Rogues Gallery !

Chris Yardley's picture of Pat, myself and Chris with Pat's boat at Sandwick bay on the 25th of September. As well as our trip to Rutland (see previous post) I'm hoping to do a few winter day sails in the Solent and I may join the DCA for some of their proposed trips. It would be great to see some other Gulls out on the water.

Comment from Chris Yardley "Three reprobates at one of the nicest (boat) places in the north. I am not sure they should have been allowed to lower the tone of the place but they do look happy, perhaps its because they have just had one of the best beats up Ullswater in the memory of any of them. Surprisingly lovely weather since the summer had been so poor up there - what luck - but typical of gull determination and optimism (the previous year had been squally and the rain so hard that it flattened the waves (f6 - gusting f8) and caused a 'mist' about 3ft high as it bounced off the lake surface)"

Rutland Water Day Sail

We are currently trying to plan a day's cruise at Rutland water on the 21st November. It's a good location as it is in the middle of the country so I'm hoping to see a few more people. If you are interested please contact me. There are 3 possible boats so far! For a map of Rutland water follow this link - http://www.rutlandwater.org.uk/maps.html

Ullswater - Pat's pictures

On the way back from Norfolk Island I was hailed by Pat who was walking from Howtown to Glenridding along the Eastern shore of Ullswater. These pictures where taken by Pat who was stood on a rocky outcrop about 60ft above the lake.

Gullswater 09

Another fantastic trip to Ullswater. It was great to get back there as I've been exploring Winderemere instead recently but I'm sure Ullswater must be the prettiest place to sail in the whole of Britain. I was joined by Chris Yardley and Pat Lovell and we had some great sailing. On Tuesday Chris joined me in Aurora for a fast sail to Howtown and back in strong winds. On Wednesday Pat, Chris and I sailed our own boats to a Lunch rendezvous at Sandwick Bay. On Thursday I sailed on my own to Norfolk Island at the bottom end of the Lake, a round trip of more than twenty miles with some strong winds around sandwick. On Friday Chris, Pat and I sailed to Sandwick again. On Saturday however, with our boats packed away, we walked from our campsite to the Aira Force waterfall along the Fells and through beautiful forests. A distance of about 3-4 miles each way. Pat's dog - Max, was glad that he could join us on the trip as the views of the lake and the surrounding mountains are stunning. We will be sailing on Conniston next year so please try and join us.

Pics from top: Looking towards Glenridding, A view through the window in my jib, About to set sail at Watermillock, Ullswater at dusk, Pat close hauled in his Spirit - 2694.

p.s. Just received some great pictures of the trip from Pat. I'll post them on here in the next couple of weeks.

Gull Spotting

I was amused by a recent post on the forum (http://www.go-sail.co.uk/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1075) where the author, who likes to look out for Gull dinghies when visiting the coast, suggests that "Gull Spotting" may be a registered illness. I'm inclined to agree.
I've just this minute got back from delivering my Lightning dinghy to a Lymington based boat builder who is going to repair the damage done to the transom of said boat. On Saturday I was on my way to the Lightning Nationals at Pittsford reservoir when I was "rear ended" on a roundabout leaving the M40. The back end of the boat was a mess but we made it to the venue and the other sailors helped me to bodge it together and make it watertight so that I could get on the water. I spent the next hour or so planing at ridicules speeds then capsizing then planing then capsizing until I realised that the wind was just too much for enjoyable sailing. Still, despite such extensive damage, a bit of plastic padding, some very strong gaffer tape and the good will of other dinghy sailors was all that was needed to get me back on the water.
The boat is now at John Claridge's in Lymington. Determined to not just waste our bank holiday towing boats around Jo and I went for a walk along the sea wall between Hurst and Lymington. It was here that we spotted our first Gull, a pink (yes pink!) Spirit with sail number 2788. That started me off, I was then to be found walking along by the sailing club looking for Gulls and there where many. As we made it towards the slip, where an old GRP Gull was launching I overheard a man conversing with his partner "that's a Gull there and that....well, that's a mark 3.....". I stopped to chat with him for a few minutes. He was also a Gull sailor that seemed to enjoy Gull spotting. So, if it is a registered illness then it is defiantly a highly contagious one!

