"Susan J" gets a major spars and rigging overhaul - despite a second lockdown!

A long winter, with no skiing and plenty of time led us to consider  abandoned projects from the previous year and how to make her sail better.

David Carne of Riggers UK had, over the four years he and his team have been checking her rigging for us, had come up with several suggestions.  With the spars being repaired and overhauled, now was the time to put some of them into practice.  As with so many projects by the time we returned to "Susan J" after Easter, a good start had been made but the gaff saddle remained un galvanised, let alone releathered. This gave another month for contemplation of the re fitting of the spars and rigging!

The steel running backstays, requiring two heavy wooden blocks at head height to tension, were replaced with single, Dynema covered with braid, lines and tensioned just with the staysail winches, as at present.  The possibility of a jamming cleat, instead of , or as well s, the winches, was considered but this would be difficult to release if the stay was adequately tensioned on the winch, so was abandoned.

The double block with jamming cleat, lead from a block on the jib halyard at the mast head and sited on the, already narrow, side deck by the shrouds, while effective in ensuring a straight jib luff against the, handy billy tightened, bobstay, was adding weight aloft and complexity, which we agreed to try without.  A similar arrangement on the starboard side deck, for the original duplicate staysail halyard, was only used to haul the dinghy aboard when laid up and, possibly, a MOB.  Both have been removed and retained ashore.

The twin topping lifts had already been, successfully, terminated on Dynema soft shackles further forward at the front of the reefing combs, rather than at the boom end to keep the flailing end of the gaff within their grasp.  I had already created a purchase at the mast to lift the heavy boom and gaff off the boom gantry at the aft end of the cabin.  These were revised with an extra run of Dynema and the original three strand topping lifts and lazy jacks themselves, which were as stiff as pokers with grime and age.  have been replaced with 6 and 4 mm, braid on braid, respectively.

With new soft braid on braid peak and throat halyards, a releathered gaff saddle(or bucket as it is known as locally), the main should go up and down more easily and in more control, while she rolls less in a seaway because of less weight aloft.

While waiting for the crane, the coach roof trim was stripped and varnished in Woodskin, as was that around the bow bulwarks and the lazarette hatches.  at the same time, Julie sanded and re painted all of the deck in preparation for the re galvanised mast collar support and the replacement solar panel.  The mast was restepped and the nine hard wood chocks were trimmed, where necessary and numbered for future reference.

  

  

    

With Graham at the yard keen to get us off the car park before G7, the spars were eventually craned back in early May and all the ideas came together in a matter of days.  The new stainless steel fore aft and cap shrouds fitted flawlessly, as did the, largely new and traditionally coloured, running rigging.  

After much internet research and costings, I had worked out how to replace the radar and multifunction device (chart plotter) with modern equivalents (it was not possible to do one without the other), which would talk to each other through a newer NMEA 2000 network and, only marginally, use less battery power and be lighter.  While feasible, it would be a major project and cost many £1,000's. It seemed pointless refitting the radome and it's large heavy cable, given that we had only been able to use the radar on shore power.  It also did not enhance "Susan J"'s appearance. So, for the time being, we would forego radar and rely on active AIS, which does integrate with the old C120 plotter.

Finally the question of topsail ahs been discussed on several occasions but the relative tall mainsail, leaves little room for anything substantial and, again adds extra complication and a lower handicap!  we do now have plenty of cleats on the pin rail band, if we change our minds.

 

Cleaning the mooring buoy and pick up buoy in anticipation of re launch!

"Susan J" launched in less than ideal conditions, which have tested the VHF as much as the rigging!

 "Susan J" finally reentered the Penryn River on Monday May 10th, after hastily bolting on the, now, re galvanised, releathered, oiled and tallowed gaff  "bucket", Julie having antifouled, the engine recommissioned and started and the other rigging sorted the week before a family gathering in Somerset.

