We had the survey on "Sandpiper of Beaulieu" today, carried out by that very nice chap Toby Lester and there were no nasty surprises. A not inconsiderable number of items were, inevitably, added to the "to do" list, some more urgent than others, but nothing that stands in the way of the delivery trip and nothing that's going to cost silly money to sort out
I then had a brief "sea" trial under motor (all I wanted or needed, a sail was not necessary) to test the engine and as far as I can tell it is entirely without vice. In fact, for a 38 year old engine it sounds remarkably healthy.
So the balance of the monies has been paid, the broker is sorting out the bill of sale with the owner and I need to sort out the insurance PDQ because we take ownership of her on Monday!
Monday and Tuesday will be load up, tank up, sort out and van shuffling with our departure planned for first thing Wednesday morning. Weather permitting and barring disasters we'll be heading for Fox's at Ipswich where we have a "do" on Saturday evening.
I'm delighted to have the services of my old Mate Rik for the delivery trip, sadly Tony can't make it 'cos he's had to get a proper job! But if the weather is OK on Sunday he might get some sailing in yet back to Fambridge
The Odyssey Act 3 begins ....
Wednesday, 30 March 2016
Saturday, 26 March 2016
Whether the weather ...
Although we're not counting our chickens, we obviously need to be thinking about plans if all goes well with the survey on the Westerly 33 on Wednesday
April is a month full of time constraints which makes things tricky. I have to be in Northants on Saturday the 16th for my fathers' 80th birthday dinner (the evening of boozing on his actual birthday the previous Wednesday I'll probably have to skip). Then I have to be up Grantham way on Saturday the 30th as we're going to see Bellowhead with Tony and Shelagh (SV Pleinair) and the tickets are bought and paid for!
We have a choice of fitting out suppers on Saturday the 9th - we'd planned to go to the East Coast Forum supper at Fox's Yacht Club in Ipswich but it's also the North Fambridge Yacht Club supper on the same night
Plus I have a week, or most of it, of work planned and booked on a boat at Brightlingsea commencing the 18th and a growing list of other jobs that need to be scheduled asap.
To further complicate matters, advice from the broker who looked over Erbas the other day for us is that we need to get her on the market as soon as possible to take advantage of the Spring rush. Another month and we'll miss out on the best opportunity to sell her quickly at the best price. (We can't sell Erbas until we have Pagan at Fambridge because I need somewhere to live whilst working! She could go on the market though but further advice, which I'm happy to accept, is that she'll sell better out of Clarke and Carter's sales area at Burnham so the sooner we can get her down there, the better)
All of the above is why my plans had been to get everything sorted by the end of March, if not sooner. Ho hum, best laid plans and all that.
A further consideration is the cost of short term moorings if we have a significant delay between taking over the boat and bringing her back. It could add up to a substantial sum of money horribly quickly.
If we push the paperwork through quickly, we could potentially be in a position to fetch 'Pagan' as will be back from the Hamble the week commencing the 4th. More likely it will be the week commencing the 11th.
And that's where the weather comes in ...
For several days now, the long range GFS forecast has been predicting rather too much wind during that first week and mostly from precisely the wrong direction to add insult to injury. The situation then gets worse towards the end of the weekend with every indication that the conditions will be much the same well into the following week.
Of course, the accuracy of forecasts that far ahead is always dubious but the other models all show much the same trend.
There is, in the latest model runs, a ray of hope. There appears to be a weather window opening up for about 48 hours around Friday the 8th into Saturday the 9th. (It then goes moderately pants on Sunday (F5 gusting 6 or 7) which may affect plans to sail one of the fleet to Ipswich and back that weekend)
That may mean missing out on the suppers and collaring whoever I can wangle into crewing a non-stop blast back which will take around 36 hours. I'd rather take 3, 4 or even 5 days over the trip and make it a pleasure cruise but it may be a case of needs must.
There is another possible 48 hour window from early on Monday the 4th into Tuesday but that may be too soon to get the paperwork sorted.
What would be nice would be for those two weather windows to join up!
If we end up needing to leave the boat in the Solent area for a couple of weeks, it would be financially advantageous to move her the 14 miles in the wrong direction from Port Hamble to Lymington Yacht Haven where, as Yacht Havens berth holders, we can get up to 14 days free mooring. I'm keeping that option in my back pocket just in case!
