List of jobs...some will get done...some...well you know how it is...

The visit to the Ashlett Dining Club gave an opportunity to work out what needed to be done before the season starts...what could be done...and what it might be nice to try and do,....

1. Clean and Polish   - hull looking shabby and marked so a must do job.

2. Rhino tape sheathing                          

 - the experiment I covered in a blog at the beginning of 2014. It has lasted 2 years as an experiment and is  working well so looking to fully cover the hull in a clear protective layer.

3. Engine service  - Service kit ordered

4. Spare fan belt  - Ordered

5. Repair white gel coat chips - Gel coat acquired

6. Sort out mast rub from blocks

 - Solution acquired - to be fitted (brown shampoo bottle cut  to fit blocks and allow rope travel and stop mast rubbing/ chafe.

7. Battery maintenance - Solar panel purchased- to be fitted


8. Boat tidy and review of contents - Severe clear out of accumulated 'useful' bits and pieces


9. Measure for cockpit cover  - Done - purchase of material next step


10. Cockpit tent     - Chase up Habitent or make my own ???

11. Clean up anti fouling   - needs abrading and touch up in places - apparently Cilllit Bang will remove the white deposits left by coral bloom picked up in Chichester harbour

12. Wash ropes  - Done ..re-fitting ...ummm errr.

13. Replace mooring ropes  - Getting worn and besides a different colour would stop people using the anchor warp in error.

14. Inside storage  - explore the creation of large 'halyard bags' to provide stowage along inside on hull. (Glenys ,you are going to be busy - never mind weddings)

Anything else that occurs ....... in between must remember to go sailing

Ashlett Dining Club

The night before had been minus 3 so it was little wonder that my wife looked at me strangely as I packed up my bags to go to the second Ashlett Lunch time dining with plans to stay over night. I wasn't the only one who was mad enough but armed with a fan heater and extra sleeping bag I set off.

Lunch at the Mill was a very sociable affair with many Drascombers emerging from the winter shadows and gleefully contemplating the season ahead. Not only was socialising going on but Sharon from Drascombe Boats was showing round a potential Drifter 22 purchaser, who took full advantage of gleaning all the information he could from the assembled crowd - not sure he went home any the wiser !!

The afternoon passed in the clubhouse, together with Glenys, trying to work out how the club sewing machine worked - it seems it didn't but Stewart had a solution - a sewing machine he had acquired form the late Douglas Hopwood, which it seems may now be put to good use making covers for Drascombes and, hopefully, Shrimpers .....

The hardy few spent the evening in the Mill, listening to the various contributions offered at the Open Mic evening - some good, very good...others...not so.

Adjourning to our boats it wasn't long before a tap on the hull and the query, "Do you have a spare fan heater?"...well of course I did...doesn't everyone...

It just happened that on the way down I had stopped for some supplies and whilst shopping in Tesco has spotted numerous fan heaters going very cheaply..and all much more sophisticated than the old one I had brought with me...so I did in fact have a spare..lucky for some..another chilly night otherwise.

As it was snug as a bug..

Breakfast was taken at the Top Club and we departed for home..but the first night on board of 2016.....in February......

London Boat Show 2016

The new season is always hearalded by the shiny stainless steel and glossy hulls of the London Boat Show. This year was no different and many men, women and children visited the show - some serious sailors, some newcomers, some dreamers.
I made my annual pilgrimage to help Drascombes by Churchouse Boats on their stand. Sharon had strong armed a number of owners and previous owners to come and help her out on the stand whilst Simon was breaking new ground at the Atlanta Boat Show, USA.

Drascombe Longboat on the Drascombe by Churchouse stand LBS

There was a huge variety of visitors to the stand, a lot of Drascombers past, present, and from the level of the interest, no doubt the future. Many general visitors and lots of interest in the boat and the range of models that are available.

Good to see Alex Haig from Anglia Yachts again as well as Peter Thomas from Cornish Crabbers as well as Steve and Kristian, known as the Hobie Boys from Hobie Kayaks.

The Sunseekerstand forming the backdrop of the show - this boat a snip at £17 million......

It was a successful week  with some boats and accessories sold. Enjoyed the social side as well, visiting a number of restaurants locally.

A good taster for the season to come, visiting the stands for ideas and innovations.

