Gentle Airs and Great Plumes.

The summer has managed to stretch itself right out until the very end of September. There were a few death rattles last week and a forecast of high winds and heavy rain for the weekend threatened the  DCA rally planned for Dell Quay on Sat.  CW was trying to tempt me out for a "rollock around the harbour" but I was sitting on my fence of prevarication playing hard to get. Then the stars moved slowly round in their firmament and gradually started to line up. The majority of rallyists opted for Sunday, the weather forecast started to look a bit brighter, CW gave me another nudge and the Tooth Fairy said go for it while you get the chance It'll be a long winter.

Sunday dawned chilly and still. Still as still can be. The proverbial mill pond could not have been stiller if it had been set in aspic. On the drive down to Itchenor I watched the Great Plume  which didn't exactly bode well for the breeze, and as I pulled the boat down to the hard a local worthy asked if I had an engine or at least a pair of oars as there were  a lot of disappointed sailors out there.   

I gave the boat a good shove off, to get me away round the pontoon and into the channel.  The tide was just beginning to ebb so I drifted gently in the current, but as I was making no way, I had no steerage and was in danger of bouncing gently off each boat in turn as I waltzed down through the mooring. To the oars then, well just the one as I was using the other hand on the tiller as I gently dabbed away. No sign of CW yet so I called him up on the ship to shore. Aren't mobile phones useful? He even had his turned on and was just launching at Cobnor so we rendezvoused at the end of the creek.
I saw Alan Moulton rowing in the opposite direction towards Itchenor, presumably looking for any other DCA folk drifting about. CW and I decided to make for Pilsey Island for morning coffee. This required deft skills in the precise and delicate art of light air sailing.  
After an extended repast at anchor, where Alan joined us, we saw Sarah gently beating up the channel in what can only be described as a full breeze and decided to join her.
We sailed out past East Head and over the harbour entrance to Sandy Point.
 Lovely relaxed sailing for the end of Summer.
 On Monday the heavens opened, and Autumn arrived.

One in, One Oot.

 

 



Just when you thought I'd sold the boat and taken up golf, we're back.

This is a wee video I took during the DCA rally at Cobnor a couple of weeks ago.

No I haven't sold the Coot yet, there has been some interest but the time just hasn't been right. Its not a problem, events have meant I'm not ready for another build and its still a pleasure to own her, as you'll see.

There's rather too much film of me me me me, I haven't got the hang of my new MUVI camera yet so tracking boom shots from the end of an oar while holding the main sheet between my teeth will have to wait, but if you look over my shoulders you'll see what Chichester Harbour is all about.
We set sail from Cobnor Hard then head up the main channel towards the dunes of East Head where Marcus entertains his lady friend and Wayne adopts a dog. In between shots of me nervously looking for pirates you'll also see Everhopeful going like a train, no, you can't turn trains either,  and CW making it all look so easy in Polly Wee. On the way back we detour up Thorney Channel and take a turn around that superb old Scottish Fishing Boat Ocean Pearl.
We had a brilliant week, the weather was variable, i.e. exciting at times, the rain stayed away most of the time and the tides allowed for some variation in destination.
Just what Cobnor is supposed to be about. 

Hope you enjoy it.

Its been an eventful year. New granddaughter Dulcie came into this world kicking and screaming at the beginning of May and gave her mum a really hard time in the process.
Things have settled down there and the new extended family are getting to know each other. This brings the total number of granddaughters to three, and I think everyone is in agreement that three is quite enough.  Three Sisters, good name for a trimaran!

We lost Dad at the beginning of June. He finally succumbed to his long illness and cast off his lines for that last voyage. The family and friends saw him off with tears of sadness and plenty of laughter as we reminisced about the good times we'd had. He was a real character, we'll miss him.
As they say in Scotland, and probably everywhere else, One in, one oot. 

Wolstenholme Coot Sailing Dinghy For Sale.

 For Sale 

Coot Sailing Dinghy. 

LOA 10ft 11ins
Beam 4ft 9ins
Sail area 70 ft sq

Designed by Andrew Wolstenholme

A new year brings new challenges and opportunities and I have decided to sell the Coot.