Gull Inlands and Cruise, Norfolk Broads.

I've just received these pictures from Keith Buckler. They where taken during the Open last weekend. The racing was very difficult on the Saturday as strong winds battered Black Horse Broad and my flu virus finally got the better of me causing Jo and I to retire. Those who could stayed on for the two day cruise and by looking at the photos it would seem that they sailed in lighter winds. For a look at all of Keiths pictures follow this link; pics by Keith Buckler

Anchor Rope Storage

This article by Jon Bloor can now be viewed on gulldinghy.org http://gulldinghy.org.uk/tech.html

Racing Rules Of Sailing

I am by no means an expert in this field but like most people I was advised that a basic understanding of these rules would be all I would need to progress from pottering about to being a bit more competitive with my sport. Most of us go through a slight personality change when we get out on the lake for a Sunday afternoon race. It's human nature to want to do well but I like to think that most people I sail against, and I'm including myself in this, use rules primarily as a means to avoid collision with other boats. There are two kinds of racing sailor. Firstly, and this accounts for probably 99% of us, their are the "sailors". Good sailors who know how to sail their boats, manage to stay calm (most of the time), and do not go out of their way to intimidate other crews. Then there are the tacticians, 1% of sailors, a small minority but they can make their presence felt! They can't sail very well so they use the rules, often bluffing, to try to get ahead and they can be frankly quite rude. It doesn't matter what club you join, what class of boat you sail, the law of averages dictates that you will come across a few of these people during the course of your sailing career. They would make better chess players than sailors but I doubt they would find other people to play against as they are often simply bullies.

I guess my message here is this, don't let them put you off, remember that you do not have to be a rules expert or even a good sailor to take part in a race (they don't own the water) and the cliche "it's the taking part that counts" is especially true for dinghy racing. My own attitude? Well, I find it very annoying that at the end of a very testing week at work I have to be subjected to the bad manners of certain individuals but I must try to ignore these marine-bound bullies as I can only imagine that they are not enjoying themselves as much as the rest of us and much to my amusement it seems that they never do very well in races anyway.

Please enjoy your sailing, none of us here are pros, we do it just for fun.

Lake District 2009

I shall be trailing Aurora up to the lakes on Tuesday 22nd of September for 5 days of cruising. I'll probably base myself at the beautiful Low Wray campsite at the top end of Windermere. It has it's own launch site and dinghy parking. But for the last couple of years I've not managed to sail on my favourite lake, Ullswater. So I will probably trail the boat over the mountain pass to have at least one day there. Anybody who fancies meeting up to sail on the lakes between Tuesday the 22nd and Sunday the 27th is welcome to contact me via email - chrisabela(at)hotmail.co.uk or using the forum http://www.go-sail.co.uk/forums/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=62

The Decline of Dinghy Sailing

It seems increasingly evident to me that the sport of dinghy sailing, more specifically, dinghy cruising is in decline. Certainly, boats that are more "cruising" orientated have been replaced in popularity by racing models. The Laser 13, a fantastically well built cruising dinghy is now a distant memory. Heron dinghies (very similar to the Gull) are only made in FRP which is a much lighter construction than GRP and will not stand up to cruising. The Wanderer and Wayfarer are still available but have been changed significantly so that they appeal more to racers than cruisers. Our own little Gull? well she's still available and has been changed a bit since the Gull Spirit was produced. She's not quite as nice in her Calypso guise but still seems OK.

