24th February 2011 - Departure Preparations

Jeff's blog of his life living aboard a yacht, at anchor, in the UK, with his wife, a dog and a baby.

Moderator: Jeff

Post Reply
Jeff
Site Admin
Posts: 751
Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2009 3:54 pm
Location: North Yorkshire
Contact:

24th February 2011 - Departure Preparations

Post by Jeff »

Things were put very much in perspective last night when we went to a slide-show in the nearby village of Glaisdale by a local couple who'd sailed out of Whitby in 2007, only to return in 2008 after a trip to the Caribbean and back. Inspirational stuff! I'm now the proud owner of a signed copy of their book, which I'm ploughing through at speed. I'm not sure if it will inspire me to follow in their footsteps or scare me out of any more adventurous voyages.

I've always been the same I think. The longer I go without being involved in something slightly scary, the more trepidation I get about returning to it. I used to do a bit of mountaineering and was nervous before any big trip and I'm definitely starting to get butterflies about our own now imminent departure. once I get started, as before, I'm sure I'll relax, enjoy it and realise that 99% of my fears were actually butterflies of excitement. NB. The remaining 1% is the very real fear of parking in unknown harbours, and talking to people on the VHF which fill me with dread - unless nobody's watching, or listening.

--

Officially we're back in the water at the end of March, so we have about 4 weeks now to do any jobs which can only be done while Isabella is on land. My current list is as follows (written really as an aide-memoir for me. Probably very very boring for you):

Fix the scarf joint
The scarf joint is a joint in a strip of wood which runs the full perimeter of Isabella. During the extreme cold in December (I think) our port side scarf joint opened up a couple of mm. Going to attempt to countersink a couple of stainless screws to hold it in place temporarily until we've had some warm and dry weather for a while, then do a proper job and glue it down, and cover the screw heads with wooden plugs.

Grind and treat the rust spots on the keel
Rose did this last spring when we were out of the water in Yacht Haven Quay, Plymouth. I thought the zinc paint we applied would stop them returning, but obviously not. It doesn't look very bad though - but still needs doing before the infamous...

Antifoul
A much hated job on the whole. But for me it's so intrinsically linked with the impending adventure of relaunch - coupled with the fact that it makes the boat look like new (well, a bit) - that I get quite excited about it. Perhaps that's just because it will only be the third time we've ever had to do it. And perhaps also because the first and second times, I got other people to do most of it for me... on reflection I think I might be very busy with work for the couple of weeks before relaunch. Hopefully Rose won't read this before then. Shh!!

Wood Treatment
At Exeter Turf Lock last year, Rose went to a hen do and the weather was glorious. So I took it upon myself to strip, treat and varnish all of the exterior woodwork on Isabella. It was a labour of love, took hours and hours and I was very pleased and proud with the results. I'd used Sikkens Novatech and Novatop which were recommended to me as something which would produce a finish not so nice as true "varnish" but a finish which would protect the wood and not need touching for some years. Unsure if it was the cold of December, but unfortunately much of it lifted off the horizontal surfaces making it look less than wonderful and annoyingly making me feel it necessary to do something to sort it out.

Fill The Water & Diesel Tanks
Might as well do this while here. Tap is nearby, and for the moment so is transport so we can visit the garage and fill the jerry cans with diesel. Also make sure we have plenty of gas for barbecue and saloon cooker, paraffin for the lamps and meths for the priming of the pressure lamps.

Stock Up
Food, fuel, toilet roll.

Check The Sea-cocks
We have a number of holes in our hull, some below the waterline. Through these holes are plastic and metal devices which allow a pipe to be connected to them for passing or collecting various fluids to/from the sea. The metal ones are made of various metals (usually some kind of bronze) which can be affected by corrosion and electrolysis. If electrolysis occurs (caused by stray electrical currents on the boat) through them, they can "de-zinkify" and become extremely fragile. Couple this with the fact that a 1" hole in the hull below the waterline will result in a leak which brings in more water per second than can realistically be pumped out in a second and you soon realise that careful sea-cock checking is extremely important. I'm going to scratch the exterior surfaces and check for the metal looking pink - a sure sign of de-zinkification.

