Cruising

 

Still a bit to tweak and finish on the SCAMP, but the only way to do that is to use it! (thanks Chris for this photo and all your video btw)

I got out with a bunch of WBA boats a week or so back, for a sail over from Warmies to St Kilda for lunch and back.  

It was a good day, except Gavan dropped his expensive Garmin watch over the side at the Warmies ramp when we were launching.   By coincidence, I managed to capture the moment on my 360 camera.  We went back next day and tried diving to find it, but the water was too deep and murky. 

It was classic day sailing, we all sail around videoing one another, straggle off in more or less the same direction, have lunch somewhere (usually a bumpy lee shore but this day sheltered behind St Kilda Breakwater) and then retrieve and go home for a nice lie down.  

We had a tentative sail date planned for Monday, Gerard couldn't make it Monday but thought maybe Tuesday, Chris suggested he was free both days ... so we decided to try an overnighter, up the Werribee Monday night.

The weather was perfect Monday, and we had a grand sail down wind along the coast, anchoring at the traditional lumpy lee shore lunch stop off Little River.  The water isn't getting any warmer, and I wanted to check the reboarding sling arrangement.  Much better to do that before you actually need to rely on it.  So I hopped over the side and indeed, the slings were a bit too short.  Much easier to adjust that standing in chest deep water than bobbing around in deep water. I need to practice and do some more research on technique, but I did successfully reboard from both starboard and port sides which is another bit of psychological comfort - I now know that if I did go in the drink I could get back out again.

Speaking of psychological comfort, there is something about the SCAMP which is extremely reassuring.  Part of it is the stability, thanks to the hull form and the ballast.  It is so nice to have a boat that you can't tip over standing or pulling on the side gunnel.  The high cockpit coaming means you sit right in the boat, and the ergonomics are terrific - you sit really comfortably with a foot in the footwell, another on the opposite bench.  The cuddy offers protection from spray and wind, and a sort of ostrich head in the sand sort of comfort as well.  You don't have to have the hyper alertness that you need in a tippier boat. Hard to describe, but the package is remarkably relaxing. 

Still lots to tweak and refine.  I guess that is the fun with boats, they are never finished.

I watched Mat Conboy's latest video last night, talking to Geoff Macqueen of The Dinghy Spart fame, which is well worth a watch. 

Geoff took six weeks, sailing round the west coast of Tassie from Macquarie Harbour. He had a rule of thumb that he would not go out if the forecast was over 20 knots and if the wind direction did not allow him to reach or run to his destination. Otherwise he would just stay put, which he did for up to a week at a time.  

While the highly adventurous sort of dinghy cruising is appealing, I am more interested in more low key minimalist cruising at the moment.  I would like to explore how little I can do in a day, maybe dry out on the sand bar, sit and have a cup of tea and watch the world go by.  The circumnavigation of Port Phillip is still out there as an aspiration, but I forsee a patch of very micro cruises coming up. 

Relaunch

The trailer registered at last, and a light airs day forecast for today ( how right they were!) so I got organized sort of and down to the ramp this morning. A learning experience, it took over an hour to get rigged and on the water, but that included putting the torqeedo on then taking it off again as I discovered I did not have the necessary locking pin. I had a vision of one expensive battery popping off and sinking to the bottom, and decided to use oars instead. The boat slipped very smoothly off the new trailer.

There was a bit of wind to start with, and I pottered off in a generally easterly direction at round 3 to 4 knots. The SCAMP is very well behaved in light airs, and will sail herself for quite long intervals with the mainsheet wound a few turns round the tiller. Ozzie quite enjoys his cabin, tho I will have to remember to bring a bed for him.

It really is a very comfortable experience sailing the SCAMP. What people say about it feeling like a much bigger boat is true. You can move about, tidy up, open the hatches and get things, have a cuppa, luxury.

After an hour or so the wind faded. We turned for home, 3.5 nautical miles out, but instead of 3 to 4bknots, we were now doing .8, which feels like stationary. So, back to the oars for a long row most of the way back.

Retrieving went OK too, though still some tweaking .

