Mooring Work

Sunday 16^th March 2025

0000 hrs

Lat: 50° 24.33' N   Long: 004° 12.32' W
The Mooring

On a bright sunny Sunday morning I popped down to the boatyard as some packages had arrived! The largest was a new set of mooring strops from Jimmy Green's in Beer. The smallest was a pack of four drawing board clips, my solution to charts flying off the chart table in a seaway.

Given the number of boats that had come off their moorings over the winter, it has been quite a windy one, I decided to move up from 18mm to 20mm strops. The quality of the work from Jimmy Green is outstanding.

Arrived at the sailing club and did my new exercise routine, pumped up the dinghy, and fetched the outboard motor from the shed more exercising, starting it for the first time in eighteen months. Actually, it started after a few pulls which secretly I was quite pleased about.

The visit was timed to coincide with low water springs in order to change the mooring strops. With the tide ebbing I started with the down river strops as they were slack. The first issue was undoing the shackles and much to my surprise it was not as difficult as I anticipated, due to the greasing the threads.

Being careful not to drop the pin or shackle into the water I removed the old strop and replaced it with the new one then worked my way back to the boat and tied onto the new strop. With both new strops on I nipped up the shackle and locked it with a zip tie.

An addition to the strops this year is adding some pipe lagging made of closed cell foam in order that they float and to discourage the growth of aquatic life, mussels in particular and a protective plastic tubing to stop chafing.

Back onboard it was time to adjust the length of strop - I had ordered them a metre shorter, but still think they are too long. With the foredeck all set it was time for coffee and wait for the tide to turn.

Sat in the cockpit with coffee in hand I watched the tide move up river. A line of foam and bubbles moving up stream with larger ripples behind that line.

With the upriver strops loose it was time to change them. Same process, but with a much stronger tide running under the dinghy.  Still not 100% with the length of the strops, but will adjust them over the next few weeks. 

1700 hrs

Time to close the boat up and get back to shore, deflate the dinghy exercise and head home.

There had been quite a few boats returning from a sail, what was really nice to see. I still need to get the sails bent on before I let go the lines.

All times are UTC.

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Launch Day 2025

Wednesday 5^th March 2025

0000 hrs

Lat: 50° 59.99' N   Long: 004° 59.59' W
Trellugan Boatyard, Cornwall

I woke at 0600 after a cold night, another one below freezing, and popped my head on deck to be greeted by a blanket of thick fog, a layer of hoar frost and water frozen to 10mm in the bucket on deck. Today might prove to be interesting on the navigation front! At least the radar was working.

As Mark, who had helped me on this trip before, was unavailable I had put out a call to the local sailing WhatsApp group and Morag volinteered to crew and we arrainged to met up at the sailing club at 0754 for the two car shuffle between there and Treluggan.

0830 hrs

The yard team arrived and started the tractor and I removed the last items that needed to go ashore to the car.

The slope was inspected for ice and treated with grit before the tractor started its slow descent to the river. At that point an inbound vessel arrived, realising that we needed to be launched before they could be lifted, drifted back down river and moored to one of the lower pontoons.

Boat Launching Treluggan Style

The dinghy was rolled down the slope and manhandled onto the deck. Time to climb onboard and swap the blanking plate for the depth sounder; an essential bit of kit on this passage.

Next was the moment of truth. Would the engine start on this cold and frosty morning? The Volvo Penta 2000 Series can be a bit grumpy on a cold morning. After what felt like an eternity she caught and after a roar at full revs was happily chugging away at tickover. Forward and reverse propulsion was engaged and the wheel was turned port and starboard - just to check that I had not accidentally shut the hydraulic circuit off. All working we were set to go.

0900 hrs

The bow was led round the end of the pontoon, I pushed the throttle forward and we were off - almost going the wrong side of the first navigation post! A few shouts of 'starboard' and we were on course chugging our way down to the railway viaduct.

Just after the railway viaduct the engine began to hunt for revs, always a nervous moment, I pushed the throttle to the stop and hoped that it was just a few air bubbles in the line - thankfully this was to prove correct.

The Joy of Being Back at the Helm
© Morag Thomson Findlay 05/03/2025

An early morning trip down from Treluggan in good weather is always stunning, the place can be quite magical and so it was today. On reaching the confluence of the river where it branches up to St Germans a bright yellow fishing boat with two massive outboards passed and we roughly followed her down to Dandy Hole. As ever Dandy Hole has a few liveaboards and still has one wreck that has not been lifted.

Past the Royal Navy training ship by Beggars Point and we were out into the Tamar with the tide just on the ebb. We motored slowly upstream and I pointed out the mooring to Morag, let her have the wheel to get a feel for the boat before turning round and as we came alongside the mooring gave a big thrust astern after I picked up the rather mucky lines and managed to get the aft starboard line on the cleat.

