The end of the season 2015 = the beginning of the season 2016

September 27, 2015

Wednesday 23rd-Friday 25th of September Leen and myself visited Cowes, Lymington and Cowes. It was an attempt to clean up all what was not done yet and make a preparation for the next season.

Wednesday

Timely arrival in Cowes.

Lunch at Tiffins

Visit to Sailcare/Gerry Faram. We decided, after consultation with UK de Vries, to have only our oldest spinnaker I L-M washed and treated with SEALNGLIDE of Holmenkol. A repair of a sail treated will be more difficult.The others sails in their loft will all be properly checked, rolled and stored on the first floor i.e. Spi II, Spi III and Ruby.

Visit to Fynn/Don Hume. LUNA was ready for us in the water. Don suggested to order a cover for the engine and for the entire RIB. UV will damage the tubes, but Don gave the tubes this year already two treatments. We did give it a thought but after we returned from Winsome we informed Don (and Billy of Sailcare) that we would not go for it and stay with our covers as they are. The eternal AIS problem of the AIS only receiving, but not sending, was discussed again. Don promised to talk once again with Wroath and with the OfCom Office. According to Kevin Mole, the fuel gauges would be working again and Don had prepared a plastificated instruction how to deal with the gauges (to anyone helming LUNA read these instructions, stored in the small box inside the steering console.

Visit to Winsome. The boat looked fine, fresh and clean. The anodes looked dirty and slimy, grown over with sea weed. We observed the new beak-release lines in the spinnaker poles which Mac finally managed to replace without opening/damaging the heads of the poles. Hurrah hurrah for Mac!

We took the dryer back to De Hok and checked everything there.

Thereafter we dropped our Trophy board to Claire Lallow to have our RORC Cervantes Medallion sunk into it by Lawrence Boarer.

Visit to Beken of Cowes to check upon the progress with the present for Géry Trentesaux. Frau Annemarie sent us to Shorelines where we found the ordered photograph, though still without any French text on it, so I dealt with it on the spot and requested Paula to have it ready the next day.

Chocolate purchase for Mrs Pakeezah of RORC/Corinthian, who found our GoPro which was picked up already by Laura. I thanked her of course and she showed pleasure about the excellent Mad/Jennifer chocolates. If we ever leave the GoPro again somewhere I would suggest to leave it there again.

RORC/James, Joe and Laura. Just a visit and a chat. At the same time I received the preliminary RORC racing program for the 2016 season.

We felt already a bit tired after all these small jobs and we decided for a small dinner at a new place in High Street called The Harbour Kitchen, just some burgers. A simple meal and a complete stone surrounding. In other words very noisy.

Thursday

An early breakfast (for me), a late breakfast (for Leen). We took LUNA to carry us to East Cowes Marina. I gave Leen a hand to get started on the way to Lymington. Leen took off and I visited once again East Cowes Marina (Rachel) to announce our intended return in 2016. Thereafter I stopped at Claire Lallow to deliver the RORC Cervantes Medallion which I forgot on Wednesday. I also asked for the keys of Winsome and after a long search we found them on the board. I hang them at the nail marked W, somewhere in the corner. Dutch cheese was handed thanking them for their good work in 2015.

Then I started my trip over the Solent which I expected to be a nice one with an ebbing tide. However I had not counted with strong Westerly winds. In short it was wind against the tide and the waves were really steep. No matter what I tried, slow speed, very slow speed, medium speed, high speed, it was all very uncomfortable and very unpleasant. Whether it was my illness or not, it became one of the most unpleasant trips with LUNA (only comparable to the one in the middle of the night after I dropped Geoff Sinton in Gosport and continue to Manfred Schepers in Lymington and returned around midnight in pitch dark, only guided by my iPhone in heavy rain) I ever had. After moments of desperation I tried my last trick and that was to make angles of 45 degrees with the tide and that was really a relieve, though still far from comfortable. When I arrived at Berthon I observed Leen already manoeuvring Winsome to a berth with Robin Milledge on board preparing the lines and the fenders.