So,  a few things to work on, but I was a bit nervous about launching for some reason, and it is good to have felt the fear but done it anyway.  

Parallel universes

 

For a while now I have been intermittently reading "Dirty Wet Dog" the blog Steve over in Corwall who has been building a Welsford Pathfinder.  https://dirtywetdog.co.uk

He is a self confessed "Moany Old Bloke", building a Welsford boat, and he has recently acquired a recumbent trike.

Now, think about the ven diagrams of those three characteristics. "Moany Old Blokes" ... well, that's huge,  there's way too many of us out there. Building a Welsford boat, way way smaller ... riding a recumbent trike ... tiny. All three, well that must be vanishingly small. (Here's Oz waiting not so patiently outside the local shop guarding my trike last week, just to prove I really do still use mine!)

Steve has announced he is going to abandon his blog, and that it will vanish into the ether sometime this year, as he is going to put his energy into his YouTube vlog. Which made me think, as reading of his choices often does, about my own, and about this blog.   

The readership of this blog is vanishingly small to non existent... I sometimes wonder if the hits tally is just me rereading posts from time to time. But I rather like it as a sort of digital diary, with all the benefits that diarizing brings, and it does help to give me a sense of what has happened when. I think I will keep it ticking along. And I might restart my YouTube videos when the SCAMP is launched. Having a SCAMP will probably boost my numbers there no end.

Work on the SCAMP has ground to a halt again, thanks to the heat.The local weather station just recorded 37.2 degrees, and there is a searing Northerly blowing that is like being in front of a heat gun. I really don't do so well in the heat these days.

I got down for my swim early this morning, and the wind even then was enough that I was pretty much dry by the time I got home. I got another coat of epoxy on the centreboard, had a think about what I need to do before the centreboard installation crew arrive tomorrow, then had to scuttle inside into the air on and fan cooled sanctuary. Hopefully I can get the necessary jobs done when it cools down a bit. Meantime I can mull over where to put the bling on the boat. Centre? Starboard? Leave it off? 🤔 

Wading through treacle

 

I am chipping away at the long list of small jobs. It feels a bit like wading through treacle. 

The first round of painting more or less done. I can go back and polish up down the track, but I am happy with a work boat finish. I am drilling filling and drilling all holes exposed to the outside or to water. Takes about 4 times as long as just drill and add a dab of sikaflex or epoxy but it should help the boat outlast my future neglect.

Anne doesn't think much of my colour scheme, and she could be right, but it will have to do for now.

On the jobs list are tasks that are easy/enjoyable, and jobs that are more difficult/challenging. The temptation is to do all the easy jobs but the danger is I will wind up with a nasty pile of things left which could be demoralising. 

The centreboard is definitely one of the nasty jobs. I am a bit worried I have stuffed it up somehow - shape too much out, bearing off centre? - tho I won't know till I install it. Hopefully I can get some extra pairs of hands to get it installed - it is a heavy little number, made from laminated hardwood  with a chunk of lead set in the lower half. I would not want to drop it on my foot.

Here it is, with its little tail in case the boat turtles and the centreboard retracts. You use the bit of yellow rope to get the board out again, which gives enough leverage to get the boat back upright. I am also putting in a downhaul with a quick release cleat, on the belt and braces principle. Something about black and heavy makes me want to move on to a more pleasant job like the rowlocks. Rebate plate, drill and fill and drill, it has taken quite a few hours to get them on, but I have enjoyed that job. Looking forward to finding out how the SCAMP actually rows soon. The hole is to allow the escape of any water that might find its way into the rowlock socket.

I also sent off the registration form to Vic roads, so hopefully I can use an engine at Paynesville if I can get there. The trailer probably won't arrive in time so I will have to adapt Skerry's trailer for the duration. I think I know how that might work. The most critical bit of the puzzle still outstanding is the rudder pintle. Jim only had one of the beefier 4 bolt hole kind. He has ordered another, but it seems it has to come from Jupiter and the space shuttle has been delayed. Gavan has some that would fit though would need different spaced holes. I will hold off for another week. 

