Classic Boat article

 Nice to see an article about Bonita (and her skipper) in the June issue of Classic Boat magazine. I always like seeing stuff about Bonita in print. She has been in CB before - in 1993 and 2013 I think- but a bit more does no harm. 

But what about the old lady herself? Bonita is now out on her mooring on the Swale. She still needs painting, and I am waiting for some suitable weather and free time for this. Last week Allan and I renewed her mooring. This always provides plenty of fresh air and healthy exercise. As always, when we got to inspect it, 95% of the chain looked perfectly sound and good for another couple of years or so. 5% looked dodgy and not to be relied on. Its not quite that simple though, when you chip off the rust and look at the links carefully you often find its not as good as you at first thought, and sometimes the welds seem to rust more quickly than the rest of the metal. All new galvanised chain helps give peace of mind on those dark stormy nights when you lie in bed at home wondering if the boat is ok.

New jib sheet

 For years Bonita used to have separate port and starboard jib sheets tied to the clew of the jib. However the trouble with cutter rig is that the jib sheet frequently catches on the forestay when going about, and it wont come free regardless of which sheet you pull on. Its not a major problem as the jib will come free if you  come off the wind and bear away a bit, but it means that tacking in confined waters is not as crisp as it should be. And sailing without sheet winches, its best to pull the headsail sheets in sooner rather than later when the sails are full of wind. Having put up with this for years I thought maybe things could be improved and this seems to be the answer....

The new jib sheet is one continuous length of rope, with a brass cringle spliced in the middle that is shackled to the clew of the jib. There is nothing really to catch on the forestay.  I have been using this during the last season and it does seem to be a definite improvement - I wish I had tried it out years ago.

Thats all very well, I hear you say, but what news of the boat? Shes in her mud berth for another month or so. I've installed a couple more bronze brackets to strengthen the hull at the after end of the cockpit, and shes had her annual treatment of wood preservative being sprayed into every accessible crack and crevice internally.  With various other commitments we aren't planning any major trips this year and its looking like we will be mostly be sailing in the Thames Estuary, the Essex and Suffolk rivers. And with such a varied and interesting cruising area so close, why go any further?