Winter projects

 Thankfully the blog IT problems should be now resolved (thanks, John) even if theres not much excitement in the content.

A few days ago Allan helped me get Bonita up the narrow winding Faversham creek. It was a nice sunny day but was blowing about force 5 SW which is more than I would choose for this manoever. We succeeded in not going aground this time, but we did have to negotiate one bend in reverse as we couldn't manage the tight turn going forwards.

The next day Bonita was lifted out by the yard. It always makes me a bit anxious seeing her dangling from a crane and it seems a rather undignified way to treat an old lady.

However the yard are always very careful with her. Here Bonita is being lifted by a 70 ton crane over the top of the motor boat with the stripey topsides to be settled down on the blocks in the foreground. 

The main purpose for having her lifted out this winter is to investigate the leaking keel bolt. This was removed without too much trouble.... 

The picture shows the bolt after it was extracted and cleaned up a bit. Although much of the strength is still there, the metal has corroded to produce channels along the length of the bolt, and clearly this is why the water was getting in.

What to do? Could I get away with smothering the bolt with some kind of water repellant goo and putting it back in?  Well, perhaps it might work for a bit. There is one firm, maybe the only one left in the world that still produces wrought iron from recycled material ( thanks for the tip, Kevin).  I bought from them some 7/8 inch diameter rod to make up into a new bolt.  Cutting threads on iron rod of this size with hand tools definitely gives healthy exercise. 

And what about the other keel bolts? I dont like having the boat lifted out more often than necessary, so it makes sense to look at them, too.

Shorter days

Apologies for the lack of blog posts about Bonita recently. There are two reasons for this - firstly that we havn't been very adventurous recently - just day sails from the Swale. A greater worry however is some IT difficulties with the blog. Unlike on the boat, the application of common sense and traditional skills dont seem to sort out the problems. Skilled IT help may be needed..... There are still some good sailing days after the equinox, but inevitably as the season comes to an end thoughts go to planning the work for the winter. This summer I began to worry about the keelbolts. Bonitas lead keel is held on with six bolts, each 7/8 inch diameter (22mm) and 20 inches long. Originally these bolts were of wrought iron. This is a marvellous material, not as strong as steel, but much more resistant to corrosion - the SS Great Britain was built of wrought iron in 1845 and much of the original structure still survives today despite decades of neglect before she was rescued. The wrought iron fastenings - probably of bog iron- are the only bits of the seventh century Sutton Hoo ship that have survived. Unfortunately wrought iron is almost impossible to obtain now, and people who claim to be able to supply wrought iron may well turn out to be selling something different. We think that Bonitas original keel bolts lasted until my father got them replaced in 1968. By then the 7/8 inch bolts had decayed to less than pencil thickness in their mid sections, so the job did need doing. The 1968 bolts I then replaced in 2003 with material that was sold to me as wrought iron. Over the summer however there has been a leak and ominous rust stain from around one of the bolts.

The picture shows the bilge with a floorboard lifted. The black patch is pitch that was poured over the nut and threaded end of a keel bolt. The rust stain has only appeared in the last few months and there is a slow trickle of water. The leak is only about a bucket-full a week, but its more than there used to be and clearly all is not well. The plan is to have the boat lifted out this winter, remove the bolt and have a look at it. They may all need to be renewed. And with what? Real wrought iron is even harder to get now than it was in 2003. Stainless steel might seem the obvious choice, but it is prone to unpredictable corrosion in the absence of oxygen. I suspect the best answer will be to use galvanised mild steel, and accept that the days when keel bolts could last 80 years without giving any trouble are probably gone for good.

Home

Sadly we were running out of time so we eased our way out of the marina at Pin Mill at first light and by the time we had got out of the river Orwell a moderate NE wind had developed. The persistant easterly winds day after day seem to be as much an unusual feature of this summer as the hot weather. We spent the day running with all sail up accross the Thames estuary and into the Medway, eventually picking up a buoy at Upnor in tbe last of the light. While we were off the Maplin sands we were fortunate to see the sailing barge EDME tacking up in the opposite direction, presumably to her home port of Brightlingsea. The sight of a championship barge making good speed to windward and thumping into the waves was very impressive. She soon disappeared into the distance.

