbour master hailed us, and directed us towards a spot right under the RNSYC building.... the buoy for the stern looked very close to the pontoon, but we grabbed it, and put the bow on the pontoon.... it wasn't until 2 or 3 minutes later that I realised that we should be at 90 degrees to where we were!!!!!! whoops... red face!So we walked the bow around..... easily done... and tied up, engine off... arrived!The evening was spent relaxing, and then a bit of tourist stuff on Saturday until about 17h00, when OliveOyl and Popeye arrived... we all went out for a really nice meal out, excellent Moules at 'a Bord' and then all returned to the boat for a very entertaining evening. We sat in the cockpit (with the cockpit tent up!) until about 01h30, debating the wind and departure schedules, at which point we all crashed out.... an excellent way to start the holiday!

Miles logged 88nm
Miles this trip 88nm
Miles this season 371nm
Miles since this blog started 2,165nm

forecast

Starting to get towards the point where the forecast for the Oostende trip is meaningful.... currently suggesting 3kts and pretty variable direction... so looks like it'll be a motor across!Upside is that the Azores high is fighting its way back in, so temperatures look most appealing!!!!!I now work in Hull, so its a fair drive every day, and I was expecting that I woudn't be home until my now usual 20h00, but Thursday i've got a meeting in Nottingham, so assuming the meeting finishes on time, then we can get away at a sensible time.... which means I can get my head down for a while before the 03h30 departure.... which is good news...Olive Oyl and Popeye have accepted our invitation to stop over Saturday night, so along with the East Coast gang, we're expecting a fun night!

lifejackets

Replacement lifejacket arming kits arrived and fitted OK... so thats one less task to worry about.... also replacement cap for the shroud cover that caused so much trouble a fortnight ago has arrived.... it looks very small... I'm not sure i've ordered the right size!Passage planning all done for next weekend.... waypoints added to plotter and handheld...Forecast is looking interesting..... F3 and 23 degrees... a bit of a risk of the wind being a South Easterly though, which will mean motor sailing I suspect.... better make sure the tank is full!Plans are to leave Oostende on Monday, and head towards Gravelines... meant to be very pleasant, but dries out... apparently the mud is so soft that boats just sit in it up to the boot topping!And then, we'll make it up as we go along... perhaps a hop across to Ramsgate, and a slow run back via the Medway or similar... who knows!

hoorah!

Part 1 certificate and authorised Bill of Sale arrived in the post this morning....Oostende, here we come!

harumph

We're not sailing this weekend... got to get back on top of the garden before the cat gets completely lost, and the shed dissapears!However, my big 'grump' at the moment, is that in just less than a weeks time, we are off to Oostende, followed by a weeks cruising..... but my part 1 registration hasn't come back yet.....I spoke to them this morning, and they are going to see what they can do, but normal lead time is 'weeks'... they are still processing April applications, and ours didn't arrive until start of May....To complete the change of ownership you need to send the original part 1 certificate back, plus the original Bill of Sale, so right now, I have no proof of ownership at all, and no registration documents.... a situation which would make a trip to Belgium or France a highly risky proposition.....If they don't arrive, we'll have to resort to a week of cruising the Thames Estuary, which would be nice, but actually a real dissapointment, as everyone is really looking forward to going to Oostende....

lifejackets

I've been remiss in not checking our lifejackets properly for nearly two years.... our RNLI seacheck of Saturday afternoon prompted me to bring them all home and check them properly, which i've just done....Both of the kids jackets needed new cylinders and firing kits.... neither would have inflated automatically, or even with a tug of the cord.... it doesn't really bear thinking about..... two new rearming kits at just £17 each...... the lifejackets themselves are fine....Thank you RNLI.... you might just have saved my kids lives.

addendum...

Just discovered the Hydrostatic release laying on the front doormat.... so thats something else to try and get fitted before we go to Oostende in 11 days time...

new deckies

Well..... after this weekends weather, there's not a lot else to report... Besides... the old, much loved pair have reached the stage where the holes in the soles have become sufficiently large that i'm getting fed up of wet feet...OK.... so its chucked it down most of the weekend.... we are rapidly in danger of becoming a 'marina caravan' owner...Saturday we fettled... fitted the new teak mug, wine glass and spice holders, and generally wasted time.... nipped into Ipswich, and grabbed a few bits and bobs...Saturday afternoon, we had an RNLI sea check, which, while it only confirmed that we are pretty much OK safety kit wise, did prompt me to reconsider a few things, mainly related to too much kit stuck in the bottom of lockers rather than readily accessible.... a couple of good points were raised though.... firstly, ensuring that the liferaft is mounted in its cradle so that the gas bottle (which is the heaviest bit of the contents) is at the bottom.... good for the pushpit mounts, and good for the liferaft not to have all that weight sitting upon it..... and secondly, some thoughts about what items we have for plugging major holes in the boat, and how to get them in situ.....Went out to the 'Shipwreck' for a bite to eat Saturday night, and had a huge Paella, v good....Sunday we fettled again... chilled... listened to music... read the paper... and then left at 13h00.... via a couple of chandleries...bought the new deckies, that I need to break in before the longer trips planned, and various other bits and bobs... a set of stickers to put Morgana's name on the lifebelt, and one of those condensation absorbers.... its that time of the year, but we are getting an awful lot of condensation at night in the forward cabin, and it was raining too hard to have the hatch too wide open!So, all in all, a bit of a wash out... but never the less, actually a productive and fun weekend.... we seem to enjoy just 'being on the boat'.....No sailing next weekend... got to get some gardening done.... I keep expecting to see someone appear out of the lawn dressed in jungle whites and bearing a machete....But, as we are off to Oostende the following weekend, and then onwards for a week of gentle crusing, possible via Gravelines, i'd better use the time wisely to get some planning done as well...