There will doubtless be more waffle to come and of course this is all dependent on the outcome of the survey and sea trial!
April is a month full of time constraints which makes things tricky. I have to be in Northants on Saturday the 16th for my fathers' 80th birthday dinner (the evening of boozing on his actual birthday the previous Wednesday I'll probably have to skip). Then I have to be up Grantham way on Saturday the 30th as we're going to see Bellowhead with Tony and Shelagh (SV Pleinair) and the tickets are bought and paid for!
We have a choice of fitting out suppers on Saturday the 9th - we'd planned to go to the East Coast Forum supper at Fox's Yacht Club in Ipswich but it's also the North Fambridge Yacht Club supper on the same night
Plus I have a week, or most of it, of work planned and booked on a boat at Brightlingsea commencing the 18th and a growing list of other jobs that need to be scheduled asap.
To further complicate matters, advice from the broker who looked over Erbas the other day for us is that we need to get her on the market as soon as possible to take advantage of the Spring rush. Another month and we'll miss out on the best opportunity to sell her quickly at the best price. (We can't sell Erbas until we have Pagan at Fambridge because I need somewhere to live whilst working! She could go on the market though but further advice, which I'm happy to accept, is that she'll sell better out of Clarke and Carter's sales area at Burnham so the sooner we can get her down there, the better)
All of the above is why my plans had been to get everything sorted by the end of March, if not sooner. Ho hum, best laid plans and all that.
A further consideration is the cost of short term moorings if we have a significant delay between taking over the boat and bringing her back. It could add up to a substantial sum of money horribly quickly.
If we push the paperwork through quickly, we could potentially be in a position to fetch 'Pagan' as will be back from the Hamble the week commencing the 4th. More likely it will be the week commencing the 11th.
And that's where the weather comes in ...
For several days now, the long range GFS forecast has been predicting rather too much wind during that first week and mostly from precisely the wrong direction to add insult to injury. The situation then gets worse towards the end of the weekend with every indication that the conditions will be much the same well into the following week.
Of course, the accuracy of forecasts that far ahead is always dubious but the other models all show much the same trend.
There is, in the latest model runs, a ray of hope. There appears to be a weather window opening up for about 48 hours around Friday the 8th into Saturday the 9th. (It then goes moderately pants on Sunday (F5 gusting 6 or 7) which may affect plans to sail one of the fleet to Ipswich and back that weekend)
That may mean missing out on the suppers and collaring whoever I can wangle into crewing a non-stop blast back which will take around 36 hours. I'd rather take 3, 4 or even 5 days over the trip and make it a pleasure cruise but it may be a case of needs must.
There is another possible 48 hour window from early on Monday the 4th into Tuesday but that may be too soon to get the paperwork sorted.
What would be nice would be for those two weather windows to join up!
If we end up needing to leave the boat in the Solent area for a couple of weeks, it would be financially advantageous to move her the 14 miles in the wrong direction from Port Hamble to Lymington Yacht Haven where, as Yacht Havens berth holders, we can get up to 14 days free mooring. I'm keeping that option in my back pocket just in case!
There will doubtless be more waffle to come and of course this is all dependent on the outcome of the survey and sea trial!
Friday, 18 March 2016
Not counting our chickens yet but ...
(an apology, this blog post will doubtless repeat much of what I posted in the wee small hours but expanded and with piccies!)
... we have made and had accepted an offer on a fin keel Westerly 33 ketch.
Meet the probable new boat ...
Currently called "Sandpiper of Beaulieu", she's in Port Hamble Marina
She is in ready to sail away condition with decent sails (although the UV strip on the genoa urgently needs replacement) and a decent array of reasonably modern navigation equipment
As can be seen from the photo, she has a full cockpit tent which is in good, in fact as new, condition except, unfortunately, for the clear PVC windows on the sprayhood. One window has a split in it and all three are suffering from UV degradation. They'll have to be replaced asap, a fact which has been reflected in the price we've offered.
She's very tidy on deck with no obvious problems I can see. She has a telescopic whisker pole, a cruising chute with snuffer and wind vane self steering (as well as a prehistoric analogue autopilot!). I'm in two minds about the wind vane steering. I am not a big fan of carting a big lump of machinery around on the transom unless it's of real benefit and given that we don't make passages as such all that often, if at all, I'm dubious about it's usefulness. And it will doubtless get in the way of the planned hard dinghy with sailing rig on davits.
