Review of 2009

Work Done
At the start of last season I had a list if things that I thought needed doing:

• new mainsail
• headlining in forward birth area
• anti-fouling
• engine service, especially the carb.
• leaking windows need attention
• cockpit locker covers

of these I have done them all except the headlining and the cockpit covers, so pretty successful.

Sailing Done
I would never have believed at the start of the year all the things in Kamala that I have enjoyed in our first proper season together. Highlights are of course sailing to Les Minquiers (saw them on a Bergerac last night, but that's another story), and the trip to Sark, Herm and Guernsey. I have also enjoyed taking many friends out on her throughout the year. My favourite however was taking my two middle children round to Portlet for lunch after they had stayed the night on the boat. It was the first time my daughter had shown any interest in the boat and the trip to Portlet was an unplanned grasp at the outstretched hand of opportunity.

The catalyst for these adventures was the confidence instilled by a week with Phil at Jersey Sailing completing part of my Day Skipper practical. Hats off to the team at JS.

Other
I have read some great sailing related books this year. My complete reading list for 2009 has been:

Captain Bligh's Portable Nightmare - John Toohey
The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow - AJ Mackinnon***
The Long Way - Bernard Moitessier
Sailing Just for Fun - AC Stock***
There be no Dragons - Reese Palley
Race Against Time - Ellen McArthur
Treasure Island - RL Stevenson
The Heavenly Man - Brother Yun
Gipsy Moth Circles the World - Sir Francis Chichester
Endeavor - Peter Aughton
Land on My Right - Ron Pattenden
Cruise of the Conrad - Alan Villiers

OF these the "***" indicates my two favourites. Both recommended to anyone with a small boat and big dreams. Which leads nicely on to...

Dreams of Sailing (and nightmares of work) for 2010
Sailing:
Round the Island - slowly! Taking a few days (a week?), possible overnights at Gorey, (Ecrehous?) Rozel, Bouley, Bonne Nuit, Greve de Lecq, St Brelades. Sign up here if interested. May or Summer.
Minquiers again.
St Malo and the Rance (summer holiday!)
Racing/Sailing on other on other peoples boats.
Go sailing with 'OG' and Nicky & Helier Heath.

Work:
Finish Building Dinghy / Tender
Antifoul (again)
Fix Broken Window
New Cabin Vent
Replace single Washboard with split ones.
Fit Cockpit Locker Covers
Drop Mast
New Main Halyard
Check Rigging
New Mainsheet
New Genoa
Sort out awful paint finish (maybe over next winter when Kamala comes home)
Buy a Seagul Engine for tender.

Overall its been a fantastic year sailing with no regrets. Oh, and the dinghy is progressing well.

On and Off the Blocks

Last spring, when I had my boat on the blocks, I realised how close I'd come to disaster when Kamala's keel only just managed to squeeze between two drying blocks and therefore remain level.

It was only after she'd dried out I realised the possible alternative. (see below)

This is Pitch and Putt II, under new ownership now, not fitting quite so well on the blocks.

PBO July 2009

I never got round to posting this at the time it came out, but July's Practical Boat Owner Magazine featured my very own Kamala in the mystery port competition. The port was St Aubin, obviously.

 

Kamala is the little red one in the foreground, on her old mooring near the entrance. Don't know when the pic was taken.

Dinghy Project Goes On

The dinghy outside is now done ready for the keel and then paint. Inside is next.

All the pics are online here

Dinghy Build Photo Album

If you click the link below you can see the photo's from the build of the Rye Bay 8' dinghy, 'Pickled Tink'. It's probably 1/3 finished at the time of writing.

Building a Rye Bay 8'

New Dinghy Part 2

This is what I've spent half-term doing.

 It deserves its own blog page, and I'll sort that out when I'm not up to my elbows in epoxy.

It looks like a boat now any way. Compare with the cardboard model of the same boat below. Still a long, long way to go. About 15 of the supposed 40 hours done so far.

FInal Sail of 2009

This afternoon, HT was at 16:42, 9.8m; plenty enough to get in and out, only hampered by the early onset of darkness. There was more water than I expected so I rowed out and soon had the motor on and sails up ready to go.

As I was leaving home Windy Wendy had 9-11 knots at St Helier Pierheads but there was much less than this once I got out. Still had a good time and got Ollie the Autopilot earning his keep too.

As I was coming in due to the lateness of the our, Nicki and Helier were just taking 'Og' out for a short run. The advantage of having lights nav lights, I guess.

In rapidly increasing darkness I managed to partly 'winterise' Kamala, ready for the gales to come next week. I took off the sails and removed any rope that could be brought in. Next season will need a new mainsheet and a new main halyard at the very least.

By the time I left it was 5:30 and totally dark, but St Aubins is a beautifully lit area so finding my way to a slipway was easy.