handheld

... and I forgot... I also ordered a new handheld GPS as well... a Lowrance iGo... very cheap, and pretty basic, but its all I need... and its arrived too

weekend plans

All my bits have arrived at time of writing, except the hydrostatic release...As my parents are along this weekend (assuming they don't cry off given the weather forecast!), the plan is/was to head along to Brightlingsea, and relax a little..... however, the forecast isn't great.... pretty windy, and rain... so we may well call that one off.... and secondly, some time ago, I arranged for one of the RNLI sea checks, and i've just had an e-mail asking if this weekend is convenient, so that may well put the final nail in the coffin for the plans....Might well just have a pootle up the river to Pin Mill instead, grab a buoy for some lunch and relax a little...

Ouzo makes it mark

Over the course of the weekend, we spent some time reviewing our safety equipment and strategies, and having read the MAIB report into Ouzo, decided that a few things were needed...So today I have ordered a few bits...A Hydrostatic release for the liferaft... Ouzo seems to have sunk quickly.... a release may have saved their lives... secondly, we saw a container last year in the North sea... another hint.....A light to clip into the bracket below the lifebuoy.... the clips exist, but no light.... in the dark, would be an essentialA set of wooden bungs for the seacocks... one of the 'mixed size' packs.... no doubt there won't be enough of the right size, but that I can deal with later, but its a good startA new stern light... the old one has a pretty badly crazed lense, and no doubt the light is quite diffused, and lacking in range.... I also ordered one with a 25W bulb, as opposed to the standard 10W... we have enough battery power to cope... the side light lenses seem pretty good... but I may well put 25W bulbs in them too.... I tend to use the lower lights rather than the tricolour....Crutch straps for all four of the adult lifejackets (the kids already have them on theirs).... again Ouzo suggested that they would make a big differenceWhat I didn't order (but will be doing) are:White anti-collision flares (could only find handhelds - which may do, but would prefer something a bit more serious!)... I also want a set of clips to be able to mount them close to hand.... in the mean time, i'll be ensuring that the million candle powet searchlight/torch is kept charged for shining on the sails, and at bridges as a last resortA danbouy light... couldn't find one that worked in the way I wanted ( a string on the backstay that switches it on when pulled through being thrown over the side) (and on that subject, the danbuoy currently has the flag tied up with string.... that I must fix urgently... it couldn't be deployed in a rush)Lifejacket lights and sprayhoods... less concerned about the sprayhoods.... not a priority for our sailing area, but lifejacket lights would be nice, but at £24.95 each, a little expensive for 6 of them... I'll shop aroundAlso on the list is a throwing line of some kind.... a MOBY time device.... i'm running out of pushpit rail room rapidly!On a less safety oriented front, we also reviewed our galley arranagements, and agreed that some stuff needed moving from cupboard to elsewhere, so have ordered nice teak stowage units for mugs, wine glasses and tumblers... and because I couldn't resist it, a matching spice rack cum general storage shelf with a built in kitchen roll holder.... they'll all mount on the bulkhead in the galley, and should look very smart!

