When we started to think about buying our own dinghy and having mentioned it to other members of the family, the question usually arose as to what we would call the boat.
It hadn't really occured me before someone else asked, but it sets you thinking.
So, what do you call your boat. It should be something that has a meaning to yourselves and isn't too naff perhaps. Although naff is a relative term.
You go through all the trendy, obscure and odd names of course, before settling on something that both of us could relate to.
As an ankle biter, I, and most other kids - largely, maybe because of the lack of choice, enjoyed a cartoon series called Whacky Races. Which included characters such as, Penelope Pitstop, Peter Perfect, The Ant Hill Mob and, the stereotypical villain, Dick Dastardly - who had a sidekick dog called Muttley (notice the two t's).
Like Gromit, in the duo of Wallace and Grommit, the dog frequently had the brains of the team and was regularly put upon by the other.
In itself, this isn't enough of a personal meaning.
When my wife and I were 'courting' we lived either side of a area known as Mutley Plain.
She, living in the nurses accomodation and I living in a bedsit.
So, as a working title, the dinghy is currently referred to as Muttley.
But, in the absense of any naming ceremony as yet, we could still change our minds.
Friday, 30 December 2011
Thursday, 29 December 2011
Reeds Nautical Almanac
I've been enjoying browsing the Reeds Nautical Almanac that I received at Christmas.
http://www.reedsnauticalalmanac.co.uk/buy.
Maybe over the top if you only sail inland, but for tides, VHF channels for UK ports and route planning, it's pretty good.
Plus you get all the contents of the book, planning tool, weather reports and more via their online software.
Got to use my Day Skipper study for something.
http://www.reedsnauticalalmanac.co.uk/buy.
Maybe over the top if you only sail inland, but for tides, VHF channels for UK ports and route planning, it's pretty good.
Plus you get all the contents of the book, planning tool, weather reports and more via their online software.
Got to use my Day Skipper study for something.
Tuesday, 27 December 2011
Traumatic collection of new dinghy.
I live a fair distance from Derby, so it was always going to be a long day collecting our new Gull Calypso dinghy from Hartley's factory.
As I travel a fair distance around the south west of England I'm fairly used to spending hours on the motorway. What you can't predict is traffic issues along the way.
Generally speaking, you'd consider yourself unlucky to be delayed by an accident along the way. On the first motorway leg of the journey, I was unlucky enough to have two seperate delays at different accidents, plus a further delay along the M69 while the numpties in the traffic control centre played with the variable speed signs, which were due to a fairly short queue at an exit. Along a fairly short stretch, less than ten miles, we went from 70, to 50, to 60, to 50 again, to 60, to 50 and finally back to 70 when we passed the three vehicles waiting to leave the motorway.
Anyway, I pitched up at Hartley's only about half an hour late, having lost a further hour in delays along the journey.
Duncan, from Sales, was very welcoming. With coffee in hand, I was given the whirlwind tour of the premises and onto the first encounter with my new dinghy.
Cue Cheshire cat expression.
What I should have done at this point, is to photograph everything in the assembled state and maybe some more photo's as we disassembled the boat. But I didn't. So, subsequent assembly on the first launch wasn't quite so stress free as it should have been, but note to self for next time - what next time is the response from the better half!
Dismantling completed, the dinghy was subsequently loaded onto the road trailer. I checked the light board, as you do, and everything looked good for the return trip.
Anything determintal to say about Hartley's? Well, maybe a few minor niggles.
I am renowned for planning for every eventuality, so I had taken just about every variation of rope and strap I could think of, so securing the boat to the road trolley wasn't a problem.
Maybe a couple of pointers might have been welcome before arrival.
I had ordered a jockey wheel, which I assumed would be integral to the launch trolley. Not so. I was presented with the wheel, and out of curiosity looked to see how it fitted. It didn't.
After a surprised look from Duncan, from Sales, he went off to find the attachment.
OK not a problem - but just as well I checked. Even a cursory search on the internet reveals that this type of jockey wheel is much cheaper elsewhere. And this is probably my criticism of Hartley's, their accessories are on the expensive side.
As I pulled away from Hartley's, the rain started. So, confident the lights were all in order, sidelight on and proceed. At the next junction I signalled, as you do, and that's when I discovered an 'issue'.
