This afternoon, at the eastern end of the Breakwater, we met Alert putting to sea.
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For the origins and full set of images in this series, here.
sailing
From Steeple Point – character and individuality
I found John Howlett’s book in my favourite second-hand bookshop – Books by the Sea in Bude.
‘Mostly About Boats’ could have been the title of this blog.
Three pages in: “We are so controlled and directed and generally bedevilled from the cradle to the grave, that any activity engendering personal initiative and self-reliance – qualities in serious danger of extinction, is surely laudable in itself . . .”
I’m beginning to like this man.
Talking of a trip to Flushing and the Scheldt, “. . . we were so fortunate as to see a Schevingen Bom. Nearly as broad as she was long and completely rectangular, save that the angles were rounded off, she was immensely strong, and was built to run in anywhere on the sands, where she was loaded or unloaded from carts at low water. Like so many things of character and individuality, they are now extinct.”
. . . and about cruising: “Escapism? Well, that is an easy taunt to throw at those who ignore the values of the herd; but if we seek contentment and, perhaps, some enlightenment on those same values, here is a road for those who will take it.”
. . . and then a sentence that resonates: “The flood of man’s ingenuity has overwhelmed his power to create beauty.”
I looked at the short biography of the author on the cover – Mr Howlett, the Editor of the Cruising Association Bulletin, who calls his book a “hydrobiograpy” . . .
The date of publication? – 1956.
He must have been more or less the same age as I am now.
What would he think of 2010?
On sailing a Folksong – Betsy
The last I heard of Betsy, she was fitting out for a trip from the Algarve to Lisbon.
I look forward to hearing how they got on.
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In terms of maritime history, this is a coast of great importance, the early Portugese navigators leaving a legacy that is still relevant to us today.
Looking through the links, I came across this report – The Wreck Report for ‘Hantoon’ and ‘Rothesay’ 1882, which occurred some 50 miles north of Cape St Vincent. Although it doesn’t compete with the early use of astronomical tables for navigation (or even events like the Battle of Cape St Vincent), for those interested in seamanship, particularly where the Collision Regulations are concerned, it’s worth reading – and remembering even though it happened over a century ago, it could have been yesterday.
On sailing a Folksong – Sheet to tiller self-steering
Catching up on my reading.
I see that Webb Chiles posted on sheet to tiller self-steering last month.
With the sails balanced, Blue Mistress will usually sail herself for long enough for me to go forward, do whatever is required and come aft again. In stronger winds I put a line round the tiller.
Of course, moving forward alters the balance and I cannot rely on her maintaining a course for too long.
So I will try this and let you know how I get on.
On sailing a Folksong – Mischief
Seb writes that he has bought Mischief.
Found her in a yard at Calstock on the River Tamar.
There is work to do on her but “her hull, decks and mast are sound; she has new standing rigging; a good set of sails etc.”
“Her interior is completely bare however (pure, as the previous owner put it), with no through hull fittings other than the engine water intake, but she does needs a lot of work done on her interior”
He is doing some immediate work on her “. . . gave her a good scrub; fitted a new fore hatch; refit the genoa tracks; tinkered with the engine . . .”
“I will be taking Mischief to Portsmouth from Plymouth as soon as she is sea worthy.”
Seb has plans for Mischief and originally contacted me about self-steering gear:
I posted on this and two useful links came back – thank you again for those. In the meantime, he (Seb) has noted:
“It seems that few Folksong’s have been fitted with mechanical self-steering gear, so I have been using the Contessa 26 as a source of information regarding the suitability of wind-vanes (given that they are both loosely based on the Folkboat). So far the Windpilot pacific light servo-pendulum gear, or the Hydra Autosteer trim-tab system, seem the most likely candidates, mainly due to their weight and cost.”
My choice would be the Pacific Light but that’s based on study and other people’s preferences – not practical experience.
Here is a clip of one in action following last year’s Jester Challenge.
“Crossing Lyme Bay after returning from 2 months away on Jester Challenge to Azores. Big following sea and wind around F5.”
I’m sorry, I don’t know who made the clip – perhaps somebody could let me know so I can thank them personally.
Any further comments would be welcome.
And Calstock looks the perfect place to find a Folksong!
On sailing a Folksong: an engine anode
I’m not an engine man, preferring to sail and enjoy the vagaries of wind and sea to the precision of metal parts and fuel consumption.
On the other hand, I know the relief of the engine starting first time and the expectation of being back on the mooring in time for tea.
I look on it as a useful friend which will get me out of trouble if I really need it.
