The GP14 racing dinghy number 13941 has been back on the water ... although we may have issues in future.
The main repair work was done by Ben Dingwall, and some additional problems with the front hull were fixed by Fred - stalwart user of filler and gelcoat on behalf of the Welsh Harp Sailingn Club.
I got the boat rigged with the P&B sails a few weeks ago, and took her out for a brief test run on 2nd June, with Szymon crewing for me. All seemed good - we appeared to have good bit speed and so I packed her away and went on holiday.
On returning from holiday, I took out the boat to join in with the “plain sailing” last Saturday morning. I then did two races with Richard Gillian crewing in the first race and helming the second. All seemed well, except for slow boat speed. Then we found out why...
On dragging the boat out of the water, we opened the aft bung and gallons of water come surging out of the “skin gap” between the outer hull and inner floor. We clearly have a problem!
Plans for next week are to try desperately to diagnose how this water is getting in. The biggest fear is that there is a proble with the centreboard casing which Ben fixed. If it fails again, it is very unlikely that we will be able to claim this on insurance.
It could be either very expensive, and very time-consuming.
Follow this blog, as the story unfolds.
Friday, 29 June 2018
Monday, 28 May 2018
Brent Regatta 2018 = Trophy to show
“The Brent Regatta is a FUN race”, were the opening words from the Officer Of the Day on this Bank Holiday Monday.
There had been no racing on the Saturday, so Lesley Kaye asked if I would crew for her in the Brent Regatta, which is the traditional holiday event, arranged across the clubs which come under the Welsh Harp Sailing Assiciation.
As far as I know, the format of the race is unique: for 2-handed boats such as the GP14, the first person helms the first race, with the second person helming the next one. That is the followed by the traditional tea and cakes. The third race involves the helm and crew swapping places half way during the race.
The day was hot and humid - some 5 knots of wind coming from northerly and easterly directions, shifting by 90% every now and then. So it would be a test of skill. Thunderstorms were also forecast. Before we set out, the OOD mentioned that he would reserve the right to cancel the race if the threatened lightening turned up. Comforting thought !
We sailed in 13853 - Lesley’s boat, with a nearly-new EXE mainsail, and Lesley’s Union Jack coloured spinnaker, which she had purchased for the Nationals last year.
For the first race, we were presented with a very port-biased line, so we beat up to the “pin” end in good time. The wind changed (welcome to the Welsh Harp!) , so maybe we were in completely the wrong place. Then the wind shifted back, so we just raced to the line and were through in good time and with good speed. We led the fleet to the windward mark. As we progressed round the first lap of the course, the gap got bigger, and our lead looked unassailable.
But things were not to be: Chris Lomax and Ed Coyne were on our tail. We headed to no “5” Mark, and the wind dropped. We could not get the necessary boat speed. They pounced. We had to fend off another threatening boat, as Chris & Ed overtook us.
Coming into the final leg of the last lap, we were inching away at his lead, but he led us to the committeee boat end of the finish line. At least we had a second place!
For the second race, I took over helming. We again started on the left hand side of the line. The bias was so tight that we called “starboard” on another boat, which had to tack off, and was unable to cross the start line. Only then did I realise that it was Ed and Chris again! Hope they forgive me!
We were able to put together another good lead (although not as spectacular as on the first race), and were looking over our shoulders far too many times for Ed and Chris to catch up with them. They did.
There must have been no more than 3 or 4 boat lengths between us in the final leg. Should we fly the spinnaker on the short reaching leg, or rely on two sails with extra control, we debated? In the end we said we would do the opposite of what they did. After the mark rounding, they were clearly going for the 'kite, so we pressed on. But the boat would not respond. Was it bad wind, or bad sailing, who knows? But the end result was that we were a couple of lengths behind them, as they headed for the finish line again. Another second place.
It looked like their regatta.
We had a great tea, with some wonderful sticky cakes, before we got back on the water.
This time, we were determined to win, for pride's sake !
Bearing in mind the switchover from one helm to another, we worked out a switching system, and then practiced it before the race started. We were ready.
The third start was not as spectacular as the others, so we had a couple of boats to catch up with. But we were confident, and motivated.
Before long, we had managed to gain the lead, with another boat behind us, and Chris & Ed in third place. We pressed on, and finally managed to finish the race in first place. Chris and Ed were third, and we exchanged congratulations across the water - us for the race win, and them for the two firsts which had won the regatta for them.
Then came the surprise.