Run The Engine
Just want to be sure our winterisation process worked and ensured the engine didn't suffer from frost damage like a number of other boats and engines did locally in December. And that the impeller is OK (it drives cooling water around the engine). Super important to ensure the engine works otherwise we'll be launched into the river Esk and then drift, out of control, into the nearest obstacle.

Drain Fuel Tank Sump
We have a mild steel fuel tank, and water always gets into non-full fuel tanks in winter by condensation. As a result there's likely to be a build up of a little water and rust particles in the bottom of the tank. Fortunately there's a screw in the bottom so we can drain this gunk off. Unfortunately it's really inaccessible and a very messy job.

Bend On The Sails
All of our sails and lazy-jacks (a bag and rope system for controlling the mainsail) are in bags in our aft (back) cabin and need bending on (putting back on the rig). This will involve a climb by one of us to at least half the height of the mast. Officially I think it's not recommended to put the sails on until you're in the water because of the potential for making the boat tip over when on land - but in practice on a still day it should be fine to do it sooner.

General Systems and Rigging Check
All fastenings, lights, and electronic equipment need checking to ensure they're OK. I think they are to be honest. I keep firing things up to show people who visit us anyway, but a final check before launch is obviously a good idea.

Clean
Isabella, inside and out, is showing the signs of being in a muddy carpark in winter for the best part of six months. Spring cleaning is very much required. Weather permitting (some jobs like the woodwork need a couple of dry days) it'd be really nice to leave Whitby looking shiny and new.

Make Launch To Do List
There's a number of important things to do at the point of launch which really are best not forgotten. The excitement of the launch though might well lead me to forget. Three really key ones are: 1. burp the propeller shaft seal (a seal between hull and prop shaft which requires squeezing to allow air out and water in which keeps it lubricated and cool during operation. Forgetting to do this will result in seal damage probably meaning replacement which also means being lifted back out of the water again). 2. Turn on the engine cooling water intake seacock. 3. Re-install the engine fan belt.

Here's a shot of the scarf joint, and horrendous looking woodwork. To give an idea of scale, the green is the toe of my welly.

Image
To join our mailing list and receive notification of blog updates, please send an email to watchblog@yacht-forum.co.uk and we'll keep you posted. You do not need to sign up to the forum to do this, and we absolutely WILL NOT share your contact details, or send you anything but notifications of new blog entries.
Discus
RNLI Supporter
RNLI Supporter
Posts: 416
Joined: Wed Mar 03, 2010 4:46 pm
Location: Floating around the SW

Post by Discus »

Hi Jeff and Rose
I was just wondering what the book is called and who wrote it? I read a book by a bloke called Geoff Hainsworth (The Voyages of T'Early Bird) who set off from Hartlepool and sailed around the world in a Voyager 35. The voyage was more remarkable as I don't think he had a huge amount of sailing experience before going. Another good read -well fantastic read really is a book by John Beattie called Breath of Angels. I think he set off from Whitby and sailed to the Caribbean in a Warrior 35. It was an amazing experience and is well captured in a very funny and very human story. Worth tracking a copy down if you can find one.

I wouldn't bother with varnish on external teak - it fails readily, no matter what brand you use. Last year we used Starbrite Tropical Teak oil. It isn't the stuff in the bottle but comes in a can and looks like some awful brown paint. It has a matt finish and worked a treat for us last season on our rubbing strake and cockpit grating. We went back to Plymouth last weekend to start fitting out and the finish is still pretty much intact - just another protective coat to put on this year. I would attach a photo but I don't think I can in a reply. I guess it also means in 4 weeks or so you can trade in that green farmers welly you are wearing in the photo for a pair of the finest Dubarry deck shoes/boots!!! If it's any consolation, my fitting out list is twice as long as yours - oo er!!!!!!!

Rob
Jeff
Site Admin
Posts: 751
Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2009 3:54 pm
Location: North Yorkshire
Contact:

Post by Jeff »

Cheers Rob.

