Big Band Concert

We performed our second big band concert to a packed audience last Thursday in the Flavel Centre in Dartmouth. We featured many vocal numbers including four from Lydia. You can see her performing with the band in the photograph.

Hannah and Sophia visit us

In order to give Dan D some peace and quiet, Han and Sophia jumped on a train and came to visit for a week. Since we last saw her at Christmas, Sophia has now discovered how to walk! Watch her go!! Lots of walks were taken despite the Feb weather.

Chain Plate Removal

Lucy M's chain plates (the strong point that the shrouds that hold the mast up are attached to) have rusted and lost their strength. At some point replacement chain plates were fabricated and bolted to the outside of the hull. Unfortunately with this configuration, it is difficult to get a fair lead for the head sail sheets. So I am having to chisel out the rusted chain plates and get replacements made and glassed back in. A long slow job - ho hum!

Happy birthday to Lynn!

Happy birthday Lynn!

Lucy Morales makes a voyage

Well not exactly a voyage, but she managed to extricate herself from the pontoon and court disaster at the bottom of a spring tide, with neighbouring yachts aslant at grotesque angles, and where lug worms were being disturbed by their keels burrowing into the river bed. With the single cylinder Watermann engine puttering away, the result of some mighty swings on the cranking handle, she motored round to the fuel barge and took her fill of diesel fuel. Then she puttered back; a voyage indeed!

What is that!

After the excitement of getting Lucy M's engine going, a little task arose from the experience. The rotating shaft had caused a small trickle of water to find its way into the yacht. This was easily halted by squirting some grease into the stern gland (where the propeller shaft goes through from the inside to the outside of the hull), but the only way to do this was to squeeze through a narrow gap and attach the grease gun to a grease nipple and try and pump in the grease. An easier solution was needed. So I purchased a stern gland greaser and after a number of trial and error attempts, managed to attach the grease tube to the stern gland. Now I can apply grease easily from the cabin. The object in the picture is the very greasy stern glad - minus nipple!

Christmas Time

We had a pleasant surprise on Christmas morning to receive a phone call from Dan (son)at 8am, who was walking with Sarah and their dogs on Hayling Island - no Christmas Day lie-in for them! Dan, Hannah and Sophia (aged one year, one week and one day on Christmas day) visited for the holiday. What fun to see them, but Lynn, Lyd and Julez all had the flu!