We started with an old aluminium ladder, to which we pop-riveted aluminium window parts, to which we glued (Epidermix epoxy) Treadmaster. Added a pair of wheels at the end, and a bearing at the other... new lightweight gangplank!
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Saturday, 19 May 2012
S/Y SAGA3 from Antalya to Beirut
??? nautical miles
Tim is away for a few days on S/Y SAGA3 taking her from Antalya back to Beirut. This post is live tracking their progress... and should automatically update.
20 May - 09:50 EEST: Course change... they had intended sailing round the north of Cyprus, but wind conditions near Syria means they decided to change and take the southern route. They claimed they were 'chickening out', but to take on 35 knot winds (Bft 5) right on the nose, needing tacking back and forth, when it's not necessary seems just like good seamanship.
20 May - 12:50 EEST: I see SAGA3 is just west of Paphos now. This morning I watched yesterday's Volvo Ocean Maimi in-port Race - it was absolutely gripping stuff. Pity Camper didn't do better, but a very exciting race.
Monday, 14 May 2012
Saturday, 5 May 2012
Friday, 4 May 2012
Uphostery completed
Here's what the new upholstery looks like. These are just quick photos from my iphone, but will post better ones when we are back in Cyprus.
Wednesday, 2 May 2012
Sailing to Beirut... again
120 nautical miles
The reason for this trip is to get the upholstery renewed. It's vastly cheaper in Lebanon than Cyprus... of course it also helps to build up my sea miles!
Tim has been sailing since a kid and much of his yacht sailing is on the ocean around South Africa. So he has much more experience of inclement weather sailing than I do. Coming from a dinghy background, if the wind and waves are too bad, we just don't go out! So I am learning a huge amount from him. Each trip I seem to learn more and more.
This time the trip was much calmer, we did have winds in the mid 20's but for short bursts and the sea state was much calmer, mostly very low waves. The uncomfortable seas are those which cause the boat to roll a lot, usually when the wind is from behind, though it can be on a reach too.
We were joined on this trip by Mickel who is a Lebanese colleague of Tim's. He took sea sick tablets before we left, and I took some en route when the weather, or should I say sea state deteriorated. Neither of us were actually sick though, which was good.
We had a very calm exit from Larnaca and this meant when it got to the evening we were ready for an excellent noodle and meat meal prepared by Verna, Tim's Filipino maid. Really delicious.
Because we have an outboard, one of the things that happens reguarly on a long trip is refilling the fuel tank from the petrol cans stowed alongside on the deck.
We never take them below as petrol vapour is heavier than air and could easily fill the hull with a very explosive vapour!
Twice on the sail over we were joined by birds on deck. This one joined us about 15-20 miles out of Beirut and stayed with us almost the whole of the rest of the journey. Sometimes we would forget it was there and disturb it and it would fly off and come back again.
This time it moved from the cockpit to the navigation panel... looking out through the windscreen and well out of the wind.
We arrived safely in Beirut... exhausted but happy. Had an early night and there was a rain storm overnight. The skies while we had sailed were hazy and we thought it was more dust than normal haze. We were proved right when we woke this morning. The deck and everywhere was covered with a thick layer of red mud!
Tim has been sailing since a kid and much of his yacht sailing is on the ocean around South Africa. So he has much more experience of inclement weather sailing than I do. Coming from a dinghy background, if the wind and waves are too bad, we just don't go out! So I am learning a huge amount from him. Each trip I seem to learn more and more.
This time the trip was much calmer, we did have winds in the mid 20's but for short bursts and the sea state was much calmer, mostly very low waves. The uncomfortable seas are those which cause the boat to roll a lot, usually when the wind is from behind, though it can be on a reach too.
We were joined on this trip by Mickel who is a Lebanese colleague of Tim's. He took sea sick tablets before we left, and I took some en route when the weather, or should I say sea state deteriorated. Neither of us were actually sick though, which was good.
We had a very calm exit from Larnaca and this meant when it got to the evening we were ready for an excellent noodle and meat meal prepared by Verna, Tim's Filipino maid. Really delicious.
We never take them below as petrol vapour is heavier than air and could easily fill the hull with a very explosive vapour!
We arrived safely in Beirut... exhausted but happy. Had an early night and there was a rain storm overnight. The skies while we had sailed were hazy and we thought it was more dust than normal haze. We were proved right when we woke this morning. The deck and everywhere was covered with a thick layer of red mud!
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