Saturday 31 March 2007

loaded up

7 Hours of driving, and 4 hours of on board time, and I think we are largely loaded.... stopped into Force4 on the way down, and bought a new ensign, and (sigh) a hand bearing compass.... they didn't have any softwood plugs, so i'd better order them pronto....
3 or 4 boxes full of kit lugged on board... and after much umming and arring, located appropriately...
While on board, the owner arrived, and supplied the missing tender.... perfect... he also located and showed me the brand new Genoa sheets... sorted!
He then spent an hour talking me through all the various systems... pretty straightforward.... and we then loaded the tender up.... it has removeable wheels!!!!... and best of all, it fits in the locker.... although we did have to remove the cockpit cushions to get it to fit.... and the tender floor boards are currently down below.... but the tender wasn't particularly tidly packed into its bag, so I reckon that the boards will go into the locker OK.... the cushions may well also fit in when i've removed the outboard and put it on its bracket on the transom... I left it in the locker for now to avoid temptation to those of less honest persuasion!
A few other things that were unexpected... the discovery of a cigarette lighter socker by the chart table, so no device charging worries, the owner happy to leave 2 full sets of face masks, snorkels and flippers, an extra safety line, a large tub of in-date flares, a bosuns chair, 5 extra C-Map chart cartridges covering the whole channel, the channel islands and much of Normandy, and best of all, a brand new, unused hammock!
The seacock that needed replacing has been done, but the fitter has left a large loop of pipe, so the fridge isn't draining properly.... that'll need sorting, but not as an emergency job....
He has also left quite a few other bits and bobs, such as motoring cone and anchor ball, portland plotter, gas fog horn, fishing nets and loads of spare fuses, bulbs, etc etc
We have a complete overload of warps.... there must be over 20 on the boat.... so we shouldn't run out!
C&M were completely happy with our choice of boat... the respective cabins claimed and occupied in seconds.....
So now its down to a bit of passage planning, and the finance company meeting the deadlines!

Friday 30 March 2007

hand bearing compass

Just thought.... i've not packed the hand bearing compass to take down.....
so I went to retrieve it..... I've turned the garage upside down.... i've turned every cupboard in the house upside down... i've even been in the loft... no sign of the darned thing.... now where did I put it last September?
I can't believe I left it on the boat... far too obvious where it was hung.... its in this house/garage somewhere.....
While I was mulling it over, I realised that I don't have my cigarette lighter socket either..... that must be in the same flipping place......
Back to hunting......

gulp

Things are moving fast, so updates are regular!
Fax successfully sent from library this morning....
Brokers have sent me confirmation of costs for lifts, berthing etc...
£166 for the lift, and £72 for two nights on the visitor pontoons.... ouch! (and I am glad i'm not permanently Solent based!)
Also, rather than rush to get the engine commissioned myself, an engineer is doing it for me.... another £80....
Radio Licence successfully created and printed off from the Ofcom website... free of charge... well done Ofcom.... but geez... what a crap website!
list of things still to pack to take down tommorrow now as long as my arm!
Another possible offer of a temporary berth has come my way should the delivery trip need postponing, this time at Beaulieu....
Almanac has arrived, as have the Solent charts....
About the only thing that doesn't feel 'under control' is the finance company... they seemed quite confident that they'd get it all sorted in time, but aren't yet filling me with confidence... will be cross if they fail at the final hurdle when all else is in place...
6 days and counting....

fax

A quick bit of internet research reveals that the local library has a fax service.... so best get that done this morning....
Handheld GPS dragged out of winter storage yesterday, fresh batteries fitted, and after 8 hrs still hasn't got a fix.... so thats one more expense.....
Ordered 4 x fire extinguishers, 2Kg dry powder, and holding off on other two purchases, the ensign and wooden through hull bungs until we visit a chandlery on Sat.... worth an extra few quid to make sure we get them..... and want to check out the qaulity of the ensigns.... I hate those awful printed ones... i'll pay extra for a sewn one...