Built to a very high standard she was prize winner in the Kit Built section of the Amateur Boat Building Awards at Beale Park Boat Show. 

She is a lovely wee boat, a delight to sail and very forgiving. I have thoroughly enjoyed building and sailing her, she gets admiring glances and compliments wherever she goes.

But now its time to move on the other projects and she must go. 

For Full Specification and Photographs please click here.

e-mail me for further details

Cobnor 2013

I'm just back from the DCA meeting at Cobnor, a great time was had by all.

Some photos.

Cobnor Dawn.

Cobnor Dawn II,

 A weak bladder is a mighty alarm clock. 

Stupid Boy!

Chasing Wayne to the pub. 

Wayne and Marcus Gull Winging.

Tim's posh new camper, and Wayne's legs. 

A Shrimper which I easily caught and overhauled, but who's racing? and a Lateen rigged work boat which seemed to be fairly  zooming around until you noticed the whiff of exhaust. 

On the beach at Dell Quay.

In the pub Garden, a motley crew. 

Wayne gets to overtake Ralston in his Tideway. Which I think must be a first.

Bob's PDR "Dumpster"

 providing more fun per pound than any other boat.

A Last Hurrah at the Horse & Jockey

The last weekend in September graced us with some fantastic weather, and thankfully Chris Partridge had called  what could be the last HBBR meeting of the season at the Horse & Jockey at the head of The Hamble.

He reported on his trip here Rowing for Pleasure.

Its best to leave Swanwick an hour or so before high water to get the benefit f the flood, and to ensure there is enough clearance beneath the three bridges. As it was we left it a bit late. I just made it with about six inches to spare.   

Photo Tim O'Conner

Chris and Ruth Waite came along in Polly Wee about five minutes behind me, and they reported having to heel the boat over to get under the road bridge.

Tim didn't have any such problems in Zelva. He just cruised around looking very relaxed. 

The Hamble River Rowers were out for a brisk trip to the pub and came storming past. 

The HBBR contingent took a more relaxed approach. Chatting as we went.  

Photo Tim O'Conner

The return trip provided a good sail as a bit of breeze picked up here and there. The run down under the bridges was "Interesting" as the ebb was running fast and there were some big standing waves below the railway and road bridges.  Motor boats coming up-river against the flow and tide need to stick to the middle of the channel and keep the momentum on to avoid veering into the  piers but they don't seem to appreciate that the little dinghy coming down stream, needs the middle of the channel to clear the mast under the arch, has almost no steerage or brakes other than that provided by the oars, and the skipper is craning over his shoulder to see where he's going.

A few not so new nautical hails were required.

Gerrouthefeckinwayyouidiot.

Composure regained we recovered our boats and bid each a hearty farewell. 

G&T down by the Jetty ?

How do you tell if you are Cruising or Racing ? 

Are there any other boats in sight? -  Yes,

You're Racing! 

I was slipping down the reach past Itchenor when George crept up behind me in his new Goat Island Skiff.  A few minutes later a couple in an Enterprise had joined us and then a Chap in a Miracle. Of course we weren't racing  but its funny how things start to get competitive as soon as there is another boat close-by .  It was very light airs and sheets were trimmed ever so slightly, weight adjusted for best trim etc. There was even a loose wager with the Enterprise that  last to the pub bought the drinks but they peeled off heading for Dell Quay, which is probably just as well as she looked like she could sink a G & T or two.

The Wee Gadget.

Peter Hallam was in touch recently saying he was about to start fitting the floors into his Coot, 
Now this is a particularly fiddly job but it can be made a lot easier with the right tool. 

I read somewhere that once a boat is turned right side up, it becomes she.

So here she is, looking grand if a little cluttered. 

I offered to lend Peter the tool I made up to make the job a bit easier and he gladly accepted. 

This is it. 

 Its use is pretty self explanatory, but the trick is to get the horizontal bar at the right height for the floor, and then...................

Cutting out the floor becomes simple, well provided you have a decent band saw, but I know it can be done the hard way. 

Peter must have cracked on because a week or so later and the gadget was back and he'd finished the job. 

Dell Quay no Dories.

The Coot with a couple of Mirror chums moored off Pilsey Island in Chichester Harbour.