1006 hrs

We were back on the mooring!

With one line on it was a matter of adjusting the very messy lines, a mug of coffee and getting the dinghy fully inflated and over the side for the trip to the club pontoon.

On the Mooring - at last!

I had forgotten that the sailing club was having an RNLI Fundraising Coffee Morning, so we sat and had a coffee, by this time I was regretting not putting some sun lotion on! Then it was back for the two car shuffle and Morag could get to her early afternoon meeting.

Back at Treluggan I handed back the keys and had a final wander round where the boat had been and picked up any litter, before chatting to the owners still working on their boats - mainly passing news of the route down and wishing them well for their launch dates.

1400 hrs

Back to the club and out to the boat for a final check that all was in order.

Knowing there was an issue with the raw water pump I had left the engine sea cock open to check what the water ingress was like without the engine on and was surprised to see that the engine bilge was almost full!  At that point I decided to invest in a new water pump rather than faf about repairing the original one as that would take time and a few tools, a three armed bearing extractor, that I did not have.

The fuel leak was sorted by the fuel being turned off and a nappy placed round the leak. On my next visit to the boat I'll need to measure up for a new fuel line and get that ordered.

A final check of the lines and I locked up the boat and rowed ashore - only to discover that I had left the dinghy pump onboard and a couple on a boat on the pontoon were kind enough to let me borrow their outboard to speed up my return trip to pick up the pump.

Finally got the dinghy back to the car for deflation and transport home - the summer dinghy park is not yet open - and into the bar for a well earnt orange juice and lemonade before the drive back to East Devon.

All times are UTC.

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The Log

Distance NM	Underway	Avg SOG knots	Max SOG knots	Night Hours
5.30	1h 06m	5.00	6.00	0

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Crew: Sandy Garrity (Skipper), Morag Thomson Findlay

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Sunrise: 0655 hrs    Prime Meridian Passage: 1211 hrs    Sunset: 1804 hrs

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Weather: The shipping forecast issued by the Met Office, on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, at 23:30 (UTC) on Tue 4 Mar 2025 for the period 00:00 (UTC) on Wed 5 Mar 2025 to 00:00 (UTC) on Thu 6 Mar 2025.

There are warnings of gales in Viking, North Utsire, South Utsire, Forties, Cromarty, Forth, Tyne, Dogger, Fisher, Rockall, Malin, Hebrides, Bailey, Fair Isle, Faeroes and Southeast Iceland.

The general synopsis at 1800

Low 800 miles west of Shannon 980 expected Southeast Iceland 970 by 1800 Wednesday

Dover, Wight, Portland, Plymouth

Variable 2 to 4, becoming south or southeast 3 to 5. In Plymouth, slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough later, otherwise smooth or slight. Fair. Moderate or good.

© Met Office Synoptic Chart 05/03/2025

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The Mast is Stepped

Tuesday 4^th March 2025

0000 hrs

Lat: 50° 24.04' N   Long: 004° 16.92' W
Trellugan Boatyard, Cornwall

With the boat being booked for launch on the 5^th of March I was down at the yard for a few days before making sure the engine ran and to clean the worst of the green algae that covered the decks.

On starting the engine we discovered that the work done on the water pump, replacing one of the lip seals had not fixed the problem, but was liveable with on the short journey down to the mooring. I also discovered where the fuel leak was!  Again liveable with for the trip to the mooring, but will need fixed before we take the boat to sea.

Given the dreich winter we have had the yard was bathed in warm sunshine and lots of people were down and preparing hulls to be antifouled and it was good to wander about the yard chatting to people and hearing of their plans for the summer. 

The mast waiting to be stepped

The yard had two jobs to do, step the mast and moved Aphrodite to the top of the slope to the river in readyness to be launched just before high water. 

Just after lunch the team arrived and I let them get on with it.  The last thing they wanted was an owner looking on while they carefully lifted the mast and positioned it on the deck.  From afar I watched the process and once they had the mast up spoke to Dan to make final adjustments to the halyard catcher so the tension was correct.

1600  hrs

The yard tractor, with launch cradle lumbered into sight and I wander off to chat with another owner. 

It took some time of toing and froing to get the cradle in the correct position, I was beginning to think that Aphrodite had taken root, as there was an awkward angle between a couple of boats that had to be negotiated.

Toing and Froing

Eventually, I heard the clatter of props falling and knew that the boat was on the cradle.  Now just the need to reverse the process, all done quietly without any panic.  Aphrodite was then moved to the top of the slope down to the river ready for launching just before High Water.  The ladder onto the boat was at the top of quite a long slope and I needed to be careful not to fall off!

