Celebrating with Sir Robin

We had lovely calm and sunny conditions for a couple of nights at anchor off St Mawes, at the entrance to the Fal estuary. A pretty but touristy town, it was busy over the Easter weekend.

Maunie at St Mawes

A traditional pilot cutter from the Isles of Scilly

We then moved over to anchor at Falmouth. It was quite a day, yesterday, to be part of the 50 year celebrations of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston's arrival in Falmouth, having become the first person to circumnavigate the globe, solo and non-stop. His 32ft wooden ketch Suhaili, which he and two friends built in India, has been beautifully restored and he sailed her, accompanied by a fleet of over 40 boats, across the finish line at precisely 15.24 (the time he crossed it in 1969). 

We joined the flotilla so here are some photos:

Lively Lady (built in 1948 and sailed around the world by Sir Alec Rose in 1968 - he stopped in Australia and New Zealand) and Suhaili, moored at the Falmouth Yacht Haven

Sir Robin unveils bronze casts of his footprints, showing his departure and arrival dates

Sir Robin and a fine yacht in the background

Suhaili in very fine condition

Setting out to re-enact the race finish

Some of the fleet, including HMS Mersey

Following Suhaili and Lively Lady towards the finish line. Luckily there was no wind!

Heading back to Falmouth

We are now anchored up river and are planning to head back towards Dartmouth. The period of sunny settled weather will change tomorrow so we'll get favourable SW winds but rain too.

New pipe, clean bottom, let's go sailing

Usual trends of English Easter weekends, suffering gales and driving rain, have been confounded this year, we're glad to report, so we've taken full advantage of settled, sunny weather to sail west to Falmouth. Of course, this being a sailing trip, the good stuff has to be paid for in advance, so we spent a couple of hard days on maintenance first.

The initial job, to simply reinstall the refurbished heater, turned out to be more complicated, naturally. First, the multi-pin electrical connector socket had suffered terminal corrosion so we had to fit a new wiring loom to the thermostatic switch (Level 3 Bilge Ratting challenge) and then, when we fired up the heater, we could smell fumes coming into the cabin along with the warm air. The 21 year-old exhaust pipe was clearly shot, so new components were ordered and a Level 5 Bilge Ratting challenge (Level 5 is the highest) eventually had the old pipe out and a new one installed.

The old, sorry-looking pipe

One of several holes in the stainless steel inner pipe

The next day's job was to put Maunie onto the Dartmouth scrubbing grid to clean her bottom of 8 months' of accumulated slime and weed. Unfortunately, we were told that the electricity supply (vital for our pressure washer) wasn't working and so we (briefly) considered a quick-lift for a pressure wash at the local marina until they informed us of the price - £368!! So, with a bit of planning, we used two hose pipes on the grid, one feeding the pressure washer and the other providing a supply of cooling water to Maunie's on-board diesel generator. Perfect and very satisfying.

Half-way through the clean. Maunie's Copper Coat antifouling is wearing thin after 8 years of great service so we'll add new coats later this year

We were very lucky with the weather - warm sunshine and a gentle breeze

Hard work done, we could go sailing. Lovely. A nice 12-15 knot Easterly allowed us to fly the Parasailor for about half of the 64nm passage to Falmouth and the trip was enlivened by a couple of close encounters.

Heading towards Start Point

Not the usual sailing vessel to be seen on this coast!

The Dar Mlodziezy is a Polish sail training ship, built in Gdansk in 1982. 357ft long, she has a crew of 40 and takes up to 180 trainees

The Eddystone Light. These isolated rocks poke up out of deep water some 15 miles south of Plymouth harbour and accounted for many shipwrecks until the lighthouse was established. The first light was a wooden structure built in 1698 by Henry Winstanley, a shipowner who had lost two vessels on the reef. It was washed away in a storm five years later.

The current lighthouse was built in 1882 after the rock on which the earlier Smeaton's tower (1760) started to crack. Smeaton's granite tower was dismantled and rebuilt on Plymouth Hoe.

So, after a very relaxed and interesting passage, we anchored off St Mawes at 17.30 on Good Friday and have had a completely calm night. 

Dawn at St Mawes

We'll spend a few days around the Fal and are looking forward to catching up with friends and seeing Sir Robin Knox-Johnston arriving in Suhaili, the wooden yacht in which he won the first Golden Globe single-handed around the world race 50 years ago. He's planning to cross the finish line again on Monday, exactly 50 years to the minute since his triumphant arrival.

Blowing the cobwebs away

It's been really wet and windy for the last couple of weeks but we saw an opportunity and took a couple of days off work to head down to Dartmouth on Wednesday evening. Thursday dawned bright and breezy, though only about 7 degrees, so we headed out for a couple of hours of entertaining sailing. 

The inshore forecast gave W to NW F6-7, Gale 8 later, so, unsurprisingly, we were the only boat out! The National Coastwatch Institute volunteers, based in a WW2 gun battery observation post at Froward Point to the east of the Dart entrance, were reassured when we called them on the radio to tell them that we were out for a play rather than setting off on a passage.

