Tuesday 21 February 2012

Thursday 19th January '12

Today was declarded national replace the winches day so I duly set off to meet The Kipper on the yacht so I could hold a screwdriver and have one of those conversations that are held the world over: you know the one - someone is below decks with all the hatches shut and they think that merely whispering a command will be enough to let the person standing out on deck hear them over the passing traffic - remember we're in the yard, on the hard-standing, next to a busy road and the boat hoist is being driven around the yard.  Let's also not forget that it's Chatham so there's a howling wind blowing through the yard that brings the wind chill factor down to -10!  All that can be heard are cries of: "What?"

...and

"I can't hear you..." 

...and

"What...this one?"

...and

"Don't take that tone with me or I'm off home..." 

I'm sure you get the picture.

All in all though it went quite well for at least the first 10 minutes.  I was sent up on deck armed with the biggest screwdriver on the boat - the one that is now blue because it always gets used to stir the anti-foul paint and was told to start working on the screws so that the old winch could be removed.  Unfortunately, in his haste and excitement The Kipper had removed the headlining and loosened all the bolts on the wrong winch.  I returned below decks to warm up while The Kipper replaced the bolts and headlining and started again.  I very helpfully went on deck and hammered loudly and for several minutes to make sure that he was in the right place.  What it is to have helpful, smug crew who would do well to remember that sooner or later they'll do something stupid to even he score.

Replacing the first winch went quite well once we'd overcome the first hurdles.  Once the old winch came off we cleaned the gelcoat and realised that the boat actually used to be white!  The Kipper drilled new holes because as a certain law dictates, the old holes will never ever be in the right place.  Out came the Sikaflex gun and we commence Operation 'get Sikaflex everywhere'.  We learned that whilst you do need to plaster the Sikaflex all over the base to ensure that no water can get in around the base of the winch, you shouldn't put it beneath the pins that run through the cogs and iternal workings of the winch.  All it did was prevent the pins from locating properly and as a result, the winch wouldn't quite go back together as it should: blinkin annoying because we had to take the flippin thing off and start again...I know, I know...language!

We did eventually manage to get the first winch fitted and feeling very proud of ourselves we began work replacing the starboard winch.  The Kipper made the mistake of leaving the boat to go off and visit the little boys' room leaving the crew in charge of dismantiling the headlining in the heads in order to get to the second winch.

Big mistake...

Huge...

He returned to find most of the headlining hanging down around the sink, all except the bit that we needed to get to and several important screws and washers sacrificed to the shower tray plughole.  Valuable minutes were lost replacing the headlining and hunting around in the toolbox to find replacement screws.  After this little hiccup the second winch was replaced smoothly and without too much fuss.  There was quite a lot of Sikaflex all over the crew by the end of the day: how it got all over the coats and jeans and the deck and the new winches and the old polishing clothes and the screwdrivers and in hair and on faces and on wristwatches and in the car...remains a mystery.

We were all done by 3.30 pm and as there was still a little daylight left, we carried out some remedial work on the headlining in the heads.  Older Westerly yachts have a bit of a problem with the headling falling down caused I think by the fact that the glue just gives up after a number of years and parts company with the foam backing on the headlining.  The Kipper's yacht is no different and he has found various ways of curing the problem thus preventing him from paying hundreds of pounds to have the interior stripped and all the lining replaced.  He had a piece of vinyl on board so we used this and covered a piece of plyboard that he had screwed up onto the deckhead to stop the lining falling down.  We decided to try using the remains of the Sikaflex to stick the vinyl to the board because we all know that no matter how much you try and make the thing air-tight, it always goes off rock hard and you have to buy a new tube.  It's a conspiracy by the manufacturer to get us to buy more of the stuff.

It actually worked very well and we felt very peased with the final result.  It remains to be seen whether or not the Sikaflex will be up to the job and will keep the vinyl secure.  This is going to be like one of those Yachting Monthly tests - we'll get back to you with the results in a few weeks.