I'm given to understand that it's worth a bob or two though so if we decide we don't want it we'll sell it on and use the money for something of more use to us such as a modern autopilot integrated with the chart plotter or replacing the manual anchor windlass with a powered one.
The standing and running rigging is all relatively recent (less than 10 years old) and looks to be serviceable. The right things seem to be in the right places too which helps greatly.
There's not much else to say on deck. She's tidy, needing no more than routine annual maintenance type touching up and what have you to the woodwork etc.
Moving below decks, having rejected the aft cabin and walk through on the later Westerly Discus, we were pleased to find that as expected the aft cabin on the W33 does exactly what we need the space to do. It will sleep two guests in comfort and it's large enough and comfy enough for me to sit in that cabin to play my guitar etc. An added bonus is that infill boards and cushions have been made up to turn the entire aft cabin into a big double berth.
However, whilst the cushions themselves are in good condition, the cushion covers are not so great. That story is repeated in the saloon where the cushion covers are nearing the end of their useful life. Again, the cost of recovering the cushions has been taken into account in the offer price.
The main cabin is everything we wanted. We were concerned as to whether the smaller 'L' shaped galley would be big enough (the Discus we looked at had the optional larger 'U' galley with a smaller starboard settee) but in the flesh, as it were, we decided it's absolutely fine.
I like the chart table which is properly usable and quite comfortable to sit at.
The cooker is an older model but clean and it has flame failure devices. We are assured the fridge works but it will be tested before we finalise the deal
The saloon is spacious and comfortable with loads of storage and stowage. The port settee front pulls out and the settee back drops in to make up another double berth. Handy both for extra guests and also as a comfy lounging around watching telly bed
The woodwork is all OK as are the headlinings - the deckhead linings have been replaced with lined panels and the cabin side linings, whilst not perfect, are not too bad.
Jane and I were both comfortable with the space
The heads is very usable however the boat currently lacks for hot water and therefore has no shower. The hot water situation is on the potential "to do" list, a debate is taking place over whether to fit a shower head or not. I think so, Jane thinks not. It will be done!
The headlining in the heads compartment will need attention though. However it's a small area and no great problem
The v-berth is big enough for us to be happy with it as our "master" cabin. Here too the headlining and also the upper side linings are in need of attention. We have ideas about how to judiciously partally refit this cabin based on the fit out on the other W33 we viewed yesterday morning. It involves partially replacing the shelves with cupboards and hiding away much of the tatty bit!
The stripy cushion covers aren't really us either but they'll be hidden by a fitted sheet most of the time so who cares? :)
As well as a lack of hot water, there is no heating. I'm actually happy about that because it means I can install a brand new Webasto from scratch with the ducting and vents where I want them rather than having to work around an existing installation
The engine is the original 42hp Mercedes OM646. It looks like what it is, a nearly 40 year old engine. However, there are no visible signs of any oil leaks or fuel leaks, the belts all look pretty new (indicating regular servicing) and we're assured it's a "good 'un". The proof will be in the sea trial in due course.
I'm not unhappy with the Merc engine, provided it appears to be a good runner, as they are highly regarded and all the parts are readily available at relatively reasonable prices. However, we will have in our back pocket the funds to re-engine at a later date if necessary.
And then there's the underwater bit ...
Yes, that's right. There's only one keel!
After a great deal of thought, we've decided that the (not inconsiderable) inconvenience of getting on and off our mud berth with a 5'5" draft and the need to be a little less cavalier with regard to flirting with the shallows is outweighed by the considerably better performance the fin keel will offer
Our plans over the next few years involve spending significant periods of each summer away from our home waters and a boat that will sail faster, go to windward better and make more progress in light winds has much to commend it
Added to which, it halves the number of potential keel problems by, well, half!
So to sum up, she's a pretty decent example of the class without too many of the usual faults. The things that need doing are all within my range of incompetence and within our overall budget too which helps. There are some quirks to the design which might not suit everyone, and indeed one or two minor niggles that aren't ideal from our point of view (although I have some ideas to resolve those) but overall she is ideal for our future plans
Of course, I must reiterate that this is all subject to the survey and sea trial which should be happening a week on Wednesday. If any significant problems come to light we'll be renegotiating or even pulling out.