The more experienced user of trailers may be aware that some modern cars have fancy monitoring of the lighting systems. Sadly, mine does. As soon as I switched on the indicators, the display on the dash went berserk.
What can you do. I crossed my fingers and only had either the lights or indicators on.
I'd stopped when I could but in the rain, in a motorway services , a miracle cure escaped me.
(I have now sorted this out with a relay unit from the every trusty Ebay.)
But, it was more traumatic than I needed, towing a new boat for the first time.
So, with crossed fingers I eventually parked up in my office car park for an overight stop.
I did waste a fair few hours trying to sort out the light board - I'm deluded enough an electronic engineer to have thought I might be able to sort it out. Although, it did occur to me fairly early on that some sort of interface might be needed.
After a couple of hours sleep at home, I was back at the office to pick up the boat before the roads got busy and finally arrived at the boat park at Cheddar.
Won't be doing that too often.
As I travel a fair distance around the south west of England I'm fairly used to spending hours on the motorway. What you can't predict is traffic issues along the way.
Generally speaking, you'd consider yourself unlucky to be delayed by an accident along the way. On the first motorway leg of the journey, I was unlucky enough to have two seperate delays at different accidents, plus a further delay along the M69 while the numpties in the traffic control centre played with the variable speed signs, which were due to a fairly short queue at an exit. Along a fairly short stretch, less than ten miles, we went from 70, to 50, to 60, to 50 again, to 60, to 50 and finally back to 70 when we passed the three vehicles waiting to leave the motorway.
Anyway, I pitched up at Hartley's only about half an hour late, having lost a further hour in delays along the journey.
Duncan, from Sales, was very welcoming. With coffee in hand, I was given the whirlwind tour of the premises and onto the first encounter with my new dinghy.
Cue Cheshire cat expression.
What I should have done at this point, is to photograph everything in the assembled state and maybe some more photo's as we disassembled the boat. But I didn't. So, subsequent assembly on the first launch wasn't quite so stress free as it should have been, but note to self for next time - what next time is the response from the better half!
Dismantling completed, the dinghy was subsequently loaded onto the road trailer. I checked the light board, as you do, and everything looked good for the return trip.
Anything determintal to say about Hartley's? Well, maybe a few minor niggles.
I am renowned for planning for every eventuality, so I had taken just about every variation of rope and strap I could think of, so securing the boat to the road trolley wasn't a problem.
Maybe a couple of pointers might have been welcome before arrival.
I had ordered a jockey wheel, which I assumed would be integral to the launch trolley. Not so. I was presented with the wheel, and out of curiosity looked to see how it fitted. It didn't.
After a surprised look from Duncan, from Sales, he went off to find the attachment.
OK not a problem - but just as well I checked. Even a cursory search on the internet reveals that this type of jockey wheel is much cheaper elsewhere. And this is probably my criticism of Hartley's, their accessories are on the expensive side.
As I pulled away from Hartley's, the rain started. So, confident the lights were all in order, sidelight on and proceed. At the next junction I signalled, as you do, and that's when I discovered an 'issue'.
The more experienced user of trailers may be aware that some modern cars have fancy monitoring of the lighting systems. Sadly, mine does. As soon as I switched on the indicators, the display on the dash went berserk.
What can you do. I crossed my fingers and only had either the lights or indicators on.
I'd stopped when I could but in the rain, in a motorway services , a miracle cure escaped me.
(I have now sorted this out with a relay unit from the every trusty Ebay.)
But, it was more traumatic than I needed, towing a new boat for the first time.
So, with crossed fingers I eventually parked up in my office car park for an overight stop.
I did waste a fair few hours trying to sort out the light board - I'm deluded enough an electronic engineer to have thought I might be able to sort it out. Although, it did occur to me fairly early on that some sort of interface might be needed.
After a couple of hours sleep at home, I was back at the office to pick up the boat before the roads got busy and finally arrived at the boat park at Cheddar.
Won't be doing that too often.
Saturday, 24 December 2011
Thursday, 22 December 2011
Standby to standby!
So. Lets start a blog then.
Not that many people will care, but
as a method of recording the trials
and, almost certain, tribulations, of
sailing our new Gull dinghy.
Not that many people will care, but
as a method of recording the trials
and, almost certain, tribulations, of
sailing our new Gull dinghy.
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