Better times....

 After the disastrous start to the season and my new sailing area it was a relief to have Daislebee safe on the mooring 

It was only then that I realised just how useful the Ashlett pontoon was. I quickly ended up in a routine that had me putting all keys and phones etc into a rucksack so they wouldn't be left on board. It isn't a long motor with the outboard back to the slip, but once you've pulled the dinghy up , taken the engine off, flushed it out and put it back in the engine store, it is more than mildly annoying to realise you have left the car keys on the boat.......

The plus side of the new mooring is that fact that day trips are perfectly tenable. The Ashlett tidal range meant you had three or four hours sailing or had to stay out for the whole tide to ebb and flood before you could reach the slip way. Now I can get to and from the boat a couple of hours either side of low water springs. On neaps she almost stay afloat.

With this advantage I took to sailing the coast to Teignmouth, which, although challenging as you face the inevitable ebb, can be done on calmer days, especially with knowledge gained as a youngster sailing in and out with my grandfather many years ago.

2023 season start ...just about

 It seems, in common with many clubs, organisations and organised activities we are still suffering from post pandemic malaise. That and the very variable weather we are getting.

My first season at Starcross had its moments. Daislebee was all prepared for the season and I took her down to Exmouth to launch on the beach at low tide, wait for the water and then motor up to my new mooring at Starcross YC.

I drove her onto the beach and rigged her. All good so far......

Then came the realization that I shouldn't have used the break back function of the trailer. I couldn't winch the boat back off the trailer as the keel was in the sand, and the trailer wouldn't come forward as the rear roller and spine were also in the sand, even with a 4 x4 I was ploughing Exmouth beach.....

Then the electric winch, which has a massive pull on it sheered one of the fixings holding the winch post onto the trailer..so I couldn't even recover the boat onto the trailer and start again....

So  I retreated to the car park, blew up the dinghy and went back to the boat to wait the tide to float me off.

I buoyed the trailer so no one would run over it and as it disappeared beneath the waves I set off for my mooring . not a great start.