A year in review

As has become my habit with this blog, i'll use the 29th Dec to review our sailing yearThe year started well, with a few boaty jobs getting done, including fitting a new set of davits, and reploacing a badly corroded Exhaust elbow.We also managed to get the sails and cockpit tent properly sorted out by a sailmaker, which needed doingAlthough February proved quiet, with the boat out of the water, I still managed to finish two other tasks... the fitting of new cockpit speakers, and the fitting of the dual station DSC VHF unit, so that at long last, I could now manage radio comms from the helm!March was a write off.... Easter was very early in 2008, so the weather was appalling, and we didn't really get out at all, even though Morgana had been dropped back inApril didn't start off any better, with snow in the early part, and then hail later on!But undeterred, I crept up to Scotland with my mate Jim, and we had a cracking couple of days sailing in the beautiful Clyde, with a wide range of weather fropm freezing and windy, to flat calm and hot.So, as you might imagine, we entered May with a little bit of trepidation.... the now annual pilgramage to Oostende coming up. It proved to be a good crossing, in lightish winds, so some motoring, and then fabulous weather when we got there.... the departure and return being a little more eventfull, with gales and big seas meaning a lively and fast return trip!By the end of May, the weather had again, gone sour, so I resigned myself to my latest per project, and bought a part completed wooden tender on eBay, which I then finshed over the coming weeksJune too started badly, and by the 24th, I had finished the tender, and so we planned our trips with a bit more enthusiasm.... and then summer arrived... the end of June was lovely... hot, sunny and perfect winds...This continued into early July, but then fell apart again, just in time for our annual pirate weekend, which despite the best efforts of the weather, was again a huge success.... and then summer returned again at the end of July.. just the third hot weekend in the whole summerAnd so we moved on into August, and our summer cruise... we had a good long break of 27 days, and I was very much looking forward to getting a bit further afield than previously. Alas, it was not to be.... the weather confounded us again, and we spent time wiating on suitabel weather windows at Ramsgate, Bolougne, Dieppe and Fecamp.... and then after making it back to Eastbourne, the gearbox failed, leaving us to be towed into Dover, where poor Morgana was abandoned, and later repaired at huge expense.... Welcome to boat ownership!The resultanr delivery trip back from Dover was yet another windy, wet, cold affair, which wasn't much fun, but most importantly, was also without drama!The only positive was that the crossing from Fecamp to Eastbourne was breezy, yet SWMBO enjoyed it enormously... a real sign of her growing confidenceSeptember saw me depart on a friends Moody across to Cherbourg for a drink or two (or perhaps a little bit more) with friends... a great trip, with good company and excellent sailing.... but it was wrapped up with a month of further poor weather, apart from one weekend, which was OK.The rest of the year was just much of the same... Oct and Nov with rotten weather, where we just managed short day sails..... with the only highlight being the laying down supper, at our own home marina, which was a splendid evening of merriment!Dec was equally poor, with gales, snow and just down right cold!So.... that all sounds a bit gloomy really.... but we still enjoyed it in truth, and love having Morgana to escape too from the daily pressures of work....Yep... the weather was a shocker in 2008, and we really hope for better in 2009... in fact, it would be hard to be any worse if the truth be known!So here's to a great 2009 to everyone.... may all your sailing trips be perfect ones!

Christmas approaches

With the festive season all but upon us, and best of all, the Winter solstice past, the days will now start getting longer again, and so our thoughts are turning to spring and summer cruisingWell, yes, maybe it is a bit premature, but as any sailor will know, the short cold grey winter days are specially created to allow you to dream of long hot days, late sunsets, and drinks in the evening cockpit.We've got a decent sail planned for the new year, with our friends Jim and Lynn coming over. We'll party away New Years Eve, and then on new years day, we'll go find a quiet anchorage somewhere and chew the fat, reminisce over a year with far from ideal weather, yet still some lovely memories, and wish away for a long hot 2009 summer.Times are hard enough as it is at present. The outlook for 2009 is gloomy to say the least. So many people are having a hard time, and there is really little sign of any great improvement on the horizonIn chatting last night, SWMBO and I decided that should the worst come to the worst, and my job goes south, which fortunately at present, isn't looking too likely (but if things get worse, then who knows), then we'll cut our losses, sell the house (if we can) and take a couple or so of years out to sail with the kids... home educate them.... and copme back when things have recovered somewhat. It'd mean starting again financially, but hey... you roll with the punches.Happy Christmas everyone.

Wet, cold and windy!

After a break of far too long, we decided that we had to get down to the boat this weekend.... even if just to check that she was OKAnd fine she was.... But, it was cold beyond belief when we arrived Friday evening...So we treated ourselves to a bite to eat in the Shipwreck, after setting the heating off to runWhen we returned to the boat, it wasn't as warm as i'd expected... abit of investigation found that the pipe directing warm air had come detached in the lcoker...so that was reattached.... and then the Eberspacher wouldn't fire!!!!It turned out that the voltage was too low. Turn everything else off, and away it went.... and was fine once running, at which point we could switch things back onFor some time, i'd suspected the batteries of being tired.... and this confirmed it. They'll need replacing in the new yearAny way... we decided not to stop come Saturday, as it was raining, blowing 30+kts, and barely above freezing... so we set off home.I'd already noted that the local chandlery was having a clearance sale before their new year move to new premises, so we dropped in for a peek.What a result that was....I got:

2 x 28m of 16mm braid
2 x 25m of 14mm braid
1 x 20m of 12mm braid
And a Tilley hat...

all for 85 quid.... an absolute bargain!Anyway... enough, as i'm still trying to warm up....