Thursday 29 March 2007

genoa sheets

Ooo... should have added to my previous entry that the surveyor also couldn't find any genoa sheets... need to raise that point with the brokers at the weekend, as it could make the delivery trip back quite challenging!... and besides the fact that they are bleeding expensive, the chandleries will be well shut by the time we get down there Thursday night......

one day at a time

Signed survey arrived this morning.... need to get a faxed copy of the signed bit over to the finance company.... been a good few years since I had a fax machine!
Other than that... we're in good shape.... going down Sat to load her up.... can't wait..... but not even close to the excitment levels with the kids!
Still awaiting a few details to be sorted...
The survey mentioned the outboard, but not the tender.... need to check its on board... its also mentioned a spinnaker, but thats the first i've heard of it, and didn't see it on board when we looked her over.....
Apparently the prop anode has mysteriously been fitted...
The survey mentioned a few things that are essential pre-launch... need new fire extinguishers, need safety kit on board (like flares, life jackets etc etc...!!!) needs the seacock changing that is being done by the vendor, and needs the gas hoses changing on the cooker and bottle... i'll look at doing those this weekend if possible... it also suggested a rigging inspection, but what the surveyor didn't know was that happened just 6 weeks ago, and was given a clean bill of health...
Its getting closer!

Wednesday 28 March 2007

update

Cheques arrived with broker today... phew....
Insurance certificate arrived in the post...
Ofcom password for licence application arrived in the post...
Still not confirmed with the finance company if they have received all the paperwork...
Survey arrived late last night electronically, awaiting signed original in the post to forward to finance company....
Crew sorted for weekend.... at least one anyway... others are sitting on the fence!, and one is coming only if the weather is bad, as otherwise, he needs to finish painting his boat!
Boat launch confirmed for next wednesday...
getting there!

Tuesday 27 March 2007

homing in

Getting closer...
Today the cheques were posted for the bulk of the purchase price, the formal application paperwork for the marine mortgage were also posted... the insurance taken out, and the marina informed...
I've still to get the insurance certificate, and a signed copy of the survey to the finance company, but things are progressing... Nick has sent me a copy of the survey via e-mail, but signed copy is in the post... I need to check that he has also sent a copy to the Finance company, or if not, forward my copy pronto!
Broker answered most of my outstanding questions today, so thats getting closer as well... still not sure if the tender has been put on board yet..
Still looking OK for an Easter delivery trip... a few more things we've thought of that we'll need to buy.... a red ensign and 4 x Fire extinguishers as priorities...
Down on Saturday to load her up with essentials..... starting to get excited, but not as excited as C & M, who have only seen her in pictures and video so far as there wasn't space in the car for both of them when we first viewed her, and we couldn't take one and not the other!

Monday 26 March 2007

heart stoppers!

Phone call this morning first thing from the broker......
"You know the VAT status of this boat, and the original invoice...."
"yeah"
"Well the seller can't find it......"
Long pause................................
"OK..... well he better start looking harder....." "its a show stopper"
"One other thing..... the boat is part one registered"
"right... thats news"
"you know that means that the VAT certificate isn't important..."
"I beg your pardon!" "I think you'll find you're wrong there......"
"OK... we're working on it... leave it with us"
In the mean time, the surveyor, Nick Vass, is there doing the survey..... and to his absolute credit, when the broker explains the situation, Nick immediately comes back to me and says that he'll complete the survey and then only write it up when the VAT issue is resolved, and if it isn't resolved, he won't charge us!!!!!!! (more on him in a minute - top guy)
A few worrying hours afte r the broker conversation, they come back to me to let me know that they now have in their possession an original invoice with the VAT number on it, with the words "full and final payment received".... actually, its enough for me, and i'm OK with that, but they have gone one stage further, and with the exact date of sale now established, have spoken to the original broker of the boat when it was new, who are searchign their archives to see what else they have. Besides this, we now have the original certificate of conformity, the guarantee, the hull certificate, and a large pile of other paperwork, so a breath of relief.... we've really set our hearts on this boat.....
One other thing.... as part 1 registered, we've decided that a name change is more hassle than its worth... so decision made... she's staying as Morgana of Dartmouth. (is Dartmouth a port of registry?)
OK.... Nick Vass (who also surveyed our last boat) completed the survey, and a long phone call this evening confirmed what I already suspected... she's in great condition... Nick gave me a verbal summary, producing a long list of good news, with the following defects also highlighted:
Wooden grab rail on port side is a little cracked
Shower on swim platform is disconnected, but pipes exist and are stopped off
engine controls could do with a dab of grease
small area of corrosion on gearbox below impellor housing needs quick wire brush, and a dab of paint
needs new fire extinguishers
gas hoses on cooker need replacing
barometer glass loose
minor kink to lower starboard stay... looks OK for a while, but worth checking with a rigger with a view to replacing.
and also, one seacock (the fridge and icebox drain!) that is a bit stiff, and pipe needs new clips.... but the broker is getting that sorted as a safety issue without prompting.... so good news
Other than that, not a lot wrong... hull is as dry as a bone, and everything else looks OK... all electronics work, fridge and heating work well, etc etc
Valuation... in his opinion, we've got a bargain! he valued a similar sized boat last week from another major manufacturer, same offer price, had a chartering background, and it wasn't a patch on Morgana either in terms of condition, or construction quality...
Final thing.... we've now got to get everything moving in time.... cheques are raised, and will be sent tommorrow by registered post, guaranteed next day delivery, once final value is agreed (to allow for minor bits and bobs doing), insurance will be sorted tommorrow, so that we get the certificate in time to get funds released from finance company... only thing remaining is a copy of the survey for the finance company.... Nick solves this one.... "i'll get you the report as soon as I can.... however, if you e-mail the finance company with my details, the boat details, and your own details, and cc me in on it, then i'll reply with a few lines summary confirming that the boat is seaworthy, and worth the agreed price... thats should keep them happy"
Top bloke... he's gone out of his way to help.... been very flexible and generous in his approach, been very willing to spend significant time discussing the conclusions (nearly an hour this evening), and twice produced me good detailed surveys that I feel I can trust... and at a very competitive price.... highly recommended...
So..... we are nearly there....
Delivery trip still on track..... seller OK with us loading her up next weekend... all looking good.... just need to keep everything moving.... and get confirmation from brokers that she'll be launched in time....