... we have made and had accepted an offer on a fin keel Westerly 33 ketch.
Meet the probable new boat ...
Currently called "Sandpiper of Beaulieu", she's in Port Hamble Marina
She is in ready to sail away condition with decent sails (although the UV strip on the genoa urgently needs replacement) and a decent array of reasonably modern navigation equipment
As can be seen from the photo, she has a full cockpit tent which is in good, in fact as new, condition except, unfortunately, for the clear PVC windows on the sprayhood. One window has a split in it and all three are suffering from UV degradation. They'll have to be replaced asap, a fact which has been reflected in the price we've offered.
She's very tidy on deck with no obvious problems I can see. She has a telescopic whisker pole, a cruising chute with snuffer and wind vane self steering (as well as a prehistoric analogue autopilot!). I'm in two minds about the wind vane steering. I am not a big fan of carting a big lump of machinery around on the transom unless it's of real benefit and given that we don't make passages as such all that often, if at all, I'm dubious about it's usefulness. And it will doubtless get in the way of the planned hard dinghy with sailing rig on davits.
I'm given to understand that it's worth a bob or two though so if we decide we don't want it we'll sell it on and use the money for something of more use to us such as a modern autopilot integrated with the chart plotter or replacing the manual anchor windlass with a powered one.
The standing and running rigging is all relatively recent (less than 10 years old) and looks to be serviceable. The right things seem to be in the right places too which helps greatly.
There's not much else to say on deck. She's tidy, needing no more than routine annual maintenance type touching up and what have you to the woodwork etc.
However, whilst the cushions themselves are in good condition, the cushion covers are not so great. That story is repeated in the saloon where the cushion covers are nearing the end of their useful life. Again, the cost of recovering the cushions has been taken into account in the offer price.
I like the chart table which is properly usable and quite comfortable to sit at.
The cooker is an older model but clean and it has flame failure devices. We are assured the fridge works but it will be tested before we finalise the deal
The woodwork is all OK as are the headlinings - the deckhead linings have been replaced with lined panels and the cabin side linings, whilst not perfect, are not too bad.
Jane and I were both comfortable with the space
The headlining in the heads compartment will need attention though. However it's a small area and no great problem
The stripy cushion covers aren't really us either but they'll be hidden by a fitted sheet most of the time so who cares? :)
As well as a lack of hot water, there is no heating. I'm actually happy about that because it means I can install a brand new Webasto from scratch with the ducting and vents where I want them rather than having to work around an existing installation
The engine is the original 42hp Mercedes OM646. It looks like what it is, a nearly 40 year old engine. However, there are no visible signs of any oil leaks or fuel leaks, the belts all look pretty new (indicating regular servicing) and we're assured it's a "good 'un". The proof will be in the sea trial in due course.
I'm not unhappy with the Merc engine, provided it appears to be a good runner, as they are highly regarded and all the parts are readily available at relatively reasonable prices. However, we will have in our back pocket the funds to re-engine at a later date if necessary.
And then there's the underwater bit ...
After a great deal of thought, we've decided that the (not inconsiderable) inconvenience of getting on and off our mud berth with a 5'5" draft and the need to be a little less cavalier with regard to flirting with the shallows is outweighed by the considerably better performance the fin keel will offer
Our plans over the next few years involve spending significant periods of each summer away from our home waters and a boat that will sail faster, go to windward better and make more progress in light winds has much to commend it
Added to which, it halves the number of potential keel problems by, well, half!
So to sum up, she's a pretty decent example of the class without too many of the usual faults. The things that need doing are all within my range of incompetence and within our overall budget too which helps. There are some quirks to the design which might not suit everyone, and indeed one or two minor niggles that aren't ideal from our point of view (although I have some ideas to resolve those) but overall she is ideal for our future plans
Of course, I must reiterate that this is all subject to the survey and sea trial which should be happening a week on Wednesday. If any significant problems come to light we'll be renegotiating or even pulling out.
Bigger Boat!
Subject, of course, to survey and sea trial
Yesterday, Jane and I drove down to the South Coast to look at two possible boats. Both were Westerly 33 ketches.