The following day, The Kipper took the old winches and anodes to the scrap yard and received a tidy sum in return.  

Friday 13th January '12

The London Excel Boat Show

Armed with shopping list and wearing comfortable shoes we set off for the boat show with the usual mixture of excitement and trepidation about how much daylight the credit card would see during a few short hours.  I admit to being immediately distracted by men in uniform!  We stumbled past a stand containing the topmast from HMS Victory with the associated yards and running rigging.  The eager chaps on the stand were coaxing anyone who lingered long enough to have a go at climbing the mast and then the idea was that they clambered along to the end of the yard to ring a little bell that had been placed there as a reward for making it that far.  I declined to have a go simply because I didn't feel like making a complete idiot of myself so early in the day.  I watched with interest as they managed to coax a poor girl into the climbing harness and then sent her aloft.  There was a swarthy gentleman belaying the lines for her and by the time she reached the yard she had quite an audience.  As she struggled out onto the footrope she clung bravely to the yard and leaned over the top of it for additional support.  Sadly, the top she was wearing was not built for working at heights and the view made many an old sailor passing by smile and suffer a sharp poke in the ribs from the long suffering wife.

I was finally dragged away by The Kipper who was clearly bored and eager to get on with looking at much more exciting things like winches and sea anchors.

We spent the day wondering around the show, pointing and staring at various displays, examining things that were way beyond the budget and being talked down to by a gentleman who should know that if you're trying to sell something it is best not to make the customer feel like a chump!  I met a chap who was a skipper on the first Global Challenge yacht race - The British Steel Challenge 1992/93 - I think his name was Ian MacGillivray.  Interesting chap and it was great to speak to him about Challenge Business and that first race.  He said that he was a training skipper alongside Pete Goss - the great man himself.  It was quite an honour to meet him and once again, The Kipper had to drag me away to go and look at much more exciting things like winches and sea anchors.

I am sworn to secrecy about the amount of pennies that were charged to the credit card during this show but they included the above mentioned items - 2 x Lewmar Evo 45 self-tailing winches and a sea anchor that was orange and made of heavy duty plastic and if we ever need to deploy it I'm giving up sailing and taking up camping.  I purchased a new life-line for my lifejacket - one of those stretchy affairs but one without the third clip because all I ever do is thump myself in the face with it.  I tried on a pair of Musto oily trousers but then blanced at the price despite the fact that they had been reduced to near half price.  I decided that my knackered out pair will last me for just one more season.

After a long day trudging around the show and searching in vain for the teak table stand (noticeable only by their absence) we finally admitted defeat and headed for home.  The winches were the most exciting and most expensive purchase (four figures) and were due to be delivered the following week by courier.  The Kipper managed to obtain most things on his shopping list including his courtesy flags for Portugal, Spain and Greece and that bottle of blue stuff for the heads.  After extensive research that included a conversation with the gentleman who secretly thought of us as chumps, we decided that the best and cheapest option for a storm sail was the old fashioned method: get up on the foredeck lugging the storm sail behind you and carry out a sail change while probably getting soaked through.  It's character building after all.

We talked a great deal about sailing in the Med and every time we walked past one of the holiday stands that showed a picture of a yacht at anchor in some secluded paradise with aqua blue seas and white sandy beaches it sent a little jolt of excitement through us to think that in the not too distant future, that will be Petra. 

Wednesday 15 February 2012

Monday 9th January '12

Crewman Bob D has booked his annual leave and will most definitely be on the dock ready to throw the lines off and head south this coming June.  A new crewman by the name of Chris C has expressed an interest in assisting with the delivery from Chatham to the West Country.  He said he would very much like to do all of the delivery but sadly, he has to return for work - there is a big sporting event on this summer which is causing havoc for annual leave requests. 

The Kipper updates me that his new batteries have arrived and have been fitted as have the anodes.  He has also ordered new LED lights for the cabin.