The Gull in my opinion, and I realise how controversial this statement may be, has been let down by it's own class association. Although I pay my £7.50 subs on time each year, I am starting to do so begrudgingly as I must ask what the money is used for. In my experience with other classes subs are used to pay for regular newsletters, a stand at the Dinghy Show each year at Alexander Palace, occasional opens/cruising events and of maximum importance - a website. Websites cannot be overstated these days as a primary means of contact and research. I would ask people who view this blog to consider where they might find details of the Gull Class Association on the web or, for that matter, any other medium. This Blog and Jon's Gull website are not affiliated with the Gull class association in any way and only provide information on the boat not the Class association itself.
The truth is that for possible new members or for people considering a Gull the class association probably does not exist and if you are already a member there is very little to justify it as the services mentioned above just don't happen.
The Gull dinghy is about the only boat that fits my brief and I feel it is very important to promote. Since buying my boat in 2003 I have been firmly behind the class association and I may have stepped on a few toes (and will probably continue to) but I'm passionate about the boat and therefore, I feel compelled to write these paragraphs. I received a newsletter today from the class that mentions an open and subsequent cruising in 3 weeks time. I would love to attend but 3 weeks notice is not enough and I'm sure most people will be a bit disappointed at the lack of communication.
This brings me onto the subject of the Dinghy Cruising Association. I'm also a paid up member of this organisation and very much enjoy their quarterly magazine. It is the work of amateurs but does not suffer as a result. But I do feel that they are missing a very valuable point and have lost themselves by being set in their, slightly out of date, ways. The average age of members seems to be getting older as newer and younger members don't seem to be getting involved. They do have a website but it is rarely updated, does not have any news on it and is a waste of an important resource. I did attend a DCA rally once but it was not really for me. I felt that sailing was fairly low down on their list of priorities and a force 4 was enough to keep the fleet storm bound on the shores of Windermere (I became bored waiting for the "storm" to subside and went sailing on my own in the meantime!). The problem is that there are too many other well promoted sports that people would rather do (Sea Kayaking, Mountain Biking e.t.c.). So called "extreme sports". Well I think dinghy cruising can be pretty extreme at times and far more absorbing but the DCA isn't doing that good a job with promotion. I do think that the DCA is a wonderfully charming organisation but it will probably die off soon as it's slightly cliquey and eccentric ways probably don't encourage novices and newbies. I'm only a member for the Magazines but at £19 a year I have to ask if it's worth that for four copies.
So I mainly continue to cruise solo most of the time. Which is fine by me but would it not be nicer and safer to be at sea in company? It's more of a laugh!
But all is not lost - This year I invested in a reasonably priced Lightning 368 dinghy. I have joined the class association and I've been to several opens and I'm enjoying it immensely. The class is a lot smaller than the Gull class but a lot more productive. It has a stand at the Ally Pally show, a very good builder, many open meetings each year and a very nice newsletter.
Also, at last, my sailing club Dorchester seems to have reversed it's decline and has had a flurry of new members and is once again becoming a great place to forget work on a Sunday morning.

Sailing our small craft, for many of us, provides a wonderful chance to escape for a few hours and it's very important that we don't lose the chance to do so. Have we not lost enough in the modern world? Organising ourselves into groups is the only way to insure the health of our sport and it is so important at this moment in time that we do so properly because once we lose these associations they will be gone forever.

Calshot to Lepe

Some video footage taken whilst reaching from Calshot (where the buildings can be seen in the video) to Lepe Spit buoy. Making 7 knots according to the GPS!

Bucklers Hard to Calshot

I've just returned from a trip along the coast from Bucklers Hard to Calshot and back. F4 winds against the spring tide made for some big waves and tough conditions with a very tricky sail round into Southampton water for a rest at Calshot activities centre. Sailing back was a fast reach surfing down the front of the waves until reaching Lepe spit buoy where the wind died. I made it back to Bucklers Hard dead on high water. Very hard sail, I'm looking forward to my bed! Photo's, top: Lepe (could be Florida on a sunny day!), bottom: F4 with wind against tide.

Hickling Cruise 2009

Entering Hickling Broad at sunset in gentle winds. Also, I can report after extended use on the Broads that the Lewmar ratchet block works well (see below).