breezy

Saturday, as planned, was a fix and fettle day....Initial task was to mount the liferaft.... We decided in the end to put it on the pushpit rail.... I had to move the outboard bracker first.... one bolt over the side, so a typical tally for me.... easily replaced though... and the cradle fitted perfectly.... still allows the lockers to open on the sugar scoop, and clear of the cockpit drains.... but crucially, easy to launch for SWMBO and the kids.... it was entertaining to watch me balance onto the sugar scoop, wobbling my way into place with a 38Kg liferaft.. praying that I didn't drop it!Second job was to mount the 4 fire extinguishers.... painful drilling holes in the beautifully varnished woodwork.... but no mistakes, and suitable secure.... one by the galley, one in the forward cabin, and one in each of the aft cabins (as they are alongside the engine)Third task was to service the seawater pump in the galley.... it didn't work... the foot operated pump could be depressed, but then took several minutes to rise back to the upper position, and no water from the tap....After depositing a decent amount of seawater in the bilges (how much water can one pump body and 1.5m of pipe hold?!?) and then cursing for 3/4 hour as I reassembled the pump with a set of new diaphragms, I was disgusted to see that firstly, I hadn't seated one of the seals properly so it was leaking, and furthermore, so sign of any water....another 45 mins and the pump was back together and not leaking.... I removed the pipe from the pump that leads to the tap, and was treated to a face full of salt water upon pressing the pedal.... ah... a blockage in the either the pipe of tap.... I removed the pipe from the underside of the tap.... another press... more water in the bilges...So, the tap is blocked..... another session of rearranging my body into shapes that it isn't meant to adopt, and the tap is removed.... dissassembled, and several large pieces of crustacean are removed.... reassembled, et voila.... a functional sea water pump....During the afternoon, we had seen a boat tied up on the fuel pontoon.... a friend from Neptune.... we didn't know they were coming to Shotley, and they didn't know we were coming either... so a shouted conversation across the aisle, and a plan was formed for them to come over later..... we also met up with the captain and crew of Stargazer, who also accepted our invitation to come over....by 20h00, we had a cockpit full.... i'd rigged the cockpit tent... so it remained warm enough to stay up on deck... we drank a decent qauntity of wine, consumed an acceptable quantity of nibbles and dips, and had a jolly good evening....Sunday saw us looking nervously at the weather forecast.... our plan as readers of this blog will know, was to head up to the Deben for a BBQ and rendevous.... the forecast talked of 21mph and rain... not ideal for either a BBQ or a Deben bar crossing..... Stargazer bailed out due to ongoing engine troubles, and Emjaytoo took the sensible option of spending time in the safer confines of the Orwell what with a new unfamiliar boat and a good wind forecast......So a plan was formed to head on out.... and if it wasn't too bad, to head towards Hamford water where an escape to avoid rain could be effected at pretty much any time... we locked out, and decided to head up the Orwell for a bit of a shakedown... bearing in mind that the most wind we have experienced in her yet is about 10kts..... so headed off round Fagbury point past the container docks, and into the Orwell proper, on a tight reach, heading towards a beat on some legs... and the wind was reaching 23kts apparent (around 17kts true).... Morgana behaved impeccably.... no signs of rounding up... sailed beautifully.... but it was cold!..... we ended up in oilies.... not really ideal... so we abandoned both plans.. for the Deben and Hamford water, and after seeing Emjaytoo out by Pin Mill turned round and headed back down river sailing with them for a few minutes,..... CliveG called, out for a day sail, and we shot out to Landguard, and then turned back towards Shotley.... we locked through after just 3 or so hours out, and 13nm logged, and returned to our berth.....A quiet night... with the cockpit tent back up, played games with the kids in the cockpit, enjoyed a pleasant meal (how great is it to have a saloon table that is useable!!!!!), and then retired to bed, quite tired by 22h00....Monday saw us arising sensibly late to be greeted by heavy rain.... ehat else to do, but to have a huge fried breakfast.... we tidied up, packed away, spent an hour rearranging stowage to great effect and then left for home at 11h30.....Not a fabulous sailing weekend, and oh so typical British bank holiday weekend weather... but a joy to have a boat where a bit of rain doesn't completely ruin things and there is still space to stretch out, eat and not get on top of one another.....

Miles logged 13nm
Miles this season 283nm
Miles since this blog started 2,077nm

plans

Down to the boat early Saturday this weekend... we're heading for the Deben to meet with a few friends for a BBQ, but tides require a late morning/early afternoon entry over the bar, so no rush...Besides, as its a bank holiday weekend, we'll take the day Saturday to get a few jobs done on the boat, and then head for the Deben on Sunday...Currently, I need to do:Fit liferaft - lastest plan is to go for the pushpit rail again - which will mean moving the outboard bracket a littleFit the four fire extinguishersFit the fire safety blanketCheck what sort of fuel filter we have (I know I should have done this weeks ago - sorry!), and get a spareFit lock to outboard and liferaftService the galley sea water pumpFit a spacer block to the jammer for the kicker (it currently lifts out of the jammer when the tail is put onto a winch)Tighten screws on hinge on one aft cabin cupboardRemove loop from the pipe between the fridge drain and seacockReplace mainsheet blockI'm sure i'll find more when I get on board!Sunday we'll cast off around 11h30.... very civilised.... we have two boats following us into the Deben, Satrgazer and Emjaytoo, both Deben newbies, so looking for a bit of assistance for their first crossing of the bar.... the Deben has generated a little bit of a fearsome reputation, which probably isn't neccessary... at near HW, there is usually more than 3m of water through the channel, and its quite well marked.... I guess the one thing that makes people nervous is the rate of the ebb/flood, which can be in excess of 5 or 6 kts.... it boils and bubbles a little as the water coming out of the river mixes with the cross tide, but actually, its nothing to be overly concerned about...Weather is looking promising... its teh only thing that will stop the Deben trip... anything more than F4ish and the swells break on the bar, and it gets very dangerous indeed!