That sinking feeling

 

Somehow I have wound up as organiser for the inaugural WBA midweek sail scheduled for the 9th. We're heading down to Walkerville for daughter's birthday festival (yay), and the weather after today  looks a bit dodgy, but I wanted to do some reconnaissance of Hobsons Bay before the event. 

My back was still not so good yesterday, but I told myself to smarten up, and set the alarm and backed the car in the drive  ready to hook up the Skerry and trailer. And despite a bit of internal lack of enthusiasm I got down to the Warmies and on the water by about 10.30. We rowed down the warmies channel and tied up at one of the Vistors moorings to get sorted, then on through the wonderful array of moored boats, past the one in thepicture above, which had made what I fear was a fairly expensive voyage to the bottom. It was back on the surface I was driving home, hopefully a happy ending. There are quite a few boats in there that look like they too might be making that trip to the bottom pretty soon.

There is something very relaxing about rowing. The Skerry is so controllable I am ok with heading into the most confined of spaces. I rowed right up next to the Gem Pier fish boat, we can use the Skerry to go buy our fish next time. And I had a nice chat to a guy moored in the Royals jetties who saw me rowing past and liked the look of the Skerry.

A really nice morning on the water, I really enjoyed. I hope I have turned a corner.

Fame, sort of

 

Gerard wanted to get out for a sail, and the forecast was for another 30 plus day. We arranged to meet at Werribee South at 8 to try and beat some of the heat.  My back is still dicy so I took Derry the Skerry. After I rigged up, I noticed a chap rigging a handsome looking sailing dinghy over near the ramps, so I went over to say hello. "Is that a Stornaway?" I asked. "Yes"he replied,"Are you Gary?" 

He had watched some of  my videos and recog ized me. Or perhaps the doggy sailing hat and checked shirt which I realise I tend to be wearing in many of them. 

It was a nice coincidence meeting him, and even more of a coincidence as we discovered that he and Gerard had served on the same ship in 1978.

We sailed in company out and up the coast, rafted up for lunch, and backed the jetty where after a reasonable docking under sail imaged to nearly fall in and capsize the boat. I think it was the heat.

Derry the Skerry was quite liberating, I confidently cut across the sandbars and would have been happy to beach for lunch. And I was first back to the ramp, no stuffing round dropping sail and following the channel. I will have to work on getting better organised though, somehow I seem to get into a mess. Of ropes and bits. Maybe some more bags to stow things, maybe some saddle eyes along the front to make a secure storage area. 

Melting

 

It was the first WBA sailing day for the year and I had mentioned it on the Port Phillip Bay Dinghy Cruising facebook group, so I felt I had better get along. My back cooperated and we got there in good time, and rigged and launched, but it was very light northerlies on the lake and super hot. Poor Ozzie found it hard going, and was desperately searching for any bit of shade. We took first Steve, then Leigh, out for a row after lunch, but my brain was starting to melt down by then. The Skerry does make a good rowing boat though. I came home and after multiple cups of tea and some dinner, passed out. Poor Oz was very quiet too. It was an unexpectedly gruelling day, but it seems to have fixed my back.

A ladder to the stars

 

A ladder to the roof of the car at least. Inspired by Emanuel at Arwen Marine and the Japanese gentleman I am hoping to make a roof loader that will let me load the Skerry without too much excitement or exertion. And then, lots of possibilities will open up, teardrop and boat combo getaways, one way trips in the boat to prearranged rendezvous collection points. I hope it works.

 

Fiddling around

 Jim from the Dinghy Shop called yesterday. He had to curtail his trip down to Tassie because of engine problems, so he was back in the shop, and the Ronstan Fiddle block I ordered before Christmas was in. Good news for me at least. My back still not so good. We went for a swim first thing, then I thought I would try out the Fiddle Block.

The SE wind had kicked up  by the time I was ready to launch. I tried sailing off the lee shore, but Derry isn't great without rudder and centreboard down. After a couple of fruitless attempts I rowed out a bit, then off we went bouncing through the chop. Coming back in, surfing on the waves, I was hitting over 7 knots. The boat felt very controllable. The Fiddle Block is a success, much easier than the cleat arrangement it replaces.

It wasn't a long sail but glad I got out.

A serious present

 

I aggregated my Christmas and birthday presents for a dry suit, which arrived yesterday.

Steve Early and Bruce Batteau, two sailors of small open boats with much more experience of making extended voyages than me, both have positive reports and both are glad of their dry suits. "Don't get cold, don't get wet" is a good motto. I could probably have used one that rainy day down at Mallacoota. The challenge will be getting into the damn thing. Steve Early speaks of "slipping on" his dry suit. More like a five minute wrestle with a contortionist for me when I tried mine yesterday. I doubt I could get it on or off in the Skerry on the water. And it is quite a sizeable package.

Anyway, it feels quite comfortable on, and I feel like an extra in a sci-fi film from the sixties. 

A message

My back is not so good. We went for a slow, geriatric shuffle round to the little beach in front of the revetment. I sat down on the rock wall for a rest, and Anne spotted this perfect Paper Nautilus shell right in front of us, nestling in the seaweed. 

I think this is the fourth or fifth we have found. Each time, it seems truly miraculous, like an intervention from a mysterious other realm. I think about the conjunction of forces necessary to deliver that extraordinary, delicate object right to the spot at exactly the right time for us to find it. It could be just one of the squillions of random things that make up our world. But it feels like a message.

 

Chop ouch

 

Khiem was down from Sydney and yesterday turned out to be the only day we could get out for a sail. Liem his son, who is a keen dinghy sailor, came with us and helmed ably for most of the trip over to Williamstown and back. Gerard launched his Hartley ts14. Peter was going to get out but pulled the pin after looking at the forecast. Federico was out in his Impulse with a couple of AYC boats, tho we only saw them as we were coming back in. 

It was a grey, choppy day, wind around 15 knots Southerly, but it seemed to build up  some decent swell, particularly off Breakwater Pier and off Williamstown Beach. I was running to help Gerard, then with multiple people on board I was twisting to get the engine up and out of the way. Somewhere in there my back went haywire. Coming home, I could not get out of the car, I just couldn't lift my leg to get over the door sill. I also managed to get my hand caught in the engine raising mechanism. So I am feeling a bit sore and sorry for myself.

Somehow, sailing with other people seems to bring distractions. Rewards too, but on balance I am coming to think the Steve Early/Webb Chiles model is what suits me best.

Khiem made a nice video, though I hate seeing myself on video. Oh well ...

First for the year

 

I got the Skerry out for the first sail of 2022 yesterday. A bit humid but lovely on the water. I was a bit stupid rigging and wrapped the sail round the peak of the yard, which I didn't notice till we were underway. I hove to, dropped sail, untangled snafu, then rehoisted and sailed on. Easy. The Skerry is a very well behaved boat. It was a relaxing sail.

Art, life, cat ketches

 

I follow a couple of maritime art groups which post some fantastic images. The one above and the one below both struck a chord. A bit like how I feel as we head into 2022.

I got some nice footage of the Core Sound from Peter B, and used a hot morning when inside was the only option to run up a one minute cat ketch video. Looks nice out there, and it was.