E-mail from the yard - finally. Only the briefest description of the state of affairs (most of it had already been reported by 'eyes and ears on the ground'). That was it, apart from: give us money. It's nice to have them acknowledging my existence.
Palms have now been crossed with silver, more than enough to warrant some (more) activity. Since than; not a word. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume/hope that they're too busy working on the boat.
Hope it won't be too long before I can drop in - in person - for a look and a chat.
Meanwhile, for a change, we've been having quite a lot of good news on the personal, professional and financial front. After what must seem like ages of moaning, winging and scraping pennies together we've finally turned the corner. The professional stability and financial security we've craved is finally ours. So, come May, the boat will be all finished and the mortgage paid for. We can start living again, instead of merely surviving. All good things come those who wait. And I guess we've waited long enough.
Now that we're nearing the end of our project, I would like to say that none of it would have been possible without the support of my family. No matter how hard things got, they've been there for me: morally, emotionally and financially. The children have been great, but above all else, Brigitte has been a rock.
Today is our 19th wedding anniversary, and it's the first time in over a decade we're apart on that day. I love her more now than I ever did. Brigitte: wife, lover and best friend. My true North - I'd be lost without you.
| 2010 |
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Weird, even surreal situation at the moment. Not laid eyes on the boat for nearly two months now. Not a word from the yard (to be honest I've been either too tired or too busy to chase them up) and only the briefest of words from the 'eyes and ears' on the ground. I guess any news is better than no news at all.
So, here goes: pleased to confirm that work has indeed started. The boat's in the shed now; bottom seems to have been scraped and/or blasted. The old engine and the rudder have been removed and there are 'rumours' that the new water tank has been fitted, So far, so good.
Also had some rather disconcerting feedback regarding the rigging. I know it's due replacement and it is on the list of things to do soon; but from what I heard it was a miracle our mast stayed up at all. Don't know what to make of this. Will take a closer look when I'm back (hopefully around Easter).
In the mean time, I'll just let them get on with it. Fox's are a professional yard and I hope they know what they're doing. As long as we're on track for a launch early May I don't care how and when they to things. If there was a serious hitch, I'm sure they'd let me know.
In the mean time, the thought of getting back home is increasingly foremost in my mind. Right now, I'm somewhere as far removed from sailing as it's possible to imagine. In fact, thoughts of going sailing seem alien in this environment. The things we do for money...
Sailing: will I still know what to do? It's been such a long time - way too long. I hope it'll be like riding a bike.
Lot's of stuff's been happening on the home front too. Brigitte's been laid off from work. Company shutting down UK operations. After 8 years with them, it came as quite a shock I can tell you. Not all doom and gloom though; she's already got a new job lined up. Hired by the first company where she interviewed. You can't keep a good woman down - even at times like these.
Evita's been concentrating on exams and uni next year. It'll be either Surrey or Brunel - biochemistry. I get the distinct impression she's looking forward to uni more than just a bit. Kids: they grow up so fast. I hope she'll still have the time to come sailing from time to time. Just for old time's sake - and to humour her dad.
Last thing on my mind: finding a berth for Guapa. We will remain in the Orwell area for the foreseeable future, but no longer on a swinging mooring. As from this Summer, I'll have a lot of free time on my hands - time to go sailing. But out of necessity most of it will be single-handed. Sailing the boat on my own is no trouble at all, it's the parking and getting on/off that's a bit daunting. I want somewhere sheltered to make these things (a lot) easier. Fox's is the first choice, but they only have a few berths for boats our size. Both Ipswich marinas are a possible alternative. To be investigated.
There we are - two months and a bit till we go sailing again. Things can only get better.
| 2010 |
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Another year, another (fresh) start. A trip to Ipswich to convey my best wishes to friends and the boat. Nice seeing friends again; the boat, I don't know... it felt different, strange even.
For so long, she's been a central part of my life. Now she seems a relic from the past. Someone I used to know - the same feeling you get when you run into an ex-girlfriend.
The 2009 season was a disaster - 4 days sailing (5 at a stretch). Or rather limping home. And that was it. Hardly enough to keep a love affair going. Yet Guapa is still very much the other love affair of my life. How could you not fall in love with those lines or be in awe of her majesty when she takes another wave in her stride? The longing for the day when we finally cast off to be completely free and unafraid keeps me going every day.
Meanwhile Fox's seem to be ready to tackle the job at hand. My eyes and ears on the ground report that the mast has been stepped. I am going to adopt a hands-off approach, I'm confident they know what they're doing. I did enough worrying and fretting last year to last me a lifetime. I've been assured that the launch date of not later than May 1st is realistic. This leaves a couple of weeks for engine trails and generally learning to sail the boat again. Though I'm sure that's something like riding a bike. Then, rekindle a tradition, annual pilgrimage to Ostend for the festival. I can almost taste the Duvel.
Last but not least, I think the family needs the boat too. We've always been a fairly tight knit family, however, since I've taken up this job in Brussels I'm only home at weekends. Lately I've felt like a guest in a hotel rather than at home. How do you (re)connect with people you only see two days a week? They've got their work or studies of which I know nearly nothing and I'm too tired to take an active interest. All I want is peace, quiet and drink.
The one thing we all shared was the boat - we were together, we did stuff together, we talked, we laughed, ... It was perfect. Bring back the boat. Soon!
Just a couple of months now. For the foreseeable future it looks the the only boaty thing we'll be doing as a family will be a visit to the London Boat Show next Saturday. Then, a three month boat black hole.
Hope to see you all on the water safe and sound on the other side.
Eyes and ears have promised to keep me up to date by e-mail. I'll try to post these updates on here as and when I get them.
| 2010 |
|
Another month, another trip up to Ipswich. The last one 'in limbo'. White smoke - at last.
We've got a deal. 'Alea iacta est' as Ceasar said when he crossed the Rubicon. There's no turning back now. Job accepted (apart from the rigging) and contract signed. Work to start 'soon'. Target is Easter-ish and boat to be re-launched not later than May 1st. Good, the old girl is in desperate need of some attention and TLC.
Guapa looked forgotten, neglected and un-cared for. Nothing much has happened since she was 'dumped' at Fox's way back in August. We had other, more pressing, things on our mind back then. And striking a deal by e-mail and phone is not easy.
Anyway, that's all set to change now. From what I gather work's about to start in the very near future. And we've left ample time to get the job done. (Where have I heard that before?) Anyway, here's hoping a professional boatyard of some repute will manage to deliver on time and on spec - something a one-man-band did not quite manage last year.
It was with some pain in my heart that I went on board. Down below Guapa looked abandoned (a bomb site) and damp and smelly to boot. Brought some clothing back with mildew on - euch. Everything ready for the mast to be stepped and the rigging taken down. Get going people. Another four months to put on fast forward.
The final stretch now - it's got to be. At times I find it so very hard to remain upbeat about the boat. She's cost so much, and we've had very little in return. Sometimes I find myself hating the boat, and all she's done to us. All the sacrifices we've made (and still make). To the exclusion of everything else. For what? For a dream. It's bloody expensive having dreams.
Like the kids often remind me: if it wasn't for the boat we'd be well off. But we do have a boat and we aren't.
This has got to be the last year of penny-pinching and living like misers. Next year's got to be the year we go sailing again. Next year's got to be the year we start having fun again. Next year's got to be the year we start doing what we bought her for: long distance cruising. Next year's got to be THE year. Our year.
| 2009 |
|
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 |
|
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 |
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