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The Mast is Un-Stepped

Saturday 22^nd February 2025

Finally, after weeks of dreich, windy weather with a named storm thrown into the mix, Éowyn was particularly wild, the yard were able to get the mast unstepped from the deck.

I arrived down at the yard to see the mast off the boat and looking rather green with alge. The first job was to find a bucket, hot water and a brush and start the job of cleaning the muck off. Surprizing how long that took, but very pleasing when I finished.

The next job was to sort out the halyards, knowing I had already caused one mousing line to fall down the mast did complicate the job. Just a matter of working out how to use the existing halyard to pull a new mousing line through then use that to thread the genoa halyard through.

A mousing line was attached to the bottom of the main halyard and then drawn up the mast. The next challenge was to pull the thin mousing line out of the gap beneath the sheaves then thread the halyard round the sheave, attach it to the mousing line, feed all of the lines back into the mast and pull gently.

Flushed with success I proceed to the topping lift only to lose that line and had to repeat the 'rescue' process again! I have replaced the topping lift with a second 10mm halyard as this gives me a spare should there ever be a problem with the main halyard.

With all of the halyards safely back on the mast it was time to move to the radar reflector and attach a couple of lines from the cap shroud round the reflector then off to the other side. This is to stop any halyard from being trapped behind the reflector. Something that has happened a couple of times and is a pain in the derriere to fix at sea.

I hope all my measuring works out, but if necessary can always go up the mast and tweak it when afloat - not that I enjoy going aloft!

The final job was to sort out the deck light. Having found out what make of lamp fitting it was I ordered a lamp from Boatlamps that had arrived on the day before I down. It fitted, but was not getting any power. Time to strip the fitting and find out what was going on with 40 year old wiring. As a result I've chopped the wiring and am re soldering the connections to make it easier to fix in the future.

Flag halyards replaced as they were getting rather sun damaged and breaking up.

Just the lazy jacks to sort out.

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Updated: 24/02/2025

Heat for Old Bones

Sunday 15^th December 2024

Adding a Heater

I've finally got round to getting a Chinese Diesel Heater for the boat and some bits and bobs so it can be plumbed in to a boat. Having got all the stuff, have it laid out in the cabin ready for several holes to be drilled in the boat for exhaust output and hot air ducting into the cabin.

Once I work out where exactly in the cockpit locker it is going, I need to route the diesel from the tank and the electrics from the house battery and switch in the cabin so I can start drilling.

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Updated: 15/12/2024

Winters Work - A Moveable Feast

Sunday 24^th November 2025

A post that will move in time over the winter as I record the jobs I need to do and when I have done them.

The Mast

There are a number of jobs that I need to do on the mast. Having discussed them with the yard I've decided to have it unstepped, do the work at ground level, then get it stepped again. I can then work at my own pace and ensure that the work is done to my satisfaction.

I no longer have a head for working at height.

The Windex

The windex has a habit of 'helicoptering' on certain points of sail, it whizzes round and round, as the masthead lights give an odd airflow. Which while not critical is a mild source of both amusement and irritation.

Either I need to raise the pointer higher on the antenna or get a new bracket to move the entire antenna above the level of the lamps.

Radar Reflector

On several occasions I've had halyards get trapped behind the radar reflector, easy to do it you are single handed and not controlling tension on the line, but a real pain in the butt to get the line back to its correct place.

My cunning plan is to run a line from the port shroud round the front radar reflector, perhaps with a clove hitch round the reflector, and connect it to the starboard shroud. The idea being the halyard cannot get behind the reflector.

Lazy Jack Connectors

Currently the lazy jacks run about three quarters up the mast, go through a block that is connected to the mast via a couple of D connectors that are pop riveted on. As a result I consider the slot that the sail falls into when lowering to high and narrow.

Planning remove the D connectors and blocks from the mast and have the lazy jacks over the spreaders, perhaps in plastic tubing to prevent chafe.

Mousing Lines

I've lost one of my mousing lines!

This needs replacing. I suspect that I'll just get all the halyards in place with the mast down.

Sail Track Clean

In my ownership I've not cleaned the sail track, just added more and more silcone lubricant. Now it the time to give the track a good clean.

Steaming/Deck Lights

The bulb of the steaming light is unknown and the deck lamp is missing.

Need to record the steaming light and sort out a deck light.

Replace the Topping Lift

The topping lift is of unknown age. I've decided to replace it with a second 10mm line that I can use as a spare main halyard.

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Updated: 04/12/2024

Bleeding Screws

Tuesday 5^th March 2024

With the weather finally improving I popped down to the boat to start the list of jobs that need doing. The first one was to sort out that secondary fuel filter air leak where the bleed screw is.

