Sadler 29 A World Cruiser.

                                                                     Sadler 29 A World Cruiser.
                                                                                Prologue

In writing this piece I have put my personal ideas. These ideas have come from sailing several different sizes of yachts in all the oceans of the world. 60% solo and 40% with crew as a delivery skipper and on my own yachts. My experience in boating comes from 40 years as both a boat builder and running a marine consultancy which I do now FREE to encourage both the young and old to go to sea and enjoy it safely.
I do not profess to know it all and am the first to admit my failings, I continually ask for help in my search to learn more. If you don't agree with my opinions please be kind in your response and guide me in the right direction with the help of your knowledge and experiences.

The Sadler 29 deep fin keel is in my opinion the perfect yacht of its size for 1 or 2 people. It is built with an inner molding which has all the lockers in it and attached to the hull. The void between the hull and inner molding is then filled with a closed cell foam. This makes the yacht both ridged and strong, it also makes the inside condensation free and very quiet when under way. A bonus for the off watch crew when trying to sleep.

The Sadler 29 also with the Sadler 26 and 34 are because of the twin hull and foam insulation unsinkable even if holed. This was borne out by a test when a Sadler 26 was flooded by removing the hoses from the through hull fittings and then sailed with 3 people aboard. This safety factor in a cruising yacht will surely give the crew peace of mind in the fact that should it be damaged they will still be on a yacht and not in a life raft.

The Sadler 29 as in all yachts have points that need to be addressed by the owner if he is to have a yacht that he is perfectly happy with. These are not many and not insurmountable if addressed in a sound boat building approach and with the best materials available. Hereafter I will make suggestions that in my view and based on the experience I have put in the prologue would make the Sadler 29 a first class ocean cruiser.  None of these suggestions are intended to be derogatory to the Sadler brand or their builders but my opinions based on my personal knowledge and experience.

                                                                                THE MAST

Remove the mast and boom, also all running and standing rigging. I would beef up the goose neck as this in my opinion is a little lightly built for offshore sailing. Fit all new standing rigging in dyform7mm using swagged terminals at the top and Sta-lok at the bottom. The reason behind this is that in my research I have found that of all rigging failures it is predominantly the bottom swagged terminal that fails because of water ingress causing it to fail. With the Sta-lok terminal this is not the case because of the way they fit the cable and allow the water to pass through the fitting and cause no harm. Also I would carry a few spares of the Sta-lok fittings and a length of dyform so as to be able to effect any repairs that might come up. These repairs with the Sta-lok fittings would be a permanent repair and not just temporary. All you need are some simple hand tools to carry out the repair.

Head sail furling systems today are varied in quality and complexity and are fitted on thousands of yachts with no problems arising but I have personally seen on a few yacht in strong winds what happens when the foresail decides to come out from the furler at a high speed. The furling line gets knotted up on the drum and is impossible to remove without a person on the foredeck in bad weather and a knife trying to cut it all off and reeve another line. I have experience with a single line system supplied from Sailspars Ltd and have used this system in really bad weather and have been happy that at ALL times I was in control of it and it NEVER jammed or faltered.

                                                                                    SAILS

As to sails I prefer a 140% Genoa with a foam luff and a fully battened mainsail with 3 reef points. The mainsail of the Sadler 29 is already quite small but with the third reef you can still sail in the higher winds which means that you stay in control rather than be controlled. The mainsail reefing should be kept outside of the boom where any re repairs can be achieved simply and with the minimum of trouble. All lines led aft to jammers. Topping lifts are nice as a spare halyard but I have seen too many wear through in bad weather and are more trouble than you need. I would keep it as a spare halyard but fit a boom strut from Barton's P/N BK 1250
(44035) thus preventing a falling boom at the wrong moment.

                                                                                   Anchor Points

All anchor points for the rig should be very carefully checked as the rig security is so important to the safety of the yacht. If any show signs of wear or failing these should be backed up with 6mm aluminum plates and bonded to the yacht. As none of us like to have leaks of any sort I would suggest going all over the boat with a pressure washer to find any lurking drips and address them with the appropriate cure. As the fore hatch is normally fitted with self tapping screws I would change them for through bolts backed with penny washers, therefore making it alot safer.
The cockpit locker is a really handy place to keep the dinghy but has one failing and that is that it isn't fixed down. I have hear of suggestions to screw it down when at sea. I have tried another approach which I have had good success. I have made two flat bars of 6mm x 50mm stainless steel and used them as hold downs on the cockpit locker top. After we had fitted a rubber seal on the locker edges we found that we could fill the cockpit with water and none found its way below. They are also easier to remove when you want the dinghy.
Another point in the cockpit is the drains which are two outlets 1-1/2" in diameter thus giving a total area of 3.07" square to drain a large cockpit of water. I would suggest cutting a rectangle in the transom of 2" x 12" and finishing with GRP. thus giving a total area of 24" square to drain the cockpit 8 times as fast. In this case you would be safer if you were ever pooped as it would eliminate the quantity of water in the cockpit before another wave did the same.
The companion way wash boards do not totally seal the entrance but with a little work could be rectified.
On anchor points I like to have many in all sort of places and strong but more of this a little later.

                                                                                   Spray hood

You either love them or hate them. In reality they do not slow down the yacht to any degree and afford the crew a safe haven when things really start to get wet and windy. I once saw a spray hood hit by a big wave collapse onto a member of the crew going below and was surprised at the injuries he sustained he was lucky we were within range of a helicopter so he could be medivaced. This is why even though it could be costly I would go for either a GRP or aluminium one.

