Boat Plans Pdf | Had a Brilliant Sail with ‘Pike’ – Part 2

Boat Plans Pdf

Greensleeves, Roy Harts Memory class gaffer entering the Yacht Harbour

Bridgemarsh Marina astern

Bridgemarsh Island to port

One of many yachts and motorboats that passed by while I was having lunch

A Squib heading upriver

A Rannoch two-man ocean rowing boat

Pike being put to bed in her boathouse

When it comes to having a sail, good weather makes a big difference. Yesterday’s was perfect, and the most important aspect was the character of the wind – its direction and speed. The wind was generally from the north and never more than a Force 2, which was ideal for exploring Bridgemarsh Creek, a backwater where I seldom sail, on account of it being shallow and because the prevailing wind is from the SW. It is best done when the tide is making, so that if the boat gets stuck on the mud she will float free.

Burnham high water was at 1140, and by arriving at the eastern entrance of the creek at 1015 I had ample time for a leisurely sail to the exit at the other end before the ebb. The flood tide enters at the eastern end, and on approaching the creek I felt the speed of water increase. ‘Pike’ was being lee-bowed into the narrow orifice from where I could see the masts of yachts poking up above the muddy bank of Bridgemarsh Island.

I was amazed at how quiet it was - the only sound I could hear was that of tiny wavelets slapping ‘Pike’s’ bow. These happy, chuckling notes, resonated by her bow chamber, lifted my soul; as did the dancing peak of her tanned sail that jigged to and fro before an infinite, azure, cloudless sky. Around the corner, two scruffy buoys marked the channel, and there ahead lay many yachts berthed at pontoons that straddled the creek. Uncertain if they were linked to the northern shore by walkways, I chose to glide through a gap to the south of them. I wove a course between clumps of motionless weed floating on the surface, and I occasionally glanced astern to see if any had lodged on the rudder.

This was an adventure. Having no chart and no GPS, it was back to basics. Deeper water was generally to be found closer to steep-sided banks, but I came to a point near the end of the creek where there appeared to be an island, one that I could not remember being there on previous excursions. To starboard and beyond it, I could see a high bank along which runs a footpath from North Fambridge Yacht Station to Bridgemarsh Marina. A choice had to made, which side of the island to go, and I chose the wider stretch of water to the SW, beyond which I could see what looked like the exit leading to the Crouch.

Once again, back on the river, I was free to take a break and to have an early lunch. I brailed the sail and left ‘Pike’ to her own devices. She very slowly drifted towards the Fambridge moorings while I relaxed, munched and took in the many comings and goings of yachts and motorboats. I was reminded that it was a Saturday, and like me, all of us were there seeking what pleasure we could find. Therefore I could not grumble when my little boat was tossed like a cork on the wakes of gin palaces, of which there were several, seemingly taking part in manoeuvres resembling a naval exercise. They proceeded down river in convoy to a distant buoy and returned to the Fambridge moorings.

As I made sail and got under way for Burnham Yacht Harbour the wind veered, causing ‘Pike’ to be close-hauled, but the sailing was delightful. I lay on the floor of the boat with my feet facing forwards elevated on the thwart; I held the tiller with my raised right hand and the sheet in my left. I felt the wind on my cheek, inhaled the fragrant air and thanked God for His love and kindness to me.

Back at the Yacht Harbour I skipped past the queue of motor yachts waiting for fuel, and the boat came to a gentle halt at the slime-covered slipway, the tide having fallen several feet. Getting ‘Pike’ on her trolley past the green sludge without sliding and landing on my backside required patience and tiny steps taken with caution.

Just before leaving the Yacht Harbour for the journey home, I had the privilege of meeting Charlie Pitcher who was there helping someone launch a two man rowing boat manufactured at Charlie’s yard.

Links

The Ocean Rowing Company

http://www.rannochadventure.com/

Charlie Pitcher

http://bills-log.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/charlie-pitcher.html

Bridgemarsh Marina

http://marinas.com/view/marina/6691_Bridgemarsh_Marina_Althorne%2C_Essex_GB_United_Kingdom

Battlesbridge (Where I first saw ‘Greensleeves’, a Memory class gaffer)

http://bills-log.blogspot.co.uk/2010/08/battlesbridge.html

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Boat Plans For A Chesapeake Deadrise | Brimble Blog has had a little bit of refurbishment

Boat Plans For A Chesapeake Deadrise

I have made a few changes to the Blog so that I can update easier and keep track of different themes.

The essence of the blog is the same but what I can do now is publish a post and it will automatically file itself into one of the pages/drop down menus above. What this does mean though is that I will need to republish some of the old posts so apologies if you get bombarded with posts today - brace yourselves!

I have also added an exciting new section which I have named rather cleverly recipes. In this section we will put recipes. But I need your help. We all have our own boat specials so what I would like to do is share a few. Ive kicked off with a Brimble favourite but theres hundreds out there; they dont even have to be boat-generated but they do need to be boat-friendly ie ideally cookable whilst popping out side to get some air. If you could email me at jayhalsall@gmail.com then I will pop them on the Blog with a full and grateful acknowledgement.

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Boat Plans African Queen | Had a Good Sail with ‘Pike’ – Part 2

Boat Plans African Queen

Under sail

At anchor

Cliff Reach

The buoy

Fambridge moorings

Cleaning

As promised, here are more photos illustrating yesterday’s sail.

Altogether I was on the water for ten hours, not all of them sailing or rowing. I took two breaks, the first at anchor off Cliff Reach and the second tied to a buoy near the western entrance of Bridgemarsh Creek.

Shortly after setting out from the slipway at Hullbridge I noticed what appeared to be a long piece of string trailing from the rudder. This turned out to be a crab bait line, probably lost by some unfortunate child, who like many others gather at the end of the Up River Yacht Club’s slipway for a bit of sport, catching as many crabs as possible, before throwing them back into the water.

