We,ve Gone GoPro!

We seen the blogs (windtraveler, zerotocruising amongst many), watched the videos , hummed the song and have finally given in, well I have. Das captain has gone and bought himself a GoPro camera which we tried out for the first time last week in Dartmouth.

It's fab...nifty and picture quality amazing. More kit has arrived for it this week as das captains new obsession takes hold and after a visit to the hairdressers this week (yes twice in 3 months after not going for a year) he thinks two might be good....I don't think so!

Looking forward to testing it out today or tomorrow as we head down to das bot and get ourselves reacquainted with her. It feels like yonks so hoping to get out for a swail and let rip.

It's been a hectic week for both of us so some wind and sail is just the tonic we need.

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Sails Up & On In A Blustery Dartmouth

We headed backdown to Dartmouth yesterday to help put up the genoa and test out the mainsail.

The wind was less than yesterday but the blue skies were gone and dark grey skies ominous of the rain to come.

Everyone is holed up and moving no-where, the only movement on the river was the usual ferry traffic
which is hyper unusual for Dartmouth!

In between wind gusts we put the genoa on, as ever nothing is straightforward and Bob ended up with rope lash across his ear from a stray rope and Steve managed to whack his head for the second day running on the boom.....ouch!

Genoa looks good and finishes her off nicely, and the reeding system for the mainsail is slick and easy to use which is good news.

All we need now is a break in the weather to whip her round to Plymouth, we left them later in the day to enjoy a mini break in Dartmouth for the next few days. I love Dartmouth even in blustery rainy weather and hope we can get up there this year.

So plan A is a quick break in the weather and we,ll sail her round together, Bob doesn't want to do this alone and who can blame him or plan B if work gets in the way, a delivery skipper.

Let's hope it's soon after so much hard graft it,ll be great to all being back in the Marina and planning some trips beyond the breakwater!























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Das Bot Is Launched! X 2 For Mairidon

What an eventful but fabulous day yesterday. Plan A to launch and sail down to Plymouth reverted to plan B on thursday evening when the predicted low and yet another gale force 8 came in!

So bright and breezy at the crack of dawn we left to go down to Dartmouth in 2 cars and then head up in 1 to Totnes. We arrived bang on time and in sheltered winds and lovely sunshine das bot was launched!

Phew.....

Well almost phew...all the checks were down and she was sound as a pound, there was still some work to do which took us another hour and then we took well actually Bob took another check to find water leaking from the heads seacock!

Mission abandoned albeit on a temporary basis, swail, sink or
Iift back out...lift put it was and all hands to the pump to sort not the problem before the tide got the better of us for yesterday.

Bob has fitted a new heads so was it the seacock leaking or something else, after lift out and a quick diagnostic it looked like his work may has loosened the bolts so all were removed, the seacock was still snug as a bug in a rug, so the mission was to replace, tighten up and sicaflex back in.

It was now man tide against man but after all man to the job it was mission accomplished and in the nick of time we were lifted back in for a second time.
Quick check and we were off.....a magical feeling after all the work in record time over the last 6-8weeks.

Das bot aka Mairadon is looking majestic and back to life after 3 years out of the water..RedSnapper 2 we r calling her and it felt fab as she finally sat back in the water today. Bob said if boats have soul she must have been singing today to be back and in tip top shape.

Lovely trip up the river today , we were quite sheltered until we hit Dittisham where it was gusting up to 40 knots! A gentle reminder as to why we weren't heading round Start Point to Plymouth!

Engine was a dream and she was so smooth in the water. Das captain set up our new GoPro (more on that another time) and the footage was fab.

You can't beat Dartmouth, so the motor up past Sharpham, Stoke Gabriel, Dittisham and then up through past the Naval College was just bliss. We managed to get the last berth in the marina as everyone is berth locked due to the weather and sat savoured the moment and then enjoyed a well deserved lunch.

Back down tomorrow for more odd jobs and then hatching a plan as to how we can get her to her home port ASAP......

Beautiful @ 0700

Check that polish out and new calligraphy on her stern

Almost launch time and looking fab!

Lovely river view

On the move..launch one!

Last minute anti -fouling

Launched!



Back Out For Repairs

Yaay, we r in Dartmouth!

Last Minute Rush For Mairadon

This bot has come a long way and RedSnapper 2 as we call her is looking spanking and is almost there.
Anti-fouling...done

Spray hood and boom....done

Mairadon name...done

New Ensign for Fathers Day...done


So waiting for the main sail and genoa...reefing to be done and stacking pack plus the last minute electrics and then she is good to go.
All being well she is launched on Friday.....waiting for the weather....well we could be in for the long haul. We may only get as far as Dartmouth judging on the wicked low that is heading our way!
That aside she is looking brilliant in such a short space of time and we can't wait to launch her and set swail with Bob n Sue.
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Happy Fathers Day Pops!

My pops.....

Where do I begin..

Memories are in Germany waiting for you to come home and him arriving home from work in his uniform not getting changed and sitting with me perched on the armchair learning my spellings.....I wouldn't do it with anyone else! We did this night after night and I so looked forward to it.

Taking u home in Germany after a new years eve party and u not getting arrested by the German police!

Our Torvill n Dean experience after my last Bacardi experience .plus the Hoover ....and ma,s forgiveness!

Your endless charity work...British Legion..Toch H, St Dunstan's, Rotary and much much more...

Hospitality to everyone and just being the life n soul and your ability to make people .

A role model

Seeing you as a gramps....

Saying yes to Steve and more importantly walking me up that red carpet in Langkawi!

Dealing with adversity with so much courage and humour.

Just being u...

Love u lots pops x

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Saturated!