                                                                                   Below decks

If you have ever been knocked down or done a 360 in a yacht this section will be of particular interest to you.
I use the principal that if it can move, lift,slide,fall or hurt when coming in contact with you the best thing to do is make sure that none of that happens. All lockers, floor traps and under bunk lockers should have a system that holds them down even if they are full should the boat go over. This would achieve two important things.
Firstly everything will stay where you put it and secondly below decks stays a dry warm and safe place to be in. Cushions should be held in place with velcro so as they stay out as well.
In the sea berth lea cloths should be used not only to keep the occupant in his or her berth but it also makes you feel really cozy. I use a simple system. A piece of 3 strand rope with a Wichard clip at each end to these I attach a piece of 4mm 3 strand with a monkeys fist so that they can be released very quick if the need arrises.
As to the cooker pan holders on a fine day are ok but when things get really hairy they are useless. You need a system to hold down anything on the cooker which goes over the pan or kettle. Imagine a full 6 Lt pressure cooker flying at you at speed and you can imagine the damage it would cause.

                                                                             Water

The food of live. We can go without food for a long time but not without water. This is a very complicated subject as we all have different needs. Some of us like our daily shower, some of us like 2 a day and wash and rinse the dishes with fresh water. Then there is the laundry. First let me just tell you from where I get the following information from. I was in the Royal Marines for 10 years and spent 3 years as a survival instructor so I have had some experience with this subject. To stay in good health we need to drink a minimum of 2 Lt's of water a day and twice as much in hotter climes. This being said I would allow 5 Lt's a day per person for drinking and personal hygiene. this would allow you the necessary to drink and a little to brush your teeth and wash with. The truth is we can wash with salt water and rinse with just a flannel soaked in fresh water and therefore save about 2 Lt's a day. Therefore we could get by on 3 Lt's a day. Taking this as the bare minimum for 2 crew aboard  220 Lt's would effectively give you 36 days supply of water. On a yacht of the size of the Sadler 29 220 Lt's of water would be like carrying around another 2 crew and slow down the yacht therefore making passage times longer so needing more water. As you can see this is a situation that can only get worse. My suggestion would be to carry 100 Lt's of water and a PURSURVIVOR 35 Manual water maker with spares.
At £1350 with spares it may sound expensive but think about it for a second. For 1 hrs exercise you get 5 Lt's of drinking quality water and in the event that you should find yourselves in a distress situation you have the means to make water that will keep you alive. As to washing yourselves, the dishes or the laundry. I was dishes and my self in salt water and rinse with just a little fresh. The laundry I usually keep for wet days and catch rail or if necessary wash in salt water with liquid soap and then rinse with fresh.
All faucets should be either hand or foot pumped. Not only does this alleviate the necessity for more electric but saves on water. A charcoal silver impregnated water filter is a must for health protection and there are many on the market. A sea water faucet in the galley goes without saying.

                                                                          Electricity

I will try to keep this section brief but still do it justice:
To get electricity is very expensive. To store electricity is very expensive. To buy electrical equipment is very expensive and when any of it goes wrong..........Well we have all heard the electrician suck in his breath and say, this is going to be expensive. Why does he say that, because he knows that you cant repair it yourself so therefore you are at his mercy.
The expression that copper wire and salt water makes green gunge, well remember that. I sail because I like the atmosphere, the quiet and the peace that it brings me so why make it more expensive than necessary. Save the money for that romantic dinner or that new sail you want.
We all like to see exactly where we are going when entering a new port or anchorage on our new chart plotter but do we really need one that would look good on the bridge of a warship. No! The Gamin Oregon 550 is a hand held chart plotter GPS that you can read in the cockpit where you need it when entering a new spot and it will run for about 20 hrs on the new high powered batteries.
So that covers 20 new places. A Garmin 72 GPS at the chart table also runs for about 6 months when used for the daily position fix. They can of course both be run from the ships battery supply as they burn Milli amps no big deal here. Rather than radar I use a system called C.A.R.D, Collision Avoidance Radar Detection. and have never been hit by a ship or other yacht (yet). This system again uses Milli amps. these 3 items would cost you in the region of £700 and cost very little to run. On the other hand we get into the solar panel or panels each at about £400 or more and the the wind turbine an item that makes you more enemies than Friends in either an anchorage or marina about £1000 then all the batteries and if you go for the best about £350 each for the small ones. We use LED nav light and anchor light have a 100 amp Lifeline battery and oil lamps below decks. We run the batteries about 1 hr every week and save a fortune. The Nav equipment has never given problems, the LED's last longer than I expect to live and we can start the 2 cylinder engine by hand, Simple I can fix most and cheap. The savings allow me to have wine every day and I don't annoy anyone in the anchorages or marinas we visit.

                                                                                    Cooking

On the side of safety I hate gas. We use an Origo 3000 Meths or alcohol cooker. Total cost 40 Lt's a year at £55. This allows for evaporation as well. We cook twice a day and use the pressure cooker alot. But this depends of course on the supply of the type of fuel available to you in the area you cruise.

                                                                        Hull maintenance

No anti fouling. Instead apply Copper coat. 14 years weed free and at the cost of 3 years anti fouling. More saving.
We polish the hull with Starbrite Teflon polish 3 coats applied with a week between each coat and it lasts about 4 years.

                                                                                 Steering Gear

The only self steering gear worth entertaining is a servo pendulum system. After many years of research and talking to many many offshore cruisers This is without doubt the best system.
All the people that I have spoken to said that this system is the best for the following reasons.
Doest eat. Doesn't use electric. Doesn't moan when working none stop for weeks on end in all weathers. But most of all the harder it blows the harder it works. I have used a few namely the Navic, atoms, Neptune, a Hydro-vane and a Wind pilot pacific light. Of all of them I would go fro the Wind pilot because I have found it to be very easy to set up build quality is second to none and the price is right.