 

A blustery cold day with even more wind on the Tuesday afternoon, we decided to swing off the docks to finish the lacing before departing early the next day.  Falmouth Haven was too windy to rely on at anchor, as we needed to hoist the sails fully for a while, so we picked up a mooring, quite far out.  It was a "Fowey" type mooring with no pick up but a ring on a relatively small buoy.  Despite the gusts we had the buoy alongside but Julie gashed her hand and lost a glove while (fortunately!) retaining the boat hook and the rather low buoy.  In the meantime I had come forward, having attached the tiller lines and promptly sat on the windlass, very hard.  When writing this in mid June I still tend to sit on one or other buttock but Julie's hand is fine and the errant glove replaced! 

Too windy to hoist, we had our first supper aboard of the season.  By dusk it was almost flat calm.  The main was hoisted, successfully and the jib run out and furled, all was well, stove lit and peace restored.

With a forecast 5-7 in the afternoon we put two reefs in and set most of the staysail and then heard an imminent F8 gale warning east of the Lizard on Ch 16.  This was at 09:30, while we passed under Pendennis Head.  We were already laying the Helford entrance and under reduced sail, mainly as we were supposed to be gently trying the new rigging.  So we continued  We called the coast guard on Ch 16, to reassure them we had heard but would carry on anyway but failed to raise Nare Point NCI, half way across the Bay, as advised.

As forecast, we duly noted a steady 36 knots with gusts as much as 48 knots but all settled once in the mouth of the Helford.  As a result of this first season sail, Double Deckers have now been reinstated, to compliment the Kit Kats, thought now sufficient by the skipper for such occasions!  

Matt and Rosie insisted!

Having crossed the Bay, we were called by Nare Point NCI, half a NM away to ask why we didn't respond to their acknowledgement of our call on Ch 65 about an hour ago!  We explained that, despite several calls from us, we had received nothing from then.  I telephoned them, once safely on our mooring and explained our dilemma vis a vie our VHF's apparent inability to receive over more than about half a mile and endeavoured to try again, with mobile to hand, later in the week. 

This we did during a couple of pleasant, if chilly, shake down sails as far s Gull Rock and back on the Friday.  Tests with Nare Point NCI confirmed what I had suspected, transmission at 2-3 miles was readable even at 1 watt but reception was nil .  At 25 watts we were loud and clear via the mobile!  This despite hearing the coastguard on Ch 16 & Ch 67 and the various Maritime Information schedules on Ch 62, which, perhaps unlike NCI stations are higher up and higher powered.

At the time of writing this in early June, we have achieved the same results on the emergency taff rail aerial, with and with out the AIS, which shares the aerial.  The SWR is always around 1.7:1, which is fairly good.  The AIS receives, from the masthead aerial at 4-5 NM although, as ever, our AIS transmissions appear sporadic, neither ideal and warrants further investigation.  In hindsight, I felt we had not been receiving properly since I installed the new wireless in 2019.  It has been to and returned from iCom, who says it is OK, including the suspected squelch filters.  Next, once back on board, is to eliminate sources of interference such as the instruments, MFD, the 12 v socket telephone charger and possibly the 12 v handheld iCom charger.  If that fails I might try reducing the coax cable by a 1/4 wave length apparently 1.5 feet.

  

Having relaunched and had a few trial sails, "Susan J"'s much simpler rigging, has resulted in, a much more attractive and traditional appearance, in keeping with her aspirations.  The mainsail is going up and down more easily and her rolling is less pronounced.  We are modifying the routine to tighten the free flying jib, without the massive additional purchase, now eliminated. Tightening the jib halyard first, lifting the bowsprit within the gammon iron and finally using the handy billy to lower the bowsprit back.  this seems to work and has the merit of ensuring less strain on the spar.

Here she is back on her mooring amongst the average white boats!

Several more posts, since September 2020 are now in draft and awaiting adequate internet to add photos, before publication.

Early lay up after a short season and before a long winter.

 A couple of day sails and by the first week of October we decided to lay up early to ensure the planned work on the mast spars and rigging could be started before the now increasingly likely winter lockdown.