Hickling Cruise 2009

We have just got back from a few days of sailing from Hickling on the Norfolk Broads. We did as much walking as we did sailing, using Aurora as a means of transport to get to Horsey where we walked to the Coast (about 1 mile each way) and, with Chris Yardley as a guide, we had a longer walk around the stunning fenland on the Friday with a wonderful evening sail back to Hickling.

Pictures from the top: Chris Yardley on Horsey Mere, Beating to windward on Hickling Broad, Drifting up Catfield dyke,

More Pictures to follow.

Getting Ready for the Solent!

I'm hoping to get back to Lepe, my favourite place, again this week - weather permitting. In the meantime here is a video from a trip made last year. This footage was taken as I was running before the wind down the Beaulieu river towards Lepe where it joins the Solent. Great sailing and wonderful scenery, wind, waves, moody skies and sea birds diving. It's a great place to be on a weekday when the rest of the world is at work!

Refitting The Thwart

A lot easier than I thought but as usual when using Sikaflex (marine sealant/adhesive) it was a bit messy so plenty of rag and solvent ready to clean up with. Sikaflex is a magic product, as soon as you take the lid off it's like a rabbit from a hat, it gets everywhere- clothes, face, tools, nice newly varnished finish, everywhere but the small screw hole that it should be in! I thought it would be easier to fix the fittings back onto the thwart before fitting the thwart back onto the boat. I'm glad I did this as it saved a lot of hassle when I realised that the port side toe strap was on the wrong way round! Anyway once all this was sorted it was easy enough to get the thwart back on the boat and slowly tighten the 10 screws a little at a time until even pressure was applied across the thwart and it was securely bedded onto the Sikaflex (Sikaflex acts as a sealent but also helps to glue the thwart down). Once all this was done all I had to do was refix the jib cleats and attach the toe straps fore and aft. It all looks pretty good accept for one small area where the varnish has not taken very well. I shall keep my eye on this and re coat it if necessary one warm summers day. On the subject of re coating, this is the first time I've applied varnish to the boat and it is now six years old. The original varnish seemed in such good condition that it didn't seem to need doing but I'm glad I did because when I removed the thwart there were a couple of small hidden areas of rot right on the corners where the wood sits against the deck. I guess that water running down towards the gully underneath the thwart traps against it. I have now dried these areas, sanded them back to raw wood and coated them with West system epoxy. Once this drys it's important to thoroughly degrease the surface with warm soapy water and give it a light sanding so that the varnish adheres to it.

Anyway the thwart is back on and a job that I've avoided for the last 6 years is behind me for now and the Sikaflex is drying as I type this out. From now on I will apply a couple of coats of varnish every spring with the thwart in situ and I may remove it again in another 5 or 6 years.

One other thing I've done is to fit a Lewmar ratchet block. I've tried all the dinghy brands and they don't seem to work so I've gone for this heavy duty "yachty" type. It seems tougher and was cheaper to buy.

Photo: 1) Thwart ready to be re-installed with new toe straps attached. 2) Thwart screwed onto boat. 3) New Lewmar block. 4) Fittings back in place. Click on photo to enlarge.

Screw Hole Repairs

One thing that has always bugged me about my boat is the way the screws were fitted to the thwart. When the boat was built the screws that hold the thwart down were unnecessarily over tightened so that some of them disappeared down into the wood leaving rough splintered edges and not surprisingly, letting water into the wood. Removing the thwart has allowed me to fix this problem. I stared by letting the wood dry. Then I used a counter sink tool on my cordless drill to enlarge the holes making them neater, removing the splintered wood and making them easier to fill. Then after wetting out with West epoxy, I filled the screw holes (8 in total) with an epoxy/filler mix. I used 407 low density filler as it can be sanded and looks neat. Once these holes had dried I re drilled pilot holes in the centre (a bit hit and miss as I'm going to use the original holes on the deck and they must all line up but on offering the thwart up to the boat they did!). The next thing was to fit the screws to see where they would end up, remove them and countersink into the epoxied area so that the screw heads would be flush with the surface for the first time ever! I've looked at Anglo Marine Gull Spirits and finish with these small details was always fantastic but this is just another of the "Porters" problems that I've managed to eventually put right. Am I just being fussy, I don't think so! Anyway, I've started varnishing the thwart now and the boat should be back on the water next week.

