I tried to get my head around the idea of selling my boat....I FAILED!!

A month or 2 ago i made the crazy decision to enter Ironman Melbourne.  I'm not going to bore you with the details here, but for those who aren't sportingly inclined i'd probably compare it to the Melbourne - Osaka double handed yacht race, but obviously not as long.  By that i mean, it's an insane event which is open to amateur sports people, which is definitely doable if you prepare yourself physically and mentally, as well as preparing your gear...and a bit of luck with the conditions doesn't hurt either.

It's a 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and a 42.2km run, all without stopping for a coffee and a donut...and here's My blog about training for Ironman Melbourne. 

Anyway, back to this blog!

I'm investing a fair bit of time and money into this crazy race, so i figured i'd be short on excess of both.  Seeing I haven't seen Maggie for a while, and she needs some work, i'd try and sell her to somebody who has the time needed to fix her up.

Well...needless to say, every time I see a image of a yacht of any kind, i want to get back on the water!!

Speaking with a few people, I'm also thinking that a hobby away from triathlon. Spending some quality time with Claire and the kids tinkering in the boat might be just the trick.

Also, there's always the possibility that after the event next March, i might just never want to look at a bike or a pair of runners again!

But i think the overriding factor, is that i feel some kind of connection with Maggie and somewhat feel that i have let her down by not having her out with the wind in her sails and the salt water over her decks...

With any luck, the next update will be more along the lines of "have a look what i did today"....

Cheers Tim

The Viking Sunstone and how it's re-kindled my interest in fixing Maggie...

With the complete and utter lack of free time available at the moment, I've been considering selling Maggie.  

Actually... I've been considering selling Maggie for a number of years now - but i always convinced myself that after - insert random event in the future - there will be time to do whatever needs to be done so i can just sail.

Well, this time random event is the end of the summer nippers season, and the what needs to be done are:

• get a new trailer built (or learn to weld and build it myself); and
• fix the hole in the keel casing (refer to every yacht related blog post for past 2 years!! - I just checked and it's 2 years to the day since i found the location of the hole!!!)

But with prices for second hand, old boats at rock bottom it's really not worth selling Maggie, so she just been sitting in the yard...probably crying as all the other yachts are sailed...

The last few years i've been distracted with running / triathlon, etcetera...i think i need to find a balance!!

Anyway, let's get this whole thing back on track...

A friend (who is also a yacht broker) recently posted a replica Viking boat for sale on his website...

38 South Boat Sales

And then another mate showed me some photos he took of another Replica Viking Boat, which had sailed from Europe en route to Sydney...

And then today i read in the paper about the "Near-mythical navigation aid" The Sunstone, used by the ancient Norse Mariners...

Blah, blah...full article at end...

Anyway i googled Norse and saw the link to Norse Boats...well, that clinker style hull got me...

My sailing bug has returned!! Now to find some time to get Maggie back on the water...

Text below reproduction of this article

An oblong crystal found in the wreck of a 16th century English warship is a sunstone, a near-mythical navigational aid said to have been used by Viking mariners, researchers said.

The stone is made of Iceland spar, a transparent, naturally-occurring calcite crystal that polarises light and can get a bearing on the sun, they said.

It was found in the remains of a ship that had been dispatched to France in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I as a precaution against a second Spanish Armada but foundered off the island of Alderney, in the Channel.

British and French scientists have long argued that the find is a sunstone - a device that fractures the light, enabling seafarers to locate the sun even when it is behind clouds or has dipped below the horizon.

Sunstones, according to a theory first aired 45 years ago, helped the great Norse mariners to navigate their way to Iceland and even perhaps as far as North America during the Viking heyday of 900-1200 AD, way before the magnetic compass was introduced in Europe in the 13th century.

But there is only a sketchy reference in ancient Norse literature to a "solarsteinn," which means the idea has remained frustratingly without solid proof.

In a study published in the British journal Proceedings of the Royal Society A, investigators carried out a chemical analysis on a tiny sample, using a device called a spectrometer, which confirmed that the stone was a calcite.

The original stone is about the size of a small bar of soap whose edges have been trimmed at an angle.

It is milky white in appearance, and not transparent, but the new experiments show that this is surface discolouration, caused by centuries of immersion in sea water and abrasion by sand, the study said.

