Last year's winter project overran massively. In every way: money, time and even scope of the job. Once bitten, twice shy. Never again.
With this in mind, I want to cross every - t - and dot every - i - before I commit to anything. I have sort of settled on Fox's to carry out the work. When it comes to quality of work they enjoy a very good reputation. However, I've been warned about their billing practices. 'Unforeseen' items in particular.
Not something I'm looking forward to or am willing to put up with. I want to know how much it's going to be before I commit. What's in the quote is what I'm paying - not a penny more.
The last - revised - quote still left a number of substantial loopholes. I appreciate that they need to make a living too, but the boat's been at Fox's for these past three months now. Ample time for them to crawl all over her and look at everything. Ample time to foresee any unforeseen items.
Whilst I have no reason to question their goodwill, I'm feeling somewhat frustrated. It feels like I'm trying to nail jelly to the wall.
Hopefully more and better news soon.
| 2009 |
|
Comments [0]
A week off work - things don't get much better than this. Wrong; the do, when you're going sailing.
After dropping plenty of hints and some minor bribing/blackmail I had been offered a sail by the world's poorest Oyster owner. The fist time afloat in over three months - a sail was well overdue.
Nothing existing was planned - Landguard and back. Time and weather did not allow for much more.
We did our bit for Trinity House - verified the position of Landguard north cardinal. It's still in the same place they left it.
The genoa on an Oyster 37 proved to be HUGE. Imagine my surprise when I found a great big container ship hiding behind it. I am happy to report that its ship's horn worked just fine. But this little episode may have played havoc with the skipper's blood pressure and heartbeat. The man needs to chill.
A boat owner who actively encourages alcohol consumption while sailing and does not carry life jackets. There ought to be a law against it! Or maybe not.
The weather turned out to be just fine - never more than 10-12kts apparent - sunny blue skies. I knew we were going to be fine as soon as the Met Office had issued a gale warning.
All in all: a most pleasurable way to spend a Saturday afternoon. A nice reminder of what it can be like on the water.
| 2009 |
|
Short and sweet - there she is: 'Steps'. Hopefully she'll prove to be a fine addition to the Guapa crew. She's a Brittany spaniel - 7 weeks old when she moved in.
These past few weeks we've been treated to her own, very special brand of puppy mayhem. It's like having another baby in the house. She kept us up at night, pee and poo in the most surprising places and last but not least: everything makes a good chew toy.
Three weeks down the line, she's more or less settled in. She sleeps to the night and she seems to have figured out that when she does her business outside she gets a treat, whilst doing the same in the house earns her a stiff talking to and some time in the kennel (which she does not enjoy one bit).
I sometimes catch myself calling her 'Fleur' (the name of our previous Brittany), and whilst not forgotten (or replaced) it's nice to have a dog around the house again.
The rules (as established by Steps)
1. If I like it, it's mine
2. If it's in my mouth, it's mine
3. If I can take it from you, it's mine
4. If you are playing with it and you put it down, it automatically becomes mine.
5. If I've chewed it, slobbered over it and I'm bored with it, it's yours - until I want it back.
| 2009 |
|
In 2009 we sailed a grand total of five days. Not exactly what any of us had expected, let alone hoped for.
My 44th birthday marked the end of our sailing year. We took down Guapa's sails, took the boom down and disconnected the mast electronics. She was also de-stored for winter. We took home what we could, but as the new house as quite a bit smaller than the old one, we had to leave some items we normally remove.
And that was pretty much it. Not much to add.
Spoke to Fox's yard foreman again regarding the work required and the quote/Schedule/etc...
I really hope this will be the last winter we have to spend in a boatyard. I want to go sailing. Spending my time arguing and bartering about costs and procedures for repairs and upgrades is not my idea of heaven.
Still, it's all going to be worth it in the end. If I keep saying this to myself often enough, I might even start to believe it.
| 2009 |
|
Long time followers of this blog may recall that our Brittany Spaniel 'Fleur' died a while ago. She'd been part of our family for over a decade and left avoid when she passed away. A void we now want to fill. Without a four footed companion, the family seems incomplete.
Brittany kennels are few and far between, but by the end of last month I had tracked down a litter due early September. Contact made, and to cut a long story short - we drove to Bristol on Saturday for a look. Love at first sight and in a few weeks we'll have ourselves a puppy.
One of my regrets is that by the time we had a boat big enough to take the dog sailing, Fleur was too old and too set in her ways to come along. We tried it once and she did not enjoy it one bit. This restricted our weekend sailing to day sailing as we had to return every night for the dog.
A 'mistake' I'm not going to repeat this time round. Next Spring the puppy's coming along - hopefully she'll feel at ease and we'll be able to welcome 'Steps' to the crew.
