Stick to it

 Winter has definitely set in, and I am definitely slowing down.  Lots of  mornings, the temptation to have another coffee and dawdle round the house is too tempting.  Ozzie has almost given up on hassling me for the after breakfast walk.   But I have managed a few outings notwithstanding.  I got over to Stephen's workshop with Chris and Gerard to help with gluing up his birdsmouth mast.   Stephen is very organized, and it all went very smoothly.

Not that I did not know it before, but it reminded me that I am not a super organized person, and that I made a good call getting an aluminium mast.  

The weather systems have been whizzing through quickly after the long period of settled weather with the blocking high.  Perhaps catching up, making up for lost time. Tuesday was diabolical, Wednesday lovely, Thursday diabolical, Friday lovely.

I seized the opportunity on Wednesday and got Derry out for a row for an hour in the afternoon.  Anne bumped into us as we were wheeling the boat up the walkway to Flemmos beach. 

It is great to have a light super simple boat that you really can get on the water in under 10 minutes, and great to live close enough to the water to be able to do that.  But having more than one boat presents challenges for someone with such poor organizational skills.  Note the gum boots in this boat.  Due to a significant lack of brain power, they were still in this boat when I went to launch the SCAMP on Friday.  A nice cold wade in bare feet will hopefully teach me not to make this mistake again.

After my last SCAMP outing, I determined to come up with a better arrangement for the Torqeedo attachment.  I spent a bit of time trying to come up with a raising lowering arrangement, but saw a stainless adjustable bracket for $75 so I decided to try that out.  The bracket arrived Thursday afternoon, I got it bolted on to the removable bracket, and looked at Willyweather for next possible day to test it out. Much to my surprise, as the wind that evening was howling and rain falling, the forecast for Friday was excellent, so I decided to launch.  Luckily Chris could make it as well at short notice.

We got on the water by 10, despite the usual couple of blokes who used to sail who wanted to chat.  Ozzie put on his usual pantomime of stoic reluctance, but once we got going, with the sun warming him up in the cuddy, he was perfectly happy.

The wind eased right off after about half an hour.  Chris did a grand job rowing - sort of motor sailing - moving Ysolde along at round 2.5 knots.  On the basis that I needed to check the outboard bracket, I used the Torqeedo. 

We got over to the mouth of Skeleton Creek and anchored in about a metre of water for a very pleasant lunch.  It is a nice spot I rekon.

The bracket arrangement looks weird but it works well.  Prop is well out of the water when not in use, the prop is well below surface to avoid cavitation when the bracket is deployed down.  It is relatively easy to switch between up and down.  I can't see it when I am in the boat, and basically, who cares anyway I wonder?  I can take the battery off which reduces the weight on the various connection points.  I hope it holds up ok in more robust conditions.  So with luck another system in place that works. 

The wind picked up a bit and swung more southerly while we were having lunch.  It was a lovely sail back over relatively flat, clear water, in the sunshine, at about 2.5 knots.  Magic.  I sailed back into the harbor.  There was a guy checking his phone standing in the sunshine at the end of the middle jetty.  I was so quiet coming in, I sailed right behind him and he didn't notice. 

Retrieving the boat, I managed to get the trailer close enough to the jetty that I could retrieve without even getting my feet wet.  All in all a really nice day on the water.  

Crisp

The weather man was saying that there was a "blocking high" heading our way.  The wind prediction  promised  reasonable wind on Monday, then lighter for the rest of the week. I figured I could get somewhere Monday, and would be able to get home again eventually.

I packed way too much stuff, a car shuffle while Anne kept an eye on the boat at the harbour, then set off about 10.30.  Anne took some lovely photos of us setting off.

Wind was allegedly Southerly, so I figured once I got round the corner at Point Cook I would have a reasonable line for Werribee South.  The wind was predicted to be 10 knots plus till after midnight, so I wanted a sheltered spot for overnight.

As always, Point Cook looked close but took forever to get past.   I thought I was never going to get past Dumb Jo, and a number of tacks were required. 

Gerard said he was going to launch from Werribee, and there was loose talk off meeting up off Wyndham Harbour round 1400.  I rang Gerard at 1300 to say fat chance as I was barely round the point and the wind was fluky and on the nose.  He had fallen for the lure of the nice downwind run, and was off the Seaplane jetty near the RAAF base.  It was a hard slog but I caught up with him (ok, I admit, I used a bit of Torqeedo to bridge the gap) and we met up round 1400, with about 5 nautical miles to go back to Werribee.  