                                                                             Personal security

My Maxim is NEVER fall overboard!  Once in the water its very hard to get you back on the yacht and if you are sailing solo you have had it. My approach to this is, anchor points, anchor points every where. Fore and aft in the cockpit with an anchor point that allows me to be attached even when I go below and attached before I get into the cockpit. I don't like the basic idea that all yacht builders have in as much fitting 2 life lines on the deck. For one they put you at risk of falling overboard and being dragged bu the boat with the possibility of drowning in the bow wave. I have anchor points that are fitted in the coach roof  as near to the centre of the yacht as possible. My harness has 2 strops with Gibb locking hooks and they are just long enough for me to be able to work on the sails or deck gear but not long enough for me to fall over the stanchion wires. After 50 years of sailing in all weathers I have never gone overboard nor has any of my crew, a fact I am proud of.

                                                                              Emergency Equipment

As in all things preparation is the best way to go. As the old saying goes, Prepare for the worst and pray for the best.
A big safety point for the Sadler 29 is its insensibility but you might face fire or other perils. As to fire my rule is NOBODY smokes below and we have fire extinguisher both manual and automatic in all the cabins.
In the event you find yourself in the position of calling for help I have researched the equipment available with a few thoughts I would like to share. First are the E.P.I.R.B's. A wonderful invention that has saved many many lives. For those of us that sail either solo or with crew they have one short coming. They will notify the rescue people but the people that love you ashore will know nothing of your plight of condition. I have recently come across a piece of equipment called SPOT. I know little of this as yet but do know that it has the capability to send a message that you are in distress also what the distress is and send a message to your shore contacts they you are ok and help is on the way.
I am sure I have simplified this too much but you get the idea. If anyone knows of this equipment I would be very interested to hear from you.

                                                                      Personal Comfort & Protection

I determine comfort in three areas.
First is feeling safe. Second Well fed. Third Warm and dry.
In the first feeling safe I believe that the Sadler 29 if prepared as I have described before is possibly one of the safest yachts of its size in the world. In my opinion she meets all the main points for a cruising yacht for 1 or 2 people. Namely she is, unsinkable,dry,warm,fast and comfortable.
Second well fed. In this we all have our own choices. The Sadler 29 has a good galley and is easily at sea in almost all weathers.
As to storage of food. If the cool box is made into a fridge it can carry fresh food enough for about 2 weeks. Obviously depending on what fresh food you lie to carry. Overall the storage areas in the Sadler 29 are sufficient to carry food for 2 people for 90 days.
Third Warm and Dry.Because of the Sadler 29's double hull and insulation I have never had a problem with condensation and have found that the interior stays cool in summer and takes little heat in the winter to be comfortable.
As to personal warmth and safety. I must point out that we sail in the northern climes and it is never very hot but there again the winters are not very cold. I recommend a one piece flotation suit the the Royal Lifeboat Institution use it is a proper flotation suit that is very comfortable to wear either on its own with just shorts and a T shirt under or with a thermal layer in the winter. This with a 250N life jacket and harness will give you the best protection and safety you can get.

We had a great sail from Binic to the Trieux river but just after the Bridge above the Marina we found the river blocked by loads of green weed. As the speed limit is 3 knots we made our way up river only to find that we had a blocked water intake just before the lock. after trying to clear the filter we managed to get into Pontrieux alongside the quay. The next day I removed the intake hose to find a piece of wood stuck in the tube. I fitted a new tube a checked the rest of the water ways in the engine and all was OK but a good lesson learned to carry some spare hose. once alongside we had the usual welcome we have come to expect from Stephan. Nothing is too much for him a truly great port captain. We went to Paimpol on the early train to find that nobody was there to get a ticket from so had a free ride down the river. We went to the market for meat and veg and were pleased to see the prices have come down some. After a nice lunch in our favourite restaurant we caught the train home. We saw George and Trudy Shannon, friends who live on the river and spent some time with them. We were invited to an exhibition of Trudie's paintings and met some more friends while we were there so it was a good day and some fun. We are staying here till the 12th Aug as we have just heard from more friends that wanted to catch up with us so are coming here then its back to Guernsey as Sal's mum needs some help at home. We have been asked why we spend so much time on this coast and can only reply that it is a lovely part of Brittany that so many yachtsmen just pass by to get to the south and miss all that it has to offer. So next time you leave for L`aberwrach why don't you change your mind and give North Brittany a look you will be pleasantly surprised

binic

We arrived in Binic to a wonderful welcome from Yann and his crew a given a quiet place on the visitors pontoon. After a wash and brush up we went out for dinner at one of the many restaurants in the town on the quay. As usual we had mussels and chips, one of our favourites. after a week here we had to do the usual shopping trip so decided to take the bus to the Super U up the hill. The bus driver was a bit grumpy but the trip was quick. After getting all we wanted we thought it would be nice to walk back to the harbour (why do I always pick the hottest time of the day) 36deg sunny but all down hill. It was a lovely walk and we saw some beautiful houses on the way. As we were so hot we sat at a roadside cafe and had a coffee and watched the world go by. (Well someone has to do it) We used some of the time while the port was so quiet to give the hull another coat of varnish and polish the topsides so Feels Good is looking her best again. The lock gates in Binic must be the only ones that really are on time. We asked Yann if he opened them at 3 am as the timetable said and he said that they open all through the night or day at the times on the timetable. As you can see even at night people come and go. The locals tend to go out in the morning do some fishing and come back at night so there is quite a bit of movement in the harbour. If you are a beach person there is the sandiest beach in Brittany flat and safe to swim. There is even an outdoor swimming and a paddling pool for the kids. We watched the volley ball championships on the beach but decided it was too much exercise so went off for a beer. After 3 weeks in Binic which we really loved we left for the rising tide to go to Pontrieux as we had friends to see.

the credit crunch

Well once again the banks have decided that they will use our money but give us nothing. So this year we have decided to stay on the North Brittany coast but it is no hardship as we love it here. We headed of for Guernsey to see Sal's mum and all our friends there. We had some really great news as a friend who had been in hospital many times over the past 10 years had a final operation that has now given him a new lease of life. He also got married so we had plenty to celebrate. We saw Sue (Sal's cousin) and Claude for a BBQ and a chat about their plans to go off for a year around Europe in Pet Claude's 106 year old Pilchard Driver. We intended to stay for a week but this stretched to a month as we were having such a good time. It came time to move on so filled the tanks and headed to Binic somewhere we had not visited for quite some time. We left on a beautiful sunny day with just the right wind for a quick 9hr sail.

