What have we done

Last jolly

Did'nt we have a lovely day afloat on our beloved chuckle for the last time yesterday. 

http://youtu.be/-r6lwbV2gjc

Having removed all our personal items from chuckle we begin planning on how to sail the new boat our sadler 29 with bilge keels from isle of whithorn in the solway firth round the hammer head mull of gallaway back to home waters. So our family sailing adventures continue. 

Chuckles sale has been agreed

We have this morning with heavy hart accepted an offer for Chuckle. Her new home is as keen as we are to see her well cared for and used to her full potential, wonderful news and a great relief to find a great home for her.

Now what boat to choose to extend our sailing experience, i have written off a bigger wooden boat now, due to the extra size and the maintenance demand on top of everything else will be too much, perhaps when the children are more independent or have left home, sooooo…..  Fergus, freyja and myself (jenny away at work) have decided if we have to accept a piece of Tupperware we will only settle for the unsinkable well insulated, sea kindly/worthy, versatile,  spacious (to us) and fit for longer family passages to the baltic and beyond, fit for weekends and month long cruises away, is a bilge keeled Sadler 34. humm, how will i put the price tag to jenny……..15 years of holidays afloat? Does mum really want to do night watches, and longer passages? Jenny has agreed to do some night watch experience on a course or in some other way before we make the commitment. Deep breath. swallow, tear in my eye, no more chuckling………..

CHUCKLE FOR SALE

Sale due to children out growing their birth. We love our chuckle it has been a great pleasure sailing her, taking all our family holidays in her and maintaining her as a family project. We would like to find a new owner who is able to take full advantage of her continued potential given appropriate maintenance and care. Please see this sailing blog for more information than you might need: http://nordicfolkboatchuckle.blogspot.co.uk

We would like to begin looking for a new wooden boat of 33' for family cruising, chuckle has inspired us to go further and find new horizons we hope very much its new owners will gain as much from her as we have. Any offer considered from a potentially perfect home, for example a young family wishing to begin sailing with woodworking skills and the time and resources to carry it off.

£2500 ONO

Wind

Going with the wind and tide is frustrating if you want to go somewhere but an inspiration otherwise. Well we thought we wanted too leave elie tomorrow but now we have studied the options it looks best to stay put for two nights more let the south east win blow out the strong northerly to calm down and run home with a fair wind. We are all settled in, at elie in fife a beautiful quiet harbour. Lots for us to do so hope the coming rain is not to bad and our days out to st andrews a wind mill and messing about with lobster pot and fishing in giggle bring us fun rest and sustenance to mind and sole. Last night i was up at 1 am sorting out chuckles drying out, i and fergus were very tired today hoping we can recover with a good nights sleep tonight. Freyja today sailed giggle out to sea twice and back. She is becoming more and more confident. I was crew but only suggested improvements to sail trim and spent the time crouched under the boom being told what to do. We put the lobster pot in and fished. Fergus is struggling to pace himself and remain calm enough to recover from being tired. An afternoon nap would be good for him.

Windy

Bed early, after tidy decks, alter mooring lines theres a bit of a blow coming.
Tie everything down. Anchored the dingy on the beach. Its to swing to the north colder wetter than before and gusting like heavy weather. What will we do tomorrow when the kids wake up. Will i have to get up in the night rain coat and underpants to fix some bump or rattle. Have i forgotten anything. We are hard on our fenders. Water rattles the clinkers, rain only pattering the boom tent. Jen reads drifting off into another world. Skippers job is never done. Fergus and freyja cosy in the fore peek squeezed in dry warm tired. The dog just farted but she does help keep us warm. The barometer tells us of the change ever closer, the north wind is about to blow. The rigging is beginning to sing its song. My back aches. Tired at 930 pm another busy day.
Wilderness camping only in the middle of a pritty holiday village surrounded by weather beaten luxury holiday Cottages and grand houses, it feels a bit odd. Gastro pub diners looking out at the sea gypsy family bobbing about in the tiny yacht from Eyemouth in the wind and the rain. Life is interesting. Its good we all do it differently.

