Sumara of Weymouth Blog

Cutty Sark Strake Varnish Failure and Water Ingress Under Stanchion Base

Cutty Sark Deck Trim Varnish Failure

Cutty Sark Deckhouse Door Varnish Failure

9th February 2013 Greenwich

I was shocked at the poor condition of the varnish on the newly restored Cutty Sark. These pictures are now about a month old (January 2013) but I have noticed the varnish has got even worse since. The ship only opened in the summer and there is varnish failure on almost every surface. Even some vertical surfaces are failing and they generally last a long time. It does seem such a shame that there was an opportunity to do a really thorough job on bare timber and that somehow this simple task has been messed up. Now the whole lot will need stripping off and re-doing at great cost. It will need doing pretty quickly too before more staining and water gets in. It was an apparent lack of maintenance which seemed to cause the Gipsy Moth to rot away in her Greenwich berth. I never saw anyone painting or varnishing the yacht. I can’t understand how every yachtsman knows that boats need annual maintenance and yet these “National Treasures” are left to suffer until they need radical and unneccessarily expensive work. Already water is getting under the varnish and causing black staining around some stanchion posts. Varnishing is not rocket science, it just needs doing in a tried and tested way. Why play around with new varnishes on an old ship when they clearly don’t work.

I found this on the Sadolin website and would be interested hear any comments:

“Craftsmen involved in the meticulous conservation of one the world’s most famous ships, Cutty Sark, are using the Sadolin Ultra Highly Translucent Woodstain system to decorate and protect her teak deckhouses, spectacular wheel, ornate pin rails, decorative panelling and many other wooden fixtures and fittings on deck.

Cutty Sark is an iconic reminder of a bygone age of sail and a symbol of Britain’s long and successful maritime heritage. Built in 1869, she is a shining example of Victorian ingenuity, engineering and craftsmanship, and one of London’s most popular attractions. In November 2006, however, the visitor signs were taken down and The Cutty Sark Conservation Project began: a massive undertaking by The Cutty Sark Trust to give the ship its biggest overhaul in fifty years and to ensure she has a secure and sustainable future.

Heery International Ltd, a division of Balfour Beatty Management and the principle contractor responsible for delivering the conservation project for The Cutty Sark Trust, specified Sadolin Ultra for the decoration and protection of woodwork above deck. Construction Manager Kevin Elson explains how the decision was made: “Ultra offered the very high degree of translucency that we were looking for,” said Kevin, “and the system has been formulated to provide exterior joinery with up to seven years decoration and protection before maintenance is required. Unlike yacht varnish it offers flexibility and a high degree of UV protection. And when the time eventually comes to maintain the finish, there’s no need to strip back to bare timber, you can simply clean the surface and apply a maintenance coat to revive the appearance and protective benefits.”

Maldon Painting Company Ltd is responsible for coating the exterior timber fittings. Director Geoff Smith had not used Sadolin Ultra before but is now a firm fan. He explains how it was applied to the deckhouses: “We stripped all the old varnish right back and sanded all the teak back to a perfectly smooth surface, before applying a coat of Ultra Basecoat. We then filled in any pinholes and cracks with Sadolin Exterior Woodfiller and went on to apply two coats of the lightest shade of Ultra. Once the deckhouse is refitted on the ship we’ll apply one last coat of Ultra to offer the maximum level of protection.”

Geoff’s decorating work is just one of a huge list of projects which have to be completed by an army of craftspeople, engineers and conservation experts before Cutty Sark is ready to welcome visitors once more in 2010, by which time the ship will be a much improved visitor attraction. Geoff said; “It’s a once in a life time opportunity to work on Cutty Sark and it’s a job I am really enjoying. It’s always good to be given the opportunity to carry out a project to a full specification using the best products and being able to take the time you need to deliver a really high quality finish.”

I wonder if they will use Sadolin Ultra again? It hardly seems to live up to the statement “up to seven years before maintenance is needed” promise. It didn’t survive seven months since the opening. Maybe there is a reason why it didn’t work. Perhaps it was applied a long time prior to the opening?  It would be good to know what went so wrong. I’m sure the painting company would have done their best, was the product faulty or poorly specified? Is there a decent maintenance regime in place? Whatever the reason, it is a real shame that a National Treasure which has had £50 million pounds lavished on it is in such a disgraceful state so soon after opening.