It's going to be fun (fingers crossed).
| 2009 |
|
It's been quiet on here - too quiet. Lots happening behind the scenes. The way ahead's been laid out.
First off: heard from the insurance. The damage to hull, keel, prop shaft and rudder is covered. A great relief. Had it not been, it might very well have pushed us over the edge and postponed the whole project by at least a year. GJW - way to go. Very pleased, especially when you consider the only reason I went with them was because they were cheap. They really come through for you when you need them.
Family day out to Southampton Boat Show. Lots of work required, so I was anxious to cut as many deals as possible in one go. The Boat Show was the obvious place to do it.
Fox's quote to Coppercoat and Awlgrip the hull was quite competitive, so I did not hesitate to award them the job. Propulsion was a more competitive business. Yanmar prices (my first choice given previous boat experience) are out of our league now. Vetus and Sole proved 'not cheap' too - Volvo is out of the question. That left Beta and Nanni - both Kuboto based, both at a price we could afford. Talked to quite a few Beta and Nanni owners, and I decide to go for the Nanni... provided they can beat Beta's price. More on this hopefully soon.
I want a feathering prop too - in light winds Guapa's not that fast and the extra drag of our fixed prop means we motor more than I'd like. First choice was a MaxProp - proven but at a price. So when we came across a similar, but 30% cheaper, alternative I smiled. Consulted with Fox's - 'Yes, they fitted them to Oysters in the past' - another £700 saved. Our new prop's going to be a Darglow Featherstream. Looking forward to giving the world's poorest Oyster owner a run for his money.
Fox's rigging quote seemed to be a roundabout way of telling me 'go away, we're busy'. Nigel's (RigMagic) quote was a lot lower, and since he's been good to us in the past... Still, the last word on this his not been said yet. Fox's have said they would look at their figures again to see if they can match RigMagic. We'll see how it goes.
If and when we get new sails, they'll be Dolphin sails. Spoke to them once already and was impressed by the way they handled my enquiries. Kalik's not exactly a common brand so to a certain degree our sails have to be bespoke (one off). They're not the cheapest, but when it comes to sails I'm afraid there is such a thing as a 'false economy'. It's got to be just right and last years.
So, there we are - if they don't do anything silly, and submit a reasonable and realistic quote Fox's will have secured the whole lot for themselves (maybe even the rigging). Looking forward to next year. Things can only get better.
| 2009 |
|
Moved house - finally. After a week of living in boxes, we're more or less done. Spent most of the week taking furniture apart and reassembling and, of course, a lot of shuttling to and fro - can't afford to pay movers at the moment. And then there's all the stuff that comes with it: utility providers, insurance, tax, phone & internet, etc... Not fun.
Tomorrow's the first day in a new job. I'll be commuting to Brussels on a weekly basis for the next year or so. Bit of a leap in the dark really - until last Thursday I didn't even know where exactly I had to be on Monday. Not the finest example of military planning/communication.
Not much has been happening on the boat front. Far too hectic to think about Guapa really. Not heard from the insurance company yet and the yard foreman's been away on holiday (back Monday). Will start chasing people once I'm settled in Brussels - hopefully by the end of the week. Very keen to get things moving; don't think I'd survive another year without much sailing.
Next boat related activity - provided the free tickets turn up - is a visit to Southampton Boat Show. Will be looking at new inboard engines. Though I've pretty much narrowed down the field to two, I want to look over the competition and see what other deals could be done.
It never stops.
| 2009 |
|
Stuck in central France, a couple of hundred miles from the sea, does not mean we didn't manage to get some sailing in. Went dinghy sailing on nearby Trémouille lake.
After all these years, I was reminded how much fun it could be. The perfect weather for it: glorious sunshine and light to moderate winds. One of the kids always came along and one day we even hired two dinghies and had a boys against girls race. Boys won - and that's despite the girls cheating.
Guapa: got a quote from Fox's for the work I want doing. Some parts of the quote are very competitive, some are of the 'taking the piss' variety. To be discussed with the workshop manager when he returns in a week or so. Also got a quote for the engine/hull/rudder repairs - forwarded it to the insurance company. Waiting to hear from them.
Now focussing on moving house and starting a new job the week after next.
| 2009 |
|
Not even remotely boat related - we lost a family member today. Our 14 and a half year old Brittany Spaniel passed away last night.
Fleur had not been doing to well lately - at that age it is to be expected - so, she didn't join us on our escape to the sun. I felt the heat and 12 hour car journey would be too much for her.
Usual dog-sitter was available, so I thought it best to leave her in a familiar environment.