The wind picked up round here, and swung SW, so it was a beat into an increasingly lumpy sea.  I could just about get the line to clear Wyndham Harbour, but Gerard's Shimmy doesn't point so well, so we spent a fair time as he tacked his way along the coast.  It was good sailing though, the SCAMP loves those sort of conditions.

It was getting towards sunset when Gerard fired up his Torqeedo and we could make the run into Werribee River.  I tied up at the ramp, so Oz could have some shore leave and dinner, and so I could give Gerard a hand retrieving.   It was getting distinctly dark when I cast off and headed over to pick up one of the visitor moorings ... which led to some excitement.  In the gathering gloom I hooked the slimy rope attached to the shackle on the top of the buoy, hooked my bow line through it and cleated off to a cleat on the boat.  I was just about to light the stove for a nice cuppa, when a change in the sound of the water made me look up, and I was just running aground.   Luckily the mudbanks are soft there.  I got out oars, pushed off, rowed back to buoy, and cleated another line through the "loop" thinking I must have somehow mucked up  my first attempt .... but in short order I was drifting again - the "loopL must have frayed through. Third time lucky, I tied a line through the shackle, but I forgot to secure the bow line, which had consequences.  I was pretty tired and hungry by this point, and it took a while to get organized.  I had taken too much stuff which I didn't need, which got in the way of me getting the things I did need.   At any given moment, Oz managed to be sitting on top of or in front of  whichever hatch I needed to get access to.  But we got organized, got the tent up, got dinner and numerous cups of tea and settled down for the night.

Despite the chill - it was 1.5 Celsius overnight - and the wind (which stayed brisk till after midnight as forecast and required a couple of reluctant forays out of the nice warm sleeping bags to adjust flapping halyard and creaking boom) we slept well, till Oz woke me at 6 to let me know he had an urgent appointment with a bush onshore.  Amazing how motivating that is to get you going on a cold morning. I dropped tent and rolled up sleeping stuff in record time, started the torqeedo, and got about 50 metres before it stopped.  We rowed in, Oz and bush were united, and while he had breakfast I investigated the engine.  The bow line, that I had not secured properly in the dark and my tiredness the night before, had wrapped round the prop.  Luckily revs were low, and the Torqeedo cuts out at first sign of resistance, so it was easy to unwrap and the prop shear pin was ok.  

I was expecting almost zero wind, but there was a nice breeze so we headed off round 0700 down the channel, and soon we were running nicely along the coast at about 3 knots.   I got out the gas stove and Bialetti, and we had coffee and porridge ticking off the miles back to Point Cook.  Very pleasant.

The curse of Dumb Jo struck again though, and about a mile off the point the wind became variable, then died completely/  I stuffed round for an hour, trying to chase the breeze, but eventually abandoned the exercise, and fired up the Torqeedo for a glide across the mirror surface of the water of Altona Bay. 

I got set up with an extra puffer jacket, scarf, multiple layers, and we ticked along at a bit over two knots.  It was so peaceful, I suspect I drifted off a few times ... but we stayed more or less on course and there was no one else out there that morning to run into.   

Back to the ramp a bit after 12.  My phone was flat, so I left the boat tied up at the end of the jetty and Oz and I walked home, got the car, came back and retrieved.  A nice chap, Norm, came over to talk SCAMP.  He knew what it was, and he seriously wanted one.  I think Anjevi is a good advertisement.

 It was good little trip, about 28 nautical miles.  The cold was not really an issue, and it was OK with Oz.  As always, there are some lessons.  I need to get a better arrangement for the torqeedo.  I need to be a lot more selective on what I take.  I still got pretty tired, and I need to come up with some strategies that conserve energy.  But all in all it was excellent fun, I am looking forward to the next trip.

Ps ... just reading Charles Stocks "55 years in Shoalwaters". He has a delightful chapter entitled "Learning to Cruise" , and another "Learning the Thames Estuary",  which recount his early voyages. He finds a pipe cot frame, makes a bed, and works out how to efficiently stow his boom tent. He observes "Life began to get organised which is the secret of all small boat cruising." I can relate.

Solstice

 It was the Winter Solstice Festival at Seaworks in Williamstown last week. The WBA put a few boats on display, to add some boaty atmosphere to what is essentially a big open shed. 

The SCAMP was popular, various people tried it out for size, including Tony, who is getting one built, but the old advice for actors, "never appear with dogs or children" proved all too true. Ozzie stole the show. He had a way of locking gaze with passers by and smiling that was irresistible.

I had to put a ladder next to the boat so the long queue of children could get up to eye level to give him a pat.  It was a good night, almost like sailing only noisier.