In March, Jake, of Rigger's UK, had reported a damp and soft area in way of the hounds, OK for the coming season but we agreed we would have the mast taken out, a year earlier than planned and have the rigging completely overhauled.  Our insurer had agreed we could leave replacing the stainless steel standing rigging until 2022, this always seems an arbitrary "rule" that s/s rigging should be replaced every 10-12 years and we were grateful for our insurer's flexibility.  However, this plan gives us an extra year to test it before sailing around Britain with the OGA in 2023.

During early October, laid up in the Park and Float at Ponsharden, we completed her laying up, including winterising the engine, whose fluids and filters had been changed and topped up.  I had made a temporary boom crutch and used the jib pole to support the summer cockpit cover, independent of the spars.  These were craned out by early November and all the rigging, radar etc removed.

   

Soon after, we heard that the spars, including the already fettled bowsprit, were all taken on a trolley along Commercial Road to Metre Yachts at Islington Wharf, in Penryn, where Dave Brunyee and his team, stripped all the varnish and scarfed a new section to replace the damaged one before applying several coats of Woodskin, breathable varnish.  

  

We visited the boat and the yard on 5th December, for the last time until after Easter.  Fortunately we were able to collect all the blocks, which I gave a lockdown, strip and varnish, while David Carne had some nylon sheaves made up, to replace the rusty galvanised ones.  This, as well as eliminating a redundant mast band at the hounds and the radome, should considerably reduce weight aloft.  The spreaders were replaced with carbon reinforced resin and the remaining galvanised fittings were cleaned and re galvanised after some additional pins to the pinrail band at the mast base band were added and some redundant brackets from the gaff hinge were removed.  This further reduced weight and would enable the signal halyards to be made off at the base of the mast rather than being rolling hitched to the shrouds.

.   The mainsheet blocks re varnished

Another week in the Isles of Scilly.

The second week in September was warm and calm, with just enough wind for the Scillies and, a promise of not too much swell.

An early departure from our mooring in the Helford, in the dark with a waning moon and, after passing the local fishing boat preparing for work, our navigation lights!  a motorsail took us to the Lizard by breakfast and the wind filled in giving us a splendid reach well past Lands End.  

  

 

As often is the case on land fall, the tide, despite a freshen increasing NNW breeze had us well north of St Mary's Sound so we decided to go north around to New Grimsby.  We had a spectacular sail close to the north of St Martins and Round Island, reminiscent of Brittany and just locating the entrance between Byher and Tresco.  The swell, after all and perhaps inevitably, was prodigious, so we picked up a mooring as far in as we would float and went ashore to pay our dues and a possible, Covid regulated, pint at the New Inn after a walk to King Charles' Castle.  We arrived at the pub, to find we had left all our cards and cash aboard.  However there was a spare table, so we were treated to our first pub meal, for which a telephone call from aboard, later on, was paid along with our two nights mooring,  

       

The following day was, cloudy but dry and spent walking around Bryher, in a clock wise direction.  This was the first time either of us had landed on Bryher. Various cafes were open and welcoming but the main Hotel was closed to non residents.  The Fraggle Rock, however provided a welcome pint before returning aboard for another very rolly night.

   

Once the tide was right we went on to Waterrmill Cove on the north side of St Mary's where we caught the dinghy painter around the prop so had to anchor!  A pleasant swim revealed no damage and the efficacy of the rope cutter and no further tools were required other than a green scourer to clean the boot top!  Our walk ashore completed our perambulatory circumnavigation of St Mary's started some four years ago.  We visited the ruined first settlement, at Halangy Down, near the TV mast and met the lone skipper and his dog, of the only other vessel at anchor.  

 

After a socially distanced cockpit drink and peaceful night, we decided to try the north side of St Martin's, sailing around the Eastern Isles and anchoring in Bread and Cheese Cove, under the day mark but just for lunch, as the rolling was again prodigious and we were somewhat exposed and so decided to return to a mooring at Hugh Town, for the rest of our stay.