Pilot Update

Well we now have a working Pilot on the boat again thanks to The Service Centre

Maritime House

Ryan Business Centre

Sandford Lane

Wareham, Dorset

BH20 4DY

Speak to a lovely lady Andrea.
I phoned them and explained the problem with the pilot and was told that if I sent it to them there would be a charge of £20 to have a look and they would contact me if they could repair it. This done I got a call from Andria to say that they could repair it. I paid a Q jump fee of £20 and got a call the next day to say all was repaired and working well. They posted the pilot to our home address in Guernsey so no VAT and we picked it up on arrival. It took about 10 mins to connect and it worked straight away. The total cost was £106 that included all the post and repair and the Q jump and parts. £1100 less than a new pilot. After being told by the makers that it would be impossible to repair I feel that they are only interested in selling new pilots. Once again we have found a british company with staff that take pride in their work and accept a challenge. We cant thank them enough also our friends Malcom and Margret from the yacht Triona. Incedently we hope to see them soon as they are relaunching Triona after a refit at their home port of Brixham. A nicer couple you couldnt wish to meet. Yesturday just got even better as our friends Rex and Fey came down with 4 mackerel and 2 lobsters so we had the fish for lunch and the lobsters for tea. Oh how the retired live He ! He !

Young at Heart

Sitting in the wheelhouse enjoying a cup of tea suddenly I heard a call from the harbour attendant. "Can you help this yacht to moor up Pete as they are an elderly couple" I jumped on the pontoon to see a Vancouver 34 Pilot house approaching the pontoon. I took the lines and helped them to tie up and connect the electric cable. The couple on board were totally in control and handled the yacht like professionals. Once they had settled in I wondered over for a chat. Rhoda & Alan Cawthorne owners of the yacht named New Chance thanked us for the help and Rhoda explained that Alan had poor sight so usually asked for help coming in and tying up. Chatting to Alan I was very surprised to learn that they have sailed all over the place in New Chance as far as the outer Hebrides and the Caribbean up the Chesapeake and down the Mississippi. The big shock was when they told us their ages. Rhoda is 86 and Alan is 89. With Alan having problems with his sight Rhoda tends to do most of the sailing and navigation. Alan is a wonderful conversationalist and has so many stories to tell, you could spend all summer listening to them. Rhoda has a lovely ready smile and eyes that have seen so many wonderful places and people that they sparkle. We were invited aboard for tea and cake and so spent a lovely afternoon munching into Alan's home made Dundee cake,"quite the cook" Rhoda is certainly not a typical wife aboard as we discussed many projects she wanted to do on the yacht from replacing the teak decking to new spray hood and engine servicing. Of course they wanted to see our yacht so came aboard for tea and soon made themselves comfortable which we love. This morning we waved them goodbye as they were going to have a look at Herm and then Sark. We can honestly say that they have enriched our lives. We look forward to seeing them again some day. So keep an eye out for a Yacht called New Chance with a couple of sprightly youngsters on board and say hello.

A good trip to guernsey

We left Morlaix on the tide and headed down river for Chateau Torreau and the bay of Morlaix then headed NW for Treguier. We arrived in Treguier about half tide up so had a bit of fun getting on the pontoon and scratched Feels Good on the Stb side. We left Treguier at HW and headed down river again as the marina is 7 miles up at the top. Its a lovely trip in the morning with the sun shining and a fair wind for Guernsey. As we left the Heaux Lighthouse to Port and headed due East to round Barnoic East Cardinal mark to catch the northing tide for Guernsey. We usualy go West about the Roche Douvres which takes about 11 hrs but this time we had a fair wind and made Guernsey in 9 hrs. This was good as we had no auto pilot as we had sent ours to be repaired so this meant that we had to helm all the way. Sal is a very good sailor and is more than capable of taking Feels Good any where on her own so I had a chance for a sleep on the way. As you will see in the pics she stomped along at about 7 knots which under sail isnt to bad for a 50/50 and heavy. As we arrived in Guernsey we were met by the harbour staff with the usual smile and , (you know were to go Sally) and within a few minutes we were tied on the pontoon and the kettle was on for a cuppa. Since arriving we have had visitors every day which is nice so we can catch up on all the news. We went to dinner with Dave & Dawn good friends of ours last night and came home well fed after a lovely evening. They asked us to go to Dielette today for the weekend but we have three other dinners to go to so perhaps next time. I have now repaired the scratches on the hull so looking good again. I think we have just about replaced all the equipment on the boat since we bought her in 2005 so perhaps we can relax a bit now. Well thats it for Guernsey. Next stop Binic which we last visited about 3 years ago so keep looking and I will try to do justice to Binic. Be happy and have fun thats what life's about.

farwell party

Well we all arrived in Guernsey about the same time and once again Claude decided that a farwell BBQ would be good. So we all went to the careening hard to set it up by Claudes boat. We all brought some food and of course wine and beer. As it is still May the temps were a bit cold but the BBQ soon brought the tem up. We had a good time and plenty to eat. This morning Dutch & Brenda in Ilsham our old yacht and Clive & Jenny on Veronica set out at 04:00hrs for Brixham. The sun was out and the winds fair for their trip so they expected to be in Brixham about 20:00hrs tonight. We must say we were realy sad to see Ilsham go as we have many fond memories of sailing her all over the place in all sorts of weather, but you have to move on as they say. We hope that when they reach Den Helder that they will be happy there.

