PastorsDayOff

Now there’s a memory. We almost looked forward to the new Hoseasons catalogue coming out as much as we looked forward to Christmas. I remember my dad telling us one year, after the catalogue had just arrived, that we couldn’t afford a boating holiday that year. When our holiday came, he packed the car with camping gear, and we drove off expecting to be under canvass for a week, only to turn up at a boatyard at Kingston upon Thames, to spend the week on a Bounty 37.

Thanks NeilB. I wasn’t sure what response I would get to posting the topic, it was simply what came into my mind visiting the town I began growing up in. Sadly at that age now where I can remenisce! I like the idea of being introduced to boating before you were born, though we tried this with our son (now 20), but he sadly finds this boating thing too slow.

You will notice Jayfire that I haven’t reacted to your post or made any kind of judgement, though that may also have something to do with me running out of my daily allowance of reactions.

Twice I’ve found myself over the side of a boat, and one of those was not my fault, but was by the hand of a sailing instructor who thought he had a sense of humour proving a point to my fellow students. But I do agree, it’s better to be in rather than sinking!

It seems that parents have a big part to play in this. My first boating holiday was when I was five, on the Thames, on what would have been a fairly new Wilds Caribbean.

I think that Arthur Ransome books and seeing other people enjoying boats might end up a common theme here.

Just got a dog. This will be most helpful for this season.

It’s one of the reasons why I wanted to buy a boat. I hate giving them back when the holiday is over.

I think there may be a lot of people who began that way; they certainly contributed to my love affair.

Being that it was a rather cold, wet and windy day, I thought it best to put my planned boat maintenance on hold today, and take a trip out instead; thus my wife (first mate) and I, with the dog in tow, found ourselves heading down to Woodbridge and taking a windswept walk beside the Deben. For me, this is always something very special, not least because I used to live in Woodbridge as a child (a long time ago), and it holds many fond memories of family walks with another dog, along the river wall, and looking at all the boats; but it’s also a special place, because it is there that my love affair with boats first began; where my blood was replaced with water, maybe with the odd dram of whisky these days. Many family boating holidays consolidated this love, as well as many hours of sailing around the Southwest after we finally moved to Devon. Now back in Lowestoft, after many years, this love affair resulted in the buying of our own sailing boat last year; a purchase I in no way regret. But it got me wondering, where did the boating love affair begin with everyone else?

Welcome Gitane!

Always enjoy the six nations, and it serves as a good countdown to getting the boat out for a new season. Win win!

Just about to adopt a 3-4 year old Staffy from the RSPCA; wife has wanted one for years, and I’ve run out of excuses. Seems that having a cat wasn’t going to be enough. But as long as I can train him to like sailing boats I’ll be happy.

The marina have just allocated me a different mooring in deeper water, and I have just been down to move onto it. Irronically, the water was as high as it was low yesterday. One extreme to another. But at least I am not so worried about potential underwater damage now.

Hi Ian. I did get in at the end, after waiting for a couple of hours for the water to come up about a foot, but once in the marina I still couldn’t get back on my mooring because I was once again grounding out; so after a couple of failed attempts to get on another mooring, I finally found one that I could get into. But I’m off out in a moment to move the boat, and hopefully negotiate a deeper mooring.

So, who else got caught out today like I did with the extra low tides on the Southern Broads? I know I have a sailboat, but my keel isn’t that deep, yet I still couldn’t get back to my mooring at St Olaves late this afternoon because the water was too shallow on the New Cut!

Helpful chart. I’ve used it for buying motorbikes as well. Works 99% of the time. Can’t have too many of them! Helps me get to the boat!

Thanks Carole. I was beginning to think upon those lines and was planning to pick up some heaters over the next few weeks, along with some dehumidifier packs.

Thank you Alan.

Thank you Paul

Being very new to boat ownership I am after people’s thoughts and recommendations as to whether to take the boat out the water for the winter or leave it in. The boat was out the water for several months prior to me buying her and was antifouled then. She has only been in the water a couple of months, but if best practice dictates taking her out I will. None of the jobs I have planned for her over the winter require this though. Recommendations please?

