Another great day

The weather is holding so far, and outside work is well advanced. We got a complete layer of tie coat on before lunch, and grey metallic primer where it was needed on the topsides, then after lunch it was time for varnish on the mast and bowsprit. The first coat of anti-foul went on mid-afternoon, then the varnish on the foredeck and cabin sides got a second coat.

I'm happy so far, since Robinetta could be craned in now, even if the weather broke this evening. There is still plenty of work to do, including checking the thru-hulls, before I'd want her launched, but the vital, weather dependent stuff is done.

Meanwhile work inside the cabin continued with only one aim, to get rid of the black mould that is growing on all the paint work. I bought some spray anti-fungal wash from Screwfix, and we took it in turns to spray and wipe throughout the day. There is still more of this wonderful task to complete tomorrow...

In between all this work we had a drink on the terrace at the Cairnbaan Hotel, and walked up the hill to show Alex the neolithic stone carvings. We ate our lunchtime sandwiches there, staring at the view down towards the canal. I am sure there are better places to keep a boat over winter, and get it prepared for launch, but on a warm sunny April day it's difficult to think of one.

Rushing to get ready

Julian, Alex, and I got to Cairnbaan at ten this morning, and Robinetta's covers came off to reveal her looking pretty much as she did back when I last saw her in November. The surveyor had taken off a little paint to examine the wood, but not so much that it would slow painting down. The bilges were pretty full, but still below the level of the floor boards and the inside did not feel too damp, although the walls are covered with black mould as normal!

The electric pump would not work as the batteries were flat, so Julian took the batteries out so we could charge them overnight. If they won't take a charge we will have to buy new ones, but they have already outlasted our expectations. They are only cheap caravan batteries and we bought them the first year we owned Robinetta, so they owe us nothing.

The weather was bright, dry, and warm; a little too windy for perfection, but excellent for getting on with the outside tasks. All the varnished wood on the foredeck and cabin sides got a coat of varnish, as did the bowsprit and top third of the mast. Alex touched up all the bare wood below the water line, so the hull is nearly ready for a complete layer of tie coat. We just need to get some epoxy to fill the holes the surveyor made. There is a chandlers between the cottage we are staying in and Cairnbaan, so we'll buy it in the morning.

Two more days like this, and I'll be happy. I just hope the weather gods keep smiling!

All the videos, and prepping the rigging

I uploaded the final moving map videos from last year's sailing trip today, so why not visit the new "video" page and see what's available!

This means I have no more excuses for not getting on with the preparation for this year, which is just as well given how close we are to the launch date. Worm has had a coat of Woodskin, both inside and out, and since she is outside it has dried well, despite the low temperature. I hope to get another coat on before she is put on the roof for the trip north on Tuesday.

One of the shroud deadeyes got damaged somehow, and I spotted this when going over the rigging. Julian took a break from his O.U work to repair it with epoxy, so my next task is to sand it down to make it match the others. There is more sanding to do on the mast hoops, so that is today's task.

What's next?

Robinetta is due to go into the water at Cairnbaan on the 14th. We have a ton of things to do first of course.

Then, all being well we will sail her to the Isle of Skye. If we have to stop short of our destination it isn't a big problem, their are places to leave her at Tobermory, Mallaig and elsewhere.

Then it's back to work until the last week in May when we will come back to sail around the Highlands and Islands for three weeks. We'll keep the rest a secret for a while.

Movies of last year's trip now on YouTube

We took a lot of pictures last year, and the best went up on the blog, but our Olympus Tough camera can also take movies. I've spent a while over the winter turning them (plus some of the pictures) into a set of videos with moving maps created by Julian, that show where we went.

I uploaded the first set today.

Includes Robinetta being craned in, and a bird landing on my head off Southwold.

We stopped off at Wells-next-the-Sea, Grimsby, and Scarborough

This is the leg where we saw dolphins, and got video! Not bad footage from a compact stills camera on a boat under sail (though I say it myself...)

Includes a trip up the Tyne, and a visit to the Farne Islands in nesting season

The East coast of Scotland in a week and a half, stopping at Anstruther, Peterhead, Fraseburgh, Banff, and Lossiemouth.

Julian has created a new page on the blog where you can view all the videos as they are posted. Please have a look!

Less than a month to the launch date!

It seems like a very long time since I posted anything on the blog. We did go to the boat show, and bought a new DSC radio, an ICOM M323, and Julian got the bits for the new depth gauge back in December, but neither of us got round to writing anything about it. Having Robinetta so far away makes winter work an impossibility. Even if we had the time off work to travel to Cairnbaan we could not get much done. The boat is not undercover, and the days are too short and cold to dry off the dew and let us get anything done. I miss being able to say "Oh, it's dry and warm(ish) today, I'm going to the boat!"

Julian, Alex, and I will be heading north straight after Easter, for a week's solid work on Robinetta before she goes back in the water in mid April. With work to do inside as well as out we will be busy whatever the sky throws at us and I am now thinking hard about what we need to do before we leave home.

The rigging is in pretty good shape, but the mast hoops could do with varnish, and there is some serving to renew. There is not a lot to do, but actually making a start on it after a winter's indolence is hard going.

We never got the quote we asked for from Adam Way about stopping the leaks in the forehatch, so I'll have to do something about that, and the issues the new surveyors report highlighted. I'll be spending the next week making lists of things that have to be done before Robinetta is craned in!

Wire rope

I'm sure most of the wire rope on Robinetta is stainless. This includes the shrouds, forestay, jib and throat halyards.

The backstays are clearly galvanised but still seem to my eyes to be in good condition.