Well anyone that made plans will tell you Easter was early this year.
From the beginning of the week my skipper had been watching the weather develop and his plans to take me to Weymouth with a couple of friends diminish. Friday was looking good, an excellent forecast would make for a beautiful inaugural sail wind to the north then switching to the south would keep his crew on its toes, the 0900 planned start would see the tide eddy around Egypt Point and then pick up the full 6 hours leaving the last few hours within Weymouth Bay and a lesser of an influence, making it in the old harbour before dark.
However, the weather after that appeared to deteriorate. It wasn't just the fact that it appeared to rain for the following three days, but the winds strengths were to reach storm force 10 on the day of their return. Despite my skipper having had a third reef sown in to my main, it wasn't his intention to use it as he would say my first reef. So the plans were cancelled.
Sure enough Good Friday was glorious and my Lazy Jack bag was adjusted to ensure the complete cover of my clean laundered and serviced main. This meant hoisting my main to remove the weight out of the bag, but in the light winds this wasn't difficult. The outer deck was washed down and brushed lightly to remove the green algae that hates sea water; the black caulking between the old and new repaired teak was carefully applied, sealing what is believed to be a source of a leak in to the stern locker.
With the weather only due to worsen as the day progressed it was decided to move me back to my pontoon, especially as the taxi now made available by the Harbour Commission was due to cease after 1800, a conversation my skipper had with HM1, the patrol boat. Today there was a small old fashion speed boat moored directly behind me, on the opposite side was a yacht, the large rib at my starboard bow on the finger pontoon had gone but the pontoon would be what I'd hit first in any case. Preventing a clear passage out in to the river was a pair of yachts rafted on the hammer head, this meant that once through the gap my skipper had to turn hard to starboard and watch my bow to make sure I missed everything. |The wind as always on these occasions felt as though it had picked up, but my skipper didn't show any signs of nerves. Both lines were cast at the same time and the wind blew me off but towards the finger pontoon, my skipper putting a few revs on the tacho soon felt the effect of the new prop which had plenty of water over the rudder giving him control and so guided me threw the gap and turned without fuss and I was soon in the river. With the throttle pushed forward there seemed to be a larger than usual wash behind me. This was difficult to assess as at these times my blades are usually clean and are the most efficient. However with the tide pushing me out in to the Solent, my bow thruster down and with only 1500 rpm on the clock I was travelling at 4.5 knots SOG. With sudden realisation, my skipper eased the throttle so as not to damage the lowered bow thruster and I ticked along heading back to my base. With both tide & wind against me, the skipper brought me in gently to my berth around the sail school yacht that had been using the pontoon for practice.
First impression of the new prop was good, but obviously a season of data needs to be established before the jury can decide on whether it was money well spent. Skipper quietly pleased.
Two things came to light on this small journey, the first was the confirmation that my electric winch didn't work, this is probably going to be a stuck solenoid my skipper discovered before. The second was the noise Marley the wind generator was making having been released for the first time in months. It would make sleeping in the rear port cabin unattainable. My skipper on returning on Saturday checked the wiring as this had been the cause previously. The terminals at the batteries were still cable tied tightly providing plenty of support to the wiring at this end and a terminal block was discovered to have partially melted at the other end, which was soon replaced. The other thought is that with the batteries having been charging over the winter period by shore power, the batteries themselves are fully charged and therefore the intelligent regulator is slowing the blades down as power is not needed, causing an element of vibration. Tine will tell, it could of course just be that the as it's been held in the same position for three months there's a build up of dirt. With the wind building, the attempt to put the mast cover on was abandoned, but the washed cockpit table cover and the sprayhood frame covers where fitted. With the last of the water sponged out of the bilge, my skipper packed up and headed home before the rain came.
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