Knowing that the bleed screw was not an original I purchased the correct part from Volvo, how much for a screw with a hole in it! When I came to fit it discovered that in the past that somebody had cross threaded the hole and replaced the bleed screw with a bigger bolt hence the problem with air ingestion.

I dropped into the engineering shed at the yard to speak with Donald and arrange a visit to the boat, the hole re-tapped and a bigger bolt to be used, but hearing that I had an original Volvo bleed screw came up with a better solution. Drill out the hole, fit and glue in a 'sleeve', I am sure it has a technical name, with the correct thread for the Volvo bleed screw and job done.

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Lift Out 2023

Friday 17^th November 2023

I finally got the boat out of the water for winter. Never been this late, but Storm Ciarán delayed things on the planned lift out day then we had to consider tides for the run up to Treluggan.

I popped down to the boat on afternoon of 15/11/2023 and rowed the dinghy out to the boat. Did all the usual daily checks and settled down for the evening. I really do need to get the heater installed as at this time of year it really does get cold onboard.

Thursday lunchtime I rowed ashore and drove to Treluggan Boatyard and met up with the boat was going to help me move the boat. We dropped off his car and returned back to Saltash Sailing Club, jumped in the dinghy and rowed back out to the boat. On firing up the engine, it was not happy as air was getting into the fuel system. We took the risk as we knew what was happening and motored over to Mark's boat on the Devon side of the river. Tied up to his boat so he could retrieve some kit and pottered back to the club pontoon. After talking sternly to engine we headed to the pub with the big Union Flag painted on the front! A proper pub with decent beer.

Dinner at the Saltash Sailing Club and an early night.

0500 hrs

The alarm went off and I turned the kettle on. We decided to wait until we had enough light to see as there were a lot of moorings with no boats on them before setting off. I really, really did not want the embarrassment of fouling my prop on somebody's mooring.

0700 hrs

We cast off from the pontoon and headed down the Tamar before a turn to starboard and up the Lynher.

Apart from the engine having an occasional 'grumble' as it ingested some air, full throttle sorted that out, the trip was very pleasant on a cold winter's morning with little movement on the water. Sadly, there were two masts sticking out of the water and I wondered if they had just been left to sink as wrecks or if there had been a reason why they had sunk. Still means that somebody needs to lift them from the sea bed at some point in time.

0830 hrs

Arrived at Treluggan to be met by Tom and Donald making their way down the slope. Turned everything off and collected our kit and headed back to Saltash. I always think it is easier for them to get on with the job of propping the boat up without the owner fussing about in the background.

En Route to the sailing club Mark pulled in at a greasy spoon, KLM Diner on the outskirts of Saltash and a small breakfast and tea purchased later to be consumed outside the club. With cars in all in the right place we all headed for home at the end of a short day.

All times are UTC.

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The Numbers

	Underway	Distance NM	Avg SOG knots	Max SOG knots	Night Hours
Day:	1h 32m	6.80	4.40	6.10	0h 00m
Year:	2h 47m	14.90	5.32	6.10	0h 00m

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Crew: Sandy Garrity (Skipper), Mark Rodgers

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Sunrise: 0733 hrs Sunset: 1632 hrs

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Weather: The shipping forecast issued by the Met Office, on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, at 23:30 (UTC) on Thu 16 Nov 2023 for the period 00:00 (UTC) on Fri 17 Nov 2023 to 00:00 (UTC) on Sat 18 Nov 2023.

Wight, Portland, Plymouth

Northwest 4 to 6, backing southwest 3 or 4, then south 4 to 6 later. Moderate or rough in Plymouth, elsewhere slight or moderate. Showers, rain later. Good, occasionally poor

© Met Office Synoptic Chart 17/11/2023

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OYT MACS Trip Day 7: Brixham

Tuesday 8^th August 2023

0700 hrs

Everybody woke and had breakfast. Then a 'super happy hour', a really deep boat clean.

1000 hrs

The voyage wrap up talk and certificates handed out to all of the crew.

1100 hrs

The crew depart and the Sea Staff start Prolific's weekly and monthly checks. The new members of Sea Staff start to arrive and the current ones pack and get ready for departure.

1300 hrs

With the boat safely handed over to the new skipper and crew Andy B suggested we all head into Brixham for coffee and a cake. We found The Chart Room, this is a delightful Cunard themed coffee shop, turns out the owner used to be a steward on ocean going liners.

1430 hrs

Back on Prolific and we collect our kit and had a farwell hug before heading back home.

An amazing trip that left me very humble given the lack of vision that many of the crew had.

All times are UTC.

