The seemingly prolonged ‘saga’ of the bits and bobs, such as spars, rudder, floorboards and tiller, that needed attention during this winter has eventually come to an end. There will some varnishing of the dinghy’s gunnels and seats to do – preparatory work was begun on that back in October – in the spring.
See earlier news:
Ditch-crawler continues his dinghy maintenance whilst enjoying other thoughts…
So, now the last item, the mast, has had a few days to harden off properly, I thought it time to return it to the creek. Christobel was out, so the MG had to be the carrier … it was at least dry, but only around 2 deg C out … the little car’s heating takes nearly half the journey down to start pumping any real heat, but hey, I’m a rough, tough old coot (as me mate keeps telling me!).
The mast reaches the creek!
The sail has been bent back onto its spars, the halyard set up and foot tack – all is ready now for a sail!
Two views of the rig…
Whether or not the sides of the dinghy need a touch up, I’ll leave until the spring to decide.
Yesterday my good mate, Christobel, knuckled down and machined up a ‘sock’ to go over the end of the mast: when all is stowed and cove on, the top end of the mast has always poked out allowing a slow deterioration in preservation coatings. With a couple of eyes and a lashing all can be secured…
The sock…
The sock fitted …
Here is the builder’s own dinghy, a forerunner of mine. These are 9′ 6″ in length lug rigged on an un-stayed mast.
Alan Staley in the ‘dinghy match’ at the Swale Smack, barge and yacht regatta last August.
The dinghy, named Twitch by Christobel on being asked for a name by Alan Staley when it was nearing completion, is now in her 25th year. She was completed in 1994.
The hull was moulded by a grp specialist and Alan Staley’s yard finished her off and made the spars. The sail is the original from Wilkinson, then of Conyer, but now based in Faversham with a loft at the old shipyard industrial estate. (The cover too – but it needs renewing though!)
See: http://www.alanstaleyboatbuilders.co.uk/
The dinghy was the finest £1200 I ever spent: she has given 25 seasons of joy. She’s able to carry four adults with ease under oar. She will sail with two aboard, as my youngest brother discovered when he and his partner were sailing aboard Whimbrel. Alone she is a dream. Under outboard power she is very able too.
See link for Wilkinson Sails: http://wilkinsonsails.co.uk/
The little boat has trotted along behind Whimbrel for around 900 nautical miles this past year, so, with her own forays with myself, Christobel rowing, and family members trotting around in her, she’s in all probability done in excess of 1000 miles. She was a bargain!
Had the tide been in, I’d have slipped out for a sail. I’d surely have had a cold bottom, but what the hell!