Using a transparent crystal similar to the original, the scientists were able to follow the track of the setting sun in poor light, with an accuracy of one degree. In a second experiment, they were able to locate the sun for 40 minutes after sunset.

Other factors provide evidence that this is a sunstone, according to the investigation, led by Guy Ropars of the University of Rennes, in France's western region of Brittany.

The crystal was found in the wreckage alongside a pair of navigation dividers.

Tests that placed a magnetic compass next to one of the iron cannons excavated from the ship found that the needle swung wildly, by as much as 100 degrees.

Put together, these suggest the sunstone may have been kept as a backup to a magnetic compass.

"Although easy to use, the magnetic compass was not always reliable in the 16th century, as most of the magnetic phenomena were not understood," says the study.

"As the magnetic compass on a ship can be perturbed for various reasons, the optical compass giving an absolute reference may be used when the Sun is hidden."

Dilemma....

I went down to the marina with Jamesy this morning to have a look over the trailer with a trailer maker and have a general look at my boat.
The boat was a little grubby, but not too bad considering i haven't looked at it for a year or so.
While we were there we had a coffee and enjoyed the view....
Anyway, it appears the trailer is a total write off, so a new one is needed :(
So the dilemma...do I dig deep in my pockets for a new trailer, or not...

Just a bit of randomness in General about Jedda Trailer Sailers for Sale...

Occasionally i have a look and see where my hits have come from...i've noticed a few from people searching for things such as "Jedda trailer sailer for sale" and similar...
I'm not making any comment about these boats, other than to say, that since i've had mine, i don't think there has been a stage when there hasn't been at least one for sale in the yard at Yaringa...Linky Thing for Yaringa Boat Sales so if you're looking for one, that might be the place to start...
Good Luck...

Not Quite The Day On The Water i Was Hoping For...But On The Upside...At Least Now I Know Where The Leak Is...

It's been a while since Maggie had been out for a sail, and Sunday was the day. 
I arrived at the marina and Maggie was waiting for me on the hardstand, with a gentle easterly breeze barely bothering the flags. This would be a good day to get the main up and sort out the reefing lines before hitting the water. After about half an hour, the lines were sorted and i had Maggie moved to the water.
Once in the water i did the normal set up...hank on the jib, run the jib lines, kick over the engine...so far so good. Then time to lower the keels. This is normally the first thing i do, just to resist some of the sway and give a bit more stability under foot...why i did it last on this day is anybody's guess???
Oh and i might add, that since i'd last been down to see Maggie, we'd had quite a bit of heavy rain, so i checked inside the under sink cupboard - where i'd previously found water - for any leaks...and nothing...that's great!!
So now to winding down the keel...as always, i release the handle from the catch and ease the keels down...however, this time as the keel lowers i here a cracking of fibreglass...hmm, that doesn't sound good...so i go below and check the hatch beneath the sink - the previous area of flood related interest (clicky and clicky for previous story) - and well what do you know...we've struck water...hmmm, not so good...!!
So i do what anybody wanting to go for a sail does, wind the keel right down and evaluate just how bad the leak really is...well...on the upside i didn't hear any more 'glass breaking, but a quick look in the hatch shows that the of water in flow has increased...um...so maybe going for a sail isn't such a good idea after all... :(
So back up on the dry i have a bit of a look underneath, and it appears that the keels have corroded to the extent that the induced swelling put too much pressure on the casing and CRACK!!...BUGGER!!!...DAMN!!!!
For the last 18 months or so i've been meaning to put Maggie up in a cradle, drop the keels and tidy it all up and looks like the time has come...
No doubt, once i get this operation under way my award winning literary skills will bring you all - OK the unlucky person who reads this - the next next exciting instalment of...drum roll please... 

...Tim's Jedda Renovation...

until then...Happy Sailing...

Sailing on Western Port

Maggie Jedda 22 NOT for sale!!

After spending a few hours on the boat on Sunday...and having somebody inquire about her...I've decided NOT to entertain the selling idea!!
Renovation rescue here we come!!! 

Maggie Jedda 22 NOT For Sale...if anybody is interested...

After spending a long weekend up at Lake Macquarie racing and socialising, it appears the time may have come to forego the excellent sea keeping qualities of the Jedda for something a little bit lighter (easier to tow) and faster.

