Awfully quiet

Yes, I know, I've been awfully quiet around here. But simply, there hasn't been anything to say. We still have lots of snow and even today I could walk right over the ice at the club. Which might be a trifle worrying, with the traditional launch date only about six weeks off. Fortunately, the ice normally goes quite fast once it starts to go, and the air is already much warmer, especially when the sun is out during the day. So there might be spring after all.

The most important news else is that I've gotten one of those fancy iphones. There's lot to be said about them, but it does have a very nifty chartplotter application, which works great (yes, I've tested it on the harbour ferry...). The downside is only, those things have really poor batteries. So I have struggled for weeks to find a way to charge the thing on the boat. Now, I have been able to charge all my previous cellphones with various solar chargers, but the iphone just won't have those. Apple, being protective of only the gods know what, have built-in software which not only checks that the charging cable is, well - approved by the charging cable god, but also checks that the charging device does deliver exactly the right amount of milliamperes. That's really bad, because most solar chargers deliver less than an USB contact. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, charging would just take longer. But it is for Apple.
Anyway, I finally found a solution that works, an extra battery, approved by Apple, which can charge the phone, and, thank the gods, can be charged by anything else. All my old chargers suddenly work again.

Finally, I am glad to announce that I will be on extended leave from work from May until September this year. So there will be lots of time for sailing, and then it won't be as quiet here anymore. See you in spring.

The refurbishment of Little Grace

David Appleby, who recently moved his Alacrity "Little Grace" to Finland is now going to refurbish the boat. He has sent some before-pictures and will keep us updated on the progress of his work.

More winter impressions

I got this request for some pictures of the boatyard and my boat in its sorry winter state. Unfortunately, on the way there I decided to make a video instead, being, as alway, terribly inspired by Dylan Winter. However, I did not know that the camera's lense makes you look quite like a rabbit if you put it too near. That never happend to Dylan. Anyway, it's too late now and I will have to go through with this.

Getting into the yard wasn't easy as the lock had frozen. Expecting this I carried a small can of anti-freeze spray, which got me in, but did not entirely clear the lock on the inside so I wouldn't have gotten the key in if the door had slammed shut.



And here is the after-pic.



I did get out without trouble so I could take some more pics from the other side of the inlet.

Not sailing weather

I took a walk to the boatyard today. It was snowing a little and there was about half a foot of snow on the ground. It would probably have been easier if I'd had a pair of skis. After having removed about a ton of snow from the boat's cover I walked home and it started to snow really good.



After having made it to the subway station the adventure got a bit out of hand. First there was a big bang and a flash of lightning, then the train stopped in the tunnel. A voice came on the loudspeaker telling us that the train probably had lost a current collector shoe and wasn't allowed to continue until inspected. However, a few minutes later she told us she'd try to back the train to the previous station. This succeeded and I was once again out in the snow. Shortly after I was hit by a lump of snow or ice descending from a roof. It missed my head by inches and bumped off my shoulder.

It really is much safer at sea!

Ah, and don't do this to your boat.

Little Grace to Finland

A journey of the more unusual kind: David Appleby trailered his Alacrity "Little Grace" all th way from Coventry in the UK to Finland. He used a 1600 Ford Focus estate at max kerb weight, using a braked trailer and Bulldog stabiliser (the latter to reduce the risk of fishtailing). David writes:

"The car coped really well and the whole rig was very stable; having said that I stuck to a max of 80km/PH."

Here are some pictures.


"In one of the photos you can just see the stabiliser that I think helped a
lot. Another detail that may interest others is an easily obtainable elastic
net that fitted very well over the cockpit which meant that I was able to
fill it (the cockpit) without having to worry that things would fly out,
such as the step ladder you can see.



It was tempting to go faster and indeed the optimum speed for cruising
seemed to be 85-90 km ph but only on level and very smooth road surfaces.

The boat was loaded with a lot of my personal effects, as was the car, which
also carried two people and a Labrador. The heavy items were in the car, not
that the people or the dog are particularly heavy. Lighter, bulkier items
travelled in the boat. The car’s max tow weight is 1200 kg.

We set off at about 14:00 on Sunday and drove to Dover where we got the
ferry at around 10:15. When we arrived in Calais we drove through the early
morning to get away from the industrial/more built up areas. Stopped and
slept in the car from about 2am.

After breakfast we set off again once the rush hour traffic had died down.
The use of Tom Tom and sticking to the E roads made driving smoothly and
safely easier.

The only problem that occurred was when we got lost in a diversion and had
to stop quickly at traffic lights outside of Eindhoven. Stopping was not the
problem but the handbrake popped up and the retainer dropped into the
ratchet. Not knowing this we continued towing until the breaks overheated
and boat seemed to be getting heavier. Luckily we pulled into a service
station and reached a parking space at the same moment that the boat trailer
refused to move any further. After identifying the problem and anxiously
waiting until the beaks cooled down and proved that for certain that it was
not the bearings, which had been replaced the week before departure we set
off again. The retainer that had dropped into the ratchet was taped up so as
to prevent it causing another cardiac arrest.

The next stop in Germany was recreational and a chance to exercise the dog.
After a short stint the next stop was for a meal and sleep during the busy
traffic period in the evening. Driving through the night and luckily getting
through km after km of road works the next stop was at 3 am followed by a
short drive at 5am to the next services for more sleep then breakfast until
the rush hour was over.

We finally arrived in Rostock North Germany 10 hours early for the ferry we
were due to board at 00:00. This was as a result of choosing to stay on the
E roads and push on after the scare at Eindhoven rather than a more
leisurely approach, i.e. to give us time to deal with any problems, but
there were no more.

The crossing to Finland was 26 hours in a F10-11. At Helsinki at 8am there
was snow. The last leg at normal speeds is normally 1.5 hours. We arrived
home (my new home) at around 12.30 having stopped a couple of times. The
last few kms were on minor roads in the countryside that had settled snow on
them but not much. There was one minor but steep hill that was just a little
tricky and I had to get the revs right to avoid wheel spin but the car
managed the pull with enough grip.

Upcoming: 50th anniversary

Next year is the Alacrity's 50th anniversary as a class. Designed in 1960 the boat was built during many years and upgraded a few times. However, the basic lines have been the same all the way back since the first plywood version.

Now, I have been asked if I would be interested in editing an anniversary publication which would be printed and sold by a publisher in Ireland. I said, I might do it, but I would want to check with the crowd first. I don't think I will have the time or resources to write everything myself so I would want contributors. I also would want good pictures in high resolution.

While most of the basic facts, history and technical bits already are present on this site, some of it would have to be rewritten and polished up some. There are articles that could be used, but where permission would have to be obtained from the original authors. As this would be a somewhat commercial project, it would have to be done correctly.

I am not saying you'll get paid, but there is a chance of it, even if it might not be much.

So my questions simply are: 1. would you be interested in buying such a thing? 2. would you be interested in contributing to the project. Please answer in the comments below.

A new Alacrity blog: Sea Witch

Andrew French has just started a blog about his new Alacrity. I am sure he will have lots of adventures with her. Keep us posted, Andy!