The latest addition to the Drascombe fleet at Pin Mill: coaster Windsong
Windsong also featured in this blog towards the end of May 2013 when her owner brought her down for a short bank holiday cruise. This was entitled 'Duet with coaster Windsong' and, presumably, a good impression was made, since she now has a mooring two buoys along from my own. So, I'm looking forward to making more music in due course!
Today's trip was about a short sail to straighten things out, and to measure up the cockpit cover in order to have a replacement made - another post on this in due course. I arrived at the boat about 90 minutes before LW, and motored downstream to a late lunchtime anchorage opposite Suffolk Yacht Harbour. Wind was F5 southerly, so I enjoyed the return sail under jib and mizzen, quite sufficient to shift us along with the fresh flood at around 5 knots.
4.6nm
This week is the half term holiday and I'm looking forward to a three night, four day cruise from Tuesday through to Friday. As luck would have it, the current forecast looks generally wet and miserable - various low pressure systems queuing up to pass over - but the opportunity is too good to miss, so nothing short of a hurricane will stop this happening! Hopefully, I should be able to visit a few old haunts such as the Walton Backwaters, the top end of the Stour and, if the weather allows, a trip up the Deben to Woodbridge.
Following a query on the Drascombe Association forum, I thought I'd take a picture of my back-winching launching technique. Because the rollers are so stiff, I always end up launching this way.
I used the slipway at Woolverstone, once again, avoiding a busy, sunny Pin Mill on Sunday afternoon and paying £30 for the privilege... Then, motored down to the mooring, picked up the tender and returned to shore.
Now back on the mooring, all being well, until mid-September. With half term on the way, there should be time for some cruising before the month is out, weather permitting....
Coaster Valentine enjoying a reach up the northern arm of Rutland Water in a rare moment where winds eased sufficiently to deploy the camera.
A return to Rutland Watersports at Rutland Water for a second Drascombe Association rally in recent years. Last time, two years ago, the weather was perishingly cold. This time, true to the forecast, conditions were very breezy with frequent passing squalls, although the Met Office's predicted winds averaging 22 knots and gusting to 38 knots ( that's F6 gusting 8 on my Beaufort Wind Scale) always seemed a little overstated except perhaps during the squalls. The prospect of this put off some skippers and those who attended wondered whether any sailing would be done. In the event, seven boats attended with three other groups of association members attending without boats but to enjoy the spectacle, camaraderie and sailing which was challenging but somehow didn't really seem quite as bad as we had been led to believe.
Boats attending:
Coasters: Daisy II, Martha, Valentine and Pamela.
Dabbers: Teifi Bach and Bob'n Annie
Scaffie: Scylla
Launching for most was on Saturday morning; others turned up later.
Coaster Pamela negotiating the slipway on Saturday evening.
Dabber Teifi Bach rigging on Saturday morning.
Facilities at Whitwell Creek (Rutland Watersports) continue to be very good with an excellent, wide slipway, and plenty of room for laying up. The sports centre are also very accommodating and helpful. They have finally added a second pontoon and were happy for three coasters owners to sleep aboard on Saturday evening.
Dabber Bob'n Annie readying herself for sailing action
Coasters Daisy II and Martha with Dabber Bob'n Annie
Valentine departs for a sail
Winds were westerly F5 with stronger gusts. Whitwell Creek itself was nicely sheltered from this hefty breeze but, out on the water, the fun started and it was rather difficult to use a camera. Hence, action shots were limited to the one shot of video above of Valentine during a comparative lull in the weather. In general, jib and mizzen were the order of the day with trips limited to relatively short outings, usually abruptly ended by being chased back into Whitwell Creek by an oncoming squall! However, Daisy II's maximum speed of 7.0 knots was clocked up on a run soon after the above video was taken - 7.0 knots with part-furled jib and mizzen might give an idea of the strength of the wind during some of those gusts!
I was grateful to Rob for crewing all weekend - unusual for me not to be sailing single handed.
Daisy II
The following pictures were taken by one of the participants who came without boat but made good use, nonetheless, of the excellent land-based amenities at Rutland Water.
Bob'n Annie and Daisy II readying themselves for cast off
Daisy II unsuccessfully racing the kayaks in flukey winds
Bob'n Annie casts off
Daisy II on the water
Back to my own pictures...
Coaster Pamela returning to base
Dabber Bob'n Annie returning from a sail.
Orange, yellow and green tracks on Saturday; pink on Sunday. Total distance sailed 10.8nm
Next week's plan is to return to the Orwell for four months of east coast based sailing until the Broads rally in September.
Events have been decidedly hectic, recently, not least due to an unscheduled visit from a team of burglars who took a fancy to an old outboard motor in the garage. Sadly, for them, it was seized so won't take them very far. Sadly, for me, I didn't note down its serial number so the insurance company won't cough up. There's a lesson in this somewhere...
Daisy II, fortunately, seems in good shape and has returned to the front drive in order to attend a rally, next weekend, at Rutland Water. I took the opportunity for a brief sail up and down the Orwell before calling in at Woolverstone Marina. The charges for using their slipway, now, are far too high - over £30 for boats over 4.5m. It would be better if the slipway was cleaned of the green algae which makes the surface nothing short of treacherous. I don't mind paying premium rates for a premium service. It wasn't hard to see why, on a bank holiday weekend, this slip was devoid of other customers. Unfortunately, I had to use it today since the tides were too low otherwise to haul the boat out at Pin Mill. Another note to self: be better organised in future...
Daisy II waiting patiently at the overpriced Woolverstone Marina slipway. Green algae in evidence - and much greater quantities of it the further down the slip one ventures. Treacherous under foot.
5.3nm
On the way down to fetch the boat, the lighting board worked its way loose and I had one of those unpleasant experiences whereby a passing car slowed down, gesticulating wildly at the trailer. Fortunately, despite having been dragged along the A14 for at least a mile or so, the thing was not beyond repair and a visit to Halfords in Ipswich secured a replacement 4-way light which I was able to fit before returning home with the boat.
A quick look at the long range forecast shows that next weekend's Rutland Water rally is likely to feature both March winds and April showers in some abundance.
This is a log of sailing activities aboard Daisy II, a 22ft Drascombe Coaster No.280. Formerly named Aquarius, she was built in July 1997 by Honnor Marine(UK) Ltd of Totnes, Devon. The original Daisy, a Devon Lugger, was purchased in 2005 following an unexpectedly early opportunity to realise a mid-life crisis! Daisy II, with cabin, afforded more scope for overnight stops, and was purchased at the end of 2006.
For several seasons she was moored at Pin Mill on the River Orwell, Suffolk. More recently, the trailer sailing option, utilising a versatile ‘roller coaster’ road trailer, has extended the sailing range. Over the years, we have sailed from various locations off the south coast from Cornwall to Hampshire, a number of inland reservoirs and the Norfolk Broads. However, her key stamping ground is the east coast, usually based around the Harwich area and reaching destinations ranging from North Kent up to Southwold, whilst also launching on the North Norfolk coast at Wells next the Sea. Most recently, a trip from Harwich to Whitby has served only further to whet the appetite: perhaps, one day, Daisy II might complete her journey, in small stages of course, around the UK!
.JPG)
