Winter, great if you like sitting at home.....

Only news to report is that I'm moving Yuan Hang to a new mooring. I liked my visit to Saltfleet so much I'm moving there.

To say that I've got a mooring there is a bit of an exaggeration, I've got a small stretch of riverbank! I'll be building a mooring over the next few weeks, and with a bit of luck will be moved and sailing from there very soon.

I've been at Boston for around 6 years, I've enjoyed it and made some great friends and learnt a massive amount (4 years ago I'd never sailed a boat), but it's time for a change. No more 5 mile trips on the engine just to get to the sea, no more dodging sandbanks and sticking to channels.

The run from the new mooring to the open sea is about 1.5 miles, from there I can head anywhere I like as long as it's not into the Donna Nook bombing range while they are firing!

Saltfleet is a peaceful spot, unlike the middle of Boston. Two pubs in the village, a couple of shops and a caravan site is just about all there is. Just the job!

On the "maintenance" side of things, I've done bugger all for weeks, more health problems have kept me pinned down for a while.

I've managed to "acquire" a Rutland wind generator, so there's another job added to the list...

I know I'm sometimes a bit slow to catch on....

.....but I've only just realised that if you click on the pics on my blog they open up to full-size versions!

No more sailing to report on yet, but hopefully soon.

The self-steering has had another alteration and will be tested next chance I get, it almost worked on the trip back from Saltfleet....

Saltfleet to Boston. (With pics!)

As usual, on the trip up I'd forgotten to take any pics even though I'd got the camera in my pocket and the phone takes reasonable pics and video. Seems to be the norm for me!
The return trip is unusual, I took loads!

Alison decided to let me do the trip solo, she had been onboard for almost every trip lately and she knows how I need to get out on my own now and again. So no pics of Ali.....

We'd left Saltfleet on Monday, it was Wednesday evening when I drove back there, tide was already up so I tidied the boat ready for leaving on the morning tide.
Wind was still a gentle S/W which held the boat nicely off the mooring staging, lines were left long enough for the boat to sit on the slightly flatter mud further out. As it got dark, the tide began to fall and I started to settle in for the night.

Then it changed!

First thing I noticed was the wind picking up, enough to rock the boat and I stuck my head out for a look. It was now blowing from the N/W and had pushed the boat down the channel and towards the bank. As the tide dropped the boat began to list, the more it dropped the more it listed....
Half an hour later I was beginning to wonder if it would fall over!
A look outside confirmed that the bow had gone well up the bank and wouldn't be moving until the morning.

I decided on a more comfortable night, so after fixing a rope around the base of the mast (just in case!) I pitched my tent in front of the car and moved in for the night.

The pic is a bit grainy as it was only just getting light, but this is how the boat looked as the tide came up in the morning!


High tide was due at around 9am, so getting away at 8 seemed reasonable. I heard noises at around 6.30 to find Chris and Pete ready to go fishing! They were using a small motorboat and were already afloat. I was on my way by 7am.
After a gentle potter down the short and well-marked channel, one that seems to have an undeserved fearsome reputation, I headed out to where the lads were fishing to shout goodbye and thanks before pointing south, the tide would still be with me for at least 3 hours and the wind was an F3 from the north - I started to fly.

A last look back...


Speaking to Chris later he told me that within half an hour they had lost sight of my sail!

First plan was to have a go at setting up the windvane steering, this was a partial success. The system worked, the vane turned the pendulum which worked the lines to the tiller. Still a bit of tweaking to do yet, the chain which sits across the tiller is too short, but the biggest snag is that the arm from the vane down to the pendulum was catching in the mechanism. The builder has used a piece of aluminium angle, which means that I will have to shave a little off one edge to clear the woodwork. If it had been wood, as per the plans, I could have modified it while I was sailing.

On with the sailing then....

The landmarks I'd passed on the way up looked a little more familiar now, but were passing at a surprising rate, speed was over 5kts all morning, as the tide slowed, eventually turning against me near Skegness, the wind picked up to the top end of F5. A bit of reefing was called for, which made little difference to boat speed, but eased the strain on tiller, rigging and helmsman!
The waves coming past me from astern kept things interesting, never been surfing before!



I reached the comparative shelter of the entrance to Wainfleet Haven at around 2pm, it would make no sense leaving here before 4pm as I wouldn't be able to get on my mooring until 8pm.
Anchor dropped and kettle on, I ate my lunch before a good hour of sleep.


The entrance to Wainfleet Haven. If you look very carefully there are small bouys on the beach!



Around 4 I started the engine and pulled the anchor aboard, not a massive job being anchored in about 5 feet of water!
I would have sailed off the anchor, but had tucked in very close to the shore for shelter and there is a LOT of sand and little water there....
Turning to head out into deeper water I knocked the horseshoe lifebouy off it's bracket and into the water while getting the sail up. I took the opportunity to do a MOB practice, managed to pick it up on the second attempt under sail.

The tide was now in my favour again, the wind still behind me, so I reefed down and had a gentle sail through The Wash, speed was still 4 - 5 kts.

I drifted across towards the sandbanks to get a closer look at the seals, dozens of them sunning themselves and a few decided to swim out to see me.

As I neared Tabs head the wind eased, but still had plenty to sail into the river. The intention was to sail as far as possible, leaving the engine until I absolutely had to use it. It turned out to be about 15 minutes later! The wind seemed to switch off, I tried a bit of Dylan Winter style drifting sideways but there were bends approaching which have rock-lined banks....