They had five points (1 - 1 - 3), as did we ( 2 - 2 - 1), so we had naturally assumed that their two "bullets" would mean that they had won the regatta. Not so - the scoring system worked on a "count-back" in the case of a tie. Since we had won the third race, we had taken the regatta !
I think Lesley & I were still a bit stunned when we received the Brent Regatta Trophy, plus a bottle of wine for each of us.
Our commiserations to Chris and Ed, who we thought had deserved to win.
But we had got our first combined trophy.
I will be looking after (and polishing !) the Brent Regatta trophy for the first six months, and then Lesley can look after it until next year.
A massive confidence boost - I need to get back on the water with my own boat very soon !
FOOTNOTE: 13941 is still under repair, following a collision with the concrete floor last week, when it slipped out of its rope cradle when being weighted. But we should be back on the water in two weeks time...
There had been no racing on the Saturday, so Lesley Kaye asked if I would crew for her in the Brent Regatta, which is the traditional holiday event, arranged across the clubs which come under the Welsh Harp Sailing Assiciation.
As far as I know, the format of the race is unique: for 2-handed boats such as the GP14, the first person helms the first race, with the second person helming the next one. That is the followed by the traditional tea and cakes. The third race involves the helm and crew swapping places half way during the race.
The day was hot and humid - some 5 knots of wind coming from northerly and easterly directions, shifting by 90% every now and then. So it would be a test of skill. Thunderstorms were also forecast. Before we set out, the OOD mentioned that he would reserve the right to cancel the race if the threatened lightening turned up. Comforting thought !
We sailed in 13853 - Lesley’s boat, with a nearly-new EXE mainsail, and Lesley’s Union Jack coloured spinnaker, which she had purchased for the Nationals last year.
For the first race, we were presented with a very port-biased line, so we beat up to the “pin” end in good time. The wind changed (welcome to the Welsh Harp!) , so maybe we were in completely the wrong place. Then the wind shifted back, so we just raced to the line and were through in good time and with good speed. We led the fleet to the windward mark. As we progressed round the first lap of the course, the gap got bigger, and our lead looked unassailable.
But things were not to be: Chris Lomax and Ed Coyne were on our tail. We headed to no “5” Mark, and the wind dropped. We could not get the necessary boat speed. They pounced. We had to fend off another threatening boat, as Chris & Ed overtook us.
Coming into the final leg of the last lap, we were inching away at his lead, but he led us to the committeee boat end of the finish line. At least we had a second place!
For the second race, I took over helming. We again started on the left hand side of the line. The bias was so tight that we called “starboard” on another boat, which had to tack off, and was unable to cross the start line. Only then did I realise that it was Ed and Chris again! Hope they forgive me!
We were able to put together another good lead (although not as spectacular as on the first race), and were looking over our shoulders far too many times for Ed and Chris to catch up with them. They did.
There must have been no more than 3 or 4 boat lengths between us in the final leg. Should we fly the spinnaker on the short reaching leg, or rely on two sails with extra control, we debated? In the end we said we would do the opposite of what they did. After the mark rounding, they were clearly going for the 'kite, so we pressed on. But the boat would not respond. Was it bad wind, or bad sailing, who knows? But the end result was that we were a couple of lengths behind them, as they headed for the finish line again. Another second place.
It looked like their regatta.
We had a great tea, with some wonderful sticky cakes, before we got back on the water.
This time, we were determined to win, for pride's sake !
Bearing in mind the switchover from one helm to another, we worked out a switching system, and then practiced it before the race started. We were ready.
The third start was not as spectacular as the others, so we had a couple of boats to catch up with. But we were confident, and motivated.
Before long, we had managed to gain the lead, with another boat behind us, and Chris & Ed in third place. We pressed on, and finally managed to finish the race in first place. Chris and Ed were third, and we exchanged congratulations across the water - us for the race win, and them for the two firsts which had won the regatta for them.
Then came the surprise.
They had five points (1 - 1 - 3), as did we ( 2 - 2 - 1), so we had naturally assumed that their two "bullets" would mean that they had won the regatta. Not so - the scoring system worked on a "count-back" in the case of a tie. Since we had won the third race, we had taken the regatta !
I think Lesley & I were still a bit stunned when we received the Brent Regatta Trophy, plus a bottle of wine for each of us.
Our commiserations to Chris and Ed, who we thought had deserved to win.
But we had got our first combined trophy.