Rain rain go AWAY.....it's just been awful although das captain and I have been reflecting on this time last year when we were about to set of on our month grand voyage to the South Of France.

The weather has mimicked the same as it was last year almost exactly, the one day of good weather (we hopped down to Falmouth) and then the gales and lashes of rain that followed.

They reckon this is here for the month (yep holed up for two weeks last year before we abandoned ship and came home)....yuck.

The delayed Rally Portugal did head out on Sunday but have had a tortuous sail across Biscay, some turning back, others now just arriving very battle weary.

So looks like no swailing again this weekend.....we are in serious withdrawal syndrome but can help out on Operation Mairadon where the autopilot is now working and boom, spray hood cover get sorted tomorrow. She has had some anti -fouling on and they reckon the new furlex and roller reefing is on its way. Can it all get done in time for launch date next Friday?

Will be gutted if the old Blighty b****y weather lets us down after this labour of love. You can't beat a swail from Dartmouth around Start Point down to Plymouth. What is even better is we will be be starting from Totnes so will take in Dittisham as we head out to sea.

The rain is pouring down as I write this..another soggy day tomorrow lets hope it all comes right for the 22nd and we can set sail on this bot and get some more nautical miles under our belt for this season.

Ps note to self....March seems to be the new summer .....right time maybe for a grand voyage next yr !

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Dolphins!

Fabulous day yesterday, great company, swooper BBQ and an amazing airshow.

We all collapsed at around midnight after lots of dancing and merriment.

It's a gorgeous day here today and we have just been treated to a pod of dolphins in a feeding frenzy go by.

They hung around for ages, tail slapping and breaching for blighty... Just perfect!

Das captain has missed it he is in das bot as I have the joy of on call tomorrow. Time to head back home I think though I could look at the view below for ever!






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Feisty Gale

It's June and the whole country is being battered by gales...yawn!
Its calmed down here in Dawlish and I do believe I have just spotted some sunshine!

It's the annual migration for the Dawlish Airshow....its still on at the mo and we are prepping for the mass arrival @ midday.

Here is my contribution...a jubilee cake minus it's union jack ribbon which I left at home in the mad rush to get down here last night post work.

The waves were bashing over the sea wall and we were lashed with spray as we headed out for supper last night.

All the trains are running this am as they were stopped last night due the waves coming over onto the track.

It was wild but magical felt for anyone that was mad enough to be out in it.

Lots of stories of drifting yachts this am...RedSnapper is snug in her berth and no damage done...phew




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More Progress on Mairadon

We had an unscheduled stop on the way back from das bot on Monday due to a traffic accident which had a long tail back.

There is real progress now, only three weeks to go but the job list is getting shorter and she is really coming back to life.

Keel anti fouled and waterline .....done


Hatches....done


Heads....done

Upholstery done....



Stern.....done..well almost just waiting for her name

Most importantly engine back in....done

Love it..can't wait to launch her.
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Location:Totnes

Jubilee

Back to work today for us....loved these photos sent from my friend who was amongst it all on Saturday @ The River Thames pageant. The new look is quite scary!


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Making The Most Of A Damp & Drizzly Jubilee

Our Northern guests slept like a log after all that sea air and we awoke yesterday to thick sea fog and drizzle.

A hearty breakfast of sausage butties followed and then time to wend our way back to port, no sailing for us yesterday.

Not many bots on das water as we made our way out , plus on the radio we heard that Rally Portugal had delayed their departure due to the extreme low and lessons learnt from last year where they went out in a gale and several bots lost their masts and suffered injuries.

So to Sutton Harbour lock which was a first for us and relatively easy, more so than the trip back across the sound where we were lashed for blighty on jubilee day.
It was vile, but we just laughed.

Getting back into our berth was not an easy affair so a first for us as well needing a marina hand to get back in on the pontoon as the wind made it a tad difficult.

A quick brew and then stretch your legs time we walked across to King William Yard for some lunch. The place was heaving, a really good vibe about the place and so a liquid lunch ensued with lots of tapas to accompany. It was delicious. King William Yard has a small harbour where a ferry runs back n forth to the Barbican, Colin negotiated with the ferryman to drop us off at Mayflower Marina, a good case of you don't ask you don't get!

We spent the rest of the day catching up with Jubilee Celebrations on the Ipad and in the paper, bar the marooned Rally Portugal fleet the place was quiet as everyone else had abandoned ship and gone home!
Despite the weather we have had great fun and said goodbye last night as they caught their ferry across to France....the wind was dropping so hopefully it wasn't too bad a passage.























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Location:Plymouth

Stunning

Had these photos sent through yesterday from our Easter swailing weekend.....simply stunning.



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Wet N Wild

It was a tale of two halves yesterday on the ole weather front. Every forecast said that doom and gloom would descend up us at 4pm and they weren't wrong!

After a lazy morning we went up the river on a memory lane cruise for Kath who in years gone by was based at HMS Raleigh. Lots of ships and submarines in all decked out with their nautical flags in preparation for the jubilee celebrations.

We dropped the pick at Jenny Cliff bay for an alfresco lunch in the sunshine and virtually enjoyed the last sunshine of the day.

Sails up we spun about for the rest of the afternoon showing our northern swailing newbies how it is done. RedSnapper did not disappoint, hitting the dizzy heights of 8 knots at times. The upwind return back to port graced us with not much comfort and many a splash back over the spray hood cover.....and the rain started bang on time as predicted.

We are in Sutton Harbour and after a quick jaunt ashore ate a surf n turf supper back aboard.

We are bring called to prayer this morning, it's the Plymouth half marathon and the tannoys were our early morning call!

Forecast is bleak for today but at least it's dry, let's hope it calms down for the ferry night crossing tonight.











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