What are you planning this season?
To join our mailing list and receive notification of blog updates, please send an email to watchblog@yacht-forum.co.uk and we'll keep you posted. You do not need to sign up to the forum to do this, and we absolutely WILL NOT share your contact details, or send you anything but notifications of new blog entries.
Discus
RNLI Supporter
RNLI Supporter
Posts: 416
Joined: Wed Mar 03, 2010 4:46 pm
Location: Floating around the SW

Post by Discus »

Hi Jeff
The £50,000 question!!!!! Well we have signed on to go across to Guernsey in June with the Westerly Owners SW. Never been to a meet afloat with any yachts before so thought we would try this out - safety in numbers for crossing the Channel. They are then heading off to France but we'll stay on in Guernsey for the week to catch up with a friend from University and then head back to Plymouth. I hope to get down to the Scillies but that will be weather dependent as usual. This year we are just hoping to launch in April rather than June (last year). In August we are heading up to Scotland to sail for a week on my dad's boat in the Clyde, just because it gets so busy in the Southwest during the school holidays. I suppose the weekend sailing will be mainly Salcombe, Fowey, Falmouth, Dartmouth stuff altough I would love to go further if we had the time. I envy the fact that you'll be heading to the west coast of Scotland, it's a bit like a sailing nirvana and I could spend years there - a truly special place, with 'special' weather!!! We were back in Plymouth this weekend and power washed the treadmaster decks and cleaned the hull and coachroof which faired a bit better over winter having used Farecla wax last season which outlasted the previous Meguires stuff. Still have loads to do, including putting up our new windcharger and trying to sort out revarnishing the saloon bulkhead so it matches back in with the rest of the boat. All good fun - except we live a 3 hour drive away from the boat! Are you going to go through the Caledonian canal when you head north. I always fancied sailing through Loch Ness - just seems bizarre that you can sail through the middle of Scotland. How far are you hoping to get this season? Are you going to spend next winter in Scotland or make your way back to Plymouth? Good luck with the fitting out - you could always use the dog as a large polishing cloth on your topsides!!! Let me know if that book is any good - could do with a bit of an adventurous read!!!

Rob
Jeff
Site Admin
Posts: 751
Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2009 3:54 pm
Location: North Yorkshire
Contact:

Post by Jeff »

Hi Rob,

The book is ISBN 978 095 459 5166 - entitled "unfurling the dream". But I think you won't be able to get a copy as I have the last one, and currently no more are planned to be published. Will look up the ones you mentioned too once I've finished this one.

I have to be honest that I've never applied any polish to the gelcoat on Isabella. Seems like a lot of effort for not a lot of gain. Or am I missing something? Should I be adding it to the list?

Your plans sound excellent. Possibly we'll be in the vicinity of each other in August then because our current plan is to make it all the way back to Plymouth by the end of the year. And yes, we're going via the Caledonian. I'm very excited about it!!

Not looking forward to the "special" weather though!

We're also planning to go to the channel islands after we complete the circumnavigation. We've a friend having a wedding over there in September (IIRC). Perhaps also going Ireland -> Scillies -> Cornwall if we can muster up the courage for such a long "ocean" voyage.

Cheers Rob,

Jeff
To join our mailing list and receive notification of blog updates, please send an email to watchblog@yacht-forum.co.uk and we'll keep you posted. You do not need to sign up to the forum to do this, and we absolutely WILL NOT share your contact details, or send you anything but notifications of new blog entries.
Discus
RNLI Supporter
RNLI Supporter
Posts: 416
Joined: Wed Mar 03, 2010 4:46 pm
Location: Floating around the SW

Post by Discus »

