Locked down, but safe

We were due to relaunch Maunie on Monday 23rd March but, seeing the news of crowded parks and beaches that weekend, we reckoned that the lock down would be coming soon; it was in fact announced that evening. We'd therefore made the decision on the Sunday to leave Maunie ashore in the yard and we're very pleased that we did. By the end of the week the Dart Harbour Authority had announced that it was closing the river to all non-essential traffic so, had we launched, we'd now be worrying about Maunie on her mooring, with no access to her for checks.

Of course, like all sailors, we are missing the boat dreadfully but we are very thankful that we aren't in the middle of a trans-ocean crossing right now. We are reading about boats stuck in anchorages in the Pacific, allowed ashore only once a week for provisions (and, understandably, not getting a warm welcome from the locals) and with nowhere else to go.

We are therefore getting on with maintenance jobs in the house and garden but have managed a few boat-related projects as well. We brought the Sailrite sewing machine home and also packed up the mainsail to attend to some minor damage.

Taking advantage of a dry day and the newly-mown lawn to spread the sail out for inspection

Chafe at the ends of the battens where the topping lift had rubbed against the sail, exposing the leech-line

We removed the plastic batten fitting, applied self-adhesive sailcloth patches and re-assembled it. Perfect!

We've found a supplier of acrylic canvas fabric and have ordered enough to make new dodgers (side screens for the cockpit to protect the crew from wind and spray), so that'll be our next boat project.

Meanwhile, we're very pleased that Practical Boat Owner has just published an article that we wrote about the deck replacement project last month.