I'm just back from the DCA week at Cobnor in Chichester Harbour. 

A superb week of sailing, camping, and talking about boats way into the night around the campfire.

The weather was a bit variable as usual but we got out most days

sometimes it was a bit too calm 

Sometimes it was a little too windy, 

but when the wind and the tides were in our favour there was always the possibility of a visit to the pub.

There is something very cool and just a little superior about arriving at a tourist filled pub by boat. 

But pride comes before a fall as they say, so it was inevitable that I would sail off that lee shore with my mainsheet wrapped around my tiller resulting in an argument with someone's mooring buoy before I got myself sorted.

Don't think anyone noticed.  

The winner takes it all.

We're back!

John Milnes' stunning Tammie Norrie took "Most Professional Looking Boat"

Its been a busy week.

Firstly there was Beale Park Boat Show with,

not only,

 the WaterCraft Amateur Boat Building Awards (ABBA)

but also,

the Cordless Canoe Challenge,

plus all the usual sights to see at England's premier Boat Show for "Proper Boats".

Then there was the HBBR Thames Raid part two,

from Pangbourne to Walton-on-Thames over five days.   

So plenty to report over the next few days. 

Above is John Milnes' immaculate Iain Oughtred designed Tammie Norrie. 

  

John's boat took the prize for "most professional looking boat" and well deserved it was too!

John is a retired nuclear submarine captain and told us his next build might be a wooden sub, "its really just a big barrel".

We decided to co-opt him into the HBBR as he's a kind of handy guy to have around. 

Congratulations to John for a well deserved win.

HBBR member Peter Martin also won an award for

 "The Most Innovative Home-Made  Boat"

Peter's boat is a Paradox micro cruiser, designed by Matt Leyden. 

It is finished to a very high standard. personally I think the paradox is a matter of taste, but they are serious sea boats capable of epic journeys, and you can sail them in your slippers. 

Read about Peter's build and see more photo's here. here Johanna. 

Also in the competition was Paul Hadley's  Illusion, based on Matt Leydens tiny Elusion. 

sadly not a winner, Paul did row and sail her on the Thames Raid and deserves a medal for determination.  Here's Paul on the left chatting to Cee Dubbs.

This year there was a new category for kit-built boats. I entered The Coot as she was going to be there for the Thames Raid anyway, and as a cheapskate I'll do anything for three days free entry to the show. 

  

So here she is with her fellow competitors either side. Farthest a Selway-Fisher Cegall kit by Seabird Boats and nearest the camera a Selway-Fisher Northumbrian Coble plank kit by Alex Jordan. 

And I am very very pleased to announce that my little boat won the section.

 I am truly Chuffed to Bits.

More details of the Cordless Canoe Challenge, and the Thames Raid II to follow. 

     

Bank Holiday Weather.

The late May Bank Holiday used to be called the Whitsun Holiday, and for lots of people especially the Civil Service, Local Authorities, banks etc. it was a long weekend with both Friday and Monday  being holidays. Nowadays it tends to be Monday only but it is the start of the schools half term week in England.

All of this means loads of traffic on the roads. 

It is also becoming the traditional weekend when the stalwarts of HBBR that disorganisation of Home Boat Builders, have their annual visit to The Norfolk Broads.

So, once again we congregated at Barton Turf Adventure Centre.

The weather was fairly blustery, quite windy on Saturday when a few of us managed to get out on the water.  Sunday was definitely windy which caused a miss-hap or two on the way back from the pub. 

Monday morning, when these pictures were taken was glorious. The rest of the country was being soaked by typical Bank Holiday weather, i.e. wet and windy but it hadn't reached Norfolk yet, so while everyone else was packing up early and heading home we were out enjoying ourselves.

  Above is Hazy Days, winner of the 2009 WaterCraft Amateur Boat Building Award for most professional looking home made boat.  Her builder, Nick Paull has since added a sailing rig and doesn't she look beautiful!

It didn't last long however and they took a dunking, but they were back on the water in the afternoon, this time with their out-riggers, and bailer!

This is Cee Dubbs in his fantastic little Rosie Mae, giving Peter and Laita Nobes a sailing lesson. Peter is building a Greenshank Dinghy which is nearly complete so he wanted to get his hand in. Notice Cee Dubbs has got a huge reef in which is an indication of how blustery it was.