A couple of days ago we got a call that she hadn't eaten in 4 days. She does sometimes go on hunger strike when she's angry or thinks we've abandoned her. So I didn't think much of it. Then, last night, another call - she still refused to eat and her tongue had started to turn blue - an indication of heart trouble. Vet appointment arranged for first thing in the morning.
Alas, Fleur did not make it through the night. Passed away in her sleep, curled up in her sofa. Big blow to family morale.
Afterthoughts and regrets: 'we should have brought her along' being the principal one.
She never took to the boat - too old and too set in her ways by the time we got a boat big enough to take her along. Whilst not a Guapa crew member she was an integral part of our family.
Still get a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes when I see her bowl, sofa, blanket, .... And it's not just me.
We may well get another dog in due time and I'll be taking her along on the boat as a pup.
| 2009 |
|
Pissing down with rain outside - even our 'escape to the sun' isn't working out as planned.
Left with not much more than memories of sailing Guapa. It isn't much, but it's all I've got at the moment.
Putting a brave face on things is getting increasingly hard; but in the words of Fletcher (Porridge): Don't let the bastards grind you down.
| 2009 |
|
Guapa's been lifted out - all's becoming clear now. Not good news, but an explanation for the 'bump' we felt in Knock Deep and why the engine is the way it is.
We've 'caught something' - don't know what as only a bit of strop remained. There's also some minor damage to the keel and gel-coat consistent with dragging something along.
And some damage to the rudder that may be the result of our up close encounter with Long Sands Head whilst we were awaiting rescue (anchoring in the Sunk TSS had never been a viable option).
In view of this I have informed our insurers and everything is now on hold till we hear from them.
In the mean time life goes on. It's like we've not got anything else to deal with. Moving house in a week and a half, new job at the end of the month.
And I don't handle 'change' very well. Next year looks like it's going to be another one to put on 'fast forward'.
| 2009 |
|
What should have been the start of our Summer holiday may very well have been our last sail of 2009.
In search of the very best price available I have now decided to ask Fox's for an 'all-in and no surprises' quote. For them to be able to give quote as accurately as possible we would need to get Guapa up there and if necessary hauled out.
Saturday's forecast was quite helpful in that respect - SSW 3-4. A nice upriver sail on a rising tide. How hard could it be?
As it turned out - not very and quite fun too.
Sailing off our mooring was a buttock clenching moment. Been way too long since I had done that, and wind and tide weren't exactly cooperating. Adrenaline rush, but no more than that.
Once under way Guapa proved a delight to handle. (Broad) reaching under full sail boat speed went up to 9kts at one time. That's what I do it for. Still my girl.
Pin Mill and Woolverstone came and went all too soon. Orwell Bridge and the wind dropped to a zephyr. We were adrift with sails up. Time to call the cavalry. Fox's work boat to the rescue. Towed in the marina and tied up all snug in no time. And that was all there was to it.
Not exactly what you would call 'going out with a bang' - a whisper more like.
Awaiting lift out.
| 2009 |
|
Not been going anywhere. And with weather like this, we've not missed much. My other half is still hard at work for another couple of days before we take a break from it all in - hopefully - sunny France.
On the boat front it's all been 'behind the scenes' action. I've been mailing and phoning around for quotes.
I've had it with this rolling, 5 year plan of upgrades and repairs. When Guapa next disappears into a shed/yard she's coming out all finished. This may take a while, I don't care - at least it'll be the end of it.
I've got quotes for most of the bits that still need doing: hull/gel-coat, standing rigging and furling gear, engine. And some of the bits left unfinished in May.
Then I started thinking - always dangerous - why not ask a yard that can do everything for an 'all-in' quote? Might very well be worth my while. So that's the next step.
Finances: how to pay for all of this? And as with anything boat related - odds on it won't be cheap. I've ruled out quantitative easing - even if I started printing my own money, who would have it?
Two viable options:
1. Thanks to Mr Bush and Mr Blair there's no shortage of wars/armed conflicts these days. Afghanistan's got that certain 'je ne sais quoi' about it and nearer to home there's always exotic Kossovo. About 6 months in either should raise enough.
2. The second, and much preferred, option: the sale of the ancestral home. Since dad died mum's keen to move to a smaller and easier to maintain place. 'My' bit should also raise more than enough. Of course, the house might sell tomorrow or it might sell next year.
If I want to go sailing next year, I think I'll have to go to war. Ho-hum.
How about getting Guapa to that all singing, all dancing boatyard? Fox's - just up the river - is the obvious candidate. Only snag - no engine. Can we get there? With the right wind it should not really be a problem. Forecast for Saturday doesn't look too bad (apart from the rain).