Sunday 25 March 2007

loading up

Spent the afternoon in the chaos we call a garage, sorting out what is and isn't needed for the delivery trip back.... got it narrowed down to 4 boxes full... just basiscs like charts, tools, flares, fog horn, various chargers for torches etc, cutlery, crockery, cooking utensils, kettle, lifejackets, safety lines.... you get the picture!
So at least, assuming I can load it all on next weekend, we won't have that lot to carry down on the 6th!
Still waiting for answers from the broker on all my questions.... i'll prompt him tommorrow...
Also, musn't forget to take my driving licence and passport to work to get them photocopied... otherwise I won't be able to apply for the marine mortgage quickly enough.
I feel like a project manager!

Friday 23 March 2007

survey

.... is confirmed for Monday.
I'll call the surveyor for a verbal summary on Monday evening, as I need to get the insurance arranged on Tuesday, so that the insurance certificate turns up in time to send to the finance company, so that their process is completed in time for me to take the boat away on Friday...... phew!
Fingers crossed!

Thursday 22 March 2007

progressing

The name game continues.... the default of Maggie remains on the table, but everyone also likes 'New Dawn'... it has some personal connotations, using our initials, is phonetically obvious, and is short....
Aside from that discussion, we got a quote on the insurance today.. quite reasonable from Knox-Jonhson whom we insured with before.... and good policy terms... no restrictions on night sailng, or short handed sailing, and good benefits from being in a marina.... as soon as the survey confirms no probs, then that'll be the next step, as we'll need a certificate to get the marine mortgage released... so need to do that by Tuesday next week latest if we are to meet our target of an Easter delivery trip. They also don't want a survey which is handy, as it makes the logistics easier.
Have sorted out the details for the SSR change and applying for a ships radio licence.... all in hand, and can be done on-line, except you need a password from Ofcom, which they will only send in the post... so thats arranged... suspect it won't be in time, so we'll be licence less for the delivery, but I guess that an application made shows the right willing!... need a few bits of info as well, such as SSR number, Call sign, SSR expiry date, Hull Identification Number, which I have asked the broker for.... as soon as survey checks out, then applications can be completed...
Other than that, I have arranged the motley delivery crew.... conscripts all of 'em!
Logistics remain challenging... getting the crew, along with kit bags and food down to Lymington, and then from Shotley home will require me being very nice to SWMBO!....
We are buying a new life raft, but don't think it'll be here in time, so having to ask Full Circle nicely if we can borrow his!
Last, but not least, haven't got round to buying a 2007 almanac yet, so thats ordered, along with a new Solent Folio chart set, which we'll need, and i'll buy rather than borrow, as we'll need it for this summers trip as well..
Phew.... lots to do!, and plenty of deadlines to watch out for if we are to make the easter delivery work!

Wednesday 21 March 2007

the troops are revolting!