DAY TWO… Ok; day two hasn't exactly followed day one consecutively. Apart from spending a day with some friends and then to see our daughter off to college, the reality is, that after day one, my wife and I were knackered! It seems that my wife bought me the correct cap after all! Sailing is hard work! But that which don't kill us must surely make us stronger, right? But, I did say that this was not going to be a blog so much about us sailing here or there or back again; rather, a blog about two people, who should have thought more seriously about buying a mobo, learning to sail again, after a 30 year absence. What is to our advantage in all this is that we only live 7ish miles away from where the boat is permanently moored, so staying on the boat for consecutive days is not always going to be required. So, what did we do on day two? Well, in truth, much the same as we did on day one; but the big difference was, that this time, the wind was blowing; we could actually do some sailing. And this we did; all the way to Oulton Broad, from Somerleyton Bridge, with the engine switched off! Yeeesss! It's all coming back! Well sort of. Our tacking skills do need serious brushing up, thus the return journey did get supplemented a bit. But we did it nonetheless. Now; as I write this, I am actually sat by Oulton Broad on a bench in the park, the day after day two. One thing that did happen yesterday was that whilst we were trying to tack on Oulton Broad my wife’s cap got blown overboard. Today however, on entering the park, I selected, long before getting to the bench itself, which of the twenty or so I wanted to sit on; and what should be in the water, right in front of the pre-selected bench, but my wife’s cap that she lost yesterday. If only I could get back my glasses that I dropped in the water at the end of day one! No, this won't be a conservative day type blog, but stick with it, we have a lot to learn yet.

Will be looking out for you. And thank you for the heads up about tomorrow.

Hi JennyMorgan. No; we were only there today, and only briefly as it was packed with sailing dinghies. The last thing they neede was me getting in the way.

As a recent joiner to this network, I introduced myself as an avid boater, which I am. Most of my boating over the last 40 years has been on numerous mobo’s (all hired), but in my teens I did enjoy a brief foray into sailing (all offshore), but that was 30 years ago. So what possessed me to think that it would be a good idea to by a sailboat? In this case, my newly acquired Pegasus 800, which my wife and I have renamed ‘Sovereign Grace’. Now, your initial response might be, well why not! Surely it's like riding a bike; you've done it before, it will all come back to you? But there's something else here I have to keep in mind; I'm not as young as I used to be! This fact was certainly not lost on my wife, who decided to buy me a little present to go with my new acquisition, a cap, with the words ‘Knackered Sailor’ embossed on the front. I love her dearly! The truth is, that she’s right, not because I'm now 46 and on at least the third of my mid life crises, but that, for the last 5 years I have suffered with M.E. or as some would know it, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Ah, but things don't stop there either, because my wife, and first mate in this new hobby; well, she has Osteoarthritis. But neither of us are the type to let these things get the better of us; adventure / foolhardiness are in our DNA. Even so; what you are going to read here, is possibly not the usual kind of we went here and there and back again, but a blog from two people who probably should have thought more seriously about buying a mobo, who instead, despite the difficulties, are going to learn to sail again. So; here we go… DAY ONE… Well, I've kitted her out as best as I know how, and I have the reassurance of a thorough survey and professional engine test to be confident that the water will stay on the outside, and if all else fails, we can at least motor home. But here is where we learn to sail again; or at least we would have done if it had actually been windy. Even so; not to be deterred, we bravely uncovered the sails, made sure all the lines were attached where I could remember they should be attached, started the engine, and set off to begin our new shared hobby. The plan was simple, motor down to Somerleyton from St Olaves, trusting that this would give me better control through the swing bridge, and then to hoist the sails and see if we could sail the rest of the way to Oulton Broad and back. Well, the plan to motor to Somerleyton proved wise, as we did have to wait for it to open, but the plan to then sail to and from Oulton Broad didn’t quite work out. For sure, we were not the only sailors who were finding the lack of wind a problem, and this was of some comfort to me, that it wasn't simply me doing it all wrong; but the engine never got switched off. But, we did bravely hoist the sails nonetheless, and for those brief moments when the wind did pick up, the boat did move forward; which I will call a success, and consider proof, that this sailing lark is maybe like riding a bike after all, something you never forget. Having managed to return to St Olaves, where we started the day, not having sunk, capsized, or crashed into the dock whilst trying to moor up again, I will count day 1 as a great success. Visiting friends tomorrow, so day two will be the day after. Thanks for reading so far.