My Christmas Preparations – de-rusting the engine block!

As Christmas looms closer and most people are finishing their Christmas shopping or decorating the tree I seem to have decided it is the ideal time to tackle the rust on Sumara’s Kubota engine. Sometimes the saying “If a jobs worth doing it’s worth doing properly” just has to be put aside. There was no way that I was going to take the engine out and get it on a bench so I would have to do the best I could with the engine in situ. In this respect it is not a proper test for this wonder paint – Brantho Kurrox 3 in 1 but it is a realistic one. I normally touch up any rust with some convertor, a bit of metal primer and some Hammerite but I haven’t had the time for the last few years because the boat has been left in Scotland over winter and certain tasks did not happen. The result was a pretty sad looking engine block – cared for internally but a rusty lump externally. This paint looked ideal. It needs no primer or top coat. Just one, two or three coats depending on the harshness of the environment. They recommend it for painting road gritters and give it a 15 year life expectancy with three coats! Furthermore there is no sanding between coats and it goes on like a dream with total obliteration in one coat. I prepped the engine by cleaning with Awlgrip T0340 cleaner and a stiff nylon brush. Wiped down with Blue Roll. Followed by a heavy stainless steel wire brush and some chipping away with an old screwdriver. Then a bit more cleaning and more wire brushing until I got bored. Too be honest I could have carried on for a day or two but actually I spent five hours cleaning and brushing before applying the paint with throw away budget brushes. I found one small corner where I had failed to clean out properly so I will tackle that in the New Year when she will get a second coat. The paint had a great feeling about it, lovely adhesion and good flow out. It can be applied in -10C apparently. The soft sheen is fine with me and means no sanding between coats. There is a gloss additive that you can buy but the joy of this paint is you only need one product so there is less waste. 750 ml cost £17.50 but with VAT and delivery it came to £32.40. I bought it from www.ipcsltd.co.uk but it is made in Germany. We will have to wait until next year to see if it lasts (with my slightly sub-standard preparation) but I am very hopeful. And a Merry Christmas was had by all!

Laid up at Chichester 2012-2013

Sumara was lifted out at Chichester Marina on 23rd November. It was my intention to get her back to London and haul out at South Dock Marina but sadly they said it was full. Strangely when I cycle past there seems to be loads of space.
My mast was accidently taken out a week too early to my surprise. I always like to be around during any lifting operation but it seemed to have taken place without mishap. The boat lift was smooth and professional and Sumara was lowered gently into a really solid cradle. The staff sometimes lift 16 boats a day which seems incredible. I was surprised to see the amount of masts left standing. That doesn’t happened in Scotland! I have to varnish my mast each year but I really believe all masts should come down each year. I remove all the rigging and inspect it from end to end. All the split pins are replaced with new ones and all the running rigging is washed. The mast is then placed on my own trestles and coved in a heavy canvas cover. You can see it just behind the boat. In effect no wear and tear takes place for four months of the year and everything is checked. That’s got to be a good thing.
The engine oil has been changed and I have run antifreeze through the block in a closed loop. I have forgotten to top up the diesel tank but I will when I go down next week. The engine block has got rather rusty mainly due to a constantly leaking water pump. It is a Johnson pump and the engineers tried out four new pumps and eventually gave up. It cools the engine fine but drips constantly. If anyone knows how to solve this I would be very grateful to hear. In the meantime I will give the engine a good going over with a wire brush and some rust proof paint. I’ve looked at POR15 but it looks over the top. I may try Brantho-Korrux “3 in 1″ and see how I get on.
The inside of the boat has been cleaned with a mixture of processes starting with fresh water, then Dettox and finally Ambercleanse Foam Cleaner. I like to have a large roll of Blue Roll to hand. The bilge is completely dry now but may get grubby after the engine clean and repaint. The aft bilges will be repainted in the spring. The whole boat is covered with a heavy cotton canvas cover. It amazes me how people buy rubbish sweaty plastic dross from BandQ and tie it over their pride and joy. In the first breeze the eyelets pull out and they flap like mad. My cover does need renewing now but it is 15 years old and has saved the boat so much wear and tear that it has been a very good investment. I use an aluminium scaffolding ridge pole as the weight of heavy snow is too much for timber sandwhich battens. Key Clamps and plastic end stops make up the support posts. It is a very tough frame and capable if withstanding storm force winds.
I will off load my wonderful Aqua 70 chain chain onto a pallet. It looks as good as new with no rust signs.
I have special winter wash board with extra ventilation holes. It means I can varnish the other ones at home and the boat is well aired. I will put a small tube heater with a thermostat on board just to keep the worst of the cold away.
Snug as a bug.