Removing The Thwart.

I finally got round to this today and I'm hoping to have it restored and re fixed by next weekend. It was a pig to remove! The screws came out without too much bother, although I will have to repair some of the holes, but as the thwart was virtually glued onto the boat with Sikaflex I had to use a sharp bread knife between thwart and deck to cut it away from the boat. Anyway, it's off now and shouldn't be too bad to stick back on. The picture above shows the removed thwart and the gullies underneath. Also note the freshly varnished and re-installed centreboard!

Racing Pictures

These pictures where found on the Yachts and Yachting website where you will also find some reviews of the Inland championships from the last few years. Click on - http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/classes/?s=42&c=27

Photo © Keith Woodrow

Calypso

Those of you that visited the Dinghy Show will have noticed the Gull Calypso on the Hartley laminates stand. Selling for £3995 (ready to sail) it is very good value for money. It seems to be as well built and simple to rig as the Spirit but less maintenance as it does not have the Spirit's wooden bits.

Refit

I have now started to refit Aurora and will be moving her indoors to dry out for a few weeks (now that the snow seems to have finished falling). I have managed to practice my varnishing techniques on the rudder and I will be removing the centreboard this weekend and varnishing the thwart in a couple of months.
I used 3 coats of Goldspar varnish on the rudder, sanding between coats with 240 grit sandpaper and leaving to dry overnight at room temperature.

I have also had new toe straps made up to replace the garish red originals. I reused the stainless "D" rings and had them stitched onto new seat belt type webbing that I managed to source on EBay and it is identical to the original material, only it's blue. The stitching was done by a chap who has a small shop locally for £4. The total for the replacement toe straps came to £10. I believe Hartley Laminates charge £79!

Racing Update

I was delighted to come first sailing Aurora in yesterdays DSC Icebreaker race. Ice Breaker being a good way of describing the freezing conditions. I nearly retired just before the start of the race as the shackle holding the main sheet to the traveller decided to come loose but I managed to screw it back using the buckle of my watchstrap just in time for the start signal!

Overboom Tents

I am considering making an overboom tent so that I can have more extended cruises. I've ordered 1 meter of P2B breathable lightweight fabric to try as a sample (Hopefully, I won't break Jo's sewing machine in the process!). If I decide to make a tent I shall give a full write up on the blog. The fabric will need to be light but strong and waterproof. It would also be a bonus if it was breathable. P2B and other fabrics are available from Penine outdoors. http://www.pennineoutdoor.co.uk/catalogue.asp?cID=1

Norfolk Broads Cruise 2008 (part 4)

See below for parts 1,2,3.

