Wooden Boat Plans Australia | More Photos of Hullbridge Riverside

Wooden Boat Plans Australia

In the absence of inspiration for posting an entirely boat-centred article I’m offering four photos depicting views over the River Crouch at Hullbridge. They portray the mood at the time. There was a gentle breeze, sufficient to slightly ruffle the surface of the water, but not enough to unduly distort* reflections. Overhead, high in the sky, there were wispy plumes of ice crystals, formed by vapour from passing planes. Moored yachts lay in line to the last of the ebb, except for a handful that were caught in a back-eddy** over nearby shallows. Generally, there was a feeling of tranquility.

I am mystified by the apparent absence of swans, because they flourish at Hullbridge.

*Top photo

**Third photo

Links

Mute Swans

http://bills-log.blogspot.co.uk/2009/09/mute-swans.html 

The River Crouch at Hullbridge

http://bills-log.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/the-river-crouch-at-hullbridge.html 

Do you find information about Wooden Boat Plans Australia are you looking for? If not, below may help you find more information about the Wooden Boat Plans Australia. Thank you for visiting, have a great day.

Boat Plans At Mystic Seaport | More Messing About with ‘Pike’ – Part 2

Boat Plans At Mystic Seaport

Reefed

Reefing snotter

Rope horse

Brailing line and fairlead

Being able to reef the sail quickly and easily is important; therefore I replaced the experimental polypropylene luff lacing with a permanent Terylene one, and I devised a dedicated reefing snotter. I also exchanged the rope horse for a new one. To prevent the brailing line from being jigged up the mast and out of reach, I added a fairlead and a hook for the tail.

These changes have made it so much easier to reef the sail.

Link

More Messing About with ‘Pike’ – Part 1

http://bills-log.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/more-messing-about-with-pike.html

Do you find information about Boat Plans At Mystic Seaport are you looking for? If not, below may help you find more information about the Boat Plans At Mystic Seaport. Thank you for visiting, have a great day.

Boat Plans Aluminium Australia | More Messing About with ‘Pike’

Boat Plans Aluminium Australia

Toggles

Cord

Sail lowered

Once again I find myself undoing what a previous owner did with ‘Pike’. Perhaps the biggest mistake he made was attaching the luff of the sail to the mast with toggle cords. They were all identical in length, but the mast was tapered; hence the upper part of the luff sagged away from the mast, especially when tension was placed on the sprit snotter. Another disadvantage of a toggle system became obvious when I tried to reef the sail. As it was lowered, some of the toggle cords had to be undone to enable them to pass over the snotter fairlead, then they had to be done up again.

The traditional single luff cord passing through cringles is far superior, because to lower the sail for reefing, one simply eases the snotter and the halyard. After the reef is tied, they are re-tensioned. Because the reef is rolled in the form of a sausage, the sheet becomes twisted. To untwist it you disengage the clew block that is attached to the clew cringle with a snap hook, then hook the block back on again. The sail is reefed, and you are ready to go!

Another advantage of the single luff cord is being able to lower the sail into the boat where it can be lashed securely around the sprit.

Do you find information about Boat Plans Aluminium Australia are you looking for? If not, below may help you find more information about the Boat Plans Aluminium Australia. Thank you for visiting, have a great day.

Boat Designs And Plans | A Restful Day

Boat Designs And Plans

The urgency to finish building the patio is no longer there. Had it been, I would have worked on it this afternoon. Instead, I took the remaining old paving stones from the previous patio to my daughter’s caravan site where she intends using them for hardstanding. The remainder of the afternoon I rested on the settee while watching the BBC TV presentation of the Men’s Singles Wimbledon Tennis Final between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.  I wanted Federa to win, but the world number one beat him by three sets to one.

My prospects of finishing the patio before the end of the week are reasonable, despite the forecast for unsettled weather with rain, especially on Monday, when I feel nothing will be done.

Links

Roger Federer

http://www.rogerfederer.com/en.html

Novak Djokovic

http://novakdjokovic.com/en/ 

Last Year’s Wimbledon (2014)

Images from Wimbledon

http://bills-log.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/images-from-wimbledon-at-this-time-of.html

Images from Wimbledon - Part 2

http://bills-log.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/images-from-wimbledon-part-2.html

Images from Wimbledon - Part 3

http://bills-log.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/images-from-wimbledon-part-3.html

Do you find information about Boat Designs And Plans are you looking for? If not, below may help you find more information about the Boat Designs And Plans. Thank you for visiting, have a great day.

Dinghy Boat Plans | No more paper charts time to move to electronics

Dinghy Boat Plans

There is something incredibly satisfying about a paper chart. Pawing over them on the long winter evenings as we plan our next summer holidays and dream of the warm winds and sunshine that are  absolutely guaranteed. Half erased pencil marks, tea stains, blobs of sea spray and the odd spec of vomit all describe adventures from previous years that are all the better remembered from the comfort of a nice warm living room.