Aberystwyth Mooring

We reckoned the best time to leave would be 1800 but the sun was out so we left at about 1500 with a very gentle southerly breeze. The wind gradually veered to become a westerley generally around force 3-4 but with a couple of light patches which meant a few hours of motoring. We sailed through the night, passed Bardsey Island and had our destination in sight. Sadly, once again, my Lopo light caused radio interference and I had to resort to a handheld radio in the cockpit. This is now my forth Lopo Light and I think I will have to give up. They look beautiful but just don’t work! Aberystwyth only has about .5m of water at MLWS so the pilot books advise new visitors to arrive two hours either side of high water. So it was rather unfortunate that we were going to arrive about an hour before low water with and onshore breeze. Luckily it was neeps. I had a chat with the Harbour Master who was very helpful and basically said proceed with caution. We knew there would theoretically be enough water so long as we found the channel. Care should be taken as you near the north pier  because the leading line of 133 degrees leads you very close to the aptly named “Trap” and a slightly more southerly approach would be advisable. A J29 was lost on the trap not so long ago according to the Marina Manager. The huge floods they had earlier in the year have actually improved the entrance by scouring away some of the banks. If you are thinking of a low water approach (neeps only) I would suggest a call first to the marina or Harbour Master. Waves break on the trap and I would imagine an onshore force five wind would be tricky. The problem is that the next port of refuge would be Milford Haven!

We had about 0.9m under our keel at the lowest point (2.3m deep). We motored up to the marina and found an empty pontoon berth with no trouble. I am leaving Sumara there until mid August so we later moved her in to a snug berth nearer the gate.

Petzl Ascension and I’D for Single Handed Mast Climbing

Sadly my crew had to pull out at the very last moment from my planned sail to the Isle of Man due to work pressure. So I think the sail will have to be cancelled as I don’t really fancy walking in the Isle of Man by myself. While I am in Troon I will tackle some of those jobs which never happened before the Peaks Race.
My AquaSignal steaming light has been a bit unreliable recently so I decided to have a look at it. I prefer someone else to be around when mast climbing but that is not always possible so I’ve got some gear which allows me to climb by myself. I use a piece of Petzl kit called an I’D. That stands for “Industrial Descender” but it can actually be used for ascending and descending. I secure a suitable braided rope halyard so a length of rope hangs down from the top of the mast. I then clip on a Petzl Ascension with a foot loop which is used to rise up the rope using leg power. The I’D is attached by a karabiner to my harness and then the halyard is correctly threaded through the I’D. The slack tail of the rope is pulled through the I’D and then you sit back in the harness so the I’D takes the weight. You can now slide the Ascension up the halyard and climb another couple of feet using the footloop and again take up the slack through the I’D. It only takes a few minutes to climb halfway up the mast. The footloop can be used to occassionally stand on and relieve pressure from the harness while working in position. Once the work is complete the Ascension can be removed from the rope and a fully controlled descent can be made through the I’D. The lever on the side has to be held in the exact position or the device will grab the rope and stop the descent. The descent is very easy and smooth and you don’t need to swop equipment. The I’D does it all.
Obviously there is no safety back up to this method of climbing so it is crucial the rope and equipment are thoroughly inspected before climbing.

