False start ?

Having been returned to my pontoon, all clean and ship shape, it took about a week before the Medina mud had been splashed up my starboard side against the pontoon. Skip thinks it might have been where something had been washed down on the pontoon by next door, I'm saying nothing.

So Saturday gone (14th), skip turned up and busied himself in getting me ready to go out in what was beautiful sunshine, although the sounds of fog horns from commercial shipping were not to be ignored.  In fact, I thought he was going to take me out again on his own until there was a knock on the hull and his crew complete with two friends arrived by boat taxi.  I was soon ready to leave the pontoon and headed down the river as my fenders and warps were put away.  As we passed the Yacht Haven, my home for the past four months, you could see the waterlines of the freighters but as for their superstructure, well that was up in the fog.

With one nervous and one new passenger, I was pointed towards Osborne, however, before I could reach Norris Point, the fog started to thicken and the temperature plummeted.  It didn't take long for the decision to be made to return back.  Lunch was served in glorious sunshine, with the sounds of the fog horns in the distance.  Skip stayed on board for the remainder of the afternoon and did his usual pottering about until his lift home returned.

Maybe next time, I'll actually be able to air my sails and get going again.

During the winter period skip obviously works through his list of things to do but this time he had a few 'would likes' on his list that he actually started to get going.  The main one and one out of the blue is to rig me up with a small staysail, a J3.  He's made a bracket as a template out of wood that will go behind the anchor locker and the clew will be attached to it. That's gone to Richardson Engineering at Island Marine to be made of stainless steel.  There's already a pulley 3/4's of the way up my mast, usually used for the Spinnaker pole up halyard, but this will be used to clip on the top of the torsion line that will be sown into the J3. He's taken the idea from the Volvo Ocean Race fleet, that has up to three sails in front of the mast.  In light winds not only will he have the Code 0 up but the J3 inside.  Be interesting to see what the different combinations will achieve with higher wind angles or lighter winds.  The conversation has been had with Peter Saunder, the maker of my Code 0 and dimensions passed across and materials chosen, cloth will not be cut until the bracket is secured in place and the dimensions re-checked.  Then skip will go over to Lymington, with me possibly, to have a final chat and much sketch drawing before any monies paid.

Another would like item that may also come to fruition, brought about by trial and error, is the purchase of an FX4500+ furling system for the Code 0 which will necessitate the sowing in of the torsion line for that too.  When Son of Thor was flown last year the awkwardness of tacking with it and getting the whole snuffed bag around the furled jib, lead to thoughts of another way.  Furling is that other way.  So I'm excited that should this all come together this season I will be able to perform better and skip will have choices of sail suit and combinations, should he so wish.