Main jobs outstanding apart from the above include: finish mast step and epoxy mast foot in, install uphaul/downhaul hardware, non slip paint in appropriate spots, finish tiller extension, drill fill drill and bolt/screw on all hardware, sikafex on hatches and portholes ... I am sure there is plenty more I just can't think of what they are at the moment.  About 17 more sleeps before we need to be on the road down to Paynesville, 17 more days work, but my productivity goes right down (along with my iq) when the days are hot, and we have a heat wave into mid next week. 

We had a family getaway long weekend down at Walkerville last weekend. Swimming a couple of times every day, hiking up and down the hill from house to beach and back, sitting on the deck with a vista of the Prom and the Glennie group across the water, big sky, lots of feasting, my favourite people ... it was time out of the build, but I have come back energised. 

Onwards though the treacle!

Sail bending

 

Chris and Gerard came round midweek to help me bend on the sails. It's very handy to have some extra pairs of hands for that job.  We wheeled the SCAMP out from under the carport, and of course being Melbourne it started to rain. Chris got to try out the cuddy as shelter. 

It seemed to work OK. 

Work has stopped for a few days as we're down at Walkerville South for our traditional family getaway to celebrate our daughter Jess's birthday. We've rented the same place for a few years now. It is not too fancy, has fantastic views, and a nice walk down to the beach. 

I dropped in on Jim after delivering poor Maggie to the cattery next door. He had not chased up trailer. It turns out 3 to 4 weeks delivery, then registration, and insuring ... I don't think that trailer will be in the time for the Paynesville gig on 1 March... 

Still a long list of jobs to finish as well. 🤔 We have booked accommodation so we are going, but I will really have to get cracking if the boat is going to come too.

The race is on

 

I have put a coat of undercoat on nearly all the boat. Still a few bits under the coaming and on top of centreboard case missed. I think I will spring for a new pot of undercoat tomorrow and give it all a good second coat. 

There are still lots of small and some not so small tasks outstanding and i am struggling to stay on top of the details. Today, I needed a couple of pieces of wood on which  to mount the cleats on the cabin top. I found a nice bit of Oregon, sliced it, then remembered I was saving that bit for the top of the centreboard case. Dammit. Not the end of the world, I will have to rip another piece out of another bit I have been saving for ... what exactly I don't know.  I've bought a bunch of rope and nuts and bolts and blocks from Jim  at the Dinghy Shop, who has been incredibly helpful and generous with his time. And he is an agent for Dunbier and is sussing out availability for a trailer as well, another task i need to tackle asap.

I bit the bullet and drilled holes for the outboard bracket. I dare to hope that it might work.

But an engine means registration so I better get cracking on that as well. 

I would really like to get the boat ready for the Paynesville Classic Boat Rally from 1 March if humanly possible. Not too many sleeps till then, and we are going to Walkerville for about 5 days next week, so no more slacking!

First time

 

Carl, a SCAMP fan and future builder, got in touch via Josh at SCA. He and family, Sarah and Isabelle, came to have a look at progress on Friday.  It was really nice to see the boat through their eyes. The smile says it all!

Sounds like it might be a while before Carl starts to build, but he has been thinking a lot about it and has some interesting thoughts on furling and cabin layout.

Meanwhile, glacial progress continues. I have been fiddling with the mast step and partners. 

Also the oarlock/hiking out seat arrangement, amazing how long you can stuff around on such a minor detail!

 I am waiting on some bits at the Williamstown Chandlers, then I will buy more undercoat and get stuck into painting.  I even ordered some sail numbers. Better get the letters for the name to stick on.  And if I can line up a time with Jim at the Dinghy Shop, I can make a start on rigging. Then there is just the conundrum of getting a trailer ... and rego ... The list still seems endless.

Last week was a reminder that the boat build has a dimension outside just me. A lot of people are interested in progress. Yet another pot of epoxy went off while I was talking to a walk in visitor - but it's nice. I think I will have a long list of people to take out for a sail when "Anjevi" is a going concern.