So, we love paper charts but  my goodness theyre expensive. So last year we went chartless, well almost chartless .. we couldnt quite go all the way .. its quite frightening .. but this year we plan to finish the journey.

Heres where we have got to on the good ship B. Down below at the no-longer-a-chart-table table we have a Standard Horizon Chart Plotter and then as a second system I use my Ipad Mini mounted in a waterproof, drop-proof Lifeproof Cover . I have set up two brackets, one to house the Ipad out in the cockpit when were sailing and the other at the back of the not-a-chart-table table. The Ipad sits in both in its waterproof cover so no need to fiddle around taking it out. In fact mine lives in the cover all the time whether on the boat or at home.

Just below is a little video of the good ship approaching Kristiansund. Half way through the clip you can see the set up with the Ipad. WARNING: there is a rude word at the beginning!

Does my iPad have a proper GPS?

One of the big questions I had when I started to move to iPad was around the GPS in Ipads. Its all a bit confusing but I get it now.

Every iPad has both WiFi and Bluetooth. Cellular Ipads (ie those that can take a Sim Card) also have a built-in GPS receiver; Apple calls it “assisted GPS”. So, at this point we all start panicking because assisted GPS doesnt sound very good .. we want ... no we need, full blown, all singing and dancing GPS and definitely not a GPS that needs help! But the words are misleading so dont worry!

When Apple say assisted GPS they dont mean the GPS requires assistance it means it is a
stand-alone GPS that is itself further assisted to enhance its speed. The GPS receiver in the iPad uses nearby mobile telephone masts to provide a faster position lock. So, instead of starting up cold and searching for satellites, the iPad can get a GPS fix much quicker because it knows roughly where it is .. hence assisted. From a boat perspective this is not massively relevant but you can understand why it would matter if you were mooching round London trying to get quick directions to the nearest Costalotta.

So, you dont need a cellular connection for the GPS to work or indeed a SIM card. I sailed from Norway to Shetland Islands and had a fix the whole way .. there were no radio masts in sight. So “assisted GPS” is just the ticket.

Which App and electronic Charts?

So, you then need an App and some charts. Yachting Monthly have done a really good review on Navigation Apps. Theres plenty to choose from. I use Navionics which is their recommendation but Im sure some of the others are great as well.

In terms of charts, you purchase a region such as UK and Holland. You then download areas as you require; its quick, easy and intuitive. The purchase price includes free updates for a year. You can then either keep the charts, but they wont be updated, or alternatively pay at half price and continue to get, real time upgrades. Prices vary but the whole of the UK and Holland is a tad over £40 compared to thousands for charts! A bargain.

Waterproof and ruggedness

Obviously having your Ipad outside in the wet is not ideal so I use a Lifeproof Nuud protective case and a screen cover. Which means the iPad is waterproof to 2m and drop proof from 4ft. The mounting bracket I use holds the iPad in its case so no need to fiddle around taking it in and out,  it just slots in to the bracket. So my iPad lives in its waterproof case all the time on the boat and at home.  I have a spare bracket below for it so when its not in use it has a home out if the way at the back of the not-a-chart-table.

Total Cost

The whole thing does get quite pricey if you have to buy an iPad specially. But if you use an iPad anyway its great value because most of the stuff you buy you would buy anyway .. Even the charts.

Who this arrangement might suit?

If you have a small boat, youre an iPad owner and you do a fair bit if sailing then I think its perfect. But there are variations on a theme to suit android and iPhone owners.

The advantage is you have your weather, navigation, tidal, information all available in the cockpit as well as next to you at home when you have that sudden urge to passage plan.

Power consumption

On the basis that an iPad should be good for well over 10 hours with no charge and in any case you could always top up charge down below for a bit I dont think this is a big issue. If you need to charge out on deck you can do but you have to open the waterproof port.

Do you find information about Dinghy Boat Plans are you looking for? If not, below may help you find more information about the Dinghy Boat Plans. Thank you for visiting, have a great day.

Plywood Boat Plans Australia | Two more sailing days

Plywood Boat Plans Australia

Last Wed night we had Ben Gladwell from Boating New Zealand magazine join us for a race as he wanted to review Blink, hed also organised a chase boat with well-known local pro photographer Chris Coad.  Chris took some pics of the inside of the boat first, and then was in a chase boat for on-the-water pics.  Ben steered for almost all of the race, and we had a great time gybing down Evans Bay flying the A2.