This morning was full of contrast. Fergus freyja and i went out in our tender giggle. Sailing out to fish for mackeral. We did not catch any so we went of to our lobster pot set the day before. Lifted the pot from our wee boat no crab or lobster for lunch. On the way out we were surounder almost circled at times by fast moving power boats and watched closely by small drifting fishing boats all but us were occupied by men. There was one other boat with wee ones huddled in the cabin of one boat of dads. Our giggle was the only boat sailed by two small children and they did the fishing too. On the way in the power boat from the hire water toys shop was dragging thrill seekers about screaming. My two children looked on putting freyja off the helm and her course. After our hour of fun fishing in giggle, fergus and freyja hired a sit on top for and hour wet suits on playing. Fergus went to rescue/help another boy who had throw his paddle away and swimming next to his sitontop. They had drifted out a wee bit, i watch and the ever watchful hire shop man noted fergus and freyja paddled back against the fresh breeze the much bigger lad gave up and came back on the rescue rib. 'Hardy lass' the hire man noted. What does all this teach us, what does it teach fergus and freyja, its taking me a while to work it out. Latter an older man took a laser out in the stronger afternoon blow and after his capsize was returned back in the rescue boat dragging his still capsized laser dingy, mast and sail flogging in the sea no match to the mighty out board. Think you tell where i am coming from. This nails it for me the power boat that joy rides at what appears to be full power up and down the beach warning any potential swimmers to stay close to the beach. I think we are all mad, whats a good idea or bad one today has become a blur.

Pants

One good thing about only wearing pants and raincoat is you dry off quick, the main hallyars was slack and thrashing the mast had to go and stop the noise to get to sleep.

Dunbar

Well we have had a lovely stay so far in dunbar. Every face we meet is interested to know we are well and supplied with the facility key. We are very happy in our birth really getting into the holiday mood. Our lovely dutch friends invited us all for a day trip too isle of may yesterday. We loved it, exploring a new boat chatting about life and taking in the firth of the forth at 11knots. There big catamaran really goes. Landed on may island and had a short walk about, beautiful, felt like precious wilderness we barely wanted to step on carefully walking in single file and sticking to the paths we observed nesting sea birds puffins most funny, all watching us like a giant security team.

Hello,

Here's a picture message you've been sent from 07801653830.

You can send a message back from your mobile phone. But don't reply to this
email.




Thanks,

O2

Lost measages

The follow entry's since monday did not get through from my mobile so here they are i hope below as one long one

Now its story time. Anchored off holy island. Non eventful motor down here into a weak wind on the nose. Saw some dolphins. Walked the beaches here bt loved it, picked some mussels for breakfast.
Well for our second night afloat we r doing na bad. We r getting better at it but by no means is it easy, its hard work. There are so many things to remember oh yes that reminds me must close sea cock..... Done. Sleeping at anchor is no easy business for the skipper comes with some anxiety but its a fair forecast. We all have our jobs amd rolls and thankfully more is gradually being done by the crew and not just daddy. Today when we changed course near to holy island fergus did not want the engine off and sails up when the wind was finally up a bit and off our nose. But jenny was in a foul mood with the engine noise. I kept it simple and did not put up the sails. There was no winning only frustration, and this breeds resentment and it goes on. Living in this little wooden shell afloat is an intense lesson for all of us in how to get on with it dispite our differences. Is it fun is it challenging is it frustrating its everything from one moment to the next thank goodness we have no choice but to love one another and it.
We r still afloat. I was sleeping very well as we approached high water, until fergus woke us all in his voluntary anchor watch capacity. "Daddy the anchors dragging" he screamed in a death cry. "Listen whats that noise". Yes there was a noise of the anchor chain rumbling over the sea bed, it was straightening out. The evening before after asking jenny to run the boat astern as i went forwad and lowered the anchor and chain the day before on returning to the cockpit i discovered she had not known what to do and fergus had stepped in and swung the boat round astern in the opposite direction. Hense the chain i new would be in a big pile on the sea bed. Well it was gently layed out last night by the wind and tide working together and the noise was amplified by the chain attached to the post on the foredeck over fergus' head. It did sound like an anchor dragging but i knew from my little experience that in this light wind and tide and that chain and anchor we were going know where. Fergus' has every right to doubt the skipper, i guess confidence and the appropriate lack of it comes from experience.
I make to see the world
Making helps me see
The detail not found
Any other way

This boat i did not make but i keep her
Learning the detail as i fix her and maitain her

Chuckle is her name
She is one of the family
But better behaved than the children
More like a granny
Someone you can rely on

She floats and we now sleep within her
Riding on the anchor we dream with the water tickling her clinkers
Making her chuckle
The melody of the wind waves tides at holy island
Drifting through our senses.