We set off again after lunch west along the Thurne on the final leg of our odyssey. Chris, Johanna, Honor, Jo and I sailing well and really enjoyed the scenery as we headed into the late afternoon. It seemed strange that Gordon or Jane had not appeared in the dories as we glanced back along the river. Were we really sailing so fast that their 15hp outboards could not keep up with us? Watch out Ben Ainslie! We eventually stopped at Cockshoot Dyke as concern got the better of us and we waited and speculated as to what might be wrong. Soon after we heard them coming round the bend in the river. As it turned out one of the dories had broken down which meant that however late we would have to make it back by sail or oar which pleased me as I had sailed continuously all week (except for the tow under the Potter Heigham bridges) and I was determined to complete the trip under my own steam.
We set off downstream again to find an ominous site. As we sailed in ever decreasing winds through the outskirts of Horning the sky turned black and lightning could be seen not so far away. I told Jo to avoid touching the metal bits on the boat, having survived intact all week, I did not want her to get frazzled this close to home. The wind dropped ever lighter and we decided to resort to our trusty praddles. A fisherman enjoying a can of lager on the shore chastised us for cheating when he saw us paddling but I asked him if he would be happy to be sat on the water for long with 17ft of aluminium pointing skywards in a thunder storm. Eventually we all made it to the safety of Horning Sailing Club where we pulled our boats up the slip to end our cruise as the heavens opened and we all got a drenching.
I can’t remember when I last enjoyed sailing so much and I was amazed at the beautiful variety of the scenery along the route. What a place to get away from it all and what great company fellow Gull sailors are. Massive thanks to Jane and Gordon Williams for their hospitably, dedicated organisation and patience. And also a huge thank you to Gordon’s wife, Carolyn for inviting us to a charming dinner at Gordon’s home “Crabbetts”. The chocolate soufflés were delicious!
It would be wonderful to meet more Gull sailors next year. So do try and make it. I have sailed my Gull in lots of different locations and conditions but this trip will inspire me for a long time. And how much does it cost? Well, we each gave Gordon £10 for dory fuel which hardly broke the bank and the camping was free. But you can’t put a price on so much fun.

top photo by C.Yardley

Norfolk Cruise 2008 (part 3)

see below for part 2
On Friday Jo and I towed our trailer over to Horning where Jane kindly took us in her smart new red Mini Cooper back to Womack. Honor, Chris and Johanna accepted a tow back out along Womack water to the River Thurne. However, Jo and I shouting “no surrender to fossil fuel!” realised that we could make it out under sail as the wind had shifted making it a reach rather than a beat. But the tacking would return once we were out on the open river heading west. In fact the rest of the cruise would be a beat, with the enthusiasm for tacking waning somewhere after Thurne Mouth. I would start by shouting “Ready about”. Jo would respond with “Ready!” then we would tack before hitting the reeds at the river’s edge. Later on the call and response was reduced to “Ok” with Jo’s response (when she could be bothered) “yeah”. But the sailing was tremendous with a stop at St Benet’s Abbey for tea and jammy dodgers whilst the art course crew of a passing Wherry painted the scene. Jane told us that she had seen an otter en route and I am envious as I have always wanted to see one in the wild ever since reading Gavin Maxwell’s book “Ring of Bright Water” which describes them in detail. Afterwards, the windward sail continued until we were to turn left along the Ranworth dam, another long beat to our lunchtime rendezvous and the pretty village of Ranworth where we watched the Wherry raise her sail as she left the broad the way we had entered.
We were unable to land at the dinghy staithe so Jane ferried us across the broad in her dory. We had arranged to return at 3.15pm so that we had a couple of hours to explore the area. The general consensus was to climb the 89 steps 2 ladders and 1 trap door of Ranworth church so that we could view the landscape we had journeyed through. At this point I must say that I am scared of heights so I let the others climb the very narrow spiral staircase first in case I got cold dinghy booted feet and decided to descend. However, I did manage to make it to the top and I’m glad I did as Chris Yardley is very familiar with this area and pointed out the sights as we marvelled at how clear the view was and just how far we could see across this beautiful county. When the time came to descend I did my usual trick of letting the others go first. It amazed me to see just how steep and narrow this staircase was. In fact it was more like pot holing than climbing and I thought that it would be safer to descend on my bottom rather than stand up!

Correction!

Oops! Missed a line from the bottom of last weeks post, sorry. I have corrected it now.

Norfolk Broads Cruise 08 - part 2

see below for part 1

A stunning after lunch sail across Horsea back to the dyke was accompanied by Marsh Harriers, Herons and other wildlife but the peace was to be broken with a very testing beat westward along the dyke that is no more than two boat lengths in some places. The sound of the wind in the reeds, the big open sky and the water lilies coming into bloom make this one of the most beautiful places possible to sail and I almost felt sad as I rejoined the main channel back into Hickling Broad. Here, Jo was given the opportunity to take the helm on the reach back to the club and she steered the boat like a natural despite spending years sat in what we call the “jib seat” as a very competent crew. Perhaps I may buy her a Gull of her own this Christmas!

