Category: Boat Maintenance
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The Preparation Begins!
11th April 2022 – Dunstaffnage I’ve arrived at the boat ready for a month’s solid work to get her expedition ready for the big Greenland trip. It was 20:00 by the time I got here after a very pleasant stop over at Ray and Jackie’s farmhouse in Yorkshire. I managed to find just enough space…
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Making a Scramble Net Cum Boarding Ladder – Part Two
I’ve finished the the Scramble Net cum Boarding Ladder! Ok, I haven’t tested it yet, so it could be a totally useless pile of junk but we shall find out in a few weeks when I hope to test it in the chilly London Docks. I was surprised how many things didn’t work. In the…
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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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Sumara’s Propeller
Reading time: 5 Minutes Updated: 2nd December 2025 Category: Boat Maintenance, Sailing in General I’ve just finished painting my propeller (2022). It does seem a shame to cover up all that lovely bronze, but I think it may be getting some really hard use this year. The wind in Scoresby Sund can often be very…
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Applying Gold Leaf
Gold leaf is the ideal way to set off a cove line or a carved name plate. Gold paint can often be troublesome because the “gold” is normally made from brass flakes which can go green with verdigris when exposed to salt water. It can be protected with varnish with some success, but the effect…
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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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Varnishing – with traditional yacht varnish
Reading time: 20 minutes The most common comment that I receive when people walk past the fully varnished Sumara is: “Looks great but, wow, what a lot of work!” It does indeed involve a lot of work to keep a varnished yacht looking nice and shiny, but probably not nearly as much as many people…