Details are as follows:

Builder Ossie Whitley
Year unknown but thought to be circa late 70's
Length 22' - 6.7m
Beam 7' - 2.1m
Draft 0.6m / 1.2m
Displacement approx 1500kgs (empty)
Keel / Ballast swing keel  approx 338kg / total ballast approx 522kg
Hull Material GRP
Deck Material GRP
Outboard 2008 Yamaha 8hp, low hours
Toilet porta potti
Accommodation 2 in V berth, 2 in quarter berths
Galley Sink, 2 burner metho stove, shelving, sealed storage areas suitable for ice chests, water bladder
Ground Tackle Anchor, chain and rope
Safety Gear 2 no. Fire extinguishers, flares, life ring, boat hook
Electronics Battery, solar panel, cabin lights, nav lights, switch panel
Electronic / Navigation  Raymarine ST40 Bi-Data depth sounder / speed log, ST1000 autohelm, VHF and 27MHz radios, FM radio / cassette player, Compass
Sail Inventory 2010 Main sail, Genoa, #2 Jib, #3 Jib (hank on headsails - all fair condition)
Deck Gear 3 winches, all lines to cockpit except clew reefing lines which terminate on boom
Covers boom mounted sun shade

Yard Trailer
  
If anybody is interested...leave me a message (i won't publish it) or email me at sorrygonesailing at gmail dot com

edit: i'm not selling because i have to, it's just part of a longer term plan...so the longer Maggie takes to sell, the more improvements will take place...therefore the price won't drop with time...i'm just sayin'

2nd edit: NOT SELLING!! i changed my mind...i'm libran, and it's part of my charm...

The Hatch...and The Issue...

And the piccys of the gap between the existing deck and the hatch...

So as mentioned previously the plan is to make a timber frame / sleeve to fit between the window and the existing opening...just need to get advice on how to seal the timber...

New Hatch Arrived and Time to Ponder Installation Design...

So the new hatch has arrived...and is currently on the dining room table - i don't know whether that's better or worse than when the new sail was on the lounge room floor?? Probably best that it ends up on the boat ASAP!!


Fitting the new hatch isn't going to be straight forward, but it should be too hard either. The deck in that area is curved, and therefore so is the hatch opening...obviously! There is also a lip where the old hatch cover fits over. And the existing hole is bigger than the hatch - and before you ask, i couldn't go a bigger hatch - not enough room. So the plan...


I'm proposing to trim the front and back of the lip slightly to start the level plain and construct a timber from which will sit on/in the existing opening and into which the hatch will fit. The frame will be screwed onto the deck to gain some structural integrity and trimmed/smoothed to a nice shape.


Then the issue is...do i fibreglass over the timber frame and exposed section of old lip to create a nice smooth surface or do i just use an epoxy mix...
I think i might chat to a few people in the know...


I'll take some pic's to show what I'm trying to say... 

With My Birthday Coming Soon, It's Time To Think Of Boat Toys....

I'm thinking maybe I need to install wind instrumentation on Maggie....
and the obvious choice is the Raymarine ST40 to match the existing ST40 Depth/Speed Log...

...particularly if Maggie ends up as shiny as that boat!!

New Hatch Ordered!

Just got back from...well another internet window...where i have just ordered a new front hatch from Whitworths... I ended up going with the one mentioned in my last post (again if you missed it).

Now I just have to wait for it to arrive and then the installation fun begins, obviously I'll keep you all informed!!


Until next time...Happy sailing!!

I May Have Found a Suitable Front Hatch...

Browsing through Whitworth's on-line catalogue, as i tend to do, i think i may have found a suitable front hatch for Maggie, made by Bomar...

Key Benefits & Features:
Lightweight, strong, leakproof, low profile deck hatches. Frame and cover are moulded from supertough black polycarbonate and the tops are impact resistant tinted Lexan. All hardware is in non corrosive marine materials. All models include inside/outside handles and a locking vent position to allow air flow when the boat is unattended.

I just need to check a few more things and then...well, it may be time to break out the good old credit card!!

Next Major Ticket Item...New Front Hatch...

One of the very few times we have trailered (not a word i know, but you know what i mean) the Jedda, we (OK I) managed to loose the front hatch. 
Several attempts have been made over the years to build a new one. With the overriding desire for something strong enough to stand on being the major factor.
Here's the latest offering...

...which isn't too bad, but i'd prefer something a touch better.


So it's time to go looking for a new one, something a touch like this one...

