--- FOUR RIVERS - A PILGRIMAGE - RIVER ONE - THE RIVER ORWELL ---

While in the UK last year for the birth of a second grandchild we were able (despite some difficulties) to do a couple of road trips, the first to Stonehenge and the second in the form of a pilgrimage to the coast of Essex and Suffolk an area that has significance for me.

The day was over cast, the English motorway roundabouts formidable and our GPS ........ well, 'not amusing' are words that spring to mind.

Harry King and Sons is an old established boat builders that has built many fine yachts over the years. How do I know this? You don't spend years reading English yachting mags without picking up a bit of local knowledge.

A damp and overcast day with Autumn well on the way.

Interesting yacht - designer?

Swallows and Amazons anyone?

Deben 3 tonner?

Should know this - Arpege? nah.

If Steve had hauled 'Sparrow' out here I could have taken a look at his boat - soooo inconsiderate.

Deben 3 tonner again?

The Pin Mill Sailing Club is the building to the right of the flagpole and the tree.

Pin Mill Sailing Club - I peered through the window at all the history hanging on the walls and sat on the veranda - starting guns in the UK are rather large.

The famous 'Butt and Oyster' at Pin Mill. 

The river Orwell is midway between the Thames river in the south and Yarmouth and the entrance to the Norfolk Broads in the north. This whole area is a particular kind of cruising ground and best suits a particular type of boat - shoal draft - centre board - Maurice Griffiths et al sort of country.

There is probably an interesting story as to why the Royal Harwich Yacht Club is on the River Orwell when it could be argued that the town of Harwich lies more on the River Stour - when I looked just now at a map I see that it lies at the mouth of both rivers - maybe they flipped a coin.

The drive in from the main road to this yacht club passed through some beautiful woodland and fields.

'Fanny of Cowes' took my eye at the small marina in front of the RHYC.

 Almost at the head of the Orwell is the Orwell Bridge with the town of Ipswich beyond.

This was the view of the head of the river from a cafe cum indoor food market just below the Orwell bridge where we had a nice lunch. This is one of the things we love about the UK - always interesting places to eat and great food.

The main thing I took from the visit to the river Orwell is that I must go back again.

_______________________ LOCK DOWN READING _______________________

This is the Arthur Ransome shelf which resides between the 'Mariner' series books (above) and the Maurice Griffiths shelf (below). The books on the right are the 12 books that make up what I guess you could call the 'Swallows and Amazons' series (I don't know whether or not the series has an official title). The books to the left and extending into the next door section are three other AR titles, a couple of AR biographies and other AR related books.

You can see from the bookmark that I am ready to start reading "The Big Six" the 7th in the series. I've had this series for a few years now and are slowly working my way through. Why slowly? I hear you ask - well apart from the fact that I read books other than those of a sailing genre, one doesn't just scoff caviar all in one go does one!

 

It is the childrens adventures recounted in the Swallows and Amazons books that inspire full grown adults to live out their own small adventures and build their own small Swallows and Amazons boats as I have done.

 "Scout" my own version of dinghy cruising Swallows and Amazons style.

 I'm getting itchy sailing feet just creating this posting.

__________________ HUMOUR IN THE TIME OF COVID (2) _________________

 

The sensible governmental health advice in this time of Covid 19 has been to keep a 2 meter distance from everyone else - this guy has a precise measurement strategy. This is the way to do things.

 

 This is NOT the way the way a gorilla  should cook food in the current Covid 19 climate (not even with a face mask).

(With thanks to Brian Peet:   NZ - ZOA sailor and dispenser of humour.)

________________________ A LONG TIME AGO __________________________

Last November I took these photographs for my Zephyr sailor mate Don here in Northland NZ outside the Matakohe museum. Don once did own an MG sports car and belonged to the local MG club in Christchurch. It was through this interest that he met his future wife who also owned one of these classic cars.

In the early world .................  (It is sobering to think that is 50 years ago when I was 19) ................ I nearly bought one of these.