I keep it clean, can change the oil and oil filter, and know more or less what this part or that part does – but have no overall grasp of it. In fact, I consider it a bit of a challenge.
So, realising that it was time for a proper service, I got the engineer from the Yanmar dealer in and watched him work. (It’s a Yanmar GM10)
A pleasure to see a job done well.
As you would expect – he worked methodically, step-by-step through the process.
And I recognised most of what he was doing, even if some of the bits were not quite where I thought they were.
But when he unbolted the alternator and moved it out the way, I knew I had done the right thing.
What was behind there? Well, the anode of course.
OK . . . . . so I didn’t know there was an anode in the engine. Makes perfect sense. Of course there is. Different metals sitting together in a wet environment.
This is what it looked like.
All you need to know is that a new one is over twice the size of this and a rather elegant dome shape.
I guess it hadn’t been changed for a long time – certainly in the time I have owned the boat.
Anyway, I’ve learned the lesson – and won’t forget it.
On sailing a Folksong – Self-steering gear
A comment this evening:
“I have just bought a Folksong and plan to do some extended single-handed voyages in her. I was wondering if you know of any folksong’s that have had self-steering gear installed on them, and if so which system / model has been used with success.”
Lo Shu
Sho Fu is the only Folksong I know of to carry self-steering gear – and this hazy image is the only one I have and I know nothing else about her.
Looking at her again, I notice the spray hood is similar to a design I have in mind. I might use this one.
I use a Raymarine ST1000+ for shorter trips, but would not want to undertake a longer voyage with this system alone.
When I bought Blue Mistress I spent some time researching self-steering gear with the intention of fitting it fairly quickly. As happens, priorities changed and deadlines came and went and I still haven’t done it.
However, I did think that a system like the Windpilot Pacific Light might work. (To see one fitted to the stern of a Folkboat, click here and here).
Nick Jaffe made it to Australia in his Contessa 26, Constellation, with this set up.
Here is Blue Mistress crying out for self-steering gear – and an owner with the means to go a lot further than he has so far.
If you have strong thoughts on this, let me know.
On sailing a Folksong – just checking
This post is for fellow Folksong owners – knowing you would understand.
On the way to St Ives, we detoured to check on the boat.
Around 1230, it was raining hard – big drops with more to come.
All seemed secure, so we drove on – south west, meeting the heavy weather on the road, half of me wondering how things were on the mooring now.
For love of a boat – St Ives ‘Jumbo’
Following my ‘love of a boat’ post on 25th February, I want to speak up again for a project that I have only recently become aware of but one that so obviously meets the spirit of this series that I cannot believe it has taken me so long to find out about it.
We have spent this weekend in St Ives.
I had hoped to see the Jumbo, a replica of the smallest class of St Ives fishing lugger – (details of the project can be found here).
No chance – but I made up with it in viewing the many old photographs of the original boats available around the town.
Apart for appreciating the boat as a boat, my interest was sparked by a press release dated November 2007.
An extract from it reads:
“Our aim is to establish a racing class of these boats at St.Ives in order to regenerate a waterfront community in decline. How much more effective it would be if, in addition, these boats could be eventually used for the purpose for which they were designed whilst providing a seasonal income for a couple of individuals!
Clearly, there may come a time when, in addition to any green, carbon neutral credentials, a sail-operated fishery could become commercially viable or at least a natural way of conserving resources (as demonstrated by the Falmouth oyster fishery – much celebrated as the last in the world to be worked under sail).
In the meantime the skills required need to be developed. There’s a growing recognition that this approach would at least address some serious issues; the sustainability of fish stocks, the rising cost of fuel, the dependence on imported goods and the lack of employment opportunities in rural areas to name a few.
And if successful, the model could be readily repeated elsewhere.
Only a few months ago such a proposal would have been dismissed as romantic fantasy. So far however, my inquiries have been met with a degree of excitement.”
This is a brave start and I am sure that more than a few eyebrows have been raised.
However the project has powerful backing and a great deal of goodwill, to which I am happy to add my own small cupful.
I invite you to explore their well-managed site and appreciate the enterprise.
For the origins and full set of images in this series, here
For love of a boat – a new link
I have added Francois Vivier’s site to the “For love of a boat” links.
His small boat designs are an answer to the questions behind these posts.
Yes, there are people still designing and building ‘traditional’ boats .
In fact, there are a growing number of them finding ways and means to continue the evolutionary process and put traditional designs into a modern setting.
My thanks to Sjogin’s owner for pointing to Monsieur Vivier.
For the origins and full set of images in this series, here.
Beyond Steeple Point 
