Progress
No progress yesterday as we went to a distant family funeral. Then today has been one of those days where you plan one thing and end up doing something completely different. Jane was going to work on mast tangs and I was going to work on the main mast. However,
Progress
Today has mostly alternated between rain and drizzle which has dampened progress. Most of the jobs inside are still easier when we can do the timber cutting and sanding outside. So when we could, Jane continued with the work on the mizzen tangs while I started on the main mast.
Safety
I've been for the first test ride in our Highfield Classic 290 Rib with the ePropulsion electric motor. Now just drifting upto the beach with the tide. Being lazy and reducing the distance to pull the dinghy up. I recorded some of the ride on Strava the electric
Progress
Following the first stage of clearing the starboard side of the saloon we got stuck into a whole lot of progress. We had a number of objectives. We wanted to remove the soffit to make fitting the new chainplate backing plates easier. We wanted to get it all cleaned (quite
Motor
So I've just added the classic "Heavy Weather Sailing" 7th edition by Peter Bruce to our library. Very interested to note how well our choices fit with the various chapters: Chapter 1 on boat design could have taken the Rival range (although never mentioned) as a
Electric
On Friday, while preparing to fit the backing plate in the cockpit locker we decided to remove the drive unit for the original Neco autopilot. This is a beefy electric motor that uses a chain drive onto one of the shafts of the Whitlock steering system. From all we can
Safety
The UK Home Secretary, Priti Patel, is introducing new dangers for anyone sailing in UK waters. The new "Nationality and Borders" legislation has publicly attracted concerns that the RNLI might be prosecuted for rescuing asylum seekers. The key is this There is a detailed article on iNews: Priti
Appliances
True to form we are going to be ripping out all the original instruments, after 44 years they are all well past their useful life. Both the speed and depth sensors used holes in the hull (and we are determined to minimise holes!). Nothing is connected to anything else and
Safety
We really enjoy the video's from Amy and Matt on Sailing Yacht Florence. Here they are preparing to cross the Indian Ocean, far from any boatyard facilities, having been trapped in Indonesia for over a year. Their rig check show some of the challenges that have led us
Progress
We took a long time to decide that we would take out the original stainless steel water tank. As with lots of jobs it was daunting. However, in fact it was relatively straightforward. Using the man overboard block and tackle I was able to get it out whole. Very glad
Safety
The past few days working on the aft cabin have been hard on my back and knees. It is a confined space, the floorboards had to be up which means you are always standing on a slope and stepping over beams while crouched over. Plus lots of ladder climbing. So
Safety
When buying Vida, our surveyor included concerns about the earth. We knew that the engine was "earthed" by a jump lead to the stern tube (and the jump lead was very rusty). I've just found these wires connected to the anode that is bolted through the