leaving with a little drama

We decided to get a few pics of the boats leaving so went down river to see them all off they made a lovely sight steaming down river on the last of the ebb tide then all of a sudden we saw Claude and Sue turn back. They had lost a fender overboard and decided to pick it up. Claude brought Pet up to the fender ready to pick it up when THUD damn were are in the mud. ( I know I should be a poet) Claude had miss judged the level of water on the side of the river and had well and truly grounded Pet. Typical Claude No panic just put out a leg and wait for the next tide.
I cant shout too loud as I once grounded Feels Good in the Trieux River and had a free 4 days in freezing weather, but as they say thats another story. We went down at the next high tide as the yachts for the Tresco Race were all leaving and we wanted to see our friends passing (see the little blue yacht in the pic) just as the last yacht passed, along came the Yves Salaun an old SNSM life boat that lives in Morlaix and goes as a guard boat on the Tresco. In typical lifeboat fashion they took a line from Claude and pulled him into the centre of the river and they were on their way with no damage and having had a good rest. Later we received a call from Clive to say that they had all arrived in Binic safely. We are hoping to see them again on their way up to holland as we will be in Guernsey when they pass ( so more tears)

parting is such sweet sorrow

Well it had to happen we said good by to three lots of friends and Ilsham our old gaffer on Tuesday. Clive and Jen on Veronica an old scottish fishing boat, Claude and Sue (Sal's cousin) on Pet a 106 year old lugger and Dutch and Brenda on Ilsham our old 6 ton Falmouth Pilot. They all left together for the festival at Binic a three day event for old rigged boats.Clive and Jen had been here for about 3 years and we looked after Veronica for them. Claude and Sue on Pet had been here for a year and we looked after her. Dutch and Brenda on Ilsham had been here for 5 years as they bought her from us when we bought Feels Good in the med in 2005 and yes we looked after her as well. with three boats and ours to look after we were keept busy but it was a real pleasure as they are all good old wooden boats. Getting them all ready for the off was a bit of a squeeze as Clive was roped in to help Claude and Dutch with fixing their wind Pilots on and checking them. But he performed the tasks with his usual sense of humour and a few cups of coffee. Brenda in the Pic was off to do all the laundry and by the size of the sack I mean ALL the laundry. So with all the work done and all the boats ready we saw them out the locks in Morlaix for the last time and I must admit we had a few tears as they are all such good friends and of course to see Ilsham go was heart breaking as we have had so many adventures in her it would take a book to tell them all.

sunny then the rain

Just when we thought all was going our way disaster struck. We now have the sails on and the hull cleaned and looking prety good. I tried the electronics and all was well until I tried the auto pilot. We have an old (25years) WP5000 NAvico Wheel Pilot that has given sterling service but today I switched it on and NOTHING! Having tested all the wiring and power supply its DEAD as a DODO. I phoned a number of companies that repair them and was told, Sorry Mate its Bu*&^@#d but we can sell you a nice new one for £1200. Well money does'nt grow on trees for us so no pilot for now. Then we had some good news a friend in England found a company that thinks they can repair it and Jackie a French friend here has a mate who thinks he can repair it. So looking on the bright side we might get it repaired for alot less than £1200. It looks like we are going to be a bit lonley after the 10th May as 2 of our friends are taking their boats to holland to live as they want a change. Ah well I suppose we will see more come here as the price in England is now so expensive. We had a bit of luck yeaturday. I have been wanting to get rid of the big heavy chair in the pilot house ( you can just make it out in this pic) as it nearly breaks my back every time I have to move it. I looked on the net for a light weight chair high enough for Sal to be able to steer the boat and see over the instruments. They were about £200 but on one of the pages we saw an advert for IKEA so had a look. YEP we found just the thing for €30 so went to IKEA at Brest got the chair and had a lovely lunch (€12) for the 2 of us so a good day. Well thats the little moan for today. Will keep you informed on the pilot issue. Fingers crossed and good sailing. Enjoy the sunshine.

Happy Bunnies

Whoopee! Yep the calorifier arrived today just as promised. It fitted to an inch and was connected in 5 mins. We heated it up for 1/2 hr and it reached the 65c promised aaaannnnddd NO LEAKS,NONE, NOT ONE. At thr risk of repeating myself you wont get better service than from Matt at SURECAL. I have put a couple of pics of it in place so you can see the tight fit. In the other pic is Sal in the aft cabin making a new ensign as we refuse to pay £60 for a new one. The reason Sal was in the aft cabin is because I was varnishing everything in the shower and galley so all looks like new now. Just wash the hull and fit the sails and we are ready for the off. Our first trip is as usual to Guernsey to see Maud Sal's mum and all our friends. Thanks for looking at our Blog and hope you will find it interesting this year.

brilliant service

You know when you buy something after reading the advert for it and then you find that it isnt anything like it, Well ! this happened to us. We bought a calorifier that was advertised as being able to cope with a water pump of less than 1 bar pressure (14psi) I fitted it all connections correct water supply and electric just as the information said. Yes it heated the water , and LEAKED. I contacted the company only to be told that they had supplied the wrong thing but we could send it back for a refund. Good news! I thought I would search the net and found a company that said they could supply just what I wanted. Well to cut it short, after 3 E-Mails and 4 quick phone calls to Matt a very polite young man whom I asked a thousand questions and got all the replys without once hearing todays stock response ( we dont care) Matt asked me to measure the space I had and the hole where I would have to put the calorifier in. Having done this he said that they would customise one of their calorifiers to fit my space and supply special fittings to make it easier for me to fit it. When I asked him what the extra cost would be ........Wait for it.....here comes the shock...............Nothing extra Sir we are pleased to be able to help you. Bugger I nearly dropped dead. So we have a new calorifier coming next week which is 10 times better than the other one 10 times stronger and less money and brilliant service. The Name of the company is Surecal E-mail address is sales@surecal.co.uk
I feel that today we moan when we dont get what we want but tend to forget the ones that go that little bit further so I sent an E-Mail to Matt's boss to thank him for the wonderful service I received from Matt. So if you are in the market for a calorifier give them a call.