The first boat at Eastbourne was a little too tired. We might still have put in an offer on her but we had a second example to look at on the Hamble
This one was much better albeit still on need of some cosmetic work and improvements. The asking price was rather high given what we'd want and need to spend on her but the broker was encouraging about the possibility of the owner being amenable to an offer
So an offer was duly made and accepted!
And here she is..
She's currently called "Sandpiper of Beaulieu" but not for much longer! She will be renamed "Pagan"
I'm on the mobile to post this so detail pics will have to wait (she's on the Internet, Google the boat name)
She is in need of new cushion covers in the saloon and aft cabin (the v-berth covers are fine though) and a bit of routine woodwork maintenance as you'd expect.
The headlining in the saloon and aft cabin is good, less so in the heads and forward cabin but it can be lived with for now and sorted out at leisure
She has a perfectly serviceable set of instruments, chart plotter, radar etc although the ancient autohelm might be a bit suspect
The sails look pretty good although the genoa desperately needs a new UV strip. The sprayhood and full cockpit tent look very recent which makes it a shame that the sprayhood windows need replacing. It looks like the clear plastic has UV degraded rather more quickly than it should.
She has the original Mercedes 42hp engine which is reckoned to be in good working order. That will be confirmed on the sea trial. I'm happy with the Merc provided it's a good'un, had it been an older Volvo it would have been a different matter.
She lacks two major requirements - heating and hot water. In many ways though I'm quite happy to install new systems now which will be to our spec and should be reliable
If it sounds like she needs quite a lot doing, well yes, she does. None of it is particularly major and of course the price is right!
The next challenge is to sort out a date for the survey and sea trial. The broker (who has impressed so far) will organise the lift and hold for the survey, which won't be cheap at South Coast prices, but as it's a busy time of year for the yards out could be fun getting all the ducks lined up in a row!
Assuming the survey and sea trial are satisfactory, we'll need to fetch her back to Fambridge pdq. I don't want to be paying South Coast short term mooring prices for long!
More to follow later!
Yesterday, Jane and I drove down to the South Coast to look at two possible boats. Both were Westerly 33 ketches.
The first boat at Eastbourne was a little too tired. We might still have put in an offer on her but we had a second example to look at on the Hamble
This one was much better albeit still on need of some cosmetic work and improvements. The asking price was rather high given what we'd want and need to spend on her but the broker was encouraging about the possibility of the owner being amenable to an offer
So an offer was duly made and accepted!
And here she is..
She's currently called "Sandpiper of Beaulieu" but not for much longer! She will be renamed "Pagan"
I'm on the mobile to post this so detail pics will have to wait (she's on the Internet, Google the boat name)
She is in need of new cushion covers in the saloon and aft cabin (the v-berth covers are fine though) and a bit of routine woodwork maintenance as you'd expect.
The headlining in the saloon and aft cabin is good, less so in the heads and forward cabin but it can be lived with for now and sorted out at leisure
She has a perfectly serviceable set of instruments, chart plotter, radar etc although the ancient autohelm might be a bit suspect
The sails look pretty good although the genoa desperately needs a new UV strip. The sprayhood and full cockpit tent look very recent which makes it a shame that the sprayhood windows need replacing. It looks like the clear plastic has UV degraded rather more quickly than it should.
She has the original Mercedes 42hp engine which is reckoned to be in good working order. That will be confirmed on the sea trial. I'm happy with the Merc provided it's a good'un, had it been an older Volvo it would have been a different matter.
She lacks two major requirements - heating and hot water. In many ways though I'm quite happy to install new systems now which will be to our spec and should be reliable
If it sounds like she needs quite a lot doing, well yes, she does. None of it is particularly major and of course the price is right!
The next challenge is to sort out a date for the survey and sea trial. The broker (who has impressed so far) will organise the lift and hold for the survey, which won't be cheap at South Coast prices, but as it's a busy time of year for the yards out could be fun getting all the ducks lined up in a row!
Assuming the survey and sea trial are satisfactory, we'll need to fetch her back to Fambridge pdq. I don't want to be paying South Coast short term mooring prices for long!
More to follow later!
Monday, 14 March 2016
Tally Ho - the hunt is on!