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OYT MACS Trip Day 5: Falmouth - Fowey

Sunday 6^th August 2023

After yesterdays blow everybody woke up to a bright sunny day.

0800 hrs

After a quick cup of tea we slipped our lines from the pontoon and moved over to the fuel pontoon to load up with fuel.

Fuelling Prolific took over an hour, a breakfast of warm croissants and coffee was served on deck as we enjoyed the sunshine.

I as extremely surprised at one boat owner who got rather upset at the length of time we took to fuel up and can only think that the skipper had a tight timescale to reach a tide gate, but to be so unpleasant is beyond words especially as we had a number of young people onboard.

0950 hrs

With over a tonne of fuel added to the tanks we cast off and started the passage east to Fowey.

1015 hrs

Just off St Anthony Lighthouse we headed into wind and raised the mizzen, main, staysail and jib.

A cracking day at sea, the wind from behind the beam, sun in the sky and occasional visits by dolphins, always a delight to see.

The skipper announced he would like to see the mizzen staysail hoisted. Its not a sail I've seen hoisted so left it to the first mate and the staff engineer to sort out the hoist.

Ten minutes of noisy, flapping sail it set and another ½ knot was added to the speed. Hard work but it did look good.

As we arrived at the entrance to Fowey we dropped the sails as there were several yachts, RIBS and small motor cruisers buzzing about so we slowly motored in and looked for one of the large buoys.

1430 hrs

Launched the dinghy and attached to one of the big buoys at Fowey.

Once Prolific was rigged for a night at anchor it was time for some shore leave. The dinghy was again lowered and the crew scrambled down the netting to be run ashore.

I was allocated the first run and waited at the small pier until we all assembled before we made our way to Readymoney Cove where some of the more adventurous crew changed into swimsuits and went for a dip. I had conveniently forgotten my swimming shorts and it was not the sort of beach you would skinny dip.

Following the swim ice creams were purchased and enjoyed as we walked back to be transported back to the boat and dinner.

The dinghy drew alongside with a slight swell and as one of the crew misplaced her step she grabbed me, my life flashed in front of me as I could see that unless very careful I would be having an unplanned swim. Thankfully, I managed to remain on the pier, but left some skin there for all time.

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The Log

	Underway	Distance	Avg SOG	Max SOG	Night Hours
Day:	4h 25m	24	4.00	8.00	0h 00m
Trip:	19h 40m	116	5.95	9.00	0h 00m

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Crew: Andy Brown (Skipper), Lauren, Josh, Glyn, Robert L, Jack O, Hannah B, Sandy and MACS crew.

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Sunrise: 0453 hrs Sunset: 2001 hrs

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Weather: Forecast valid from: 01:00 (UTC+1) on Sun 6 Aug 2023 until 01:00 (UTC+1) on Mon 7 Aug 2023

Issued by the Met Office, on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, at 00:15 (UTC+1) on Sun 6 Aug 2023

Plymouth

Northwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first and 3 later. Rough, becoming slight or moderate. Showers. Good.

© Met Office Synoptic Chart 06/08/2023

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OYT MACS Trip Day 4: Storm Antoni

Saturday 5^th August 2023

With a F9 in the forecast everybody was quite pleased to be staying in Falmouth, especially after the experience of the passage from Brixham to Plymouth!

The morning was spent cleaning, cooking and doing some sailing theory, as many of the crew were working towards their RYA Competent Crew certification.

We were extremely lucky that somebody who had sailed with OYT South before was serving on RFA Argus tied up at the docks and we were invited onboard for a tour of this 100 bed hospital ship.

RFA Argus from Falmouth Docks

The visit was extremely poignant as my late father served with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and his first trip docked at Falmouth.

All times are UTC.

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	Underway	Distance	Avg SOG	Max SOG	Night Hours
Day:	0h 00m	0	0.00	0.00	0h 00m
Trip:	15h 15m	92	6.03	9.00	0h 00m

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Crew: Andy Brown (Skipper), Lauren, Josh, Glyn, Robert L, Jack O, Hannah B, Sandy and MACS crew.

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Sunrise: 0453 hrs Sunset: 2001 hrs

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Weather: Forecast valid from: 01:00 (UTC+1) on Sat 5 Aug 2023 until 01:00 (UTC+1) on Sun 6 Aug 2023.

Issued by the Met Office, on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, at 00:15 (UTC+1) on Sat 5 Aug 2023.