A final decision from Sally

Well here comes the sun summer is on the way and we all know what that means "SAILING"
Now we are retired its great to just sit back and wait to go sailing.
WRONG! So far we have redone the standing rigging on a yacht. Fixed leaks on another 3 yachts.
Re rigged roller furling on another one and because Dutch and Brenda are taking Ilsham to
Holland for good this year we thought it would be a nice parting present to rebuild the 10 year
old 1GM10 Yanmar for them. Now all we have to do is Degrease and wash, Polish (2 coats on topsides and hull)
Check all the standing and running rigging and Sails then service the engine and check all our safety gear and the
dinghy. Then stock up with all the stores for the summer and we can then go sailing.
Plus I have finnished the design work for 2 junk rigs for American clients and finnished the designs for a 34ft yacht for
a New Zealand client. But the good thing is that We or should I say Sally has decided that this year is my last year working for
other people. Its now 14 years since I had my heart op and have decided to take things a bit easier.
Sally says " Yea Right" now only 60 hrs a week. NO I have promised that from May this year it is ALL about
quality time together. SO looking forward to sun sail and anchorages where we can bbq fresh caught fish
And be lazy in the sun. So keep an eye on the Blog and we will try to keep it interesting.

Where did I park the car?

Once again I heard Sally shouting to me from across the marina. I was working on a yacht and dropped my tools and ran round to see what was wrong. Sal had a big grin on her face and was pointing to the second boat along from us. Under the stern was the top of a car. One of the students from the college had parked their car had not put on the hand brake and the car a Renault Clio had just rolled gently into the marina. Police, fire brigade, Breakdown truck, Inshore rescue, Harbourmaster and about 100 on lookers. After about 1/2 an hour up it came and was driven away to the tip. To date that makes 3 cars and one scooter in the marina. The last one was a citroen and after 1 hr under the water it came up with the windscreen wipers working and the lights on. (good make those Citroens)

Brittany weather

Once again in morlaix we have suffered with the weather.
Because the authorities here cant get together and
make a decision about what to do with the silt in the river and
the marina the town was flooded again.
We have the marina dredged every year but nothing is done in
the river so the water has to go somewhere and it can only
go into the town. Shops and restaurants were flooded and
alot of stock was lost. I have attached a site so you can see
the damage in Morlaix. Other parts of Brittany such as
La Rochelle had massive damage and lots of boats damaged
and 50 people died. People are saying that it is time
for the government to act on these problems.

see this site:
http://www.letelegramme.com/ig/generales/regions/finistere/morlaix-29-le-centre-ville-inonde-l-acces-barre-jusqu-a-11-h-diapo-video-28-02-2010-803346.php

beginning of 2010

After spending Xmas in Guernsey with Sall's family we got back to Morlaix to find that Colin & Silvia had left their boat here. In January Sally decided that I should retire after the spring as it was now 14 years since I had my heart operation and I was getting tired quicker. So I agreed to retire after I had finished the work I had on the books. Its now the middle of March and I have just finished the work. Since January I have designed 1 yacht for ocean sailing, 3 junk rigs,1 for a friend in california and 2 for friends in New Zeland. Our friend Claude is here and we have been helping him with Pet his 106 year old pilchard driver. Now we are just waiting for the warmer weather so we can get on with the usual spring jobs on Chunky (Feels Good).
This year we will be saying good buy to Brenda & Laurens who bought our old yacht (Ilsham a 6 ton Falmouth Pilot), Clive and Jenny on their boat Veronica a 1932 Scotish fishing boat and Claude with Pet. Laurens,Brenda,Clive & Jenny are heading of to Holland and are going to keep their boats in Den Helder so will be seeing a different way of life. Claude wants to head South. So this year we will be staying on the North Brittany coast and around the Channel Islands. I will try to get some half way decent photos for the blog but be patient with me as I am not too good on the camera or the laptop.

2009 Summer

Well we decided to have a quiet summer in 2009 as we had both been working hard. We decided to go to Pontrieux up the Trieux river so moored up and then went to get the car from Morlaix. We had a lovely time and met some new friends while we were there. Steve & Elena were so lovely they are as mad as we are. They collect pigs and treat them as their children so there was some surprises for the locals when they passed the boats. On the day of the fete du lavoir (washing festival) we put all our soft toys in the washing machine and then put them on deck to dry. The kids thought it was great and took many pics. they left before us and went to Isle Chausy where Steve left Elena on a rock and rowed away saying that he wanted a little quiet time. He did however get her back before high tide. Two other people that we met were Colin and Silvia who were retired. Silvia does counceling and colin is a retired general from the British army. They invited us aboard one afternoon for tea and fruit cake. They explained that it was a tradition as to see who makes the best fruit cake. Sally has come up with a recipe for a good one for this year so look out Colin. After saying good buy to our new friends and old ones we decided to go to Guernsey for a couple of days before we headed back to Morlaix for the winter and so ended the summer of 2009.

Liberation Day May 9th Guernsey

We hope you enjoy these clips and help it never to happen again.