I will be looking after (and polishing !) the Brent Regatta trophy for the first six months, and then Lesley can look after it until next year.
A massive confidence boost - I need to get back on the water with my own boat very soon !
FOOTNOTE: 13941 is still under repair, following a collision with the concrete floor last week, when it slipped out of its rope cradle when being weighted. But we should be back on the water in two weeks time...
Sunday, 29 April 2018
Its been a long while...
Anyone who has been following this blog will notice a large gap between the end of the 2017 GP14 National Championships, and this latest posting.
There is a long story associated with this.
GP14 no 13941 has been in need of some serious attention.
It all goes back to that last blog entry when we capsized in the Looe Nationals.
At the time, we knew that the centre board has broken, and needed to be replaced. With a lot of help from other members of the GP14 family, we tried to test-fit another replacement, but it was too wide to fit into the centreboard casing.
So I purchased a new centreboard from Milanes, which we were going to install at the end of the year.
Then the problems started.
As we tried to fix the new centreboard, we realised that the internal centreboard casing was badly damaged, to the extent that we were unable to sail the boat. GP14 13941 was going to be out of commission for a very long time. We tried to get various people to offer to repair her, in vain.
It was was only in early 2018 that Ben Dingwall was able to look at the boat, and arrange to cut open the entire centreboard section in order to assess the damage, and provide an estimate of costs.
Then things got worse.
When he cut open the innards of our beloved craft, Ben discovered that the wooden strengthening members that shaped the hull had rotted through. The photo above gives you just some idea of what it looked like. As you may know from earlier versions of this blog, 13941 was originally built by Speed Sails as a training boat for the BTYC Sailsports organisation. Its a fair assumption that she had been capsized a few times in the first 6 years of her life. In fact, I remember her as "BTYC No 4" at that time, and I'm sure I was personally responsible for at least one capsize. Then, I have had a couple of additional incidents since I purchased her myself. So the internal wood had rotted.
We had some helpful phone calls and emails with the insurance company, who were not able to pay for the internal wood rot, but were able to pay for the centreboard.
So the plans are in hand for the extensive repairs to be made.
In the meantime, I have been out-of-circulation of the sailing game for a while. I even missed the WHSC Venetian Trophy in early April - the first time that has happened in 12 years.
But I was out in a club boat during the last two Saturdays - crossed the line in 4th place on a couple of occasions - so I'm beginning to look forward to sailing seriously once the boat is returned
Expect to hear that we are out on the water in 13941 again soon...
Watch this space.
There is a long story associated with this.
GP14 no 13941 has been in need of some serious attention.
It all goes back to that last blog entry when we capsized in the Looe Nationals.
At the time, we knew that the centre board has broken, and needed to be replaced. With a lot of help from other members of the GP14 family, we tried to test-fit another replacement, but it was too wide to fit into the centreboard casing.
So I purchased a new centreboard from Milanes, which we were going to install at the end of the year.
Then the problems started.
As we tried to fix the new centreboard, we realised that the internal centreboard casing was badly damaged, to the extent that we were unable to sail the boat. GP14 13941 was going to be out of commission for a very long time. We tried to get various people to offer to repair her, in vain.
It was was only in early 2018 that Ben Dingwall was able to look at the boat, and arrange to cut open the entire centreboard section in order to assess the damage, and provide an estimate of costs.
Then things got worse.
When he cut open the innards of our beloved craft, Ben discovered that the wooden strengthening members that shaped the hull had rotted through. The photo above gives you just some idea of what it looked like. As you may know from earlier versions of this blog, 13941 was originally built by Speed Sails as a training boat for the BTYC Sailsports organisation. Its a fair assumption that she had been capsized a few times in the first 6 years of her life. In fact, I remember her as "BTYC No 4" at that time, and I'm sure I was personally responsible for at least one capsize. Then, I have had a couple of additional incidents since I purchased her myself. So the internal wood had rotted.
We had some helpful phone calls and emails with the insurance company, who were not able to pay for the internal wood rot, but were able to pay for the centreboard.
So the plans are in hand for the extensive repairs to be made.
In the meantime, I have been out-of-circulation of the sailing game for a while. I even missed the WHSC Venetian Trophy in early April - the first time that has happened in 12 years.
But I was out in a club boat during the last two Saturdays - crossed the line in 4th place on a couple of occasions - so I'm beginning to look forward to sailing seriously once the boat is returned
Expect to hear that we are out on the water in 13941 again soon...
Watch this space.
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