Wight, Portland, Plymouth

Southwest 4 increasing 5 to 7, then veering west or northwest 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 except in Wight. Slight or moderate becoming rough, then becoming very rough for a time in Portland and Plymouth. Rain or showers. Good, occasionally poor

© Met Office Synoptic Chart 05/08/2023

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OYT MACS Trip Day 3: Cawsands Bay - Falmouth

Friday 4^th August 2023

An early departure had been agreed and everybody was up and eating breakfast when there was a knock on the hull, we had visitors from Rona II. The skipper and two of the crew. The two skippers caught up with their news in the shed and the two crew members had a tour of Prolific and appear keen to get involved with hoisting the mizzen. Their skipper hurrying them off to the dinghy, I wonder if he was worried about losing crew as the were impressed with the size of Prolific, especially the accommodation.

While still at anchor I lead a mizzen hoist, one slight issue the downhaul did not flow freely through the cleat, but that was quickly sorted out.

0830 hrs

With the anchor weighed we were underway. While still in Cawsands and sheltered we hoisted the main before motor sailing round Penlee Point and Rame Head.

The passage to Falmouth, which I had previously taken several times, went without incident. The Sea Staff and crew settled into their watches and Prolific efficiently, which always a delight to see happen. With good winds we kept a good speed over the ground.

One quick lesson was learnt, not to say dolphins when you were doing something that needed attention as all work stopped and all eyes would be looking for would be looking for them.

1500 hrs

After passing a large cruise ship anchored in the bay we started a series of tacks to enter Falmouth Harbour. The skipper took us to the west of Black Rock and several sailing boats came in close to take pictures of us.

To our surprise, or rather dismay, one sailing boat under power overtook us on the port side about five metres off before crossing our bow! Had we put a tack in at that point goodness knows what would have happened.

Sails were quickly and efficiently dropped and we motored to Port Pendennis where we tied up alongside on B pontoon.

It was almost a year to the day that I had last berthed here after the trip from Faro in August 2022.

The skipper was paying close attention to the depth of water and trundled off to the marina office and came back with their detailed chart. Asked for the lead line and he and the second mate took a series of soundings round the boat, before consulting the chart again. It had become apparent that we would be sat on the bottom at low water and after consultation with the marina we moved to A pontoon.

The skipper then gathered the sea staff to look at the chart in detail and comment on it. A fascinating 20 minutes looking at their chart and being asked some challenging questions about it.

The forecast for the following day was not good, NW F9 and the decision was taken to stay in Falmouth for two nights.

All times are UTC.

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	Underway	Distance	Avg SOG	Max SOG	Night Hours
Day:	7h 15m	52	5.50	9.00	0h 0m
Trip:	15h 15m	92	6.03	9.00	0h 0m

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Crew: Andy Brown (Skipper), Lauren, Josh, Glyn, Robert L, Jack O, Hannah B, Sandy and MACS crew.

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Sunrise: 0448 hrs Sunset: 2000 hrs

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Weather: Forecast valid from: 01:00 (UTC+1) on Fri 4 Aug 2023 until 01:00 (UTC+1) on Sat 5 Aug 2023

Issued by the Met Office, on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, at 00:15 (UTC+1) on Fri 4 Aug 2023

Plymouth

Northwest, backing southwest later, 4 to 6. Moderate or rough becoming slight or moderate. Showers. Good, occasionally moderate

© Met Office Synoptic Chart 04/08/2023

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New Mooring at Saltash

Thursday 6^th July 2024

After way too long Aphrodite is back on the water!  A busy few days at the yard, Ian the GRP man has done a fantastic job on the P bracket, but kept us waiting right up to the wire.  Leaving Donald very little time to sort out propellers and get the engine running before launch.

Mark offered to assist with taking the boat down to the mooring, having left the cars in at Tamar River Sailing Club and Saltash Sailing Club, we being members of the clubs that look at each other across the Tamar, we jumped in the dinghy and went up the river at low water to take a good look at the channel. Only after setting off did we realise that we had planned a pub meal, but had no means of transport.  Thankfully, a pub was further up river and we were able to arrive by boat on a very high tide. The ride up was like going up a jungle river with the trees touching the water. I must do that trip again.

0815 hrs
Duncan arrived and we set about reconnecting the exhaust pipework. That done filled a bucket full of water and turned the engine.She chugged and coughed, but did not fire up. No fuel getting to where is should be. After what seemed like ages she sparked into life and I could breath again.

0850 hrs
Shaw and Tom arrived with the tractor and boat lifter we were on our way to the slip.  I walked slowly behind, having spent so long ashore it was hard to believe that we were going back in the water.

0910 hrs
Down on the slip I climbed on board and checked that all the through hulls were not leaking started the engine and let things settle - then a heart stopping moment as the engine died, a quick restart and a few extra revs had her going again.  Clearly she had forgotten how to behave at tick over, or was very cold.