It may be over capitalising on the Jedda a touch...but in the current market washing it is over-capitalisation...besides, i like the boat and ain't planning on getting rid of it anytime soon...

The only dilemma i may face is finding one which will fit without too much trimming / building up, etc required.

Anyway, i have dimensions from catalogues so the next step is to go and measure the hole for size...no doubt i'll keep you all updated!!

Happy sailing!!

New Blocks & Deck Organiser

So after having the got the new sail for Maggie a good month or two ago, and last month attaching the reefing hardware to the boom, i finally got about doing the next stage. 


Originally i was only running the foresail and mainsail halyards to jammers located near the cockpit on the cabintop. However as part of the reno, I am now running a couple of extra lines, the cunningham / reefing line and the topping lift, back to cockpit I needed to re-organise the blocks at the mast base and replace the old twin deck organiser with a quad to accommodate the extra lines.


Anyway enough words...time for pics. 


First pic shows the new blocks at the mast base and the deck organiser.

And the second pic shows the new jammer (shiny one on the left), with the organiser and blocks in the background. 

Now I just have to wait for a day with nothing on so I can get her back on the water.

Cheers!

New Reefing System installed for New Mainsail

Well finally after much deliberation, conversation and general stuffing about, i finally got the slab reefing system for Maggie's new mainsail installed...YEAH!!

I went down to Yaringa, after the weatherman telling me it was going to be a nice day, to be greeted by teeming rain... :( ...

so the decision was made to bring the boom home to work on...probably should have done that a while ago... oh well...

...so now with a couple of hours free in the morning, i set about drilling, lathering everything with duralac and riveting...and what do you know...i've got a reefing system...
 so here's the general set up...(i hope you all like my mdf mainsail!!)

once i get it back onto the yacht i'll tidy up the bowline around the saddle...

I've decided to cleat off the reefing lines on the boom, primarily to save room on the cabin roof. The cabin of the Jedda goes from gunnel to gunnel and doesn't have the "track" around the edge which many other yachts have...

If i don't like how it works...i'll just change it...simple...!!


And if you're wondering why that reef point looks a long way forward on the boom...it's the 3rd reef...it's really, really deep - 50% area reduction!! Hopefully deeper than i'll need but it's there just in case...


The reefing at the tack is done via the cunningham, which has also just been set up!


Hopefully, i'll be able to get Maggie on the water soon and test the system!!


Happy Sailing...


Just a quick edit:


I'm not actually going to end the reefing lines on the saddle as shown on the earlier photo. What I'm going to do is loop the line around the boom and tie off with either...

...a bowline...

...or Huw's Slippy Knot...

This way the boom is taking the load from the line and line isn't just trying to wrench the saddle out.


Bye...

Almost time to get to work!!

I've finally got all (??) the hardware together to get the reefing system set up...I've managed to borrow a fairly heavy duty rivet gun...so now i just need to source some duralac and i'll be ready to go...now just gotta find some time to get to the boat...fingers crossed for Sunday...???...


Bye...

My New Main Sail Finally Left The Lounge Room Floor

Following is a little story by my wife Claire relating her joy that my new main sail had finally left the lounge room floor.


Yay - the new sail has actually left the lounge room. A family trip to the boat (just to make sure it stayed on the boat and didn't return to the lounge room). Emily & I did have to travel in the car with it on our heads though  

James had to help put the sail up as I failed...conversation went a little like this.
Tim: Claire - pull the red line

Claire: the what?? (I was on best behaviour as the children were present)
Tim:  the red rope
Claire: this one?
Tim: No! The other red one
Claire:  
Tim (pointing & getting a little impatient): That one!
Claire: Ohh, the GREEN one (assuming Tim's colour blindness was the problem)
Tim: No, it's red
Claire: Really?? 
Tim: It may be a little mouldy
Claire: EEEWWWW...mouldy??? James, pull this rope!

Anyway the finished product...

& the happy sailor...(still giving directions to those not listening...  )

THE END!!

Now i just have to find time to attach the reefing lines and cunningham and we're ready to sail...YEAH!!

NEW SAIL

I have my new sail...WOO HOO!!!

It's currently on the lounge room floor...i must find a moment to take it down to the boat, install the new reefing system and get it up!!

Quick Update

Hardware from Whitworths online: Check
4mm Spectra from Ebay: Check

Just need new mainsail...should be ready this week...may get to fit stuff on weekend...fingers crossed