Apart from the crab line incident there was an event that could have been very significant. The wind was generally light, but as clouds began to appear, the wind became puffy. A stronger puff than the others heeled ‘Pike’ to a point where she was about to take water over her side. I was able to spill wind from the sail to bring the boat onto a more even keel. At the time, I was midway along Longpole Reach, which is a stretch of water to the east of Fambridge. Not many people walk the banks that far from Fambridge, and had ‘Pike’ capsized I doubt anyone would have seen me struggling in the water attempting to right her.

I had worked out a passage plan considering the possibility of capsizing. As a safety precaution I carried a whistle, and wore a buoyancy aid. In truth, a whistle may not have been of much use, but on returning to the same stretch of water later that day, I saw a man seated on the north bank who could have been birdwatching. (During the sail I saw two flocks of geese, many plovers and several lone egrets.) At the outset, I had my doubts about being able to recover the boat after capsizing, and yet I took the risk. Needless to say, I became more vigilant after the event.

Except for the happenings described, nothing else of note occurred. I sailed as far as Burnham Yacht Harbour and back to Cliff Reach where I anchored and had lunch. Later I made my way to the easternmost buoy of the Fambridge moorings for a nap while waiting for the water to become high enough for me retrieve the boat at Hullbridge. I chose to row the last 3 ¼ miles for a bit of exercise.

Things learned

The new sheeting points are good, but I do not have enough strength to pull the sheets really taught for long periods. I may have to revert to the previous single sheet system, despite its drawbacks.

Sailing ‘Pike’ on the River Crouch in more than a Force 3 would be too much for me. This definitely limits what I can do with her.

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Boat Plans Arch Davis | Had a Good Sail with ‘Pike’

Boat Plans Arch Davis

High water neaps at the start from Ferry Road slipway

The weather forecast for today was accurate, and most importantly there was a light wind from the north. Conditions couldn’t have been better for a sail to Burnham from Hullbridge. Not counting tacks, ‘Pike’ did a total of 18 nautical miles - 3 ¼ of them under oar.

There will be more photos tomorrow, along with a brief account of how things went.

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Boat Plans Wood | Had an Excellent Sail with ‘Pike’ – Part 2

Boat Plans Wood

Lunch Break at the Rice and Cole mooring

Back at the slipway

At home, nicely cleaned

Tucked in bed

I have recovered from my excursions of yesterday when I took ‘Pike’ for a trial sail at Burnham-on-Crouch.

Conditions couldn’t have been more perfect.

Unlike my other boats, ‘Pike’ is light enough to have a combination trailer with a piggyback launching trolley. Being able to launch and retrieve her on a trolley is a big advantage, because the business of reversing down a slipway is eliminated and she can be taken to slipways that are unsuitable for road trailers, or launched from a beach.

Launching and retrieving her at Burnham Yacht Harbour was relatively easy without the need for getting my feet wet.

I rowed her to the entrance of the marina, and made sail. I found that she rowed well. Because the sail was brailed up, all I had to do to make sail was to free off the brail and sheet in. Immediately she came to life, and I took her on the wind towards the Burnham moorings. A strong spring tide and a headwind made getting to windward a challenge, but I was pleased to find she did magnificently, while making about ten degrees of leeway. Her unique, hinged rudder worked as it should, with a bungee keeping the lower half submerged. The deep daggerboard showed no signs of lifting. She never failed a tack. I preferred not to use the tiller extension because I could sit far enough forward without it. The shipped oars happily remained in their rowlocks with the blades protruding slightly over her gunnels. Thus stowed, they were ready for instant use.

After two hours beating two and fro between the moorings ‘Pike’ arrived at Rice and Cole where I picked up a mooring for a rest and to have lunch. There I removed the sprit and rolled the sail around the mast to stop it from flapping and making a noise.

By the time I had finished eating, it was coming up to high water, and the wind had freshened. I therefore reefed the sail and got underway. Five minutes later, the toggle line that held the throat of the sail to the mast gave way. I could have continued sailing, but the sail was creased and extra strain was being placed on the next toggle line. I decided to take the sail down and to row back to the Yacht Harbour. By then the ebb was running swiftly in the opposite direction to which I wanted to go.

I found I could power the boat faster than the current because she slipped through the water with little resistance and I had a helping hand from the wind. The hardest sections of the row were when going past the outer ends of floating pontoons – all three of them - that extended into the river. By rowing close to the shore wherever I could, I was able to avoid the worst of the ebb.

Apart from the throat toggle rope giving way, there were no other incidents, but back at home I discovered there was a little quantity of water in the forward, so-called watertight locker. A close inspection in the region of the foot of the stem post revealed that there were thin cracks between it and the hull panels on both sides. Sealing them should not be difficult.

A noticeable outcome of yesterdays excellent sail became apparent this morning when I sat down for breakfast; I discovered that my gluteus maximus muscles were somewhat tender!

Link

Gluteus Maximus Muscle

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluteus_maximus_muscle

  

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Boat Plans And Patterns | Had a Brilliant Sail with ‘Pike’

Boat Plans And Patterns

This is to let readers know that I had a super time sailing ‘Pike’ today.

The photo taken at the slipway of Burnham Yacht Harbour is an appetizer.

There will be more to come tomorrow, along with a short account of our ‘voyage of exploration’ into Bridgemarsh Creek.

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Boat Plans Stitch And Glue | Had an Excellent Sail with ‘Pike’

Boat Plans Stitch And Glue

It has been a very full day which couldn’t have been better. Perhaps tomorrow I’ll do a write-up. At the moment I’m very tired, and it’s far too late for thinking straight.

Goodnight, and thank you for your interest.

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