Mark tied the dinghy to the transom and the yard team pulled the bow round the end of the pontoon and off we went following the posts marking the route closely and after an hour arrived at the mouth of the Lynher to join the Tamar.

On entering the Tamar the wind was a southerly F4 gusting F5 and a 'bit lively', I was sure the last forecast I had seen said to expect to see a F3.  We headed up to Mike's boat to drop his kit off when he had a lightbulb moment and suggested that we go alongside the Tamar River Sailing Club pontoon as he would not need to come back to his boat.

Kit dropped we untied and had the easiest pontoon departure ever, the wind blew us off, and headed over to the Cornish side to look at the mooring.

I had inspected the mooring the week before, but it was unsafe to do any work on it in the dinghy.  Lines were both tangled and covered in mussels.  Thankfully the lines on the north buoy were usable, but that would mean that when picking up the buoys the bow would need to be pointing north.

With wind over tide and the wind being the strongest force we had to use the south buoy to attach first and given the conditions that was not going to happen.

Plan B was to come alongside at Saltash, but with two boats already on the pontoon that was not possible, so we had a Top Gun 'buzz the tower' moment, racing past the pontoon giving everybody at the club a laugh.

Plan C was to return to TRSC and tie up to their pontoon while we waited for the tide to turn and the wind to drop - we headed back to the Devon side of the river.

On tieing up I spotted a somebody who had his boat near mine at Treluggan and greetings were exchange, Aphrodite was tied up alongside, Mark and I adjourned to the local pub, where I drunk strong tea and had lunch and we worked out a Baldric like cunning plan.

After lunch while waiting for the tide there was a knock on the hull and I spotted Tim grinning from ear to ear, welcomed him onboard and caught up with the gossip.

1415 hrs
We left the pontoon with a cunning plan to get the boat on the mooring.  The wind had dropped to 15 kts and the sea flattened.  I gave the helm to Mark and he motored the bow up to the south buoy as I hung over the bow with rope in hand ready to thread it through a shackle and get the boat attached.  On the second attempt we were on.

The mooring had not been used for about three years and the lines were covered in mussels! Given the weight of mussels the lines had sunk and had tangled themselves up with each other forming a horrible mess.  After a lot of heaving, cutting, knotting, grunting and a few choice swear words Aphrodite was attached to four lines and we had a mass of line, floats and mussels on the deck, but she looked happy to be back on the water.

The view from the cockpit

1545 hrs
After a well earnt cup of tea we sort of tided up, filled the dinghy and headed back for shore.

My next task is to sort out all the minor defects that we spotted with the engine after it had not been used for 18 months, a diesel leak at the primary filter, the water pump is leaking from the back, the water speed wheel is not turning and one section of the exhaust hose replacing with a longer length as the P bracket housing is much bigger.  That should keep me out of mischief for a while.

It was good to see the boat back on the water.

All times are UTC.

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	Underway	Distance	Avg SOG	Max SOG	Night Hours
Day:	2h 15m	8.10	3.55	5.00	0h 00m
Year:	2h 15m	8.10	3.55	5.00	0h 00m

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Crew: Sandy Garrity (skipper), Mark Rodgers

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Sunrise: 0413 hrs Sunset: 2031 hrs

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Weather: The shipping forecast issued by the Met Office, on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, at  00:15 (UTC+1) on Thu 6 Jul 2023 for the period  01:00 (UTC+1) on Thu 6 Jul 2023 to  01:00 (UTC+1) on Fri 7 Jul 2023 .

Plymouth

Southwest 3 to 5, backing south 4 to 6 later. Slight or moderate. Mainly fair. Good.

© Met Office Synoptic Chart 06/07/2023

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Treluggan Boatyard

Saturday 1^st July 2023

The original plan was to be in Treluggan for seven months in which time I would do a major refit.  The most pressing job was to sort out a 'rumble' coming from the drive train that I had heard during the summer.

With the boat out of the water you could wiggle the prop shaft at the P bracket, looks like that is the issue. As we dismantled the drive train it became apparent that something had happened at some time in the past and that things were worse that I had feared. Not only could the P bracket be moved when the stuffing box was removed the stern tube end was not straight, but had chunks out of it.  Something had happened at some time in the past, but I was unsure if they were related.

Then came the long hunt for somebody to do the work as this was way beyond my level of GRP work.  One contractor said he was interested, but had not done that type of repair before.  He then disappeared for several months.  I suspect he was not confident and rather than saying, 'Sandy, sorry but I'm not happy doing that job.', just left me waiting.  I frustration I had a chat with the people at the yard to see if they had any contacts in the trade and thankfully they had just found somebody that fitted the bill. 