I suspect that because your boat is newer than ours, the gelcoat doesn't go dull or flat over winter. We wax the hull every year on the basis that the gelcoat isn't totally uv stable and will be attacked by sunlight a bit like the paintwork on a car. There is a Dehler 34 in the cradle next to us at the moment and that doesn't look like it needs any wax as it still has a very shiny gelcoat topsides - we would look a bit 'matt' without it. I am sure we may well run into you afloat at some point (not in the literal sense), maybe in Scotland, if not, back in the Plymouth area - usually moored at Mt. Edgecumbe not a million miles from the pub!!!! A bit cheeky to ask I know but definitely film some of the trip through the Caledonian Canal, I imagine it will be quite special! We have sailed up around Bute and Arran and up into Loch Fyne in the past few years when we have borrowed my dads Moody. You won't believe the difference in the quality of the sailing round there compared to anywhere else. We spent a week sailing around staying on various mooring buoys and didn't have to pay once! Many are owned and run by hotels so you only need to pop ashore and have a swift pint in the bar to qualify!!! Now I'm thinking about it, I feel like sailing up there all summer!

Rob
Jeff
Site Admin
Posts: 751
Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2009 3:54 pm
Location: North Yorkshire
Contact:

Post by Jeff »

Sounds fantastic - looking forward to it more now!! Will definitely be getting the camera out. I got a new one for my birthday after we got to Whitby which is much better quality than the previous mobile phone movies we've done. Just need to work on my camera face!
To join our mailing list and receive notification of blog updates, please send an email to watchblog@yacht-forum.co.uk and we'll keep you posted. You do not need to sign up to the forum to do this, and we absolutely WILL NOT share your contact details, or send you anything but notifications of new blog entries.
Discus
RNLI Supporter
RNLI Supporter
Posts: 416
Joined: Wed Mar 03, 2010 4:46 pm
Location: Floating around the SW

Post by Discus »

Hi Jeff

Are you afloat yet? Just back from Plymouth and we seem to be going backwards - more problems than solutions!! Just wondering if it's 'smooth sailing' up your way???

Rob
User avatar
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 67
Joined: Wed Nov 28, 2007 4:19 pm
Location: Devon

Post by admin »

Hi Rob. Same here but I think we can see the light at the end of the tunnel now. Hope to be back in the water on Friday if all goes to plan. What's gone wrong with yours?
Discus
RNLI Supporter
RNLI Supporter
Posts: 416
Joined: Wed Mar 03, 2010 4:46 pm
Location: Floating around the SW

Post by Discus »

Hi Jeff
Loads not right - still have dodgy varnish on the saloon bulkhead, a saloon window has decided to spring a leak, VHF cable is still in two pieces while I try to figure out the best way to sort it out, companionway has developed a leak, treadmaster paint (at nearly£50 a litre) spontaneously washes off in the rain and to cap it all, the yard says they can't launch us when we want to go as there are still too many other boats in the way!!!!!! Well at least the windcharger is now on, even though it looks a bit wobbly to me. Does your Rutland kind of oscillate a bit atop its mounting pole? If you grab the pole, ours isn't rock solid, even with the stays kit - just wondering what others are like? Just read about your tank on my lunch break - sounds like major surgery! I know a TEK tanks tank for a Discus is about £800 so I hope ours lasts out for a few more years yet. At least you can get away after this weekend, I would imagine you'll be having cabin fever after a long cold winter.

Rob
Jeff
Site Admin
Posts: 751
Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2009 3:54 pm
Location: North Yorkshire
Contact:

Post by Jeff »

Hi Rob, that's a shame. Hope you get it all sorted before long.

Our Rutland is fairly stable on its pole, but I have on occasion tried to use the pole as a hand rail and found it less stiff than I expected. When we were in the Exeter canal we met a chap who'd crossed the Atlantic a few times. He'd had a Rutland on a pole on one crossing when the wind really got up and he said it was whirling around like crazy. As a result he installed "goal posts" at the back of the boat and welded the Rutland onto to the top of them.

Having said that ours seemed fine in the force 10 we had in the Thames, but I guess his waves were bigger!
To join our mailing list and receive notification of blog updates, please send an email to watchblog@yacht-forum.co.uk and we'll keep you posted. You do not need to sign up to the forum to do this, and we absolutely WILL NOT share your contact details, or send you anything but notifications of new blog entries.
Post Reply