Its becoming a tradition to all go for a sail in Ever Hopeful, on Saturday afternoon, we jettisoned the ballast and filled it with people, five in all, and had great fun sailing around using the centreboard as a depth sounder. This is owner and skipper Wayne with his mate Marcus on the helm.   The people behind in the Canadian canoe were not sheltering from the sun but using the umbrella for propulsion. They seemed to be getting along nicely.

And here is Yours Truly, taking Coot for a sail on its home waters. 

Designer Andrew Wolstenholme lives in the Broads.  

The little boat was a joy to sail, she behaved herself, and excited rather than frightened her builder. 

When I was out on Saturday I didn't put a reef in and I probably should have as it was a bit marginal at times, so I tucked one in on Sunday and she was very well behaved. She sailed along nicely and would sit quietly when Hove-To so that I could take some photographs.

Of course I couldn't take the photos of my own boat, so many thanks to John "Ratcatcher" Lockwood for keeping me in the view-finder while holding the camera in one hand, driving his boat with the other, and keeping a lookout for hire cruisers. 

Cheers John, that'll be another pint I owe you.  

Hard Times

I seem to remember when I was a lad in Scotland it used to snow during the Easter Holidays.
  I know Easter is late this year but what fantstic weather. 

 In fact it was so good I decided to go for a Sail. I needed to take a few more photos of the Coot which was a great excuse and the clear skies and gentle breeze were too good to miss so I headed off down to Swanwick Hard. 

Max of Bursledonblog dropped by for a chat but he had to shoot off to work. 


I didn't really pay a lot of attention to the chap who was launching his boat beside me, other than to pass the time of day, and I noticed he had a pretty little Scow, which in its various guises is the indigenous boat around the Solent.


The wind was very light and the last of the incoming flood meant conditions were a bit flukey so we traded tacks for a while as we tried to head down river. 


I'm happy to say the Coot held her end up well. 


When we got back in and started chatting it transpires she is a Paul Fisher Design built by the owners father-in-law who is now on his third!  The standard of build was excellent but as usual i forgot to get any decent photos. 

Details of this and loads of other designs on Paul's web page. 


selway-fisher

I think this is the first of the three to be built 

Taking the Biscuit

In terms of all time cock-ups building Katie has not only taken all the biscuits, she's now standing in line for a plate of blancmange. 

After my enormous bollox of cutting the forefeet (forefoots?) upside down, Cee Dubbs was so worried about his creation that he came round to have a look last Sunday.

Chris Partridge of Rowing For Pleasure was equally intrigued and came to help eat the biscuits and take some incriminating Photos. 

I'm sure Cee Dubbs just wanted to check I wasn't doing anything else wrong,  and guess what?

 He wasn't disappointed. 

He immediately spotted that she looked a bit "Chipmonkish".

 A bit too full in the cheeks maybe.

The tape measure told the true story. I'd let the batten lie too full on the  floors when I was marking them out, instead of keeping it to the Cut Lines clearly marked on the plans. 

On Monday I un-stitched it all again and had another look. below you can see the new correct position of the batten.

What's an inch between friends? well quite a lot actually. 

Now that inch had to come from somewhere, and that somewhere is the aft floor which is a corresponding inch too narrow on each side. 

The forward floors have been re-cut to their correct shape, the aft floors will just have to stay as they are. Life goes on,  the world does not stop revolving on its axis.

I have stitched it all back up together again and there is now a world shortage of cable ties, at least in the SO postcode district. 

So here we are beginning to look the way Cee Dubbs intended despite my best efforts at sabotage. 

I'm planning to put a couple more bulkheads in to stiffen her up and define her shape more accurately then I'll start to glue her up. 

  

And finally,

 regular visitors may have been wondering what happened to Cee Dubbs Rhythm Stick. 

Well, after the resounding success of the initial trials he has transferred his Yuloh to Rosie Mae and was spotted last Sunday taking her for a spin.



Thanks to Chris Partridge for the use of his clip. 

The more observant of you will have spotted me sailing by in Coot during the first few seconds of this clip.