Looking back toward the Dart Estuary. Froward Point is next to the right of the photo

There may be trouble ahead. A rain squall, bringing lots of wind, approaches us from Start Point

Reaching out towards the sun

Beating back in to Dartmouth, lee rail submerged

Maunie is temporarily in residence on a pontoon in the river, rather than on her normal mooring, which allows us the benefit of electricity to run a dehumidifier when we leave her - it make a huge difference as she feels completely dry and free of the dreaded mildew.

The blue made-to-measure cover completely encloses the cockpit to help keep Maunie snug

The ability to run a fan heater comes in handy when we're aboard, particularly as the diesel central heating system has packed up. Graham had a fun couple of hours in the cockpit locker removing the heater (which resembles a mini jet engine - the combustion fumes are exhausted overboard and heated air is ducted around the boat) and we took it ashore for a full clean and service.

It looks as though we'll have much more time on Maunie than we thought this year. Graham's job hasn't worked out as he'd hoped, sadly, and so he's decided that sanity and enjoyment of life should prevail. This means we'll get the opportunity to do a refit of Maunie this summer as well as getting some decent UK and Ireland cruising. We'll update the blog as we go.

Happy New Year!

This time, 12 months ago, we'd successfully fended-off the hoards of little motor boats with no anchoring skills, the wind had calmed and we were settled in prime position alongside the Sydney Opera House to watch the best fireworks in the world. There's a link to photos and story here

Things are very different a year later. Our lovely Maunie is afloat in another beautiful place but she has her winter coat on.

We've moved her to a temporary winter pontoon on the Kingswear side of the River Dart - it still needs the dinghy to access it but comes with an electricity supply so we have a dehumidifier plugged in to combat the damp air. Shame we can't find a plug-in device to fight the green algae that's creeping across the rainwater soaked decks - a scrubbing brush and buckets of seawater have to be manually deployed.

We've had a couple of nights aboard this week and were very glad of the electricity supply to power a fan heater as our Eberspacher diesel hot-air central heating decided it wouldn't play ball. It provided another opportunity for Graham to display his contortionist skills as he climbed into the cockpit locker to disassemble various bits of woodwork to access the heater and replace some corroded wiring connectors. After a couple of hours work the heater burst into life, thankfully.

Sadly, there was absolutely no wind so ideas of a sail were thwarted and we both were left feeling a tad deflated that we weren't enjoying the bright warm sunshine of Australia. However the evening gloom (it gets dark by about 4.45pm at the moment) was lifted by a whistle and a strange glow on the Kingswear shoreline.

This is the new Big Idea (and an inspired one) of the Dartmouth Steam Railway - the 'Train of Lights'. Engine and carriages are draped in multi-coloured LED lights and the effect is lovely to see. We dinghied ashore to see (and hear) it close-up:

Here's the professional video of the train - click here

We're now back home, celebrating Di's birthday and preparing for a big (1920's-themed) party at the Hood Arms in the village this evening. We're on a table of 18 so it should be a great evening.

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!

The Beating Keatings

After a pretty hectic summer, getting the hang of both working long hours and sorting house and garden, we finally took this week off and planned for some cruising aboard Maunie. In particular, we'd hoped to make the 95 nm, due south, crossing of the Channel to Treguier in Brittany. The idea was to meet up with Adam & Cindi from Bravo while they were visiting the Boreal yard to see their new boat take shape.

Of course, November isn't exactly the best month for crossing the Channel and we had brisk SW and southerly winds all week which whipped up a big, short-wavelength swell. Much as Maunie is well equipped to tackle anything, we didn't feel that being the Beating Keatings for 18 hours or so would be much fun! 

Still it was good to be living aboard again, even if only for a few days, and our old adverse-weather trick of scooting up river for a pub lunch at the Ferryboat Inn in Dittisham didn't disappoint. We even had an amazing fly-past on the way back - we heard the unmistakable 'wop-wop-wop' of a Chinook helicopter which appeared at only 100 ft above the water.

Southerly winds combined with strong ebb tides can result in mildly uncomfortable waves at our mid-river mooring so we took advantage of the cheaper winter berthing rates for two nights in Darthaven marina. This allowed us to plug in to shore power for a fan heater to keep things warm below decks and made the walk to the excellent Steam Packet Inn all too easy.

We did get a cracking day-sail in blustery conditions and lumpy seas; strangely we were the only yacht out! We were keen to test out our new addition; yes, we've just spent another dollop of money on the boat (no surprise there, then) but, so far, it feels like a good decision.

After our last boat, a Vancouver 34, the only downside of moving to Maunie, from a pure sailing perspective, has been the steering. The 34 had a rudder whose pivot point is set back a few inches from the leading edge to give it some 'balance'. This, combined with the long keel, gave the boat a very easy feel on the helm and superb directional stability.