Sunday 8th January '12

The Kipper called today to tell me that potential crewman Steve E may not be able to make it along: we will have to wait and see if he can join us.  On a more positive note, The Kipper has sourced two new 110 amp hour domestic batteries for £100 each - reduced from £140.  Nothing on a boat comes cheap.  He tells me that he paid for them straight away just in case the cleaner had answered the phone and made a mistake. 

Tuesday 14 February 2012

The Kipper's 2012 sailing adventure

January 2012

As New Year resolutions go this was a big one.  Finally, after years of talking, dreaming and wishing, it seems that the Skipper (also known as 'The Kipper) has decided that this is the year for relocation to the Mediterranean.  I do not mean that he has decided to do the 'sell up and sail' thing but rather to relocate his sailing yacht 'Petra' to the warm and sunny climes of the Mediterranean.  I have crewed regularly for The Kipper for many years and so I feel I know him well enough to act as his scribe for the impending adventure.  We felt it might be an interesting idea to provide a diary of the events that will lead up to this epic voyage and the beginning of a new chapter in The Kipper's retirement.

Before we go galloping off with the fine-grain details of our preparation, perhaps we should take time to provide some background information about The Kipper, how he got into sailing and about his boat.  The Kipper finally retired in 1998 after 30 years long and arduous service with Kent Police but, as this diary is not about his career as a policeman we shan't say any more about it.  We will however just take the time to mention that The Kipper got his big break into the world of yaching through a small yacht named The Lincoln Imp.  She is a Moody 33 and is well known and fondly remembered by many people who were given their introduction to yachting via this solid and reliable workhorse.  'The Imp' as she was affectionately known was owned by the Kent Police sailing club but after many years of service she was finally sold and was replaced by a smaller Sadler 26.

Having been well and truly bitten by the sailing bug, The Kipper completed the necessary courses to enable him to act as skipper and has never looked back.  After his retirement he purchased his first yacht, a Sadler 26 by the name of 'Aquagem' and began 'hooning' (technical sailing expression) around the River Medway, the River Thames, the Thames Estuary, the Channel, the east coast and the south coast waters.  Aquagem proved to be an excellent little yacht on which to build sailing experience.  With her bilge keels she allowed for plenty of practice parking on sand banks in the estuary but she was also a really seaworthy boat that took most things on the chin whilst keeping The Kipper and his crew honest.  Following many adventures Aquagem was sold in 2004 and was replaced by a Westerly Storm named 'Petra'.  She is a 33ft fin keeled yacht that sails like a dream.  Since purchasing 'Petra' The Kipper has gone from strength to strength and escapes to his boat as often as possible.  He is often heard describing her as his version of the garden shed.  He still sails the same waters as before but has been as far afield as the Channel Islands and the west country.  He has adopted the ethos that if there is a yacht in front of us clearly they have thrown down the gauntlet and we must overtake them.  Over the years we have trained The Kipper to use the lines that are attached to the reefing system and that having the lee rail and side decks underwater is all well and good but she really does sail better when she's a bit more upright.  After many years, he's gradually coming around to our way of thinking!

Now, having said that The Kipper retired in 1998 this actually meant getting another job.  Since retirement he has worked harder than he ever did during his illustrious career as a policeman.  Sailing has been restricted to holidays and any spare time when he could sneak off to the boat for a few hours or a weekend.  During the many evenings spent on Petra and after yet another glorious days sailing the subject never failed to come up about taking the boat to the warmer waters and spending the summer drifting around the Med.  I make no apologies for tyring to convince him he really should chuck in the day job and do it while he was still capable of standing up unsupported and of eating food that didn't have to be put through a blender before being consumed.  I of course suggested he spend the summer in the Med and then cross the Atlantic so that he could spend the winter driting around the Caribbean.  Looks like we're now well on the way to achieving the first bit...let's wait and see what happens next.