We have been grandparenting and pottering otherwise. The weather has not been great for sailing, cold, windy and/or rainy. I should have launched Thursday, the only free reasonable day last week, but I thought I better do some trailer tinkering, adding a support under the centreboard case so the weight is not on the uphaul gear. It is a better arrangement but somehow managed to chew up the window of opportunity. Hey ho, some settled -if cold- weather coming up, I hope to take advantage of it.

Momentous

 

Anne and I are grandparents. Hurrah!  Welcome Harriet Ruby Hardy Mackenzie, born last Friday 14 June. She is of course the most beautiful baby ever. Congratulations Jess and Chris. Sea Pup the cradle boat I built a while back may have a crew at last.

In other good news, I heard today from my Camino compadre Jeppe.  He and his partner Maia and their son Eik are visiting from Denmark, and will stay here over Christmas. It is 9 years since I walked the Camino and met Jeppe, It is really nice we have stayed in touch. We have had a few adventures together since, memorably a wet cold trip down the Glenelg River, for which I managed to leave most of our food in the car. I think Jeppe might have forgiven me for that one.

Meanwhile on the boat front, evolution continues. I made an off centre mast sail spar carrying arrangement. It  makes raising and lowering the mast way easier and quicker. I also added an oarlock socket on the transom, so I can theoretically scull the boat with one oar over the stern. 

It was a nice calm day today, and very quiet on the water. Just as well, my attempts at sculling were pretty hopeless. The transom on the SCAMP is quite high, I am not sure the 9'2" oar is long enough. But maybe that is my poor technique.

There is a nifty dodad called a Scullmatix, which both let's you extend the length by adding a handle, and encourages the correct angle of attack on each stroke by having the handle offset.  The duckworks site describes a diy Scullmatix, I think I will try that for starters. 

https://www.duckworksmagazine.com/13/chest/jun/

It was lovely out there just pottering around trying out a few things. And I remembered to bring an extra fleece blanket for Ozzie, which he definitely appreciated. And I discovered that forward facing standing up rowing is workable in very light airs, good for negotiating the narrow bit of the harbour entrance and dodging stink boats.

Ticking away

 No doubt about it, it is definitely getting wintery.  But we have been enjoying some lovely not too windy days.  Chris in Yslode and I got out very slowly sailed over to Point Cook.  There were patches of reasonable pressure, and patches where there seemed to be no wind whatsoever.  It seemed to take forever to close the coast near the Point, where we had agreed to rendevouz.

Chris and I swapped video footage.  Here is my very short SCAMP centric take on the day:

And here is Chris's take on the day.  

Both capture something of a very pleasant if very slow day on the water.   

It is definitely getting cold out there.  I put Ozzie's blanket in and his coat on, but he still started shivering.  

I have acquired a heater attachment I can put on the Trangia or the gas burner, though I wouldn't want to try that underway.  But it does seem to belt out a bit of heat.  And you can make a cuppa as well.

I also cut a rectangle of marine carpet that Oz can lie on.  Testing it tonight, it did feel a lot more cozy to sit on than just painted ply bottom.

I have also added a fire extinguisher, and put a hook in the doubler into which the extinguisher bracket screws.  I can hang the oil lamp from that ... one more flamable thing. 

I will pack a couple more old blankets for Oz for next trip.

I am also working on an off centre mast/spar/sail stowage arrangement.  My current set up uses a holder that fits in the mast box and another on the pintles.  I am not super happy with this - it is awkward, the sail wants to slip off the cuddy roof, and the rear holder seems to be bending the rudder pintles each time I use it, which is probably a recipe for fatigue in a bit of kit I would prefer remained robust.   I have read of people with off centre arrangements who drop sail into the holder, drop the mast on top, lash it down, and that's it - no having to rig everything every time.  Worth exploring.

Speaking of exploring, I met Chris at the intersection of the bike paths to exchange USB's loaded with the footage from our sail.  It must have looked pretty dodgy if anyone had been watching, like something out of a spy film.  It was such a lovely day we continued on to explore the new bit of bike path out to Point Cook.  

I had Oz in his chariot, and we soon started finding forks in the road with "No Dogs" signs.  We avoided taking any fork so signed, and managed to find a nice picnic table down a dirt road at the back of the homestead.  

We were just packing up when a Parks guy came past, stopped, and told us that dogs were not allowed at this spot either.  The chap was a few weeks off retiring, and was happy to have a chat, on his working life and times.  It was a beautiful spot on a beautiful day, and there was a Swamp Harrier working the paddock behind.  

It was a good ride.  But by golly I was tired that night, my cycling capacity has well and truly been lost thanks to lack of use.  Better get out a bit more over winter.

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.