Category: Gear and Provisions
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Storm Proofing Sumara
Friday 18th February 2022 – London With Storm Eunice approaching, I am picking up on a slight sense of panic amongst many boat owners. Will their covers be OK? Will their boats be OK with those wooden props and wedges especially with the mast up. Will their mooring lines chafe through? etc With Sumara currently…
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I’ve just built a Classic Wooden Drone!
It will fly at 24 feet above the deck and point in exactly the same direction as the boat. That is because it will be fixed to the upper spreaders! It is typical of a wooden boat owner to solve a technical problem with a piece of wood and six coats of varnish but at…
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New Toys – GME Epirb and Garmin Inreach Mini
5th February 2022 (Updated 13th June 2025) The 406 Epirb wasn’t really a new toy. My old GME Epirb’s battery had expired so it needed renewing. When I phoned Sartech they offered me a tempting upgrade to the version which has a built in GPS. It can save rescue time if the Epirb incorporates a…
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Gloves or Mitts – or Nothing at All?
Reading time: 10 minutes. Updated January 2025 Best for Dexterity – Bare Hands Here are a couple of tricks to keep your hands toasty warm without using gloves at all: Just Rubbing Let your hands get very cold, then rub them vigorously until they warm up. They will soon get cold again, so rub them…
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Laptops for Boats and Vans without spending a fortune!
14th December 2021 Rotherhithe Although I am more than happy to leave my laptop resting at home, there are certain voyages when they can be useful, or even virtually essential. I need one for my next trip to Greenland so that I can download ice charts and grib files*. I rather liked my old Toshiba…
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I’ve had an idea – and I think it’s a good idea
In the world of “Lifting” and “Working at Height” all the gear needs a regular inspection. Generally every six months, unless a competent person decides otherwise. With large items it is quite easy to label items and keep a log of the inspections but for small lifting gear such as shackles it can be very…
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Sumara’s Ropes and Rigging
The Standing Rigging Reading time: 12 minutes November 2021 There is the age-old debate for when is the correct time to replace a yacht’s standing rigging. All my rigging has been changed at least once over the thirty-one years that I have owned Sumara. With my planned expedition trip to Scoresby Sund in 2022, I…
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Scoresby Sund Expedition Update
Dunstaffnage 16th November 2021 A little bit of progress has been made but on lots of fronts. I’m currently up in Scotland carrying out a few little jobs on Sumara, most importantly winterising the engine but also a few domestic improvements like installing the diabolically expensive new sink pump. Running Rigging Back in town, I…
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The Taylors Paraffin Cooker!
The look of dismay on Dom’s face when he saw that Sumara had a Taylors paraffin cooker was rather alarming. I think he might have even exclaimed something unpublishable. Memories flooded back of him attempting to light the very same beast on Will Stirling’s yacht in Greenland. The burners needed to be pre-heated with both…
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It’s a total cover up!
Probably the best investment I ever made for Sumara was her heavy canvas cover. It was Coombes Boatyard in Bosham who organised my first one which was basically a rectangle of heavy tarpaulin canvas with eyelets around the edges. It lasted over 20 years. My new one is marginally shaped at the bow but overwise…