Winter is a coming in

 Winter is coming in, some days distinctly chilly, but others weirdly warm. We took advantage of one still day to explore some of the secret harbours over towards Williamstown.  Thanks to the lingering high pressure system, even the high waters were low, and all we could see at the mouth of Kororoit creek were sandbars and puddles full of sea birds.

Ozzie got cold and had to get snuggled up in his coat in the sunshine.

I took to the oars, and got over to the little Williamstown Anglers Club harbour, which I had visited in the Skerry.  It has been made over with a large grant from some government related body ... but in the schlimbesserung tradition that seems to apply to all "improvements" over this way, it is a lot less friendly now.

It used to have a nice notice saying you were welcome to tie up for a bit, but it was a private club so don't get in the way.   Oh well.  Just as well we took the hint though, as when I went back on foot a few days later, the new arrangement has introduced some nasty keel gouging bits of metal which would almost certainly have done "Ysolde" a damage had we tried to tie up there.

Still, it was a lovely day sailing/drifting.  We anchored near the sand bars at mouth of the creek on the way back for lunch.  Chris took a nice action shot mid sail raising after raising the anchor.  You have to move sharpish in that situation, even with light air it is a lee shore and you need to get sailing pronto.

All in all, a lovely day sail. 

Next outing was a very similar day weather wise, the Wooden Boat Association sailing day at Albert Park Lake. My trailer set up is much better now, and I launched the SCAMP without fuss into the weedy swan poo rich murk at the ramp to the lake.  Stephen came along as crew, Chris launched a newly refurbished Stringy Bark.  I rowed, Stephen steered, and Chris paddled along beside us, as we enjoyed a leisurely trip to the St Kilda end of the lake and back. 

Another pleasant if low key outing, but all good practice getting the rigging done, and a good chance to talk about plans for Tawe Nunnugah next February.

There was a bit more wind on Tuesday, which was the only day Campbell could make, and also the last good day for a while according to the weather forcasts.    Chris in Ysolde, Andrew Campbell in Mars, Andrew Laird in Alt Linden the Hartley ts 16, and Campbell and I in Anjevi, got down to Altona.  I said 10, of course every one was there about 9.15.  There was some drama before launching as Andrew and I got embroiled with a homeless couple kicking up a ruckus in the toilet block. Woman shouting for help, we called 000, couple emerged and told us all to f* off, police shrugged wearily and declined further involvement. We were a bit rattled by the time we got on the water.  But a beautiful relatively steady Northerly and some lovely sailing blew the stress away.

Or maybe, for Andrew, replaced one stress with another.  It was his first sail on the bay in his Hartley, and they can be a bit of a handful with all that sail.  He was having to work dinghy sailer like to keep mast side up.  Campbell and I meanwhile were hardly working at all, and the SCAMP was sailing flat and easy.  Not fast though.  Andrew whizzed past us.

*Followed by Chris. Hey ho. Going fast is not why I built the SCAMP. 

We sailed over almost to St Kilda, turned towards the city, then ran back across past T28 where our friends the seals were enjoying the sun.

We had a bit of a start on Chris and Andrew, and enjoyed a splendid down wind sail from here back to Altona.   The SCAMP is an extremely relaxing boat to sail.  Campbell observed that she almost sails herself.  I had the bungey on and a couple of turns of mainsheet round the tiller, and indeed, we moved along at round 4 knots with hardly any human intervention all the way home.  A really nice outing.

Chris made a really nice video of the day.

Meanwhile I am continuing to chip away at small jobs on the boat - a couple of turn buckle type thingeys to hold the footwell grate in place in case of a capsize took the best part of one week.  And inspired by Chris I added a couple of Trangia holder pieces to my cooking board arrangement.  I am now dual fuel, I can go butane gas cooker or meths Trangia.

And, last, the lovely Angela Stringer down in Traralgon who took lots of photos at the Paynesville Rally, sent through some high res images of ANJEVI on her second, exciting sail, in 25 plus knots, tacking up the Mclellan Strait.  Looks like I am saying "Aaaaaaaaaaaaargh"! when she took this one!

Autumn days

 We have been getting classic Port Phillip Autumn weather, ever shorter days with mostly light airs.  Mostly but not always...

The Wooden Boat Association sailing day at Albert Park Lake gave us some good gusts as a reminder that you need to keep on your toes.  I launched the SCAMP and put a reef in the sail, and just as well as with 4 adults in the cockpit, the C of G must be a bit higher.  Or maybe my crap helming.  But we got a fair old lean on a few times when gusts came through, though I never thought we were going to go over.  It was a bit squeezy with 4 sailing - I had to step over the tiller - but still manageable. I think 3 for sailing is probably better though.

On a more typical autumn day a few days later,  Chris, Gerard and I set off from Werribee South, on a falling tide, to explore the mouth of Little River again.  A fair bit of rowing was involved to get round Wedge point.

We anchored in the same spot that Chris and I had lunch the previous trip (the green pin).  

The deep keel Scruffie boats were nervous about going closer in, so Chris and Gerard embarked onto the SCAMP, and we tried our luck rowing in.

A falling tide about an hour off low water, what could possibly go wrong?  We ran aground, and Chris and Gerard took bearings and discussed the possible ways forward, while the tide dropped further beneath the boat, leaving us well stuck.  We did get organized eventually and with a bit of pushing and pulling we managed to get enough water to get back to the other boats.

The wind just about died away and we wound up using the Torqeedos for the long haul back along the coast, while the short day drew to a close.

We didn't get back in till sunset - a long day at the helm, and home in the dark.  

 

I wasn't happy with the trailer set up, so spent a while putting a runner under each skeg.  Anne and I launched from Altona, to test the new set up, and also to give Anne her first sail in the SCAMP.  Unfortunately this day proved to be yet another exception to the still Autumn weather, and we had a stiff chop and 16 knot wind gusts - probably not ideal for introducing the partner to the boat, but the SCAMP, and Anne, both handled the conditions with much grace.

On this outing, I noticed an ominous clunking sound coming from the centreboard case in the swell going down wind.  Hmmm.  Investigation showed that the bushing on the centreboard had parted company from the surrounding epoxy.  

I am waiting for the epoxy to really harden up on my second attempt at this, hopefully it will be better.

As the epoxy was setting, I took the Skerry out for a sail from Werribee South, meeting Chris who was taking Stephen out for a sail.  He was tied up to the visitors buoy when I launched, and Wayne launched a bit later and joined us.  We had a cuppa and watched the incredible bird life goings on near the river mouth - a huge flock of black cormorants and a phalanx of well organized pelicans working the tide.  It is a marvellous spot.   There was not much wind so we got a tow out, rowed a bit, got a bit of wind, and made it up as far as Wyndham harbour, which is only about a mile and a half up the coast.  I have never been inside the harbour, but today seemed like the day.  We tied up the visitor berths, and Stephen bought me a coffee at the nice cafe. It is always more of an adventure when you stop somewhere new on a small boat trip.

All this rowing is taking it out of me though.  My watch told me my body battery was just about empty yesterday afternoon when I got home, and that was pretty much how I felt.  I hope to get the centreboard back in the SCAMP, and that Torqeedo going for future Autumn trips. And ideally some energy back in the body battery.