The 38 has a full length skeg supporting its leading edge, so the huge rudder has no such balance and the helm can be a tad heavy at times. The relatively small 30" wheel doesn't help with leverage (and makes it hard to reach when helming from the side of the cockpit) but access to the starboard cockpit locker wouldn't allow a bigger version. However, for a while we've been eyeing the clever but expensive Lewmar folding wheels so we finally made the decision to buy one.

During our first trial sail, we were delighted with the difference that a 40" wheel made to the sailing experience. 

Graham, happy to be able to steer from the windward side of the cockpit

Di enjoying the conditions

The wheel folded to allow access to the locker

Our week ended up being just a few days aboard so we left, rather frustrated not to have been able to get to France and remembering the challenges of winter sailing in Britain. At the beginning of December we'll move Maunie onto a temporary pontoon mooring for four months - it comes with the luxury of electricity so we'll be able to keep a dehumidifier on board and have a heater running when we're there.Just as well, we think, if the media reports of a very harsh winter are to be believed.

Meanwhile the current weather is amazingly mild for the time of year and, returning home, the mower came out to deal with the still-growing lawn and the dead leaves scattered over it.

Mow-vember!

Still sailing - and catching up with sailing mates

We've certainly joined the ranks of the time-poor! Where do the weeks go, exactly? After our extended sailing trip, where time each year seem to last at least eighteen months, we are back into the familiar routine where a year chopped up into working weeks seems to last about six! This working-for-a-living malarkey is all well and good but it does get in the way of the sailing rather.

Still, whilst our sailing is reduced to weekends and the odd extended weekend, it's lovely to be back on the beautiful southwest coast of England. We're also enjoying the Somerset countryside which had turned an unusual shade of parched brown at the end of the amazingly hot and dry summer but is now back to its more common lush green. Our links to the Pacific sailing world remain strong, with regular contact with sailing friends and even a couple of visits.

Firstly we had Ana and Colin (ex Ithaka) who had a family get together in a cottage in Dittisham, a couple of miles up the River Dart from MAunie's mooring, and joined us aboard Maunie with their two grandsons for coffee.

Then Kerry (ex Sel Citron) came to stay and enjoyed a mix of local hikes and some good sailing.

Kerry & Di on Kilve Beach

Low tide geology

 Kerry also did a great sketch of our cottage:

Graham's work has been rather time-consuming for his first few months (warm sunshine = record cider sales!) but our own apple orchard has deliver a pretty good crop this year so we have also been busy harvesting:

Apple pressing, on a rather smaller scale

Very tasty pink juice from the early crop of Discovery apples

Whilst we haven't managed a planned trip across to southern Ireland, we did have an excellent, four-day mini-cruise to Falmouth and back which reminded us just how good the local sailing is around us.

Approaching Start Point

Di enjoying the sail as we beat to windward. 

Approaching Pendennis Castle in Falmouth

The beautiful River Yealm with two smaller Vancouvers on moorings near us

The Yealm visitors' pontoon

A great spinnaker run back to Dartmouth

It definitely feels suddenly quite autumnal, so sailing now involves waterproofs and warm layers which comes as something of a shock after six years of t-shirts and shorts. However Maunie is definitely the right boat for these conditions and the central heating has been tested already!

Finally, we drove down to Southampton on Friday to visit the Boat Show. We were mostly looking for kit suppliers and ideas for the refit that well be doing to the boat over the next year or two but, of course, we had to look at a few other boats just to compare. We genuinely didn't find anything we'd want to swap Maunie for apart, perhaps, for this beautiful wooden 63ft yawl built by Spirit Yachts in Ipswich.

Access to these kinds of boats at the Show is usually reserved for those who have pre-arranged a private viewing (and presumably passed the finance test) but one of the Spirit Yachts team saw us admiring her and invited us aboard.

For those interested this link gives more photos: https://spirityachts.com/spirit-dh63-launch-southampton-boat-show/

A different kind of sailing altogether!

We're avid followers of the amazing Volvo Ocean Race, where seven identical 65ft racing boats have already covered over 40,000 miles around the globe. Makes our pace on Maunie look a tad slow but there you are.

Anyway, for the first time in ages one of the stop-overs was in the UK this year so last Saturday we drove over to Cardiff to visit the race village and see the fleet.

We were really delighted to meet Dee Caffari, the amazing skipper of Turn the Tide on Plastic. We last met her in Auckland 3 years ago when she was one of the crew of an all-women team on SCA and this time she's led a young and pretty inexperienced crew in the world's toughest yacht race.

Dee's boat - rather wider than Maunie!

The following afternoon the boats left Cardiff for the start of the 1300 mile race to Gothenburg  in almost flat calm. In the early evening we could see a couple of their sails, moving very slowly on the horizon, from our garden. They have been moving rather faster in the last 26 hours as they race across the final miles to Sweden.

The website for the race is here: https://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/home.html