No other time and place will be like it.
We wont forget it a proper adventure
Some weeks to go now
Where next hook up tomorrow then eyemouth

Back to home waters then beyond again to new shores
What is it we r chasing
Something in the wind the air the water forgotten
Hummm! Kissed another boat as the forgiving dutchman put it while at anchor early this morning. Fergus once again had me awake to let me know the squeaking noise was us hit them. Freyja jumped ship with them the nice duch folk in there go fast catamaran and left us to get to grips with sailing cats. We did find her again in eyemouth. We however left our anchorage later to find choppy sea and no wind and the skipper forgot to fill the fuel tank. So having herd the engine near stop i switched it off and filled it up. Well only half full because chuckle are wee boat was rolling about so much it was so tricky to pour the fuel in the funnel and not on the deck. From then the engine would not go for long without near coming to a holt so i used up all my sea legs in the rolly polly sea with my head in the engine compartment to try and bleed the obvious air in the fuel line. I Was not in the best of spirits by then, woosy would discribe it. Jenny however dispite the short chop layed on smoked salmon cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches. Much revived dispite the frequently near stalling engine the wind picked up and we could sail without engine power to eyemouth. Freyja had had a lovely time in her newly acquired, crewed, catamaran eating dutch cheese and flicking through dvd's in her socks.
The kids fell easily to sleep this evening. And furgus having had first shout at jumping ship and declining will think faster next time. Or perhaps he is the wiser of the two. I know who got to eyemouth in style.

Hello,

Here's a picture message you've been sent from 07801653830.

You can send a message back from your mobile phone. But don't reply to this
email.




Thanks,

O2

Hello,

Here's a picture message you've been sent from 07801653830.

You can send a message back from your mobile phone. But don't reply to this
email.




Thanks,

O2

Hello,

Here's a picture message you've been sent from 07801653830.

You can send a message back from your mobile phone. But don't reply to this
email.




Thanks,

O2

Hello,

Here's a picture message you've been sent from 07801653830.

You can send a message back from your mobile phone. But don't reply to this
email.




Thanks,

O2

Hello,

Here's a picture message you've been sent from 07801653830.

You can send a message back from your mobile phone. But don't reply to this
email.




Thanks,

O2

Hello,

Here's a picture message you've been sent from 07801653830.

You can send a message back from your mobile phone. But don't reply to this
email.




Thanks,

O2

Afloat

Well we made it. This is the first evening of our summer cruise on chuckle. Spent all day packing at home then unpacking into chuckle. We r getting better at it. Fergus and freyja rowed the tender giggle down the harbour from the slip and then all hands including granny sue helped load everything from the truck into chuckle. Jenny has still to learn where to put everything. We realised how out of practice of life afloat we r with few visit for the night this year so far. Will try harder to come more regularly from now on but we have had such a busy year. Fergus and freyja despite their high excitement remained useful with some gentle encouragement. Having packed everything we forgot the cutlery again, we improvised and survived.

Sailing report

Well the first trip of the year has been a success but not with out
what felt like a great deal of effort. It has been a relief that the
family still enjoys going to the boat after all the work I have put in
to 'the families boating interest', I do get concerned I am dragging
them into me own obsession. We camped three nights on chuckle at
Eyemouth, it was perfect conditions with off shore wind, mild
temperatures and flat calm seas to make a multi day trip to holy
island, but with the family having not been on board for sometime, sea
leg growing and refamiliayrisation was in order. The camping routine
in the confined space is enough of a challenge with out navigating new
waters, and we had guffaw to play with. By the second day guffaw had
proved herself as a fit for purpose sailing rowing machine, but the
harbour was not happy with me calling her a tender as it was unlikely
we would haul her aboard should she be in the way. So this is guffaw
retired from home water tender duties, and reserved for sheltered
water play and camping trips. If we arrived with her at a visitor
pontoon I do not know what the harbour master in another port would
say! Perhaps I should find out. Guffaws main purpose is to gradually
give the children more autonomy on the water and a boat they can
develop in that is growing with there experience. Sailing it together
across the bay at Eyemouth was a great pleasure with the whole family
and the dog aboard. Fergus and Freyja had a go on the helm in guffaw
while sailing and over the summer I hope we can find more
opportunities for them to have a go on there own and develop there
sailing skills. They very confidently rowed guffaw about the harbour,
it was fantastic to see the two of them in the boat I made for them
and see how they fitted to its scale, lucky kids to have a dad build
them a made to measure play boat.