Alasdair and Rick on the Paps of Jura

Alasdair on the Paps of Jura

Having been sailing for 26 hours means you are not necessarily in tip top race condition at the start of the run but somehow the adrenalin kicks in and the energy comes from somewhere. Harris, from the nice yellow yacht in Dunstaffnage, had made us a specially decorated tub of nourishing energy giving food and kindly given it to us as a present before we left the marina. Even with Harris’ nosh I wasn’t sure quite how we would pull this one off. At least we were running in daylight. Rick and I cleared the thorough kit inspection and jogged off to the foothills of the Paps. With a combined age of 114 years we were probably the oldest team to run this section, but maybe not.

The cumulative ascent was to be 1740m. Our maximum speed of ascent was 1010m an hour and our maximum speed of descent was 1930m an hour. The Paps are quite steep sided and when you’ve got to the top you need to descend to climb another one and then do it all again. I was beginning to flake out on the second ascent but just managed to continue the top. After that it wasn’t so bad.

My fear of my knee playing up didn’t happen but I was trying to be kind to it on the downhill runs. It was good being with Rick, who was much faster and more experienced than me. I learnt a lot of little techniques and loved running down the scree slopes.
The scree is tough on the shoes. Mine held up fine (Salamon Speed Cross SCS) but Rick’s Inov Mudroc’s really took a bashing. About a third of the studs were torn off the sole and others were about to break loose. He will be taking them back as they were pretty new. I never liked my shoes when I bought them but now I think they are the bees knees.
After 6 hours and 51 minutes we arrived back at the check point, a little worn but not injured, and we were collected by Charlotte in the dinghy ready for the next section.

You may be wondering what happened to my enthusiastic blog. It all started well with lots of posts and then it stopped just as it was going to get exciting. Well my first excuse was that the ship invertor stopped working – it  just tripped the contact breaker. I decided against gaffer taping the breaker on as apparently it is poor form. That meant my lap top went flat so it was bye bye blog.

Trouble is everyone has mobiles but not many people have 12v chargers so it became obvious that the world would simply grind to a halt and collapse if the good ship didn’t have an invertor. Grit and I had a fleeting moment in Oban to try to buy one in the Car Spares Shop. The man behind the counter just couldn’t believe it. He had sold six that morning! He really thought we were winding him up!

It’s a funny old world when you need an invertor to go running but mobiles are fairly important on this race. The runners need to warn the boat crew half an hour before finishing so the anchor and mainsail can be raised ready for the pick up. They are a useful safety device too.

Sumara’s New Oars

Once John decided it was really out of the question him partaking in the Race with his chest infection we needed to find a replacement as soon as possible.Tim and Dan did sterling work putting the feelers out and we now have Rick Robson joining the team. Rick is an experienced fell runner although he says he is a bit rusty which sounds perfect as he’ll be running with me. Rick knows the Paps of Jura which could be a help too. We are meeting up with Rick plus Charlotte and Sarah at lunchtime on Thursday.
It’s been all go preparing the Good Ship but we did have time to amuse ourselves with trying out the new oars. I reckon she’ll do about three knots with them!  (Well that didn’t happen! We did eventually get over two knots with these and the small oars) We may even catch up with some of the big boys!

I seem to have put in two pictures, we certainly don’t have two Baby Blakes. I’m rubbish at this bloggy stuff but I’ll get the hang of it one day. Here is our kit list. I expect there is something crucial missing but even so when you multiply most of it by five you can imagine how tight the little ship will be! We have to lug it up on the train too.

General Personal Kit Always Needed – Date 120511
Item Quantity Needed Purchase Date Replacement Date Notes Checked
Sailing Boots 1 2010 2014 Needs a bit of glue on the top cap
Thick Socks 7
Merrels or deck shoes 1 2011 2013
Romper suit 1 2002 2015
Lofoten Bib and Brace 1 2002 2015
Lofoten top 1 2002 2015
Merino Leggings 3 2010 2014
Underwear 7 1962 2045
Merino Tops 4 2010 2014
Oiled Wool Pullover 1 2009 2030
Belay Waistcoat 1 2011 2016
Belay Jacket 1 2011 2016
Oilskin Trousers 1 2010 2016
Oilskin Top 1 2010 2016
Active Trousers 1 2009 2015
Merino Neck 1 2010 2015
Merino Beanie 1 2010 2015
Thick Bubble Hat 1 2005 2015
Lowe Alpine Hat 1 2010 2017
Mittens 1 2010 2016
Gloves 2 2008 2014
Rescue Knife 1 2008 2020
Lifejacket 1 2009 2015
Lanyard 1 2001 2013
Technical Towel 1 2009 2016
Towel Hand 1 2011 2030
Swimming gear 1 2006 2015
Sleeping Bag 1 2012 2022
Sun glasses 1 2008 2015
Reading Glasses 2 2012 2014
Wash Bag 1 2005 2020
Cut off toothbrush 1 1980 2050
Toothpaste 1 1980 2050
Soap 1 1980 2050
Shampoo 1 1980 2050
Stugeron 1 1980 2050
Sun tan stuff 1 1980 2050
Penecillin 1 2012 2013
Morphine 1 2011 2013
Re-hydration stuff 1 2012 2015
Anti Septic 1 2012 2015
Waterproof Orlieb Bag 1 2011 2020 So it can stay in the cockpit at night