Sail tidied away, I motored up the river to moor up around 8pm. A cup of tea followed by pie and chips left me tired and happy.....




P.S. Due to popular demand, a pic of my crew Ali!

Heading north

Saltfleet Haven hasn't a big entry in the pilot books, although historically important to Lincolnshire it has mellowed in old age into a peaceful spot for the yachtsman who has the nerve for a narrow channel over a sandbar backed by a landscape not overly endowed with any distinguishing features!

I'd been talking about going for a while, quite a while in fact, and with settled weather and a forecast for F4/5 Southwesterlies I had run out of excuses.....

After dragging ourselves out of bed at 5am and, after a 70 mile drive, Alison and me left the mooring in Boston at around 7.30. I kept the engine on until we were past Tab's Head as it is a fairly long passage and I wanted some early progress...
It was clear, after a couple of hours, that we were getting just that. The speed on the GPS rarely dropped below 5kts and often went over 6! The tide really does make a difference in The Wash.

We took the inshore route past the entrance to Wainfleet Haven, situated on the northern corner of The Wash and out into the North sea proper.
The speed stayed high as the wind increased to an F5 and the tide slowed. Heading a couple of miles off the coast we could still hear the noise from Skegness, it's best seen from the boat, although 2 miles might still be a bit close....

As the day went on I ticked off the landmarks, Skegness, Butlins, Ingoldmells, Chapel St Leonards.... Mablethorpe is marked by a massive new red brick building - I assume flats to house the retirees who seem to congregate on the coast of Lincolnshire!
Theddlethorpe gas terminal (slightly inland and unobtrusive) chimneys marked the last inhabitation before Saltfleet, from here the coast is low dunes backed by clumps of trees.

By now the speed had dropped due to the tide running against us at about 2kts, the wind had also dropped to a calm F3, once or twice the GPS indicated 1kt!

A very unusual thing (at least it is where I sail!) then happened, the VHF came to life, I was called up by Billy, the commodore of Saltfleet boat club. He'd come out to meet me at the channel entrance and could see me clearly, sat low in a 12ft rib he was just about visible with the binoculars.
With the light beginning to fade and the temperature dropping, I did the gentlemanly thing and started the engine in order to shorten Billy's wait, it would have been another hour by sail.

Greeted at the inner bouy by Billy and Pete, I followed them in over the bar, watched by seals on either side, halfway along the short channel a Porpoise surfaced between us!

Turning the boat in the river (creek? It's hardly big enough to be a river!) was "interesting", only accomplished with help from the bank, there is probably less than 30ft of width where I was turning.
Moored up, we headed to the New Inn for a meal (very good) and a pint (nothing to write home about), we had to make a quick move to The Crown (Speckled Hen, mmmmmm) after they got the bingo machine ready at the New Inn!!! I did mention the retired often head for this coast.....

The night on the boat was eventful. The visitor's mooring is newly built and the bank still slopes steeply, this meant that as the tide went out the boat sat at such an angle that the "uphill" side berth was unusable, only having 2 berths left us with a problem!
We arranged ourselves to sleep across the boat, me squeezed in front of the mast where the beam is probably about 4ft... We didn't sleep a lot!

As the morning's tide lifted us a couple of hours sleep was grabbed before it was time to get up.

Plan was to leave the boat there for a couple of days until the wind was forecast to go north, ideal for the return trip.

Monday's adventure was to be a journey back to Boston by bus to pick up the car, 40 miles - about an hour by car - this took 3.5 hours. Enough said....

First channel crossing....

......second, third and fourth. A busy weekend!

Work has slowly progressed on the self-steering, it's almost ready for a sea trial (that makes it sound professional!). Problem is that getting any sailing done has been a problem lately due to various reasons.

So when I got the chance to run away to sea for the weekend on someone else's boat(s!) I jumped at the chance.

James had a Hunter 26 which he was swapping for the "Andrea Gail" - George Clooney's boat from the movie "Perfect Storm" which has benefited from the addition of a mast and sails.

Sorry James! But you can see the resemblance.....



James keeps his boat in Calais, the other boat lives somewhere in The Solent, this made arranging a swap slightly more complicated.

Plan was to nip over on Thursday evening ferry, catch the last lock out of Calais and run straight across to Dover. Friday would be a run from Dover to Eastbourne where the swap would take place. This was changed when we saw F5/F6 on the way over....

Due to a bet between James and Phil, a fine meal was enjoyed by all, the bill was "enjoyed" by Phil all on his own! One or maybe even two drinks went down before we tried to maim each other on the dodgems.....

Plan B was to leave on Friday morning and run straight to Eastbourne, a day of good sailing and failing winds later meant we motored into the marina at midnight.

Saturday was a day off, problem being that there is bugger all to do at Eastbourne marina....and it rained.
Boat swap went without a hitch, although nobody could understand how James packed so much gear into a 26ft boat!

Sunday morning we left on the Andrea Gail for Boulogne for a night before the short trip round to Calais on Monday morning. I couldn't resist the chance to use the mast steps for a photo.



Another good meal and wine in Boulogne, Phil only paid for his own this time!

The sail to Calais in the morning was great, at times, with the engine on tickover just to help things along, we were touching 8kts.

After another French pavement cafe meal (egg and chips!) it was time to get the ferry home, finally got in my own bed at 2am, not bad considering that morning I'd sailed from Boulogne to Calais!

Thanks again to James for the experience, great company, great weather (apart from Eastbourne) and some great sailing.

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....