I answered an advertisement for a sky blue MG in 1970, the same model as the one in these photographs. "How much do you want for it?" I asked; "Fifteen hundred" came the reply.

Hardly believing my luck I took the car for a quick drive and got ready for the next stage. "So," I said, "Fifteen hundred dollars." ....................... "No", came the answer " Fifteen hundred pounds".

New Zealand changed to decimal currency in 1967, but it took a lot of people some time to convert their thinking completely to the new regime. At that time One New Zealand pound was worth Two New Zealand dollars. So the price of fifteen hundred pounds was in the newish decimal currency a cool $3000 - twice what I thought the asking price was and completely out of my price range. I was of course very disappointed and have always cast a wistful look in the direction of these adorable machines - sigh.

________________________ LOOKING FORWARD ________________________

 "Scout" before I carved her name plate and added her lugsail rig.

When this lock down is over and traveling around becomes safe again I think one of the first things I will do is go for a good row in 'Scout'. I will wait for a nice bright sunny day and go and get some exercise. In the mean time I am:

1 - Going through a large pile of old yachting magazines and "weeding" as the librarians say. I already have a number of boxes that go out with the rubbish tomorrow. The smile on my dear wifes face as I execute this much promised job (100 years and counting) is something to behold.

2 - Continuing to rig out my Zephyr 'Slipstream' - running lines, attaching cleats and hiking straps etc. Enjoyable work although not having a yacht chandlers open is proving difficult - some jobs will have to be on the post lock down list.

3 - Continuing to tidy my little "Can't swing a cat in it" work shed. I have a large number of chisels that require sharpening - the shocking rumours that I have been using all of them at times as screwdrivers is absolutely not true - I have only misused some of them in this way.

4 - Continuing my ongoing eclectic book reading - something that got ramped up on retirement and continues unabated. I usually have a number of books on the go.

5 - Watching a large number of Utube videos about the Linux Mint Cinnamon distro. This is something that I would like to pursue when I get enough time. It will be a good interest when I am too physically doddery to sail anymore.

6 - Re - reading Alexander S. Whites thorough 275 page manual "Photographer's Guide To The Sony DSC-RX10 1V" so that I am well informed when I purchase this camera post lock down (I should have purchased it pre lock down - doh!). Why cameras have become so bloody complicated is any ones guess.

7 - Watching the daily updates on Covid 19 ably lead by our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern who is providing the country with strong, no nonsense, decisive leadership of Churchillian proportions. Thank God for that.

___________________ HUMOUR IN THE TIME OF COVID ___________________

 ........ and yes I am aware that half the world spells 'Humour" differently as 'Humor' but who am I to tell them that they are spelling it incorrectly and mangling the English language - everyone to their own spelling world view I say.......... but I digress.

Brian Peet is an Auckland Zephyr yacht sailor who has been cheering up the rest of us members of the Zephyr Association Owners by emailing us all with a dose of daily humour. I thought this one was worth sharing - it ticks all the boxes of the cunning structural strategies of a good joke:

"Yesterday  I was at my local Countdown  store buying a  large bag of Pedigree dog food for my loyal pet and was in the  checkout queue when a woman behind me asked if I had a dog.
What did she think I had, an elephant?  So, since I'm retired and have little to do, on impulse I told her that no, I didn't have a dog, I was starting  the Pedigree Diet again.  I added that I probably  shouldn’t,
because I ended up in hospital last time, but I'd lost 8 kg before I woke up in intensive care with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IV's in both arms.
I told her that it was essentially a perfect diet and that the way that it works is to load  your pockets with Pedigree nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry.  The food is nutritionally complete so it works well and I was going  to try it again.  (I have to mention here that  practically everyone in queue was now enthralled with my story.)
Horrified, she asked me if I ended up in intensive care because the dog food poisoned me.  I told her no, I stepped off the kerb to sniff an Irish Setter's arse and a car hit me.
I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack he was laughing so hard. 
I'm now banned from Countdown.  Better watch what you ask retired people. 
They have all the time in the world to think of daft things to say."

Humour / Humor will help us get through to the other side of this.

