GRP Clean Up

As I'll be looking for older boats,which will suffer from Rust stains and the like, www.starbright.com looks like it can help with cleaning up!

I do however think that most of my time will be spent with a jet washer and a paint brush.

New Zealand - Sailing heaven!

So... long time no Blog and all that. Hope people have had a good Christmas and New Year Break, but sadly it back to the thick of it and yet another list of things I'd like to do, but other than winning the Lotto, will perhaps not yet have the chase to fulfil.

That said, there is exciting news that the Sunny shores of New Zealand could well be calling and the back end of 2014 sees us in Auckland! If this is the case then this will only serve to push the sailing project further ahead and base the whole experience from the Southern Hemisphere.

If something does becomeof theis then the website will be revisited with a new twist to it! Fingers crossed this is just the thing needed to spur me on yet again!

Lake Taupo - New Zealand!

Television... some inspiration to get you going?

So... Its been some time since my last update and sadly there's not a lot of movement on the boat front as most of my funds are being ploughed into the family house at the moment and a much needed 2 week break in the South of France for us all!

That said I have been turning to a few TV programmes to help keep me happy in the Spring evenings. Once the kids are to bed and the PBO is read from cover to cover then Monday now finds me watching Channel 5s New Lives in the Wild http://www.channel5.com/shows/ben-fogle-new-lives-in-the-wild 



Ben Fogle -New Lives in the Wild

The 2 shows I've seen so far have made me even keener to get the boat project on the go and a reality!
Nothing much else to add other than its been an inspiration and I really want one of the little inflatable boats that the family and Ben were on! EBay calls!

Till next time, and fingers crossed for the lottery, as at this rate, it'll be the only way I can afford the boat!!

March sees in Spring...

With March being the official start of Spring I've been thinking of the coming year and the hopes of actually being able to purchase a boat at the right price!

I've also been thinking of being able to return to the hills again soon as the clocks come forward. Perhaps the hills and my bike can help me get some of the old fitness back!
A trip to the outdoor shop saw a new pair of boots for taking up Snowdon, and then a lot of activity in the loft while I dug out some of my old kit for the coming Spring.

Walking aside, let's hope 2013 brings me luck and the perfect bilge keeler at a bargain price!

The perfect boat at the right price

Things have been a little hectic at home right now, what with the birth of our second child! So while changing nappies, I occasionally think of my, very much on the back burner, sailing project. And, just as I suspected, when I have no funds the perfect project boat turns up!

I am currently watching a Hurley Felicity 20 yacht on eBay that has suffered slight damage after she slipped her mooring. Priced at only £300, she would be perfect, but then how do you convince your wife that a yacht 200 miles away will perfectly compliment a 4 week only child?

Fate has a lot to answer for!

Autumn is here - batten down the hatches

I woke this morning and for the first time this year, it felt like a chilly (but nice) Autumn morning. It made me think of those last few weeks of the sailing season where you make the most of the failing light and break out some more layers which you cram on under the oil skins before thinking about moth balling the old girl away for the winter.

On the note of cold weather sailing I recently broke out my old copy of Sea, Ice and Rock by Sir Robin Knox Johnsons and Sir Chris Bonington which is a wonderful account of their Adventures sailing to Greenland and their attempt to climb a virgin peak. There's a short account of it here (http://www.robinknox-johnston.co.uk/da/20087) on RKJs web site. If you can find a copy of it, buy it!

In my current position (financially broke) of looking for a boat to get my own adventure rolling, now would be the best time to start looking for one, but as usual funding means that isn't currently viable. But I'm sure there will be a lot of window shopping going on this winter ;o)

The trouble with sailing is the lack of... TIME

Having read, and enjoyed, Shane Spalls book over my summer holidays I have come to a number of conclusions.

1. As both Tim and Shane enjoy the act of sailing, this makes them very lucky! My partner wouldn't set foot on a boat if she knew I was onboard!
2. A lot of Tims and Shanes time was spent enjoying the local harbours owing to the clarm seas needed by a 35 tonne barge!
3. They also had the luxury of large amounts of time for pottering about at sea (owing to Tims rather amazing job of acting.)
4. Shane and Tim must have spent a fortune in diesel and mooring fees, spending 6 years travelling around the UK!

So what can I take out of this for me?

Well, as I intend to purchase a rather small boat I too will have to pick and choose the right time for sailing or not. a 21ft boat will also need much more favourable weather to that of a 36 footer, and as I will also be sailing mainly short handed then again fair weather will have a major impact on my timescales. So perhaps I need to revisit my 6 to 8 week schedule!?

I also have to take my (young) family into account. With a wife and 2 children under 5 its hard enough to get away for a night at the cinema never mind a week at sea on my own! Careful up front planning is one thing but I can't give 3 months notice to the family and hope that the weather is OK for that given week!

Anyway, details, details, details. I'll worry about that when I have too. For now I need to concentrate on actually being able to afford such a boat first. The logistics of the actual trip can wait for now.

But then perhaps I should just by a long boat instead....

Thanks Shane for a week on board your Princess Matilda.