Training

 

I put in an EOI for Tawe Nunnugah earlier this week and booked car with Skerry on the roof onto the ferry over to Tassie. Now I wait to see if I shilly-shallied too long, or if they don't consider the boat or the crew sufficiently seaworthy for the voyage.

In the meantime I have started trying to build my capacity to put in longer days in succession. Today was very light SW winds.  A big gas rig has appeared off  point Cook, so I headed towards that, after a late start, about 12.30. We ghosted along a bit, rowed a bit,had lunch, worked out where to put the sculling oarlock, rowed a bit more... and got all of two miles, not even off point Cook. Rowing with sails up seems to make it a bit harder, more awkward, maybe more windage. Coming home, wind died away, and we were making under a knot, so back to rowing. 

Back at Flemmos the tide was in. Kevin, who I met at the Bone Bus, and his friend Phil, were there and had many questions about the boat. Once I got Ozzie on the concrete ramp, he barked his head off, perhaps because we were a bit late for his dinner. 

So, only about 4 miles today, and I am feeling seriously stuffed tonight. I guess all the getting the boat in the water and set up, then home again and put to bed, all takes effort. But I think I need to get a used to putting in more sea miles.

Traditions

 

It was a splendid, chilly, sunny, light South Easterly day yesterday. I  wheeled the Skerry down to the local beach, and rowed the three miles over to the buoy that marks the gas pipeline. I had a nice drift in the sun eating my peanut butter sandwich and banana, and a nice steaming hot cup of tea from the thermos. Two little penguins swam by, I think they didn't even notice I was there.

When I got back to the beach, an older gentleman came over. He said he had heard that someone had been launching "a real boat" from the beach. He was pleased to bump into me at last. He was a former Seaholme resident, whose dad built wooden fishing boats, and he had memories of many small boats being launched from Flemmos beach. He was very pleased to see me continuing the tradition. He remembered "the Beasley boys" fishing off here, the many boats anchored and the red shed round at Wise's reef.  We had a good time getting stuck into the plastic stink boats and Jetskis. It was a nice end to the outing, my longest row only outing so far, about 6 NM.

It is, incidentally, a year since I launched the Skerry. It has been everything I hoped for and more. I will have to count up the launches and the miles from the logbook, but I rekon this boat has hit a sweetspot for me, it fits my environment and the sorts of sailing I like best.

Lake sail

 

This Sunday was the rescheduled WBA sailing day at Albert Park. A long story, but I started the ball rolling for moving the date. Luckily the weather was dismal the week before but clear this Sunday. I might not have been too popular if it had been the other way around. A few of the Port Phillip Bay Dinghy Cruising Facebook group came along, very nice of them. I think there is some small boat cruising energy building up, maybe we can get a few people out when it gets warmer.

Mark Snowden took lots of footage on his phone which I cobbled together.

It was a good day. Some decent gusts came through. Towards the end of the day I was thinking about heading off for one last sail, when Geoff who was out in his Shimmy with another member capsized near the Island. I  had just dropped sail into the lazy jacks to row over, but the rubber ducks from the sailing competition got there while I was getting organised. Somehow I was not thinking very fast. But two cold, older wetter blokes were delivered back to us. A bit to think about in all that.

Free ride

 

A lovely blue sky light wind Tuesday, so I got the Skerry out for a row, a few miles out into the wind towards Point Cook, then I tried an idea from this month's Small Boats Magazine, and rigged my old Mirror Spinnaker over one oar set in the mast step. I used the other oar to steer. It was very relaxing, gliding back home round 2 knots. I could row faster, but then I  would have to row, not sit back enjoying my lunch and a cup of tea. I found I could steer through about 10 degrees either side of the wind, so I could sail pretty much back home.

Close shave

 I haven't had the Skerry out sailing for a while, and the weather forecast looked ok for today. I got down round 10.30, unloaded and wheeled the boat out on the sandbar to rig. I  usually rig on the grass, but I thought Oz could have a bit more of a run around.  By the time I had rigged one trolley wheel had sunk in the sand. I put Oz in, slide the boat off at an angle, and went to fold up the trolley. When I looked again, the boat was heading off at an alarming speed. I managed to run after it and grab it. It would have been a bad situation if it had got away from me. My phone and vhf were in a waterproof grab bag tied to the boat. It was cold today, almost no fishing boats around. I am not sure what I would have done. Maybe yell for Oz to jump off, but I am not sure if he would have.

On the plus side, I was wearing my drysuit. I would have got soaked and cold otherwise. And, after the inauspicious beginning, we had a good, brisk sail over to T28 and back. No seal home today. Off Pooint Gellibrand we were hooting along at nearly 6 knots.

I don't know if I am getting sillier as I get older, or just having a run of not great luck. Either way, somehow I need to be extra careful.

Go West

 Chris and I got out in our respective boats on Wednesday from Werribee South. The wind was blowing north westerly, almost at right angles to the coast. I wanted to go west, Chris wanted to go East towards Point Cook. 

When we came to head home, the wind was bang on the nose. It took hours of tacking to get home again. 

I tried a few new things: my drysuit, the vhf radio, and the sea anchor. All worked well. 

I had some trouble putting the reef in the main. Perhaps because the dodger was up, I had difficulty putting enough tension on the clew,the boat kept wanting to sail off when I would pull the tensioning line. I have tweaked the set up, by adding a saddle on the sprit so I am pulling backwards not forwards.  

A long day, but it was beautiful out on the water. 

Quiet day on Altona Bay

Following the theory that you need to get back on the horse that has thrown you, Chris and I went for a sail in the Core Sound on Saturday.  It was a lovely, sunny, calm winter's day.

We sailed and rowed very slowly over to the mouth of Kororoit creek, beached, and had a cuppa.  Mild drama when I realised I had got the tide wrong, and we were about 45 minutes BEFORE low tide, not after, but the boat is so light we managed to slide it into enough water to sail off. 

We sailed very slowly over towards Altona Pier, then Chris demonstrated impressive sculling skills to get us back past the red stick, where we dropped sail, started the Torqeedo and motored the last few hundred metres back into the safe harbour.  It was very quiet.  I was home having a cuppa by 3.

All in all it was a low key, relaxing outing.  My kind of sailing.