On Friday morning John had to leave us to help out at a friends wedding so we deposited him on the marina waiting pontoon at Chatham at 7am and within half an hour he was on the train to London. Allan and I then tacked out of the Medway, with a bit of engine assistance against the persistent NE wind and spring flood tide. By the evening we were back on our mooring on theSwale. During this hot summer there seems to be much more growth of seaweed and sea grass than usual, and there seems to be more of this on the Swale than some of the other rivers we visited, though I gather there is a lot in the Solent as well. We had only left our mooring for a short week but during that time it had collected a huge mass of waterlogged weed. We were quite unable to lift the buoy aboard due to the weight of weed until it had been cleared off with the boathook. We hope to get in a few more days sailing in cooler weather later in the year, and with luck resolve the IT issues to add a few pictures.

Pin Mill

We got up at first light and left Walton Backwaters as soon as we felt the tide was high enough. We had hoped to get to the Deben, but our progress against wind and tide was too slow: you have to get through the narrow entrance to the river Deben before high water, and it became clear we weren't going to make it. Sometimes the best answer to a frustrating sail is to redefine your objectives. 

We decided to have a look at the rivers Stour and Orwell instead, so we eased off the sheets and had a fine sail with a moderate NE breeze. We anchored in the Stour for lunch then sailed up the very pretty Orwell as far as Pin Mill. 

We had booked in for supper at the renowned Butt and Oyster pub and took a visitors mooring buoy off Pin Mill. However we found it was too close to the next buoy, and with a wind over tide situation only constant attention with the boathook prevented the boats colliding and causing damage. The man on the next boat sounded apprehensive. It would have been a long row to the pub. So we dropped our (free) visitors mooring and instead took a berth at the nearby Woolverstone marina. We were still able to get to the pub on time - packed out on a Wednesday evening.

Coming into the marina Bonita was ably helmed by Allan - more challenging than usual as the new propeller doesn't seem to have the same power the old one had. While this is an annoying problem that needs to be fixed, it is good to have discovered it early when it can, I hope, be fixed relatively easily.

A Thames Estuary cruise

  The recent very hot weather brings its own problems for wooden boats. Below the waterline the weed grows more luxuriently and there is the worry that various types of destructive worm might set up home in the wood. Above the waterline there is the concern that the heat will cause the planking to dry out excessively and shrink. A berth on a swinging mooring is a definite advantage here as the boat swings round with the tide rather than having the sun always on the same side. We are also fortunate that local owners of various high powered craft like to travel at speed through the lines of moored boats on hot sunny days. Usefully this helps to keep the topsides moist. I keep looking forward to the time when diminishing commitments in life ashore will give more time for sailing. That time is still to come. However with John and Allan we have managed to get a few days sailing in local waters. On Monday we sailed accros the estuary against a light NE wind and ended up in Brightlingsea. The most interesting part of Brightlingsea is the river where there are a number of old fishing smacks in various stages of decay and preservation from the immaculate to the barely afloat. The size and strength of all the gear on these boats is most impressive and makes you respect the fishermen who sailed them in all weathers. 

Little has changed in Brightlingsea since our last visit several years ago. Getting a meal  can be a challenge as the eateries confidently recommended by the locals always seem to be closed. Eventually we had a fine meal in the Indian restaurant, as we have on several previous visits.

Today we left in misty weather and had a gentle sail against a light easterly wind to the magical Walton Backwaters. We sailed in over the sands an hour or so before LW neap tides with only about 1 m under the keel, which was a bit concerning. However we anchored in deeper water off Stone point, where we took advantage of one of the hottest days of the year by swimming ashore from the boat. We are miles from any civilisation here so had supper on the boat. No photos today due to poor internet access: - will try to do better tomorrow.

Swale Race 2022

 A couple of weeks ago Allan and I painted Bonita. It was one of those very hot dry days: we put her on the scrubbing dock at about 2.30am, and by 9am the job was done. Allan was able to go to do a days work while I waited for the rest of the morning for the incoming tide to refloat her.

Yesterday was the 50th Swale race, the first having been held in 1972. The Swale race is always fun with a large variety of traditional boats. Bonita has taken part in most of the 50 races with variable degrees of success, and sometimes getting a prize. We did once get the Seamanship trophy when D retrieved the big jib from the water after the halyard had parted as a result of hanging on to the sail too long.  Many improvements have been made to the gear and sails over the years in the hope of improving her performance in the Race.  Most years the Swale race is held in August and there  is often not really enough wind. This year we had a fine SW force 4-5 that made many boats take in a reef. We had a reef in the main for the manoevering at the start, but soon shook it out and sailed the race under full sail with some spray on deck - Bonita likes this sort of weather and does well in it - as do many other boats of similar size.  We had a tried and tested crew of Toby, Allan, D and Ant. We did not use any light weather sails, and the one boat that we did see hoisting a light jib on the downwind stretch seemed to be having so much trouble for so little reward that noone else was tempted to try the experiment.