Lots of feedback saying.... nooooooo.... don't do it.... and overnight Kolika hasn't grown on me..... perhaps its back to square one..... sigh

Tuesday 20 March 2007

boat name

After much deliberation, we narrowed the boat name down to two possibles...
Ellony - a contraction of mine and SWMBOs middle names
Kolika - Hawaiian word meaning "from the Ocean"
We couldn't decide... a family vote was a draw... so we asked both our sets of parents... still a draw...
So we did the sensible thing... we put it to the vote of the sensible folk over on the yachty forum at ybw.com... and they voted in numbers!
At the time of writing, the voters were 15 to Ellony and 44 to Kolika....
So it looks like it'll be Kolika... pronounced with the emphasis on the Ko, eg Ko-Leeka
I can't do anything until the survey has been satisfactorily concluded, but once it has, then the first priority is SSR registration, name change and then a radio licence application....

a bit more detail

OK.... contracts all dealt with and deposit submitted, so I can tell a little more...She's the ex Southampton Boat Show boat from 1992, commissioned in 93.Her condition is fabulous, with hardly a mark on her. A few more piccies...








She's currently laying at Lymington, so yet again, a Solent to the East Coast delivery job. My hope is that we can get the process completed in time for Easter, so that we have 4 clear days for the delivery trip...The survey is arranged, and will be either Mon/Tues next week, or possibly, with a bit of shifting around on the surveyors part, even this Friday... We then need to complete any negotiations (if any), and get the balance sorted...
I need to deal with a few other things...
Buy a 2007 almanac!
sort out insurance
get a solent chart folio (for this trip, and the planned summer cruise)
get crew agreed (not easy over easter)
work out crew logistics
work out when to get a big pile of kit down to the boat (weekend before easter?) and then again for fresh food for the journey!
sort out registration with Part 3
sort out CG66
sort out ships radio licence
buy a liferaft!
pay marina fees
buy new red ensign
decide on boats name
get a sticker made up for name on stern
plus probably a whole load more that I haven't even thought of yet!



Monday 19 March 2007

getting ahead of myself

This must be the most active sailing blog on the planet at the moment!... sorry! i'll get back to a more normal routine soon no doubt....In the meantime, not wanting to get too far ahead of myself, but the other major cahllnge we have is a new name..... SWMBO definitely isn't keen on the current name, and I can't say it does a great deal for me either.... not being superstitious, I'm happy to change it... good excuse for a bottle of bubbly anyway!We've wracked our brains over the last few weeks on the off chance of a boat happening by, and still a little stuck!.... only thing that has got close is to use the affectionate name we gave Magna Carter, Maggie, and perhaps call her Maggie II, but i'm not 100% convinced by that yet... it might however be all we have!

couple of piccies




the deal is done!

After a good deal of batting offer and counter offer backwards and forwards, a deal has been concluded!Its a price that seems mutually fair, with everyone showing a little give and take... including the broker!SWMBO and C did a fairly major jig around the living room!Now I just have the easy bit to do... paying for it... (GULP!)

Sunday 18 March 2007

waiting game

Will have to wait now until the morning for a response.... broker has closed...We're very keen on this boat, but have decided that this offer is it. Final. There will be no more (we can't afford it!!!!), and will have to walk if this is turned down...There are several other boats perhaps worth looking at, its just hard when you've made a decision with your heart, and set your imagination running.... and your head is controlling things nicely!Gosh.... never made this many entries in such a short period of time... has been quite a mad day... capped off by having both my and SWMBOs parents over for a meal as part of a Mothering Sunday thankyou...

counter offer!

We've gone back with a slightly higher offer, and a promise to turn up Tuesday with a 10% deposit cheque.... gotta be tempting surely!Ball back in their court....Fun this negotiating lark isn't it.... not!

no deal

The seller has come back and said he won't take less than £65k, his asking price.An interesting stance he is taking!Lets see how the broker handles that, as we've said £60k is our limit.... in the mean time, we'd better start browsing again...

rejection!

Buyer has unsuprisingly rejected the offer...Claims to have a private offer on the table of his asking price, but not confident in the willingness of the buyer to follow through....I told the broker we'd go to £60k, but no further... and would provide a deposit this week, and drive over to sign the paperwork. We are also happy for him to retain the tender and outboard, as we already have them.He's going to talk to his client again!

offer

Just made an offer to the broker of £56k....Reaction was muted.He thinks that the seller is already talking to someone privately, so not sure what reaction we will get....Comments like "the buyer has just spent £3k on the boat, getting the engine serviced, antifouled etc etc"My trump card is the ability and willingness to move quickly.Lets see what happens.. but I do feel a little deflated at the moment, as i'm not getting good vibes on this one.

Saturday 17 March 2007

alongside all the time..