We completed on the house at last on Friday morning and by mid-afternoon the first big financial outlay was in the bag. Not the new boat (yet) but trading in the car, which is now six years old, on a pre-registered van.
The van will be far more useful for the business and perfectly usable for our domestic transport needs
With that commitment signed, sealed and soon to be delivered and knowing exactly where we stand, we've been able to fix the budget for Bigger Boat at £30,000 which must include any required short term spending.
That's, as expected, £10k less than we originally hoped and it pretty much rules out the slightly bigger boats we had half an eye on such as a Westerly Solway and an Oyster Mariner.
So a lot of searching of the various brokerage and boat sales websites has generated a short list of four boats. They are all Westerly 33 ketches!
We liked the main cabin and forward of that layout of the Westerly Discus, which has the same hull and deck moulding, but we decided the aft cabin on the Discus was simply too cramped to be of much use. The earlier 33, with the access to the aft cabin from the cockpit rather than via a very cramped walk-through, looks more functionally usable
The only minor niggle is that the W33 generally only comes with the smaller 'L' shaped galley. The Discus had the optional 'U' shaped galley with a shorter starboard settee. We need to get on board one and decide whether that's going to be a problem or not. We think it will be OK. Indeed, it might be a case of it will have to be OK!
The best of the four is unfortunately in Swansea which is a bit of a pain. Not only is it a fair old drag to go and look at it, it will take at least a week of hard sailing to fetch her back to Fambridge from South Wales. However, we're hoping to arrange for our good friend Roger, who's in the vicinity this morning, to give her a quick once over today
The next best, and in some respects in fact better, has just been listed on Apolloduck and is in Ipswich which is very convenient. However, despite only having appeared on Apolloduck on Thursday, on the brokers own website it's showing as "Sale Pending" so I need to give them a ring this morning and find out whether it is available or not
Failing those two, there are two examples on the South Coast either of which we'd be happy with. Both would need new saloon upholstery though for aesthetic reasons - colourful stripy cushions ugh!
The favourite two boats are both fin keel which I've decided I'm happy to go with. Somewhat more restricted for getting in and out of our mud berth (although there may be developments on that front this year but more of that anon) and of course you can't casually dry out a fin keeler but on the other hand they suffer from far fewer keel bolt problems and sail better
So now the time is nigh to get on the phone and start calling the brokers ...
The van will be far more useful for the business and perfectly usable for our domestic transport needs
With that commitment signed, sealed and soon to be delivered and knowing exactly where we stand, we've been able to fix the budget for Bigger Boat at £30,000 which must include any required short term spending.
That's, as expected, £10k less than we originally hoped and it pretty much rules out the slightly bigger boats we had half an eye on such as a Westerly Solway and an Oyster Mariner.
So a lot of searching of the various brokerage and boat sales websites has generated a short list of four boats. They are all Westerly 33 ketches!
 |
| A W33 ketch - not one of the four currently for sale! |
The only minor niggle is that the W33 generally only comes with the smaller 'L' shaped galley. The Discus had the optional 'U' shaped galley with a shorter starboard settee. We need to get on board one and decide whether that's going to be a problem or not. We think it will be OK. Indeed, it might be a case of it will have to be OK!
The best of the four is unfortunately in Swansea which is a bit of a pain. Not only is it a fair old drag to go and look at it, it will take at least a week of hard sailing to fetch her back to Fambridge from South Wales. However, we're hoping to arrange for our good friend Roger, who's in the vicinity this morning, to give her a quick once over today
The next best, and in some respects in fact better, has just been listed on Apolloduck and is in Ipswich which is very convenient. However, despite only having appeared on Apolloduck on Thursday, on the brokers own website it's showing as "Sale Pending" so I need to give them a ring this morning and find out whether it is available or not
Failing those two, there are two examples on the South Coast either of which we'd be happy with. Both would need new saloon upholstery though for aesthetic reasons - colourful stripy cushions ugh!
The favourite two boats are both fin keel which I've decided I'm happy to go with. Somewhat more restricted for getting in and out of our mud berth (although there may be developments on that front this year but more of that anon) and of course you can't casually dry out a fin keeler but on the other hand they suffer from far fewer keel bolt problems and sail better
So now the time is nigh to get on the phone and start calling the brokers ...