Our discussion with Berthon was along the lines of my E to them of 29 August 2015:
1. Leakage entrance hatch, varnishing hatch and some spots inside the boat.
2. Varnishing the front hatch
3. Replacing what is left of the copper ring for the emergency tiller-connection, probably tailor made of aluminium with a key hole fitting our winch handles
4. New Mercury gravity switch for the depth meter, now probably 43 years old. This discussion carried us into the question if the B and G instruments are still in order and carried us also into the discussion if we would need an extra speedometer in order to get the same speed indication on both tacks.
5. Calibration of all B and G instruments. I called during our lunch Wouter Verbraak who advised us that calibration of one speedometer on different tacks is a very complicated job and may not give the outcome we are looking for. In the meantime Robin gave us the name of Campbell Field, being an expert on Expedition and on B and G. Wouter promised to pursue this discussion with us after he returned from abroad.
6. Servicing of all winches with a special check of the port winch on the cockpit, after we winched in 200 meters of anchor line during the Myth of Malham Race.
7. to change our AIS indication on any screen from “pleasure boat” into “sailing”
8. adding a sheave on the foresail toggle to avoid a traffic jam of lines when peeling a Genoa for another Genoa. Leen and Robin agreed how to go ahead.
9. Leen had the unpleasant thought of perhaps taking the keel apart from the hull. In the evening I just poured Leen a large G and T to made him forget about this ugly idea.

During mentioned lunch I also called Adam Gosling asking him who the guy is called to whom Boj talked during our YES!/SALVO/WINSOME dinner. He came up with several names and recommendations which I leave on purpose out of this blog. Robin mentioned that a company Tinliy Electronics, packed with ex B and G employees, could be contacted as well.

We returned to Cowes after a second meeting with Robin and a subsequent visit to Winsome, but only after Leen promised me to steer LUNA.

The return trip was very pleasant, tide and wind in the same direction (Eastwards). The fuel gauges worked wonderful but mind you the fuel indication at high speed will not show any lower fuel level, until the RIB comes to a rest. On basis of our observations of the consumption we came to the following rule of thumb: at or below 15 knots 1 liter per knot per hour. At 15-25 knots 1,5 liter.

After our arrival in Cowes our last errands: picking up the present for Géry at Shorelines and delivering it at the Squadron. Though I had made a reservation for dinner at the Squadron for 1930 already, I mentioned this again to the Secretariat and it appeared there was not any reservation. Luckily it was no problem. Our guests were: Sonia Mayes, James Bembridge (RORC), Richard and Kristine Bowden of DAWN HUNTER. A Squadron Member by the first name of Hughes joined us and had interesting information varying from solo trips on his boat and train bridges in Plymouth.

In bed.

Friday

At 0830 Brenda came to have a check on our bookkeeping of the years 2014 and 2015. We would not come any further than the year 2014. Thereafter we visited Lloyds Bank to organise that she would have electronically access to my account with Lloyds Bank. At that moment I had not decided yet if to take the much cheaper 1400 flight with Leen or the extraordinary expensive 1755 flight. Well bookkeeping usually takes longer than one expects so I booked the 1755 flight and Leen left earlier.

After the successful visit to the bank with Brenda and after our lunch in Newtown, I had still the chance to visit Don Hume again and believe it or not, he managed to get a MMSI number for LUNA. So once Wroath will have installed this number in the AIS we will be able to be seen by other boats and a trip to Cherbourg can be planned in 2016. We have an anchor, properly working fuel gauges, an AIS and an “indication” of the fuel consumption.

My last visit was to SLAM. Then a 12 minutes sleep prior to get on the 1615 Red Jet.

I am sure I left out some information, be it something regarding Winsome’s Cottage or her garden, the turning around of a door by Leen, my missed appointment with John Thornback or with Andy Cassell or whatever.