Today was interesting.An early start saw us down in Lymington by 10h30, and we quickly set in to viewing the First 405.She was clearly in great condition in most respects.... she had seen a lot of TLC, and had benefitted from a huge amount of goodies being added..... but there were a few things... the teak decks... not dire by anybodies standards, but showing their age... good for a few more years though...I noted a few other things... the running backstays, the traveller across the cockpit, and then added this to the 2.2m draft, and realised that she wasn't the boat for us. She just didn't feel quite right.She will however make someone a cracking good boat, as she is in very good nick.Alongside the First was an Oceanis 400 also for sale... she looked great from the First, so we asked for the keys..... wow!She was also in fabulous condition..... not quite so well loaded up, but a good few years newer, and a more modern shape for it... we really liked her!....A few things that stood out... the layout was good, with a particularly nice forecabin, with a large double berth, and still room for a sofa, and the heads foreward of there...A generously sized saloon, with loads and loads of stowage.... all the basics we'd want, heating, radar, etc etc... and the bit that really caught our eye... a massive and well laid out cockpit, with a brilliant cockpit table arrangement.A couple of things that made us stop and think.... one, a lateral galley, and two, in mast furling...So we wandered over to Hythe to take a look at the Feeling. On the way over we stopped in at Berthon to say hello to Fergus, and to admire his new boat... she's a very beautiful Sweden, with a truly magnificent deck, and a palatial aft cabin.... Fergus, she's very lovely, and I can understand why you are so excited about getting her onto the water!We moved on to Hythe.As expected, at Hythe we weren't able to get entry below on the Feeling, which I thought was a bit of a pain... but 30 seconds after we had stepped on deck to check out her topsides, it was unimportant... the decks were well and truly shot.... worn down by 4 or 5mm in places, at least 3mm all over, with many of the attaching screws showing where the plugs had fallen out or worn away... splits in a couple of places.... she needed £20k of remedial work to get the decks right... not what we were looking to face at all.... crossed off the list, we walked back to the car.SWMBO and I started chatting.... rapidly we both agreed that we had really really liked the Oceanis 400..... she just clicked for us both when we had walked on board.... so what about the two things we didn't like..... well... the lateral galley... we thrashed it back and forth, and couldn't actually remember a time when we had prepared a meal at sea in heavy weather.. its just not what we do... and the in mast reefing.... well, the sails were in excellent condition.... and possibly, it'd be worth another look.... so we drove back to Lymington for a second look, and this time to take a few photos and a bit of video for later perusal....This boat just felt right. Could we live with the in mast reefing?... well when I thought about it... probably yes. We cruise. We don't have any plans to race, and its a lot easier for cruising. I think my racing background has made me reject in mast furling out of hand, without really thinking it through. The more we looked, the more we liked her.... and as an added benefit, a draft of just 1.7m, so less than Maggie, making her a really viable east coast boat....Ho hum.... we set off home, arriving back by 19h00, and have been downloading pictures ever since... we need to do our sums this evening, but I suspect, if we can make it work, we'll be making an offer tommorrow...

Friday 16 March 2007

viewing update

The Feeling remains at her old berth, which suits me as its only a few minutes rather than 25 miles from the Beneteau we are viewing in the morning....However, at present, the broker isn't a key holder, and can't get hold of the owner to get permission to have me let on board, or for the owner to accompany me....He's working on it, but as of 16h00, we are only going to able to look at the outside...This is better than nowt, as I am concerned about the condition of the teak decks anyway, so would want to see them as a priority....if they are shot, then not much point in viewing below, as they'd cost £10k to replace!

Wednesday 14 March 2007

another option

I've just arranged an appointment to also see a Beneteau First 405 while we are down in the Southampton area...It meets our needs pretty well, only slight niggle is the draft, at 2.2m, a little on the deep side for the East Coast, but in all other respects it is perfect...it also has a superb inventory, with everything you could possibly imagine, from plotter, radar, bowthruster, heating, pressurised hot water, Epirb, full winter cover, cockpit cover, tender, outboard, shore cradle, Navtex, newish sails, an enormous galley and fridge, etc etc...

viewing

I'm not sure if the Feeling is going to be ready for viewing at the weekend.... having just spoken to the broker, he's still nervous of whether the work she's having done is completed to a sufficient stage for him to feel that she's ready for a viewing....He's visiting her tommorrow to take a look, but i'm not optimistic given his tone... which is a bit dissapointing, as she does tick many of the right boxes..Now to start browsing again to see if there is anything else worth looking at while we are planning on going that far.