Thursdays’ sail was to be the beginning of a two day voyage that would turn into an adventure for us all. The plan was to sail to Horning in time for the Inland open on Saturday and Sunday. The first leg involved sailing south from Hickling to Potter Heigham where we would have to lower our masts to clear the two very low bridges that cross the Thurne. This concerned me greatly as my mast can be a pig to remove at the best of times but in practice it turned out to be a simple operation. 1) Lower mainsail and furl or lower jib. 2) Remove forestay and attach length of rope. 3) With one person in the boat to catch the mast as it falls aft and one person at the bows to steady the fall of the mast by holding onto the forestay, begin to lower. 4) When the mast is lowered, secure all lose rope and stays and accept tow by Gordon in dory under bridges as rowing or paddling would be a tedious occupation! 5) When safely through bridges reverse procedure to raise mast again. This was the first time I have dropped the mast whilst afloat and in reality it was a simple operation but like most things to do with sailing it can be daunting until someone shows you how simple it can be. I must thank Jane for steadying the forestay but I will experiment with running a rope back to the cockpit for those times when I am sailing single handed.

Lunch and the opportunity for Chris to make another brew was had after all boats were safely through the other side. The sun was beginning to shine as we all set off for another session of tacking into the moderate breeze as the river wound down towards Thurne with its collection of picturesque windmills. After a very short look at Thurne we headed for Hunters Yard at Womack where Pat was to slip his boat as, sadly, other commitments brought his sailing to an end. The rest of us would tie alongside for the night to continue our journey the following day. Gordon kindly arranged the use of this private berth for us and ferried us back to Hickling in his car. Is there no end to the generosity of the Williams family? What a beautiful scene to see our small but intrepid craft berthed in this truly stunning location at the end of a hard day’s sail that almost exclusively involved beating into the wind.

(part 3 to follow)

Norfolk Cruise 08 Full Report - Part 1

It had been two long years since I last headed east to Norfolk for the annual Gull Class Association cruise of the Broads. Unfortunately, I was to miss the customary “shake down sail” on Hickling Broad as I had other commitments on Monday afternoon but my partner Jo and I arrived late Monday evening to find that we were the only campers on the usual patch of grass at HBSC. On Tuesday morning we met up with other sailors, John Bull, Pat (surname?), Honor Craig-Bennett and Johanna (surname?) for a fine sail up to Somerton for lunch. With Gordon Williams and daughter Jane providing motor boat support in the Snowflake Club dories. Thankfully the rain stayed away until, surprise surprise John, Jo and I decided to return to our boats after our short stop in the local pub. I was feeling hot so I’d left my waterproofs on the boat and received a drenching on the way back!

The afternoon’s sail back to Horning turned into a gusty windward beat along the River Thurne with one particularly nasty section where both banks at Martham Ferry taper into concrete sections that can be very hard to avoid. It was along this section that Honor managed to break her wooden gunter mast. Her boat was towed back to Hickling and she jumped in with Johanna to continue sailing. Luckily Honor had a metal Bermudan mast as back-up that she promptly swapped to on returning to Hickling.
Wednesday’s sail was one that I had been looking forward to. Two years previously we had sailed to Horsea Mere with its distinctive windmill and deserted broad and I had fallen in love with the place. For those with more time to kill, Horsea is only a short walk from the sea. However, getting there in a Gull can be a challenge. Meadow Dyke leading to Horsea Mere is about a mile of the narrowest river possible to navigate, particularly as one occasionally meets much bigger boats coming the other way. For today’s sail we were joined by Chris Yardley in his Mark III. Ever the professional, where Jo and I would bring a flask of coffee each day, Chris brought a kettle and camping gas stove for fresh tea wherever we landed. Another fine breeze took us all to Horsea where we dropped mainsails to edge into the staithe powered by our jibs alone. This would prove to be a safe way of approaching the shore and on the one occasion that I did not do this I managed to ram the pontoon at Hickling! Replacement boat parts are in the post! For extra safety when the wind is behind I find it the sensible option to furl the jib as well and use a paddle (or in my case “Praddle”) to provide steerage. (part 2 to follow)