Yesterday (Saturday) was the second race day of the Xmas series at RPNYC.  The forecast was 5 knots variable and the day was indeed glorious, still and hot in the morning, so we were quite comfy with only 6 people for harbour racing.  Then a sea breeze - which is pretty uncommon here - started up at 12-15 knots for the first race.  This was a short windward-leeward and I knew this wouldnt suit us well yet, were still refining our furling technique and timing, and no decent chances to stretch our legs.  Add to that some minor nightmares, like a Div2 boat being right in our way where we wanted to start at the pin, and refusal of the A2 to unfurl quickly at top mark roundings (we got it sorted eventually, though, and learned a lot in the process), plus I horribly mis-estimated timing for both hoisting (underestimated) and furling (overestimated)... lets say our handicap would have improved and leave it at that.  We did, however, make a very good job of our general boat handling -- tacks, gybes, etc all pretty slick given how things were really quite busy on the short course.

Second race was a harbour course, more suited to us, but by this stage the breeze has started to get very light, and the whole Div 1 fleet were pretty much gybing through wide angles trying to keep speed on and all pretty close together.  We rounded the bottom mark and got the Code 0 hoisted, thinking that this would be just the thing... and then the breeze got up to 8 or so knots, then 10, then 12 ... so we took it down again.   Now using the light jib, we were gauging up on Ran Tan ahead of us  while the rest of the fleet had gone right.  they tacked away onto port near Somes island,  we decided to go a wee but further and got a 40° lift.  Not for long, but very very useful...  so we cleared Somes ahead of Ran Tan and kept our lead to the (shortened race) finish at Falcon Shoal.   Gunsmoke again.

Do you find information about Plywood Boat Plans Australia are you looking for? If not, below may help you find more information about the Plywood Boat Plans Australia. Thank you for visiting, have a great day.

Pontoon Boat Plans Aluminum | No More Cutting of Slabs

Pontoon Boat Plans Aluminum

Cutting bench

This is what is left of all the original slabs

Fiddly bits

The narrow side pieces have yet to be mortared

General view

My neighbours will be relieved, because there will be no more cutting of slabs – no more noise and dust to put up with. The whole morning was spent shaping pieces of slabs. I used every slab that came with the original delivery, with the exception of a few odds and ends.

During the afternoon and early evening I arranged the fiddly bits and set them in mortar.

There are eight more narrow side pieces yet to be fixed and two more very narrow bits between the shed and the garage.

Apart from realigning the shrubbery boarder mouldings and tidying the joins between the slabs, within a couple of days I should have finished the entire patio.

The forecast for the next couple of days suggests there will be some rain - quite a bit on Monday that could hamper progress.

Do you find information about Pontoon Boat Plans Aluminum are you looking for? If not, below may help you find more information about the Pontoon Boat Plans Aluminum. Thank you for visiting, have a great day.

Boat Plans Bolger | No more lies about size of waves

Boat Plans Bolger

THE COMING OF SPRING in the northern hemisphere ushers in a sense of renewal, a sense of refreshment and commitment to improvement. Spring always makes me want to be a better person than I was, which, admittedly is not difficult. This new sailing season I shall, once again, attempt to follow the Ten Commandments for Sailboat Owners:

1. Thou shalt not lie about the size of the waves, nor yet of the speed of the wind which hath assailed thee.

2. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s gorgeous Hinckley nor his adorable wife.

3. Thou shalt not curse the weather forecaster unless severely provoked.

4. Thou shalt not pour scorn upon the Coast Guard boarding party, yea even though thine potty be legal.

5. Thou shalt slow down both in the marina and the anchorage; neither shall thine junior offspring run amok in the outboard dinghy.

6. Thou shalt not stamp thine foot, nor beat thine breast, nor rent the air with thine fists when thou receivest thy bill for engine repairs, for it frighteneth the children

7. Thou shalt not laugh openly at thine seasick mother-in-law.

8. Thou shalt not neglect to switch on the cooling water before starting the engine and blame it upon thine spouse.

9. Thou shalt not lie about when last thou changed the engine oil.

10. Thou shalt honor thine foredeck crew, and refrain from assailing them with raiséd voice, for they are the salt of the earth.

And one more for the helluvit:

11. Thou shall not allow thine halyards to smite thine mast, lest it arouse sleeplessness and bitterness among thy neighbors.

Today’s Thought

We must do the thing we must

Before the thing we may;

We are unfit for any trust

Till we can and do obey.

— George Macdonald, Willie’s Question

Tailpiece

“What happened to your ear?”

“Well, I was ironing my shirt when the phone rang and I accidentally put the iron to my ear.”

“Bummer. And what happened to the other ear?”

“Well, I had to call 911, didn’t I?”

(Drop by every Monday, Wednesday, Friday for a new Mainly about Boats column.)

Do you find information about Boat Plans Bolger are you looking for? If not, below may help you find more information about the Boat Plans Bolger. Thank you for visiting, have a great day.