First Cross-Channel This Year

Well, got that out of the way - a cross-channel weekend to test everything. Headed for Cherbourg from the Hamble, but the winds didn't work too well for a schooner, light and easterly, so ended up in Alderney. Flat sea both ways, and a beautiful midnight moonlight sail into Braye. Sunday saw us in Crabby Harbour for some fuel - we were a tight fit! Sunday also saw the beautiful Jolie Brise sail in and anchor.

Although I'd tested the radar before leaving and it was fine, it did have a wobbly moment.  I remade the mast connector and it was fine. However, it did go down on the way back, and this time I think it's a circuit board issue. Lots of radial noise on screen in standby mode, and completely swamped when transmitting (and no sign of any targets). Tuning appears to have no effect. I have detailed circuit diagrams, and I'm wondering whether the noise filters are screwed, or maybe the tuning circuit. It's a Koden MD300 - superb tough piece of kit, but about 20 years old now. So, if you know of another one I can cannibalise then let me know!


I was last in Alderney in January 2009 before heading up to Cherbourg where I was snow-bound for a few days; then a brisk single-handed cross-channel to the Solent. Since then, Mainbrayce Marine has changed hands - the new owners are very helpful, and the range of stock has increased a lot.


Anyway, the first trip is done, though we had to motor all the way back.

Easter Weekend, Looking Out..

Easter weekend, more activity at last! View from the porthole this morning:

First Trip 2010?

A grim winter now past! First trip - just a tootle up and down the Hamble with a radio journalist who is preparing a short piece for an arts festival, but at least the cobwebs are away. I'll be posting the audio piece on http://www.blue-hound.com/, sometime in April.

It's good to be mobile again!

Sun and Hurricanes

A beautiful sunny morning on the river - spring is in the air methinks!

I've just been reading about research into future hurricane patterns - it seems that they will become more intense and less frequent. The research is based on output from the IPCC - though their output is under question at present. Anyway, it is an interesting read. See more here at Physicsworld

What will 2010 hold?

Thoughts at present about heading to the Canaries for the New Year (2010/2011). My beaten path has been to go via Brittany/Galicia/Lisbon/Algarve. This year I'm thinking seriously about going via the Azores - one direct leg.

Schooners don't go too well to windward, and Blue Hound is no exception; though, with the yankee and forestaysail she's much handier than with the genoa.

Still, the Azores in one leg is highly dependent on wind direction for me. We'll see!

Talking to a friend last night who is doing a two-hander direct to the Faroe Islands. Now that's a toughie!

Winter's here

This week has seen the cold weather hit here, down to +1 overnight on weekend (on the river), and this morning a cold and drizzly easterly. Got to get some fuel today as genny now doing about 5-6hrs a day running heating.

Will be seeing some of my 'trip-to-Brazil' sailing pals today, looking forward to that. Their boat in the Baltic had engine problems in the summer. The yard engineers in Sweden couldn't solve it, but I worked through it with them over a few days via Skype, isolating and testing various parts of the fresh water cooling system, and we beat it!

Calmer at last

A quiet day today - it blew 9 here yesterday, up near Swanwick, and apparently 90kts+ recorded in Solent. The tops were being blown off the waves here in the Hamble :-(

Went and got some fuel today, reattached the aerogen bracing stay which had worked loose in the wind, a few deck jobs and then watched replay of England scraping home against Argentina. It's good to be Welsh!