Tour of the Drascombe Longboat

Product Review - Huawei Mobile WiFi

I recently was located for a reasonable period of time in an area with poor mobile and WiFi connections and it got me thinking about mobile WiFi. A sailing friend, Marcus, has used a system for sometime and I recalled the conversation with him at anchor one summer evening.

The result was a quick search on Amazon (other on line retailers are available) which turned up the Huawei E5330. There is actually a large number of devices available but for cost and reviews quality this seemed to do the job, certainly as an experiment.

The small package duly arrived with Amazon's customary efficiency and I had included the purchase of a 2Gb EE data sim card.

Huawei E5330 Mobile WiFi unit

The unit is small 9cm x 6cm and comes with a USB charging lead for it's internal power which is similar to a mobile phone battery. The lead is the same USB configuration as any SMART phone which is handy.

The sim card inserts just like a mobile phone and on the inside cover is the security code, that can be changed once you are up and running.

The lights from left to right show..signal strength, WiFi , Power, don't know, and a standby type dot that shows the unit is running.

The unit claims 21 Mbps download speeds, which means video and films will run....the battery has a standby time of 300 hours, and most impressively up to 10 devices can be run using the unit at a time.

Both Android and Apple apps are available to manage the device and check status etc,

At the time mine cost £28 but I see they are now in the £30 region. As I mentioned I bought a 2Gb sim on the EE network. - this cost me £6.45 and lasted for 30 days - this is a minor issue - these type of data cards come pre bundled with an amount of data - use it or lose it.

However the advantages are you can use a different provider from your mobile provider so coverage can be more easily assured and with a bit of research, prior to a trip somewhere, I will buy data cards that have the best coverage for the area I am visiting. 

Marcus recommends buying two or more cards so if the 30 days expires or you run out of data allowance, simply insert another card...it's cheaper than topping up the existing card. The 30 days runs from the first time you activate the card so it's worth making a note of the relevant dates so you're not caught out.

I have also come across 6Gb cards that run for 90 days from activation, currently the EE version costs £14.99 - compared to £10 per month to have an extra 2 Gb of data on my phone, this works out far more effective as my tablet, laptop as well as my phone can use the connection.

So far very impressed and I am looking forward to seeing how it works out on the water next season...I'll let you know.

05/12/15

Update : I bought one of the 6Gb cards once the 2Gb had expired - had it for over a month now and still have 4Gb data left at least - going to be pushed to use it all in the time but at £14 or so compared to the £35 it would have cost through Vodafone seems a good deal. Might try a different provider next time as EE seem to have blackspots in some areas I visit but I suspect much the same with the others...we'll see

Review of 2015 season

Well the season seems to be well and truly over, and whilst memorable in so many ways seemed to peter out quite quickly and ended on a sad note.

Overall I achieved 35 nights afloat, starting with the Chichester rallies and then following the move to Ashlett Sailing Club, the Longest day cruise, the epic Falmouth jaunt and of course the Poole rally. In addition some 'interesting' days taking Sharon out for a sail, meant quite a lot of sailing. Not as much as I would have liked and work definitely got in the way, especially during the latter part of the season


Happy memorable events:

Helping out on the Drascombe by Churchouse stand at London and Southampton Boat shows - interesting and fun...apart from the feet from all the standing up...

The Chichester rally, 'blessed' by Ruth and Howard Worsley and their epic adventures with their mast falling down, jib unfurling and several other closely averted disasters - someone must be watching over them.....

The move to Ashlett - sorry to leave Adrian and Richard in Chichester, but it made sound practical and economic sense

The reception at Ashlett - very friendly and welcoming and of course, the regatta

The epic Falmouth jaunt - good company , great sailing and wonderful places.

Poole - the prolonged visit to the pub in the company of , yes, you've guessed it,  Brad and Bob - loosing the dinghy and Adrian's glasses.


Not so memorable events :

Being stuck on the A34 coming home from Falmouth, waiting for the AA  - a 14 hour journey



Sad events :

The passing of Douglas Hopwood, a real gent and excellent sailor who brought humour, knowledge and friendship to all he encountered.



I have still to put the boat to bed for the winter which I hope to do this weekend and then the dinner at Chichester Yacht Club later this month really does bring the curtain down on the 2015 season


2016 - well lots to look forward to including the first outing of Drascamp2016 in July ..lots to do before then.