  

The showers appeared to be open and,  feeling much fresher, we received a text from Geoff and Sarah West, who, Alison Rawlins, our neighbour had noticed were holidaying on the Islands for the first time, in lieu of more foreign climes.  It was an opportunity to catch up since they moved to Devon some years ago.  We met them the following day at the  Julliet's Garden Cafe for a long lunch and tea in warm, sunny but sultry conditions.

  

Sure enough there was thundery rain that night and a fairly dense mist but this didn't stop us departing in the early hours via St Mary's Sound and, once clear, we motor sailed with a light misty wind to the Lizard.  Here the mist lifted leaving us in fresher sunny weather to anchor off Coverack, for milk an ice cream and bread, before returning to our mooring in the Helford. 

 

Late September passage to Gull Rock and back with Sarah and friend Jane.

  

A few days on mooring, replacing engine fluids and cleaning the heads with dilute HCL before an early layup in October.

Susan J joins South West Gaffers at Sea -At last!

 As Storm Francis abated, "Susan J" crossed to St Mawes and spent a pleasant afternoon exploring the Percuil River in the dinghy. Eventually finding "Lizzie Dripping" on her mooring near Place, we dropped the SWR meter into her cockpit and returned aboard to sail to Chanal Creek, opposite Turnaware Point, under Trelissick House.  A peaceful anchorage on a calm dry evening and we were joined alongside by "Roxanne" for socially distanced preprandial drinks before they anchored nearby.

The rain started and by mid morning was stair rods and continued thus until after lunch.  By deploying the cockpit cover over the spray hood, much of the water remained outboard.  Motoring up to the Smugglers Cottage Reach, we were dwarfed by two enormous car ferries registered in Madeira.  On to Maggoty Bank confirmed that where we were anchored under Trelissick house was the quietest spot in the river, so we returned and met Martin and Jan for preprandial G&T and anchored ready to explore Trelisick gardens in the morning, which proved another showery one!

We sailed back to St Mawes, while "Roxanne" shopped in Falmouth and, after a peaceful night, we were joined by Martin West aboard "Cariad" and the three gaffers set off towards Fowey.  "Susan J" had already decided to put in a second reef before passing Dodman, as the CG released an inaudible and irrelevant gale warning. "Roxanne" was reassured by VHF that we hadn't turned back. As we passed the Dodman and "Cariad" closed up, it appeared that "Cariad" had turned back but it transpired that Martin, sailing alone and until then faster, had wisely retreated into Gorran Haven for lunch and was only just behind and drier, when he came alongside "Roxane" in Fowey!  We were all just about able to lay Fowey after rounding the Dodman, with much alteration of foresails from 1/3 staysail to full jib and staysail as we weathered the fierce squalls. One short tack brought us under Gribben Head and inside Cannis Rock but "Periwinkle", who we could see at the entrance and we thought was waiting for u,s had been towed up river by the harbour master, with further engine problems. 

Moored on the pontoon in Pil creek, with three enormous brand new RIB's being prepared for an oil dispersion trial.  We were joined by Brian and Estelle ("Annabelle") via the water taxi and "Cariad".

By 18:45 we were with beer, sat socially at three distanced tables and joined by John Gallagher and Geoff from "Perriwinkle", discovering that "pontoon 6" , wher the engineless "Perriwinkle" had been sent, was upriver of the chain ferry.  Mike Forward, forced to drive, after breaking "Arriane"'s tiller on departure from the Tamar, completed the gathering of eleven SW gaffers " at sea"  for a very enjoyable meal in excellent company at the Royal Fowey YC.

Looking on the bright side of storm "Francis" - August weather - don't you love it - returning to the "new normal"?

Following a very hot road trip to London, we waited out the, anticipated but non materialising, thunderstorms in Somerset, using the opportunity to replace the car before returning aboard "Susan J" in the week before the August bank holiday.  

A wet day sail to Carrick Roads, set the scene and gave Julie an opportunity to try out her new oilskins, which didn't leak! It also enabled us to re deploy the jib with the new Wickham Martin top swivel and untangle the wrongly reeved port sheet off Falmouth docks!  Pilotage at low tide was further enhanced by a massive rig apparently under her own steam and a barge being towed by two suitably marked tugs!  We decided to retain our reef and return back to our mooring to sit out storm Francis.