Liberation day Guernsey Lest we forget

May 9th A day to remember. Here in the Channel Islands we were under the German army from 1940 to 1945 and on May9th the war ship bulldog anchored in the russel and soldiers were landed to take the unconditional surrender from the commanding officer of the German garrison. Not only is it a day to remember for the joy to be free again but also a day to remember the cost of that freedom. So many millions died so that we today can live in freedom, where we can say and pretty much do as we like. I find myself asking this question? When we see how the youth of today behave and the total disrespect they have for the older generation do they ever stop to think that but for them their lives would be totally different. They would be unmercifully punished for their actions, sent to labour camps and some times even tortured or shot. So Liberation day is a day that we should ALL remind the youth of today about and the price paid. It seems so little that a liberation day parade is our way of saying to all those that have sacrificed life and limb for our freedom THANK YOU.

Guernsey

Here is a compilation of some shots of the island of Guernsey in the Bay of St Malo France hope you like them.
We are here for 2 weeks and then off again around the bay of St Malo from Dielette to Morlaix so keep looking and we hope to keep you amused

First trip to guernsey 2009

Well we left Morlaix Locks at 06:40 French time and calmly traveld down the river to Chateaux Taureau where we parted company with Mary & Tony aboard Cap Cornwal. They had spent yet another winter in Morlaix and were heading back to their home port Falmouth. The winds were F1 SW so we had to motor all the way 14 hrs later and we arrived in Guernsey to a warm welcome ( Hi Pete and Sal go wherever you like see you in the morning) and that was that. Claude the skipper of Pet a 106 year old pilchard chaser with his girlfriend Sue ( Sal's cousin) met us in the marina and treated us to Fish and Chips, lovely. We will stay here for about 12 days to see friends and Sal's mum. We left Graham on Deep Thought in Morlaix as he decided to stay till friday and then head for Camaret. What a guy. He was getting all the rubbish and things he didn't need anymore off the boat which amounted to papers from 1982 to present, 5 bags. 1 Ironing board and a load of other stuff. Graham is sailing on his own on a westerley33 ketch he is a great guy and likes to think realy hard about all jobs to be done on the boat so they only get done once. He is heading for Gibralter to spend the next winter there so we hope to keep in touch. Right time 07:00BST time for my breakfast so see you all again soon. Thanks for reading and we hope you enjoy.

Work Finnishes

This is always a lovely time for Sal and I as the last job to be done means that we are nearly ready to go sailing for the summer. We have about 7 boats here in Morlaix that we look after for the owners. It gives them peace of mind to know that there is someone on the spot to keep an eye on their investments. This is a Westerley Konsort that had the usual winter crud on and the owner wanted us to get her ready for the season so we Pressure washed, degreased and the polished her. Sally repaired the sprayhood and now we think she looks alot better.

Visitors

You just never know who is going to arrive here in Morlaix. Just the other day we heard an American accent and thought Dutch and Brenda who bought our old Falmouth Pilot had arrived early but no. In came a 30ft sailing yacht from Champaign Illinois USA.
So we have now made friends with the owner Jim a lovely character. He shows all the signs of a man who has been places and knows how to save money. He saw a pair of riggers boots in a shop for a good price and bought them as they were a 1/4 of the price of yachting boots. But the next day we saw Jim with a hacksaw and an angle grinder. I know, you shouldn't ask but I had to. What are you up to Jim. Well Jims says the soles and heels stick out too much and I catch my boots on all the deck fittings so I am cutting off all the surplus and then grinding it back to get a good finnish. Where have all the people that used to think like this gone. Today it is too easy for people to just pass over the bucks and get what the chandlers want us to buy.
Good on you Jim.

Repairs

This year we decided to just make repairs to Feels Good and Paint her next year. The problems is the gel coat has been in the med for a long time and has faded to different colours in different places. So I repaired the star cracks and then degreased the hull and gave her 2 coats of Polytrol varnish. So she looks ok for this year. All we have to do now is go to Guernsey where we dry her out on a pad in the Victoria Marina (£10 per day) pressure wash and antifoul and then we are off again. We are hoping to go to Dielette on the Normandie coast so will get some shots. Then to Jersey Guernsey's sister Island and then to Granville also on the Normandie coast. So watch this space

Mud,Mud,Mud

Well here we are with Morlaix facing yet another year with the problem of Mud. It runs off the fields at the top of the river and gets into the marina and silts it up. So every year they have to pump it out so we can get out to sail. Here is the pump arriving with all the pipe work. The mud is pumped up to a field 2 kilometres away where the Mud and Water are seperated then the water is sent back to the marina and the mud is spread over the fields. One of the problems is bits of trees and bushes that come down the river and get stuck in the mud so as you can see now and then we have to remove them before thay get stuck in the rudder or prop. But its all part of the fun of the boating life and gives spectators a laugh.

The Season Starts 2009

Well the 2009 season has started. We have washed the topsides with Carolin Ultra Degreasant which removes all the old polish and ALL dirt. After this Sal and I polished the topsides with Starbrite P.T.F.E (Teflon) We find this gives us an all year protection form the elements so less work in the season when we will be enjoying ourselves sailing. Next job was the hull. We moved Feels Good to a side pontoon to do the gel repairs on 4 star cracks we have just below the rail (These were on the hull when we bought her in 2005). The repairs went well but we couldnt match the green so we now have 4 spiders on the hull. We decided to varnish the hull again this year as its cheap and lasts for about 2 years and with the cash situation we have to watch it. So we washed the hull the same way as the topsides and applied a coat of varnish. We find that as the boat is 32 years old she looks OK but there are few patches of colour change in the hull so will Paint her in the next 2 years. Next is the wood work but thats another story so keep looking.