Reports from the family having had a night at home to consider,
conclude they want more. Mum and dad loved seeing the kids play in
guffaw, Freyja loved growing her sea legs without feeling sick sailing
chuckle at sea for half a day, she helmed for an hour. Jenny
unfortunately had a headache when we left and did not loss it till
night two, both kids said there favourite thing was sailing guffaw and
there worst was going home. I am grateful everyone had happy moments,
even if it feels like hard work sometimes it is all growing our
experience in safe and pleasurable steps into an expanding adventure.
Big sigh of relief from me.

With great releif

Thank goodness guffaw sails. At last after what has felt like to long a wait i have finally sailed guffaw successfully. In fact she goes well, this afternoon i spent 2 hours in eyemouth bay sailing back and forth trimming the rig, basically moving the sail forwards and back on the mast and balanced it up nicely. Going through the lifting and dropping of the sail and rowing about. This evening the wind dropped to 1-2 b force and i took fergus and freyja out in the sunset before bed. It was magic and we all loved the experience.

Moused

Mast spreader balls

I made these wooden balls to stop the jib snagging on the spreders.

Wooden mast refurbishment

Hear are a few details of the final assembly of all the mast parts. I have said in the past to and engine orientated friend (simon r) that sails are far simpler than engines but now i am not so sure. The whole wind catching system when you consider all the parts not forgetting hull and ballast and sails is a complex thing and not one you can invent easily.

Galvanising mast parts

I had know idea how excited i would be when i set eyes on my freshly galvanised parts. Manu thanks to premier galvanizing alex in hull for there great service.

Wooden mast spreaders with copper roof

Ok this is perhaps taking it to far for the over all condition of the boat. But i am thinking long term and a little extra work now means far less maintenance later on. How long do think these copper roofed varnished oak spreaders will last? More than 15 years i think. Oak balls above and below on the wire, will act as rollers for the jib to make a snag and reduced chaff passage on tacks too.

Copper covers on mast cross trees

And wee covers for wiring holes.

Galvanizing

Yes the consequence of asking if you don't have to do a job you are told you do. The articulation of the goose neck would be stuck together in the hot bath of zinc said the galvanizer on the phone. So rivets are now removed. Whole lot pact up and sent away can not wait to get them back can not think what i will do if any of it is lost. Have some science fun for the kids we are preparing to electro zinc plate the nuts and bolts that would be made unusable hot dipped.

Goose neck

After removing all paint and rust from the goose neck fitting i will now enquire if the hot dip galvanizing will not effect its articulation. Plan to post off all mast fittings today to galvanizers. Wow a proper job poor old chuckle will be to shabby for her mast.

New cross trees

Selecting oak from the hart with no trace of sap wood and clean straight grain i expect this new cross tree to last a while.

Making dowl plugs

Knock chips of wood through my dowl plate. The chips are made by puting elastic band round block and splitting the whole thing into little squares with widest chisel.
Could not get fergus to do it so i took some time to think through the next art project while in auto pilot making dowl and filling all the old cable tie screw holes on the mast there seem to be endless number of them.

Mast partner wedges

After carving out the partner hole in the deck more accurately than it was and a drawing made these wedges were coppered round a mast of cut checked on the real section where they must perform and then tapered, all 16 of them rounded to fit inside and out and the ends rounded for knocking in and out. All this took al my spear time this weekend and monday morning for two hours. Making such a good job of them was a pleasure keeping an time sheet was not done, but i can say it took more than 8 hrs. I could possibly have don it on a lathe but any quicker not sure would like to know how anyone else does it? Any way the kids especially fergus was fascinated with all the steps and he and freyja will be given the pleasure of tapping them home when we put rise the mast.

Rounding the mast

Here the scarf joint and base of mast is shaped round and the sail track lumpy bit.

Boring

Boring out external wiring staple holes and filling them with dowl. So many.

Scarf joint for mast

This is the new bottom end getting glued to the mast. 1/20 scarfs.

Mast refurbishment

Hard at fixing chuckles mast between work and with chuckle lying in the water with no mast and no chance of sailing costing mooring fees the preasure is on to get out for a winter sail on one of these lovely crisp blue sky days asap. Running conduit and wires up the centre of mast will hopefully prove to be an improvement and the replacement of the bottom three metres will give the remaining old wood a new life. The old wood is warped but sound lets see what i can get out of it.