So, after many years of talking and dreaming about it, it seems The Kipper has finally decided that 2012 is to be his year.  He will be relocating the boat this summer but will not be retiring completely until the end of the year.  Having delivered her safely to the Med he will then return to the UK to complete work commitments for this year.

Petra was hauled out for her annual winter maintenance in November last year and is now safely ashore in Chatham marina.  Following the big decision the jobs list doubled in size and so the pressure is on to get her ready for launch at the beginning of April.  Petra is already a well set up and equipped yacht: she has an 18hp Volvo engine that was new in 2002 and her standing rigging was replaced in 2010.  She has a well-equiped chart table and navigation station that includes VHF and SSB radios, a laptop with software to download weather charts, all the usual GPS and radar toys and a Yeoman chart plotter.  She has a life raft that will shortly be going off for service, a new flare pack, a wind generator, a well-stocked drinks locker, a practical galley and she can comfortably sleep 6 or 7 people.

The plan now is to install a holding tank and replace the primary winches.  The chap-in-the-know has stated that he thinks a new tank is achievable and that it can probably be located on the port side of the boat which is good news because if we store anything else in the cockpit locker our list to starboard will be so bad the spreaders will be in the water.  On the plus side, she does sail rather well on a starboard tack so it isn't all bad.  The cost of installing the new holding tank along with the pipework and deck fittings for pump out facilities has been quoted at a mere £3,000 or so.  Yes, you read that correctly - three thousand pounds.  Don't make me say it again!

The Kipper will be making the annual pilgrimage to the Excel Boat Show in London on the 13th January where the new winches will be purchased.  The crew has refused to carry them back to the car so the delivery option will be used.  The shopping list for the show is substantial and will include things like the new flares, yachting books, courtesy flags, a sea anchor, a storm sail and a bottle of blue stuff that has something to do with the heads. 

One of the winter jobs that has caused much muttering and consternation was the replacement of anodes.  The Kipper went to a local chandlery and suffered a near fatal coronary whilst in the process of paying for said anodes.  £28 of your English pounds for one - yes one - pear-drop anode.  After returning home and for some reson only then deciding to run a search on the Internet, he discovered that they can be purchased on-line from a wewbsite called zineticanodes.co.uk for something like £12.  There is a moral to this story - you work it out. 

I mentioned that The Kipper will be looking at storm sails whilst at the boat show - this is a work in progress and he is currently weighing up the pros and cons of having a removable inner stay fitted from which he can rig and fly the sortm sail.  His other options are a sail that is on the market that rigs around the furled away genoa or simply having a storm sail that you rig the old fashioned way - by getting wet on the foredeck.  This is a work in progress and we will keep you posted.

Other jobs to be completed include cleaning and polishing the hull, sanding and varnishing the woodwork, checking the bilges have been cleaned to my 'girl-clean' standards, a rig check, clean and polish the bottle screws (yes, clean and polish them), tighten the forestay and general housekeeping chores that need to be completed before the beginning of the season. 

Whilst all that is in hand, the search has begun for the crew to assist The Kipper in relocating the yacht from Chatham to the final destination in Greece.  The Kipper plans to leave the berth in Chatham in May and will then work his way along the south coast to Falmouth.  Strangely, nobody has signed up for this bit yet.  Weather permitting he plans to set sail for Gibraltar in June.  At this point, I introduce crewman Bob D. who very quickly booked passage for this leg of the trip.  I of course have volunteered my services for this one as has fellow crewman Steve E.  I for one am very excited about the prospect of the long passage from Falmouth to Gibraltar - it will be fabulous to be back out in open water again.  I probably won't be saying that if it's blowing 65 knots across the decks going through Biscay. 

At this time, the plan is still in the early stages but one thing is certain: The Kipper will be sailing away from our southern shores to head south and it will happen this summer.  His head is full of plans and excitement.  His ultimate goal is to head for a place called Vlyho on Lefkus in Greece.  What happens between Chatham and Lefkus remains to be seen.



The Kipper.