Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Rigs and ramp

 



We must have been an interesting sight from the shore:  a junk rig, a lanteen, a standing lug, a leg o' mutton cat ketch,  and a laser. A vertable history of small boat rigs. 


I got down to the local ramp round 8, and already it was packed. But it was actually quite pleasant in the overflow paddock. I took Oz for a walk, then took my time rerigging the boat. It took a while, after the long break and having taken everything off to paint. Gerard, then Jim and Penny arrived and we got onto the water by 10 without issue - though the carpark was full, all the boats were out trying to catch snapper. 


I sailed round to off AYC ramp help Frank rig his lanteen rigged dinghy. Andrew was launching his laser. The wind was very light and flukey. For a few minutes we had a flotilla, but very quickly the different speeds of the various craft became manifest, the laser shot ahead, the lanteen dinghy fell far behind. The three cruising dinghies more or less kept pace, and we sailed over to Altona pier, a sort of on water snakes and ladders game as different boats caught and lost the patches of breeze.



I anchored a few hundred metres off the pier, and we rafted up for lunch. The breeze arrived during lunch, and we had a great sail back, to do battle with the ramp traffic. I hope it quietens down soon. Jims theory is that many of the boats belong to unemployed tradies, who have become motorized hunter gatherers. Whatever, I don't think I can singlehanded launch and retrieve from the ramp while it is so busy. I think building the Skerry which I can launch off the beach is the right long term solution for me. And it will be great to have something quick to rig and de-rig. But the Core Sound is a lovely thing, so nice to sail. It feels like a much bigger boat.

Another goodday on the water though.








Monday, November 23, 2020

Werribbee River Return

 

The WBA had its annual trip up the Werribee River on Sunday. The weather forecast wasn't that flash, rain and afternoon thunderstorms. And after the bun fight last year, where the ramp was packed with aggro powerboaters, there were only five wba related craft this year: four kayaks and fearless Gerard in his Shimmy.


It is a lovely river, and the bird life is wonderful.  We got a bit wet in an early storm, but after that the weather cleared up, and we all dried out. The kayak certainly is easy to load launch and retrieve, I was heading back for home by 1.30. 





Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Sharkey



I spent a pleasant few hours rerigging the Pirogue on Wednesday. I  tried putting in a brailing line, but I suspect Optimist sails are not designed for brailing.

Thursday was warm and round 10 knots predicted,  so I wheeled the Pirogue down to the local beach and launched from there. It was lovely to launch off clean sand into clear water. My usual launching spot, in front of AYC club house, has become choked with seaweed, and the water is murky thanks to the grunge from a nearby drain outfall which has diverted to run parallel to the shore there.

The Pirogue sails nicely in flat water and under 10 knots, and we beat into a North Easterly out past Wise's Reef, and down to the mouth of Kororiot Creek. Another failed attempt to pick my way in there through the maze of sticks which are liberally scattered there. The water was crystal clear, and I spotted four banjo sharks basking on the yellow sand there. 


Their camoflague is no good for broad patches of sand, they are visible from about thity metres away. I was dodging rocks and sharks, with the rudder up, when the Pirogue decided it was time to get out of there, and gybed round by itself.

Somehow I busted the lower rudder pintle again, so back to the drawing board on that one. And the rigging still needs some tweaking, but with a bit more work I think the Pirogue will be a great light airs shallow water explorer.









Sunday, November 8, 2020

Icebreaker

 


With the Covid lockdown and Anne's knee, and my painfully slow progress on the Core Sound, it has been a good while between sails. But I got Peregrina out today. I certainly have got rusty. I dropped the boat and beach trolley off the trailer, forgetting the small matter of wheels. Crunch Ouch. Blessed if I could find the fancy new ratchet block I got for the mainsheet.  And somehow the outhaul untied itself. Etc. Progess was a bit erratic, but once we got going it was lovely. Ozzie was thrilled to be back, as you can see from the photo.