 

At the prizegiving we got the Sand End trophy for coming 3rd in our class. The picture shows Allan and Toby with our prized trophy.  Toby looks dressed for bad weather and indeed shortly after this photo was taken there was a tremendous rain squall, bringing the evenings festivities to a close and sending everyone running for shelter. 

Signed up...

 I went down to the boat planning to do a bit of painting and varnishing, but it was such a lovely day with a warm moderate breeze, and wind over neap tide that I felt I had to go for a sail instead, Its important sometimes to remember what the boat is actually for. We sailed out into the Thames Estuary within sight of, but not actually to, Herne Bay pier. 

It was in these waters that the pioneer aviator, Amy Johnson was lost on a cold January night in 1941. Johnson was tremendously famous in the 1930s being the first to achieve several long distance solo flights. When the war came, women were not allowed to fight the enemy, but experienced pilots such as Amy were employed delivering planes from factories to front line airfields. Its never been certain what happened to Amy: she may have got lost and run out of fuel, but more likely it seems that she was shot down by 'friendly fire' after she was challenged and failed to give the correct password. Although she had film star status during her lifetime not everyone had such a high opinion of her. Her contemporary and fellow pilot, the redoubtable Marion Wilberforce (who died of old age, well into her 90s) is said to have thought Amy was a poor flier, prone to panic.

Amy Johnson

This month the booking opened for people to 'show an interest' in the Old Gaffers Round Britain cruise next year to mark the OGA's 60th anniversary. There has been a very encouraging response at this early stage. Some of the entrants are old friends who went round in 2013, but so far I think Bonita is the only old boat entered. Last time there were 4 or 5 centenarians so it would be nice if there were a few more this time. 

In any boat there's quite a lot of preparation needed for this sort of cruise as the wear and tear on the gear ( and the skipper) is the equivalent of several seasons normal sailing. Time spent inspecting everything that can reasonably be inspected on a boat is rarely time wasted. The picture shows the belt driving the engine cooling water pump- this was still working perfectly well until I decided it was time I checked it over.

Time for a new one...

                     

                                    

Back in the river

Easter is a movable feast, its timing determined by the lunar calendar. Conveniently, this means the Easter public holidays always coincide with spring tides and therefore provide a suitable time to start the sailing season. With help from D we took Bonita out of Faversham creek to her mooring on the Swale on Easter Monday. 

The winter covers keep the decks dry but she does accumulate quite a lot of dust and dirt after spending a few months by the quay. Last winter unfortunately the covers also provided a cosy home for a number of pigeons who left plenty of evidence of their occupation. The picture shows D working hard to clean the decks while I am steering the boat down the creek trying hard to keep carefully to the likely line of greatest depth (a useful concept known to geologists by the German word 'thalweg'- a term never found in nautical dictionaries). 

So is Bonita any better for her winter improvements? Speed under motor doesn't seem any better with the new folding propeller, but the chattering noise caused by the blades of the old propeller wobbling around in their housing has now gone, so no doubt that is a good thing. There's still quite a bit of cleaning, tidying and painting to be done, but its good to be afloat again.

Propeller replacement

A nice shiny new propeller duly appeared and was paid for, and the challenge was to get it back in the boat. It didn't seem worthwhile to have her lifted out by the boatyard crane for a job which should only take a few minutes. So a couple of weeks ago I put the dinghy alongside her in the mud to try to get access. But, as we thought, the boat had settled down into the mud over the winter and the shaft log, that the propeller shaft fits into was nowhere to be seen. Digging away at the mud has little effect as it is so soft and liquid in Faversham Creek that its like shovelling soft porridge and the hole just fills up again. 

So today I had a more determined effort. I shifted all the anchor chain and much of the ballast onto the starboard side deck. When Bonita floated on the spring high tide I rigged up a rope from the mast to a post ashore, and tightened this up as hard as I could. The net effect of all of this was to give her a gentle list of a few degrees to starboard, about as much as sailing in a gentle breeze. It didn't seem like much but it was enough. When the tide went out and she sat down in the mud, the shaft log was just visible. It was relatively simple to slide in the new shaft and propeller and connect it up to the engine. 

Its important to keep a line attached to the new prop while installing it as the shaft and prop are heavy, slippery with mud and expensive! The mud is so soft that anything dropped in it is likely to never be seen again. I had been worrying about this job for a while so I was relieved to have got it done. It should be a few weeks before we take her out to her mooring on the Swale to start the new season, but all the remaining fitting out work should be (I hope) fairly straightforward.

The shiny new propeller in among a lot of mud