In June 2023 Ian arrived with his tools dug out the P bracket from the GRP then proceeded to rebuild the structure that held it in place, this time a bit more substantially than the original design.  Once that was completed moved on to replacing the metal stern tube with a spun glass fibre one.  The original metal stuffing box, with a Radice dripless seal to eliminate having to pump out the engine bilge daily.

All Glassed Up

The Finished Job

There had also been a number of other equipment failures that meant things needed replacing.  The fresh water pump being the highest priority, a simple trip to the chandler with the part number of the existing pump.

The most comical item was the hinges for the sea toilet, they do have a habit of routinely breaking.

Water in the Engine Bilge

One of the most satisfying jobs to get done while the boat was ashore was sorting out a mysterious leak that kept filling the engine bilge.

After a heavy downpour I would return to the boat to find water under the engine and backed up to the transom which was puzzling as I was unable to spot where it was coming in from.

On removing the fuel tank I found a pool of water under it and was able to work out that the water was entering the boat via the hole in the deck where the fuel pipe cap was located! 

Unscrewed the fitting, drilled the holes through the deck and replace the screws with three bolts and applied butyl tape round the fitting and tightened up the bolts.  Finally, the leak has stopped.

I really enjoyed my time at Treluggan, the yard are happy for you to work on your boat, get them to do the work or get a contractor in to do the work.  Other yards are very 'protective' and only they can do work on your boat.

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Papillon: Fowey to Plymouth

Having spent three relaxing days in Fowey, wandering about the town, reading onboard, enjoying the beer and meals at The Ship Inn.

There were few boats on the pontoons and as sailors the world over we all met up, had coffee and a chat. I was delighted to see a French boat over with all the shenanigans about Brexit.

When it was time to head back we slipped our lines and poked the bow out of the river, conditions were still bouncy, and headed east under a single reef. Visibility was less than a mile.

The French boat that was on the second pontoon also departed heading for Plymouth.

As we arrived at Sutton Lock the lock keeper called out and asked if Andrew would ring then Coastguard at Falmouth as they wanted to check we were OK. It turns out that the French skipper had lost sight of us and we had disappeared from his AIS, hence he reported this to the Coastguard. They were able to confirm that they could see us on AIS doing 7 knots heading east.

All in all a cracking few days.

All times are UTC.

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The Numbers:

	Underway	Distance NM	Avg SOG knots	Max SOG knots	Night Hours
Day:	4h 15m	27.75	6.5	9.00	0h 0m
Trip:	10d 23h 59m	9,999	0	0	0

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Crew: Andrew Pascoe (Skipper) Morag Thomson Findlay and Sandy Garrity

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Sunrise: 0542 hrs Sunset: 1931 hrs

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Weather: The shipping forecast issued by the Met Office, on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, at 00:15 (UTC+1) on Thu 8 Sep 2022 for the period 01:00 (UTC+1) on Thu 8 Sep 2022 to 01:00 (UTC+1) on Fri 9 Sep 2022.

Portland, Plymouth

Southwest 5 to 7. Moderate or rough. Thundery showers. Good, occasionally poor.

© Met Office Synoptic Chart 08/09/2022

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Plymouth to Treluggan

I had booked the boat to come ashore at Treluggan Boatyard on the river Lynher in Cornwall on the recommendation of a good friend. With a few days to spare until the next set of spring tides, I was advised I'd need a 5 metre tide, I dashed home by train, collected the car and drove it down to the yard. Very kindly Morris and Steph arranged to meet me there and drive me back to Plymouth. With all of the transport in place I was ready to get the boat ashore for the winter.

0600 hrs Slipped the lines at King Point and set off upto Treluggan. The directions from the yard were quite clear, but it being a small Cornish creek the journey did leave me a tad nervous as the drying height on the chart is 2.5 metres.

I chugged up the Tamar and then turned into the Lynher and watched the depth like a hawk. The Lynher is a gorgeous stretch of water and the trip needs to be repeated with crew.

Just past the Dandy Hole I almost missed the turning and headed onto St Germans, but saw the posts marking the channel just in time. Clearly, I missed the center of the channel as I gently ran aground, reversed and aimed a bit more to the east of the channel and edged my way up river almost touching trees as I did. Under the railway viaduct and Treluggan popped into view.

0730 hrs I tied up alongside the pontoon and popped the kettle on and waited for the yard team to haul me out then walked away from the boat and let them get her propped for the winter.

Lift out Cornish Style

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Crew: Sandy Garrity

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Sunrise: 0642 hrs Sunset: 1945 hrs

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Trip Stats: Distance: 8.7 nm, Avg speed: 5.00 knots, Max speed: 6.00 knots, Under way: 1 h 30 m.

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Weather: Inshore waters...

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