 

___________________________ ON WE GO _____________________________

With the painting and varnishing completed 'Slipstream' is now right way up and ready for all the various accessories to be bolted and screwed on ........ mainsheet track, inspection ports, rudder gudgeons, sail control cleats etc etc .............. Then we will be good to go - can't wait.

_________________________ MELLOW YELLOW _________________________

Painting is something that I really do not do well, so it was with a lot of trepidation that I began this part of the restoration. All I can say is - "So far, so good". With two out of three (or four) finishing coats on, things are looking reasonably good.

The drill has been coats of 'single pot' International brand 'TopLac' finishing paint applied with a fine foam roller, tipped off with a paint brush. The coats have been 'next day' coats, so I am going for a chemical bond between coats with the very minimum of selected sanding in a few problematic areas.

The key to the smoothness has been thinning the paint up to 10% with the appropriate thinners. After tipping off the thinly applied rolls of paint, the addition of thinners to the paint has allowed the paint to 'self level' giving a surface free of paint brush marks.

I will apply another coat tomorrow and maybe another the day after that. I will then sail the boat as painted, then do a cut and buff after a couple of months when the paint has completely hardened. I chose the colour yellow because it is a bright, happy, positive colour that makes me smile.................... also it will be a good colour for the Coast Guard to see if I need to be rescued from some old age dotage induced, self indulgent whim of loading the boat up with sandwiches and a thermos and setting off on a passage in the direction of Cape Horn.

_________________ INVOKING BILBOS WALKING SONG __________________

The road goes ever on and on,
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

Bilbo Baggins of Bag End wrote this walking song about, well, walking. Being a distant cousin of Bilbo I have decided to use my family connections and borrow the song for a nautical use. It may be a stretch for some, but for me I like to see the walking song also as a metaphor for (among other endeavours) boat building and restoration. If you've ever laboured (and suffered) over a much loved project you will indeed understand.

Bow detail - Mahogany scarfed into Alaskan Red Cedar

I have always thought myself to be a bumbling and hopeless painter. Today I had a brain wave. Instead of launching forth into the beginning of 6 coats of varnish I read for the first time the Aus/NZ edition of International Paints 'Boat Paint Guide with Colour Card and How-to Guide'. What a useful eye opener! The golden sentence were words to the effect that 'Two thin coats of varnish are better than one thick coat that runs everywhere'. I brushed on one thin coat - no runs - Hallelujah.

 I have made the mast collar with a rebated slot to take the mast boot bungy cord - keeps the water out.

I also varnished the poplar dagger-board case. The holes at the forward base are hiking strap attachment points.

 Rather than butt the cockpit trim at right angles I have fitted rounded corners - much easier on the eye.

I am pleased with the way the grain in the Gaboon plywood deck has been picked up by the varnish.

The weather is balmy and warm at the moment so the next 5 days are booked for the last coats of varnish (6 in total). I then begin the painting of the hull - the road goes ever on.

_____________________ COCKPIT FLOOR BATTENS _____________________

The first attempt to glue down the cockpit battens (above) was a disaster. It happened like this. I had all four battens held in place with little blocks of wood (as above), all well glued up. I then proceeded to put as much weight (tool boxs, large G clamps, various wood planes etc, etc ) as I could find to place on top of the battens to apply pressure and squeeze out the excess glue etc. The next morning when I had a look at the job I found that I could slide a short steel rule under all the battens in various areas. So I ripped the whole lot out. One day to put the battens in - one day to take them out and sand and prepare the area for another try. I wasn't impressed by the loss of about 5 metres of good Alaskan red cedar.

For the second attempt it was recommended to me that I simply temporarily screw down the floor battens and remove the screws when the glue was dry. This I must admit, is a simple and effective method, but this would have meant repairing the holes the screws made on the outside of the hull after the job was completed. I wasn't prepared to do this. So I devised another way of applying pressure to the battens. A method which you can see in the photographs.This method turned out to be very effective and didn't involve breaching the hull in any way.

