Sunday 11 October 2015

The Wrong Sort of Sailing?

Vagabond had been back in the barn for a couple of weeks whilst I wondered what to do next. The two trips, (Scotland and Cornwall) had provided enough evidence to show that the idea of trailing somewhere, rigging, launching, sailing,  de-rigging (un-rigging?)and trailing home in a day was not a sustainable way of using her. And yet, in the next few months, there weren't spaces in the family calendar for  any longer period away from home.

I thought there were three choices:

(1) sell her
(2) Leave her, fully rigged, on Tarquin, somewhere where she could be easily launched, close to a good sailing ground
(3) Plan some more long voyages and negotiate with the Owners Agent for the time away.

As some of you may know (readers who have been at Sail Caledonia and the Swallow Boat Raid, option 1 has been toyed with for the last several months. Despite the lack of sailing for the family at Mylor, they ruled out this options for at least another year.....

Option 3 appeals to me but there is a problem for next year - as some of you may know I have returned to University (after a break of some 48 years) and am studying (part time) for an MSc. The dreaded dissertation is due next summer and, whilst I can see that I might like a break from the research, thought and writing that it will involve, I don't think I can afford 3 or 4 weeks.....

So Option 2 has been adopted. Vagabond sits on Tarquin at Northney Marina, which gives access to Chichester Harbour and the Solent. She's been there since the beginning of August and I have sailed in her precisely five times.

We have yet to make it out of Chichester Harbour into the Solent. We've run aground twice, the jib had failed to roll up twice and the outboard gear selection has failed.
The outboard needed a new plastic  part (the selection lever!) and it wasn't in stock in the UK.

Rollers fouling the "keel"



Now that Tarquin is being used fairly intensively, it's clear that the set up of his various rollers was not optimised for either launch or recovery.
Extensive trials, adjustments and lubrication has now got Tarquin to behave and, just as the season draws to a close and the college term restarts, we might be able to go day sailing again.





Chichester Harbour -
 not much water under the keel









My limited experience of messing about in Chichester harbour has led me to have full sympathy with the (sadly late) Viking, who was always unhappy when he had less than 30 metres of water below the keel of Shenanigan.












In addition, I find I don't like traffic. Or boats on moorings.

Boats on moorings



Not only does the presence of it make me aware that my knowledge of the "rules of the road" is a bit flaky, it's quite clear that so it is so for everyone else!




So, whilst I think that option 2 might last for next season, it is not, I think, the right kind of sailing for me.

Options 1 or 3 have to be back on the table. I've some ideas for 3 (in 2017) but fear I might be getting a little long in the tooth for them. Time will tell!

I've just heard that the Swallow Boat raid is on for next June.

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