-
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…
-
Chatsworth in the Van
We stayed in a small campsite about 40 minutes drive from Chatsworth. I like these little sites run as a side-line to a pub or farm. This one was called Poplars Farm and seemed to have about 5 hard standing pitches, plus a couple of “cottages”. It cost us £19.00 per night with LX hook…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Notes from my Expedition Journal – East Greenland 2019 – in the yacht Integrity
Notes from my Expedition Journal These are notes taken directly from my little waterproof notepad. I was invited as crew on Will Stirling’s splendid yacht “Integrity”. We were aiming for Scoresby Sund but for my second time we were thwarted by ice. Any additions or alterations to the original notes I have made in blue,…
-
Canterbury in the van
25th – 27th December 2021 For Christmas we thought we would do something a bit unusual and whizz off in the van. It transpires that it wasn’t very unusual at all as the Canterbury Camp Site was fairly well booked up. We pitched up at 15:00 on Christmas Day and set up the awning, laid…
-
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…
-
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…