 

Job complete. The battens are firmly in place. A few more pieces of trim and we won't be too far away now from painting, varnishing and attaching all the sail controls and other gear.

________ ZEPHYR SPLASHBOARDS AND LOSING THE WILL TO LIVE _______

I think if I have to cut another rolling bevel on a pair of splash boards I might well give up the will to live! I haven't come across such an ornery piece of wood working marlarkey for quite some time. Having said that, I am grudgingly thankful that the boat demanded this of me as I am quite pleased at how they have turned out.

Every set of Zephyr splash boards I have seen are straight or curve in the opposite direction to mine. I have curved them this way in a Herreshoff - ish kind of way because I like the way they look.

And on goes the deck. The angled piece of plywood in the foreground is a deck join doubler where the fore deck plywood joins the side deck.

Fore deck is on.  Note a different and much bigger side deck doubler on the left hand side of the photo. This doubler doubles the side deck thickness in this area from 4mm to 8mm making it strong enough for the skipper to sit without cracking the deck.

Note also the hanging scales. The "legal" minimum weight (as set in the class rules) for a Zephyr is 58 kgs. Before the renovation began the weight was 64 kgs. I have been watching the weight carefully and hope she weighs in at 58 kgs - a light boat is a fast boat.

Happy is the wooden boat renovator if he has a good supply of G clamps. 

Fully decked is a bit of a milestone.

Today I glued on the new splash boards which I had laminated up over a temporary jig. It was a bit of a mission, especially cutting, planing and sanding a rolling bevel on the underside of the splash boards - not a job I want to repeat in a hurry.

The only construction work left to complete are the cockpit floor battens, the internal cockpit trim and the exterior trim (rubbing strakes) around the gunwales.

At this point the boat weighs 53 kgs. So I have 5 kilos up my sleeve - Steady as she goes skipper and she should make the grade.

_________________________ STONEHENGE ___________________________

Here we are, a couple of Kiwi tourists goggling at a famous piece of iconic English history and heritage. It was a hard won view. I hadn't driven a manual geared car for several decades. To get there I drove a manual geared car (The English still LOVE manual cars and all power to them I say.) that had been generously loaned to us all the way from Cambridge to Stonehenge and back again on various 6 lane M25 type motorways. In England traffic lights are rare but roundabouts are ubiquitous. Counting the multiple exits as the GPS told us in calm tones to "Go over the roundabout and take the seventh exit" yikes! was quite an experience. In New Zealand we go around the roundabouts not over them, but that's ok, every country has its own version of English grammar. The hard part for me was that counting the exits as I thrashed my way around the manual gearbox on the two lane roundabouts was difficult when the exits were often obscured by semi trailer trucks the size of air craft carriers. So I was happy on the way down to Stonehenge and back to Cambridge on the M25 to simply crawl along for 20 minutes or so in various places including for a longer time in the vicinity of the motorway exits to Luton airport. It gave me time to gather my wits and equilibrium (but worry about the new bits of iron filings floating around in the manual gear box.)

Stonehenge was smaller than I thought it would be but I found it none the less impressive. At the visitor centre (Which is sensibly a kilometer or more away from the stone site) there is an impressive time lapse presentation of Stonehenges' history that shows how the site would have looked at the time the stones were erected. There is also a museum with various artifacts that have been found on the site over the years.

Comprehensive information about Stonehenge can be found here on the official website:

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=stonehenge_19&&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIkf3jzNOR5gIVQQwrCh1YtABsEAAYASAAEgIw2vD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

We were lucky with the weather so were able to appreciate the broad undulating Salisbury plain and its big skies and soft vistas. We shared it with literally hundreds of other tourists - a reality at interesting sites on a crowded planet.

This is a photograph of a photograph that was on an information plaque - Stonehenge in the winter.

Stonehenge has a feeling of mystery about it. It is a link to another culture, world and world view. Its essence had a feeling of great remoteness to me - it is a shell of its former substance and meaning. Like many of these sites, we are looking at a husk of a former time and life. The living cultural context and the vitality of life that animated Stonehenge has been lost in the mists of time.