Scottish Islands Three Peaks Race (Compulsory Kit – Being Inspected)

Map of Oban 1 2012 2012 If you are running it
Map of Mull 1 2012 2012 If you are running it
Map of Jura 1 2012 2012 If you are running it
Map of Arran 1 2012 2012 If you are running it
Hat of Balaclava 1 2012 2012
Long sleeved top 1 2012 2012
Thermal tops 2 2012 2012
Gloves or mitts 1 2012 2012
Long trousers 1 2012 2012
Fell running shoes 1 2012 2012
Waterproof jacket 1 2012 2012
Waterproof trousers 1 2012 2012
Head torch 1 2012 2012
Spare set of batteries 1 2012 2012
Blizzard Pack 1 2012 2012
Compass 1 2012 2012
Whistle 1 2012 2012
Emergency Rations-
Min 250gm Chocolate 1 2012 2012
Pencil and paper 1 2012 2012
First aid kit
(one per team) 1 per team 2012 2012 One per team, therefore two for Arran
Triangular bandages 2 2012 2012 One per team, therefore two for Arran
Large wound dressing 1 2012 2012 One per team, therefore two for Arran
Elastic Bandages -
not plasters 3 2012 2012 One per team, therefore two for Arran
Race Number 1 2012 2012
Insurance Documents
for the yacht 1 2012 2012
Non-Compulsory Kit for Race
Copy of Rules 1 2012 2012
Mobile phone 1
Hand torch 1
Spare battery 1
Massive Blister Pack 1
Newspaper for
stuffing shoes 1
Sun block 1
Tissues 1
Knee bandage 2
Iboprofen pills 1
Iboprofen gel 1
Arnaca Gel 1
Water bladders 1
Water 1.5L 1
Running rucksack 1
Marzipan 3 t
Jelly Babies 3
Gels 3
Protein bars 3
Spare Trail Shoes 1
Isotonic additives 3
Clamp on Oar paddles 2
Foam mat for sleeping
on floor 1
Thermorest matress 1
Horseshoe for race 1
Very large Ortlieb bag 1 To get all the gear to Scotland on the train
Personal Mountain
Insurance 1 Austrian Alpine Club

General Gear
Panasonic Camera 1 2010
Canon Camera 1 2010
Panasonic Charger 1 2010
Canon Charger 1 2010
Ipod 1 2009
Radio Transmitter
for Ipod 1 2010
Walking Boots 1 2009
Gaiters 1 2011
Walking Gortex
Trousers 1 2011
Mobile phone and
charger 1 2010
Satelite phone and
charger 1 2011
Phone to laptop leads 1 2010
Mini Laptop 1 2009
Chart List and Charts 1 Various
Idiot Sheets 1 2010
Credit Card 1 2010 2013

A large bucket of optimism.

Position N61,32.2 x W016,11. Wind SW F3 and fading out.

We have had a lovely sail this afternoon but the wind eventually died off. I started the engine but there was no thrust from the gearbox. I checked with Jim at Dunstaffnage and he thinks the cones must be worn out. With a blast of throttle it does eventually pick up but it is getting worse and I suspect we will have no engine power soon. The weather ahead isn’t too great with east and southeast gales forecast as the deep low passes through. We will plug on but once again St Kilda is looking unlikely.

Sent at 16.58GMT 9th August