Row and blow

 On Thursday, forecast was for 15 knots North North Westerly winds. I  got Derry the Skerry down to AYC ramp about 11. Wind was indeed Northern and about 15 knots, so we set off  keeping close to the coast heading East, with the wind slight on the Port forward beam. I should have turned back at Kororoit Creek mouth, wherever coast turns South East, but I kept going. Wind shifted north west, and strengthened considerably. Again  I should have turned round but I figured if I could get round the jawbone I would be relatively sheltered.  I headeded onto Williamstown Beach, landed there, and had a coffee from the kiosk, hoping the wind might ease. No such luck.

When isn't out again it was still blowing hard. Around the point from the jawbone there was nothing to break the wind, and a bit of a chop had built up. I tried rowing straight into the wind, hoping the make it to the sandbars at the Creek mouth, but I only got a few hundred metres. The nose would blow off the wind, the boat turn down wind, and I would loose all the distance I had made. I was worried I would break or loose an oar, and get blown out into the bay towards Mt Martha.  

Eventually I gave up, and retraced my route back to Williamstown Beach. I called Anne who ever so kindly drove over and waited with the boat while I went back and got the trailer. A bit of logistical shuffling but home safe. 

The Bom recorded gusts of 29 knots at Laverton and Fawkner beacon while I was out. So I know now what strength wind I can't row into. Reading up on this later, I think I should have tried tacking into the wind. An article in small boats magazine suggests using the centreboard and tacking. A second article suggests ensuring boat is trimmed well down forward. One correspondent says he rows from the forward position into the wind. Hmmm. If ever I am out in similar conditions I can try these. But smartest thing would be not to get into the situation in the first place.

Still, it was an interesting day and I am emboldened to land at Williamstown Beach again for coffee in the future, noone came and tried to chase me off, in fact the natives were very friendly and welcoming.

Small steps

 

I really need to push on with the Round the Bay exercise. Friday was a nice day for July.   I got up before 7 and pottered, which meant I was not on the road till 11, got to Kirk Point at 11.30, stuffed round with rigging, flat trolley tyre, disintegrating trailer, tangles, forgotten phone,etc, which meant I wasn't properly underway till after 12.30, at which time the wind just about faded to nothing. I rowed a bit, ghosted,  had lunch,  rowed a bit more, ghosted, and didn't get very far, till turn around at 1.45. It was very pleasant, some rafts of little penguins keeping apace but a cautious distance away, a few gannets and seagulls and the odd cormorant, but otherwise pretty deserted.  I rowed back most of the way. I made a complete stuff up of approach to the ramp. Forward rowing so I could see where I was going, but reacted dyslexically when one oar hit one of the pair of tyre covered pylons, and crunched on the rocks adjacent. Lucky it was calm. I sanded and repainted today, no serious harm done. 

It was a nice day on the water, and good to get out, but I suspect I will never get round unless I try some different strategies. That leg from Kirk Point to Avalon is round 12 miles, too far for  there and back in one day.  Some opttions: A)  I can try another day with a more advantageous wind to get half way and back. An earlier start might help. 🤔  B) I can do it one way and arrange car shuffle or bike. The latter idea appeals to me, but probably could not take Oz. C) Or I could do an overnighter, sail one way, camp and return next day, though the ramps at either end are a bit remote and I am not super keen on leaving  the car and trailer at either. 

Messing about

 It was the WBA AGM and sailing day on Sunday.  I really don't want to catch the bug before Anne's book launch, so I skipped the lunch, and rowed over to the island to tie up off a tree and munch a solitary sandwich.  Which I must confess I rather prefer, but still felt a bit odd.  Oh well.  It was a good turn out, and I got to try a few things, the new set up for down wind spinnaker and oar sailing, and my sculling rowlock. 

Testing the limits

 

Andrew posted on the WBA facebook group his intention to get out Thursday, and the weather was indeed perfect.  I got down with the Core Sound to Altona ramp round 9 and despite being a bit distracted, managed to get on the water by 10 without too many disasters.  Andrew wanted to head over towards the huge oil drilling platform that has been anchored off Point Cook for a few days along with its three attendant massive tenders.

There was no wind first off, and the water was as clear as I have ever seen it.   I was following Andrew with the Torqeedo burbling along about 3.4 knots.  We got to well off Point Cook, and the display on the Torqeedo said I had used 50% battery, so we stopped, and rafted up for lunch.  The wind, a South Easterly, kicked up a bit, blowing us towards Werribee coast at about 0.6 knots.  We had a long lunch in the sun, yarning about this and that.  By the time we decided to head back we had drifted quite a way.  I could clear Dumb Joe on a tack, so I sailed off slowly, at around 2 knots.

Round Dumb Joe, at round 2 pm, the wind died away.  Andrew had vanished and was just a dot heading back to Altona. I started the Torqeedo, which told me I had 56 minutes left at around 3 knots.  The GPS told me I would be back at Altona inaround 45 minutes.  I figured that I might squeak it in.

I was about a mile away, a bit off the red stick, and the readout told me I had .12 hours left, when I got an error message, and battery stopped.  Luckily there was no wind, and I can row the Core Sound at around 2.4 knots, so I got home ok.  Andrew waited for me which was kind of him.

I guess the moral is that I need to keep above around 15% battery to be sure. The pressure is on when you are out with someone else.  I would have drifted home eventually I am sure.  Still, it was a great day.

Little River #3

 

Gerard and I launched from Kirk Point ramp and rowed the few miles to Little River mouth. The weather was fine if chilly, the tide not so much. We got in behind the spit but it was too shallow to row, or drag the boat. No idea how far till it gets deeper. I will  have to try again when the tide is fuller. 

The exercise has whetted my appetite to complete the leg down to Geelong. I need to get cracking on my RTB challenge. I will try heading towards Point Wilson and explore the bay with the sand hummocks next.

The Transcontinental Race is on at the moment. All those self supported riders heading off across Europe with only what they can carry on their bikes I find inspirational.  What I can carry on the Skerry would be luxury to them, and the effort I need to expend to cover ground far less. https://www.transcontinental.cc/

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.