Out of necessity, we might at least get one proper family sail in this summer.
| 2009 |
|
News from the engine front - and it's not good. Another understatement. It's curtains... for the engine and the 2009 sailing season.
Finally got a mechanic sorted to come and have a look at the engine. All over in a matter of minutes. And looking back, I'm kicking myself - how the fuck did I miss that?
It seems we were wide off the mark: no water in the pistons, no electrical fault, no water in the diesel... The engine had sheered off it's mounts! God only knew what was holding it in place. That had bent the prop shaft which explained the stern gland water ingress, etc... Gearbox looked 'dodgy' too, drive-plate...
Looking at best case and worst case scenarios. Best case: 2.5K engineering work + lift and storage. Worst case: 3.5K engineering work + new gearbox + new prop shaft and the possibility that engine crank shaft's terminal... (manually trying to crank the engine got us nowhere). Serious money: 6K plus.
As worst case seems to be the way of things, I'm going to go with that one. Engine's 25 years old and has already been rebuilt twice. Good money after bad. New engine seems to be and is the only sensible option.
The news did not really come as a shock; mentally I had already written off 2009. Of course, this costs money - which we don't have. Options? Guapa also needs other work: cracks in the gel coat, steering gear needs to be re-aligned, standing rigging still needs doing, furling gear, the list goes on.
There's some money coming our way - in the hopefully - near future (house for sale); in the mean time I'll be looking for quotes and getting Guapa on the hard sharpish. Plug that financial hole.
Strange as it may sound, as a family we have other priorities right now: moving house and changing jobs, all by the end of August. We might even squeeze a weeks holiday in there.
And if the weather gods should take pity upon us and provide that one perfect day - say a SW 4 - we might even get a sail in. But to sail off and on a mooring I'd like the wind to be consistent - thank you very much.
Not at all what I had hoped for, but at least now we know where we are and the way ahead. Another year of pinching the pennies and making do, but it will be worth it in the end. I know it will.
Quitters never win and winners never quit.
| 2009 |
|
Not a lot to report. Still sitting on our mooring and still going nowhere fast.
Engine: lots of things could be wrong with it, no way (for me at least) to tell what it is exactly. If indeed water has gotten into the engine through the sump, there should be evidence of water in the oil. If that was the case I was advised to carry out a complete oil change and give it a go.
Trip up to Ipswich, stop by the chandlery - bloody hell! Oil's not cheap (even after discount). Dinghy trip to the boat. Outboard engine behaved suspect (splutter - cough), but got us there (only just).
As I had skipped breakfast I was famished. Lunch, and be smart about it. My other half did not disappoint - delicious sandwiches in no time. Eat on deck, and watch the world sail by. Bastards! Jealousy rearing its ugly head.
I checked the oil dipstick. Nice, clean and black. Not a trace of water. What good would an oil-change do? Not much as far as I could workout - mindful of just how expensive that oil had turned out to be. The more I think about it and fiddle with it, the less I'm convinced it's water in the cylinders. My best guess is an electrical fault. Or maybe not.
So, we left Guapa as we found her. I had just tightened the stern gland nuts a bit - 10ltr of water, not exactly the swimming pool we found in Ramsgate, but still ....
Over to the experts. I had asked around if anyone knew of a good diesel engineer in the neighbourhood. Two names were suggested; one was very busy and about to go on holiday, the other one's available and has promised to have a look at our engine this week. Fingers, and everything else, crossed.
Trip back to shore proved a 'challenge'. Two minutes out the outboard died on us. Paddled back to the boat. I'm getting used to stuff breaking down, so I carry spares for just about anything. Including a spare outboard. One off, second one on. Hadn't been used in nine months but fired up second go. No problem.
On the way home I reflected on how far we had come as a family/crew: not so long ago the dinghy breaking down in mid river would have been cause for some minor panic; now it didn't even warrant a raised voice. All done and dusted in less than half an hour.
A few weeks ago I confided to Brigitte about the way I felt after the eventful and disaster-prone trip from Antwerp to Ostend and she had little time for me: 'This family does not do breakdowns'. That was me told. Just what I needed, a good mental kick up the backside.
There we are then, hopefully some good news by the end of the week.
Plans for the rest of the season? Even if the engine comes alive again, I'm never really going to trust it again. An extended summer cruise would give us ample opportunity to break down in far away and expensive places. Not something I'm looking forward to. Holidays are supposed to be free from worry, not give you something different to worry about.
I think we'll stick to some pottering about locally (the kids and I mostly) for a week or two and then have 10 days or so visiting the outlaws in deepest France.
There's always next year. And the next, and the next...
| 2009 |
|
