How Cold?

We didn't have any problems with condensation on Sunday morning - as it froze - but then the sun hit the boat and the drips started!

The weekend was a combination of a DCA   http://dinghycruising.org.uk/    rally and  Open Canoe Sailing Group    http://www.ocsg.org.uk/    meet, as well as a canoeing friend's birthday.

 

The green open boat is a Suffolk Beach Punt, which was a built by its owner and is regularly sailed on Coniston Water and at other DCA events. It has a double floor, which can be flooded like the Swallow range of boats and this makes it very stable and safe.

 

 

The birthday boy (and friends) were treated to afternoon tea and cakes at Bank Ground Farm. Everyone got there under their own steam, canoe, kayak, sailing canoe, bicycle and Drascombe.

 

 

Sunday morning dawned bright and clear, a light breeze filled in and soon developed into a good westerly wind. This lead to a fast sail back from the south end of the lake, after a slow beat down.  

 

 

 

Drascombe Scaffie on the BBC

As part of the BBC's series "Secret Britain" they visited the Lake District and part of the programme they sailed out to Peel Island, or "Wild Cat Island" in Arthur Ransom's book "Swallows and Amazons", hardly a secret!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b07655y2/secret-britain-series-3-1-the-lakes

 

They interviewed Peter Altounyan, who is Roger's son from the original family that inspired the book. The photograph below was taken at the south end of Coniston Water where the programme was filmed. This is also the real location of the River Amazon and Octopus Lagoon from the book, which are really the start of the River Crake and Allan Tarn, which are behind Kathleen's mast. The jetty is used by the steam gondola to drop and pick up passengers.

 

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/steam-yacht-gondola

 

 

 

 

The water is shallow here and it is easy to anchor (the new folding anchor worked fine in this situation) or land for a spot of lunch, it is also where a yellow Scaffie can clearly be seen. A relative has recently published a book of poetry and includes one title "Swallows and Amazons Lost Forever" which included the line:

 

Adventure drowned with life jackets and the obligatory adult

 

This some how described so well our current obsession with H&S. I know not all will agree.

 

Serious Stuff

I've used this for several different jobs on the boat over the last two years and have been impressed. It does not "set" hard and brittle, so therefore seems ideal for simple tasks on the boat.

Rear Fender

At the club we moor rear or bow onto the pontoon and it has taken me sometime to realise that a small bow fender is needed to protect the transom. To be tried on our next visit.

First Sail of the Year

With Easter being very early this year, it was always going to be a cold and damp first sail of the year but four nights on board did check what I'd forgotten.

 

Over the winter we invested in a sea anchor, the description was for boats up to 25 feet in length and worked very well but I do wonder if it really needs to be this big and perhaps the next size down may have been suitable? Also there needs to be plenty of rope for a rode length of even 5 times the boat length, plus a trip line, means we'll need to carry some more line. However, it does roll/fold up quite small.

 

This is the entrance harbour on Peel Island. Later that day I spotted the boat again but this time at the bottom of field from Bank Ground Farm, which was used in the 1974 Swallows and Amazons film. The boat house is to the left and out of shot but a floating jetty can be seen, which is used in the summer. I'd hoped to catch up with the crew of the boat, to find out a little more about its history and it is flying the flag of the "Amazons" - Nancy and Peggy Blackett. 

 

The sailing club is having an extension built, which will include new toilets and changing rooms. All credit to the committee to get the project financed and planned.