Prepairing a yacht for the open sea

Prepairing a yacht for single handed sailing
On Deck

The important thing to remember is when a yacht is in the harbour it moves very little. When you set out to sea the same yacht moves alot.
Starting on deck. The anchor and its cable should be fastened down so that it can't be thrown around in a sea way. Anchor points for all blocks should be checked and renewed at ANY signs of wear. Sheet Cars anchor points should be checked for any movement and tightened up then cars sprayed with silicone spray. Winches should be stripped and cleaned and new pawl springs fitted, greased and rebuilt. Check ALL cleats for tightness and damage. Spray hood stitching and anchor points should be checked and a new clear panel fitted if the old one is even a bit foggy.
All the standing rigging should be checked for worn or broken parts. Running rigging should be washed and changed if ANY wear is visable.
Sails should be washed dried and given to a sailmaker for servicing. Nonslip deck paint should have no flaking or worn spots reaply a coat if nessesary. Non painte decks should be washed with hot water and a degreasant then rinsed with fresh water. Stitching on Lifelines must be checked and restitched if ANY signs of wear. Stantion bases and guard wires check for wear or movement.
I would recommend that ALL navigation light bulbs be replaced with LED as they are better suited to the marine enviroment and last a long time and burn less volts. Rudder gudgeons and pintles should be checked for wear and replaced if nessesary. Check the tiller for wear or cracks.

Below decks #1

ALL cushions should be held in place by velcro. All locker doors wether sliding or pull open should have locks on them. All floor panels should have locks on them that can be opened in an emergency. Fridge, Cooker, Coolbox, and chart table should have locks. Pan holders on the cooker MUST be able to hold a full pressure cooker in place in case of a 360 roll. Sharp knives are best keept on the back of a locker door in a block of wood aprox 12" x 8" x 3/4" with the shape of the knives cut out to fit. If kept in a draw they can take off a finger in the dark. Loose items should be held in place so they will not move in rough seas especialy things like deviders and pencils and pens. On the loose these things become wepons that can cause serious injuries.
When storing food and drinks it is best to keep them in lower lockers. Tape tins,jars,bottles and packets in pairs they dont roll around.
Batteries should be strapped down with strong nylon straps to a good anchor point. In the cockpit Gas bottle and the spare should be held down with nylon straps and make sure that the rubber hose is in good condition and the drain hole is clear of spiders and rubbish, also check the copper pipe can not be damaged in its run to the cooker. Tye down spare cans and anything else that can move in the cockpit locker. Check the cockpit drain hoses and clips and clear any rubbish from them. Check the standing rigging anchor points.

Below decks #2

The engine should be serviced and any parts replaced. Fit a SPEEDSEAL and new impeller. Refill oil and add MOLYSLIP it will help give you many hours of trouble free motoring and save engine wear.
Fill the diesel tank and add SOLTRAN it is the best on the market to prevent contamination of the fuel and filters.
Wash and treat water tanks and fine filter ALL water you put in them to save getting algae in them. Fit a silver impregnated carbon water filter on the tap you use for drinking and cooking as this will give you bottle quality water.

Stern gear Engine & Electrics #2

The prop shaft should be drawn to check the stern gland, shaft and seals any worn parts should be replaced.Check engine mounts and tighten if nessesary. Check ALL electrical connections and smear with vasalene as its the best. Check the keel bolts and look outside at the joint, if you see any rust weeping from the joing you will need the keel reseated.

Recomended equipment

These recomendations are for a yacht sailing offshore. By this I mean a yacht that will be sailed in the open sea. I have tested the equipment on my own yacht and it all works to help you make safe passages anywhere either single handed or with a crew. Some of the equipment may be outside of your budget but I have marked with a * equipment that you must have.
* 2 speed winches as when you get tired they will help you to keep the rig in tune.
* Strong anchor points to fix your harness to.
* Life lines fore and aft with strong anchor points.
* Servo pendilum steering gear (NEPTUNE) a crew member that does'nt answer back, get tired or eat.
* A Long wooden oar and a crutch on the transom in case of no fuel or engine breakdown.
* Life jacket 150N with harness and crutch strap.
* Knife single hand opening in nylon scabbard with lanyard .
* Pressure cooker ( saves on gas).
* Spare tiller.
* Staylock double fittings for rig repair.
* Spare length of standing rigging wire and cutters for repairs.
* Sea anchor.
* Fortress anchor of the right size with 10 metres of chain and 50 metres of rode.
* Kedge anchor with braided nylon line on roller on the pushpit.
* LED navigation lights ( they burn very little and are not effected by temperature changes or water.
* One piece dry suit with mid layer polar.
* Kevlar gloves ( they protect your hands from accidental cuts.
* Mast climbing gear ( I will explain this at the end).
* Manual bilge pump with a roming flexable hose to reach all parts in the boat.
* First Aid kit (take medical advice for this as it might have to cope with any kind of emergency.

* Hat ( Sowester is the best, I have used one of these old style hats for 50 years and never had water down the back of my neck.

* Comprehensive tool kit to cope with any problem.

Duegen ( water or air generator I think is the best.

Solar panel 85 watt

General information

The mast climbing gear I use is 2 x tripple blocks 50mm dia one with a becket you will need 7 times the hight of your mast for the rope which should be soft buff finnish on the lower block you have a cleat like the mainsheet. attach the top block to the main halyard and raise it to the top of the mast and secure on a mast cleat. Then attach the bottom pully to your harness or chair and pull yourself up the mast cleating yourself off at any point you want. I can lift myself up our mast in 3 mins with ease and I weigh 75 kilos. I keep all the rope and blocks in a soft nylon bag ready for use at any time.

While I have tried to give good advice here and have used all the equipment you have to make the decisions for your self. Just ask yourself this question DO I WANT TO SAIL SAFELY AND ENJOY MYSELF. If the answer is yes then I hope this advice will help you acheive that goal.