Monday 12 March 2007

a grand weekend

What a fabulous weekend!We had previously agreed to go down to Essex, and help out FullCircle with a few jobs on his boat in order to assist in the desperate rush to get her ready for re-launch in 3 weeks time!We arrived in Burnham by 14h00 Saturday, and I was promptly hoiked up the mast of an entirely different boat to fit a new wind instrument sender.... that took 2 hours, and an almightly juggling act of hanging on to a drill, large river gun, various fixtures and fittings, a screwdriver (to tighten the windex back up) and of course the wind sender itself.... but we got there...We then retired to the other important job... the pub!This was tiring activity, so we returned to FullCircle's house, where Lynn supplied a fabulous evening meal of Duck in a cherry sauce, we tried a few more drinks, and passed out eventually.A reasonably early start the following morning, saw us at FullCircle's boat by 10h00, and we set to.... we replaced the mousing lines with halyards for all the various bits of string on board... amazing weather... 17 degrees and clear blue skies... the ocassional wander over to the sea wall saw various craft plying their way up and down the Crouch.... marvellous stuff...The only mistake we made was with the topping lift, where the join between the mousing line and the rope parted... so that'll be a trip up the mast when she's back in the water....The kids meanwhile armed with paint brushes and a tin of bright yellow Toplac, treated FullCircles old tender to a shiny new look for the start of the season...Inevitably, we wandered over to Royal Corinthians, and ended up in the bar.... it was glorious sitting on the balcony in the sun watching the world sail by....a large fleet of Oppies having a ball, a few yachts clearly enjoying the 15kts of wind, and all was well with the world... We have got to get our boat situation sorted!!!!

Wednesday 7 March 2007

being more targetted

There are SO many boats out there for sale at the moment, that we decided we need to be a bit more focused on what we are looking for, in order to filter a bit more efectively....So here's our wish list

around 40 feet LOA
twin aft cabins
engine with decent reputation
large water and fuel tanks (although could be a retro - so perhaps inc space for them as an option)
Sloop rig
no in mast furling
draft ideally of less than 2m
fin keel preferably
modern look to boat
decent sized chart table, with space for nav equipment
useable cockpit lockers (with space for our tender)
instruments at helm (not on bulkhead if possible) with space to fit a plotter/radar at a later date
high enough coamings to lean against without getting backache!
reasonably wide side decks
at least 4 self tailing winches in the cockpit
a traveller
furling genny
plenty of galley space/working top
shower
seating for 6 minimum around saloon table
interior woodwork in acceptable condition
prefer shaft rather than saildrive
some skeg on rudder if possible
reasonably heavy displacement
swim platform or good ladder up stern
plenty of opening ports and hatches for ventilation
white hull as opposed to blue (heat trap for later plans)
fridge in galley

gas cooker (rather than meths or diesel)and a list of 'ideal' extras, which are less critical, as they can be added later

plotter/radar
opening side rails
decent instruments
spinnaker handling gear (or cruising chute)
sensible battery capacity
shore power with chargerbattery management system
solar/wind gen
inner forestay for stay sail/storm sail
blown air heating

And all this for a budget of about £65k max...... actually, there are plenty out there.... we've seen quite a few... but not the 'right' one yet....The Feeling looks good, as do a number of Gibseas and a couple of older Ben/Jens

Monday 5 March 2007

great weekend

Went down to the Herts/Bucks border for a get together over the weekend with a few forumites... black tie evening do, and then a morning of boating on the duck pond..... well I say boating..... actually 3 remote control boats all operated (crashed) by Doug, while we all stood by and watched.... resulting in FullCircle having to wade into the pond to retrieve the boats.... good fun though....We can't go to see the Feeling until the 17th.... but she does look nice... maybe a better boat than the Sun Magic?....

Thursday 1 March 2007

Barracuda

I've also been sent the details of a Sadler Barracuda 45...Its the boat that eventually assisted in the demise of Sadler, and was a pretty extreme bit of kit.... far far far to extreme for me.... with a reputation for being blisteringly quick (owners reported regular 18 to 20kt reaching speeds), and leaking like a sieve....For those that remember the 80's TV show 'Howards Way', this was the 45'er that featured in that programme... it won loads of races....As said, not for me as a family crusing boat.... but does look like a load of fun!

moving on...

We've walked from the Sun Magic... a couple of days to ensure that it was my head rather than my heart doing the thinking, and it just makes sense to move on...So we're looking again...I've seen a nice looking Feeling 416 that we'll go to see next....Good spec, and appears to be well cared for....