A night spent on her home mooring in a named storm, is at once instructive, frightening, exhilarating and also rather reassuring.  "Susan J" with the riser shortened and set on the bull rope, hardly touched the mooring buoy, while the rudder slightly set to port, kept the riser off the inner bobstay most of the time.  Compared with nearby vessels our halyard frapping was relatively effective and despite the torrential rain, a combination of spray hood and cockpit cover kept us and her cockpit reasonably dry.  

By the morning the sun appeared and the wind rose further, recording a steady F 7 and 49 knots / F9 on a couple of occasions.  

 By now the mate was getting restless and the "all weather"  Helford ferry, in Nick's capable hands, got us ashore, so we could have a socially distanced swim in the pool and Julie a walk.  The upside of this, apart from eggs for breakfast, is that the skipper has had an opportunity to update the blog and start this post and reflect on our good fortune in being able to enjoy the 2020 sailing season despite Covid.

It seems that "Roxanne" is already sitting out storm Francis in the Fal, "Lizzie Dripping" is hoping for VHF help in the Percuil River, while "Arriane" and "Periwinkle" may be heading west from the Tamar, as the wind veers to the north.  An impromptu, socially distanced, gathering of a few SW gaffers may happen in the days ahead!  While the new What's App group - "South West Gaffers at Sea" - may be coming of age!

Fowey and Tamar - tentatively post lockdown!

Early August found  "Susan J" on a broad reach to Dodman Point and another on the opposite gybe into Fowey.  As we rounded up and released the jib traveller, the upper Wickham Martin swivel broke (as the subsequent photograph shows) and the traveller came aft, at speed, breaking part of the staysail reefing drum!  Should have eased the halyard first but at least it happened in the relative shelter of Gribben head! 

Once we recovered and bagged the jib we took an empty visitors mooring and enjoyed two rather rolly nights, either side of a very wet and misty day in which we completed the Hall walk via Polruan and Bodenick ferries.  

Thursday was calm and misty so we pointed in the direction of Rame Head with the autopilot taking charge, more effectively without a jib!  While we all kept a lookout through the fog. By lunch time the mist cleared to reveal a colourful, if rather empty Plymouth Sound. We anchored under Jennycliff and visited Mountbatten for a socially distanced drink before returning aboard for super and another rolly night.  

After a brief swim in sharp thunderstorm, we sailed and motored under the bridges and back to the Lynher, where we anchored close to the mud in ssssssss bay.  A walk ashore in the summer's heat, through the hay fields conserved by the local community and eating the juicy blackberries, was a delight.  

Once there was sufficient water, we dinghied up the very picturesque and tidy Forder creek for socially distanced drinks and picnic with Rob and Ann and their friends, the first SW gaffer event, for us since visiting Pellew awaiting launch in Truro.

Our cruise at this point was going to have to be cut short by brewing issues in London but the upside was that our daughter, Lil, could stay aboard until we were back at Helford and return to London with us rather than by train.  We went alongside at the Mayflower and Julie and Lil hauled David aloft to retrieve the jib halyard and remains of the top swivel.  The replacement had not arrived, as ordered in Fowey and eventually required a separate road trip the following weekend, after our trip to London and Bristol in the heat and thunderstorms but facilitated the disposal of an unsuitable danbuoy a replacement inflatable device and new oilskins for Julie.  Apparently married for 40 years (the skipper had left the redated anniversary card at home for the fourth year running!), the opportunity was taken, to have our first post lockdown sit down meal.  We are pleased to report that the food and beer at Jolly Jack's is as good as ever and all unobtrusively socially distanced!

So, with batteries recharged and water tanks full, we motored about a third of the way to the Dodman before a  WNW  wind filled in, dolphins appeared and, with the tide, we close reached our mooring in 9 hours on a close reach at 6-7 knots under main and stay sail alone.