Some progress!

Toe had healed enough to get the boots on, so I got them on!

Managed to get out twice over the last 2 weekends.

First trip was just a quiet Saturday out on my own. Red hot sunshine and hardly (but just) enough wind to sail in the morning, blowing F5 on the nose on the way back!
Managed to drift as far as Scullridge before the tide changed and I headed back.
Nice to be back on the water.....

Second weekend was the first meeting of the East Coast Forum, organised by Dave (T25/Sixpence/Trevera/etc....) and held at Fosdyke marina.


Took Ali with me this time.
Had to keep the engine on as far as Black Bouy, not a lot of wind and in the wrong direction.....
Light winds all day, enough sun to get burnt (again!).
Sailed past Scullridge to the N/E end of Long Sand to look at the seals, then back to the end of the Palour Channel to drop anchor and have a break for an hour, tucked behind Roger Sand for a bit of shelter as the wind (and rain) had got up a little.
Sailed as far as the stone jetty on the Welland, then started the engine as I was getting hungry and the food was in the pub!
Loads of seals in the river on the way up, made Ali's day.
Reached Fosdyke and turned in the narrow channel then had the engine flat out just to be able to stem the tide and get onto the pontoon (with help from gathering crowd). It does flow past Fosdyke!

So, 10 hours of sailing and I was now 6 miles south of where I'd started, could have walked it quicker, but not as much fun.
Good night in the pub, a few familiar faces and a few new ones. Beer and food both good. Looks like this could be a regular event...


Left early next morning as the tide was coming in (quickly!), this would let me get to Tab's Head for high water, then back to Boston while I could still get on the mooring. Got there too late once and had to raft up to the fishing fleet.
Motorsailing for about 3 hours. Passed what must have been every fishing boat in the area on their way out, never seen so many boats on the Witham!
Mooring was slighty easier than Fosdyke, drifted in at almost 0 mph as the tide was gently going out!

Bloody good weekend!

Been a bit quiet here lately.....

.....mainly due to chopping the end off my big toe with the lawn mower. Ouch!!!
Just over 3 weeks since it happened and healing well, just need a plaster over the end to keep the dirt out now.

Chances are that sailing might be back on the agenda very soon.

Not been completely idle, spent the last couple of trips to the boat sorting out the newly-acquired self-steering gear. It's a home-built job, but done nicely from a book by Bill Belcher.
I wasn't keen on how the windvane pivoted on the stainless pin, it ran straight through the drilled ply and looked to be an obvious place for wear to set in. I've made bushes for the pin to run through from stainless tube which should last forever!

Second job will to make the pendulum blade hinge up. It's a one-piece job and solidly fixed to the framework, if it were to hit bottom, or get a rope around it something would have to break!
Looking at kick-up rudders on dinghies and catamarans for ideas....