High winds expected

With gale force winds forecast for tonight and tomorrow, looks like the idle time to test the new Weatherflow anemometer gadget for my iphone.

Fancy sailing on Annabella ?

Following on from the success of our passage from Holyhead to the Scillies in 2017, this year were planning another cruise between 25 June and 06 July  this year.
This will be a slightly different format, as we hope to do it in 3 x day passages, the first of which will be from Holyhead to the Isle of Man, the second around Man, and the third will take us up to the south of the Solway firth, where we will rendezvous with some entertaining friends. (Then obviously coming back)

We are planning around one week to suit the weather and tides, and can overnight, crack on or linger at any point. There is the option of diverting to Ireland or around North Wales if we have spare time and the inclination.
We are looking for two experienced sailors to make up our crew to four,
Food on board, fuel, mooring dues etc are all included - although it would be ungracious to spurn any unsolicited contributions. If required, we can collect from Manchester airport , or you could fly to Dublin and get the ferry to Holyhead !
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We're sailing for good company, good food, a bit of adventure and some fun. You would be expected to supply a sense of humour in working order, acquiescence to modern jazz and a basic knowledge of the theory of gas kettles. Message us here.

What to do on long winter evening #6

Well, whilst the snow came down outdoors, snug in the workshop, you could polish your dividers.
 (not a metaphor, by the way)

This pair have come up lovely!
And for fans of Derek and Clive, I got Brasso all over my hands.

New log book on the way:

So - we used up all the store bought log book, so I made us a new one. You can have a look at it here:

http://www.blurb.co.uk/books/8120511-sailing-yacht-annabella-log-book

They are exceptional value if you happen to have a sailing yacht called Annabella - or if you just want to follow our adventures!

Day 4 - Milford Haven up to North Scillies

We turned more or less dead south, heading across the Bristol Channel.

Although the weather remained fair and the winds light, the view of the sky remained hazy, depriving us of one of the great pleasures of passage making  - the great arc of the night sky.

We've been on a journey

Drying out time

Regular readers will remember that drying out a long keel boat against a wall has featured before on this blog.

Although this boat is local, I don't know the name but the crew made a splendid job of drying her out. They chose a spot where the bottom was both fairly flat and solid and were leaning in to the wall  by a generous amount.

I'll be making a note of the location, in case we ever want to use it.

Arklow - visit #3 - 2016

I now think of Arklow as Irish Sea passage #101, as it's closest to our current home port, a very easy arrival and always a warm welcome. Overall, just less than 80nm over the ground.

The riverside  pontoons in Arklow offer an easy arrival.

The view down river, from the bridge. Pontoons can be seen on the right

The crew enjoy themselves...

Ready to navigate

Got my sextant, plotting sheets, chart plotter, almanac, site reduction tables, book by authoritative figure, special pencils, bungey rubber, site reduction form....

So where the hell am I ?

Unmaintainable Winching Object

But it's not unidentified though...

 ...it's a Gibb 28STA single speed self tailer, in need of some love.
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I suspect that these are the original sheet winches and they still work very well. Starboard side has a little problem which might well be cured by a bit of maintenance, but when you strip it down...

...this is as far as one gets.  Usually there is a socket or a machine screw or something at the bottom of the socket, the removal of which allows the whole thing to be carefully dismantled.

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If you know the secret to a Gibb 28STA, please, post comment and let us know ?