Camera

I've had a few enquiries about the camera that I use for the pics on this site. It is a cheap and cheerful 5mp digital camera inside a waterproof case from the Tescos website. It works well and produces some vivid images and it only cost £30. I also use it to take video clips and it uses standard SD cards. For pictures taken on dry land I use a Ricoh GX100 which I am sure is a great camera but I'm still a bit confused by all it's functions. You can get a waterproof housing for the Ricoh but I'm happier to use a cheap camera on a sailing dinghy.

Updates

Not a lot going on at the moment. But I've added some pictures in one of the posts below. Aurora won't be going for her refit until after Christmas as my Heron is now out of action (long story) so I will be racing the Gull at my local sailing club for the next few weeks. I'll let you know how we get on. Also, please leave any comments about anything you would like me to discuss on this blog. Chris.

Racing

I've included some racing pics for those who are more interested in that. The first picture was taken at the Inland open at Horning on the Norfolk Broads in 2007 (photo, Williams). I'm enjoying some success with my new racing sails. The second picture was taken at my home club of Dorchester on Thames during the Gull Nationals in 2004. (photo, T.Brett)

Video footage - Crossing the Solent

Friday 25th July 2008. Windspeed about f4. Tide was travelling east at about 2.5 knots. This footage taken as I was heading south from Lepe towards Cowes at about 1100hrs. Location: N50°46.7800' W001°20.6400'

Windermere September 2008

I usually try to get up to the lakes for some sailing before the winter comes. This year's trip was to Windermere for some great sailing in strong winds and torrential rain. Probably the best place to launch is the National Trust campsite at Low Wray. It costs £6 to launch and park the boat and trailer just next to the gravel slip and if it's not too wet it is a good place to camp.

Solent 2008

I have made a number of trips across the Solent this summer (what summer?!?). I usually launch from Bucklers Hard on the Beaulieu river and sail out across to Cowes or Calshott passing through Lepe on the way. Navigation in the Solent needs to be taken seriously. If traveling along from east to west I try to stick to southern shore of the New Forest as the tides are not as strong in the shallows. But crossing to the Isle of Wight can be a different matter. I navigate using the Garmin Forerunner GPS (see pic above) using way points that I have entered from websites or using my Admiralty chart of the Solent. I have a series of smaller laminated, therefore waterproof, charts that I tape to the "chart table", the lid of the dry compartment on the Gull Spirit. I mark my position on this chart with a grease pencil every 15mins in case of GPS failure or fog. I also carry a laminated homemade tidal atlas (see above pic). The Garmin Forerunner is a great piece of kit. It allows you to store and sail to way points and records speed, distance and all the usual GPS functions. The best thing about it is that you can wear it on your wrist so that it is always accessible. They can be bought online for less than £50.

Gull Class Cruise 2008

Some pictures from the 2008 cruise on the Norfolk Broads. Five days sailing from Hickling and ending up at Horning. A full report will be published on the Gull class newsletter for members of the association. Top: Aurora berthed for the night at Womack. Middle: Sailing into a thunderstorm. Bottom: Beating towards Womack.

Tuesday 10th of October

It's been a good season for cruising Aurora my Gull Spirit sailing dinghy. I have also recently invested in a cheap waterproof digital camera so a Blog seemed like the right thing to do. So this Blog will hopefully be a record of the sailing that I've been doing. I have owned Aurora from new and she is 5 years old now and in excellent condition but I will be giving her a refit this winter and I shall also record that in this Blog. I also race her but I've concentrated mainly on cruising this year. Brief descriptions of my trips will appear here when I get time. Photo - Jane Williams.