Coniston Rally - 1 to 3 July

 

The weather forecast did not look great for the weekend and certainly the conditions on Saturday provided all those who went out with a "sporting" sail. Although some boats tried a mainsail, these were soon put away, leaving jib and mizzen the standard rig for the day. However, by early afternoon the wind gusts continued to rise and everyone returned to the club before the really heavy rain arrived.

 

Although the rain did not totally stop for the evening BBQ, it did ease enough for everyone to sit outside and show a resilient attitude.

Sunday dawned with much lighter winds and even a touch of sunshine, which meant everyone could get out, either sailing down for lunch at Brown Howe, or landing on Peel Island. Alan produced a Lancashire Hot Pot, which he cooked in a plastic bag just by adding cold water, true magic! There was also a treasure hunt, looking for anagrams of famous nautical people.



Sea Anchor - A smaller version

I sold the previous one on ebay and bought the next size down, which seems far more manageable. This size is aimed at boats up to 20 feet, while the other was for boats up to 25 feet - but I think the designer was thinking of a yacht/fishing boat, rather than a light weight boat, such as a Drascombe. The test will come when I try and use it on a windy day.

 

The wind did pick up later.

Mizzen Mast Step

Over time the mast step for the mizzen wears, in extreme cases all the way through. The continual movement of the mizzen mast will slowly wear through the GRP, this must be a particular problem for a boat which is kept on a mooring. Even the mast support will contribute this erosion, as the boat is trailed.

To prevent this becoming a problem I decided to clean the socket and then add a small amount of resin and tissue. Finally a used a thin piece of polypropylene to prevent wear of the actual GRP. This was held in place with a small amount of glue and held down by the mast support while it dried. The final picture was taken before the mast support was put in place.

Coast to Coast

We took part in the Sail Caledonia event which crosses Scotland, starting in Loch Linnhe and finishing at North Kessock on the Beauly Firth. The journey takes a week, with the boats being launched from Lochaber Yacht Club on Saturday morning and aiming to arrive at the community slipway in North Kessock by the following Friday afternoon. This was achieved with all the boats out of the water by 4.30 PM. A social evening was then held at Dochgarroch, with food, music and dancing, with everyone finally departing for home on Saturday morning.

http://www.sailcaledonia.org/

The route uses the Caledonian Canal, which links a series of natural lochs, including Loche Ness and is commonly known as the Great Glen. The canal was completed in 1822 and includes 29 locks. It was designed by Thomas Telford. The event is very well organised and provides the opportunity to complete the journey in company of other boats. There is a support barge, which provides a venue for the social side of the trip, as well as music and accommodation if required. Evening meals are provided on board the barge for all the participants. A series of races are organised during the week and boats are given the opportunity to complete the whole journey using just sail and oar.

https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/canals/caledonian-canal/

The weather was fine all week apart from a sudden shower on Monday and some drizzle on Thursday evening. However, the wind blew from the NE all week, so some long upwind legs had to be completed.
 

 

 

Corpach Locks - the first night

 

Neptunes Staircase

 

Sunday Evening - Garlochy Top

 

Round the Cans Race - Laggan

 

One boat came all the way from Switzerland

 

Descending Fort Augustus Locks

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WMbANND0tg&sns=em

 

 

 

South end of Loch Ness

 

Travelling through the last series of locks in Inverness

 

 

 

Cold and Sunny

Perfect weather ! - and yes there was some wind.

 

One of the best photos of the boat sailing. Taken by Pete, who sails and fishes successfully from his Lugger on Coniston.

 

The photo below is taken in a small bay just south of Peel Island, a perfect place for an anchorage and lunch. To my surprise the depth of water here was 9 metres and I was only about 2 boats lengths from the shore.

 

I'd read about MagicEzy and to be honest didn't think it would work. So when it arrived, my expectations were low. However, I was impressed and although the cracks did not all totally disappear, their presence was considerably reduced. A quick polish afterwards would probably apply the final finish to the surface. I did follow the instructions carefully and used a pan scrubber to clean the surface before application. In a couple of areas I did repeat the process. I used the cream colour - there 11 to choose from - and this seemed to match the gel coat quite well. However, the cost is around £20 per tube, so not a cheap option. Previously, Honnor Marine in Rochdale, had supplied some gel coat which was a perfect match. I just sent a photo and a few flacks broken off from an edge.

 

http://www.magicezy.com/products/hairline-fix/

 

Luing

Luing is one of the "slate islands" about 16 miles (26 km) south of Oban. The island has an area of 1,430 hectares (5.5 sq mi) and is bounded by several small skerries and islets. It has a population of around 200 people, mostly living in Cullipool, Toberonochy and Blackmillbay. It can be reached by a regular ferry from the south end of Seil Island, which crosses Cuan Sound.

http://www.isleofluing.co.uk/

We'd sailed there before but over the weekend we used the ferry and met up with some other "small boats" for a weekend. The weather during the previous week had been cold, windy and included snow showers. However, during the actual weekend we were lucky and experienced some excellent sailing  conditions.

 

 

 

 

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.