343. Screwed

Eging, Germany

Another trip to Passau was muted however I managed to extract myself by cutting a deal whereby I kept the younger two children with me at camp. Worked for me as I was keen to tackle the hole in Teasel, just forward of the centre case where a rock pushed a split into the dozy ply as this is the point where water collects if the boat is left out doors. Audrey and Roman had a lovely day playing around the Giantavan.

Additionally, the centre board case is lifting vertically for some reason, possibly the result of sitting on the ground but I doubt it as it is usually upside down on the ground or Disco for transportation and to keep water out. The thwart was so bowed that screws were popping and the thwart close to breaking in the centre were it is cut away for the centre board. I had to look and think quite a bit, a few days ago, before purchasing the timber to work out how I would effect a repair. I worked out that a parallel beam below, set on its edge would pull the thwart straight, pressing the centre case down into its original location or near to it and pulling up at the edges transferring the pressure back into the thwart. I know from bitter experience that on lightweight dingoes such as this you can't just lever things back into place. Luckily I had the large, six inch, G-clamp purchased to compress the Disco's callipers to replace the brake pads. The pressure required to bring everything back into line was quite surprising. As sixty millimetre screws were required I shot into the local hardware store before Jacqueline and the elder two children left and ended up with a pack of twenty five, self drilling, torx drive, stainless decking screws. Obviously I predrilled the holes for this job.

The purchased timber is cedar, sitting, prior to fitting.
You can see the bow in the thwart.

All lined up, and screwed in place

Bolt and braces 

Next was the split. The hull had collapsed inwards at this point.
Teasel needs reflooring but that is not an option while travelling.
The only solution was and external patch, extending well beyond the damage
and then screwing internally to pull the flooring back down.
Wire wheel bought for the Giantavan door strengthening was perfect
for ripping out old paint and bog for the length and width of the patch.

Had to drill from the outside to get screws aligned as
the patch covered both the cockpit floor and the spinnaker locker.

There is a slight bow down in the middle but I am pleased
with how the floor pulled into line.
The wood on the left is not proud as it appears in this snap.
[Double click snap to enlarge]

From the inside, floor now back in place.
Many screws!

329. Research

Innsbruck

The supermarket across the road has finally opened today. I wandered in there with the AP yesterday with a trolly and though the fridges etc. were loaded we got blank stares from the tradesmen. When I went at lunchtime for provisions there were hotdogs, drinks, beers etc. being dispensed outside but I didn't ask and forgot about it. When I went back for dinner provisions, the day being over thirty degrees, supermarket fridges larger than Giantavan fridges I enquired and all was free as part of the opening promotion. Returned to camp, filled the Disco with freeloaders and returned. The children were delighted as it is about as close to restaurant food as they get and the AP wilting in the direct sun also reflecting off the supermarket glass, and retired round the corner into the shade where she joined a couple at a stand up table. Freeloaders soon retreated back into the Disco for camp as we were all soon wilting.

Also visited the hardware store with Fyfe and we enjoyed our unencumbered time researching including watching a video on how to build a carport and deck using  the Spax System. We eventually returned, complete with polyurethane, wood and waterproof PVA to effect a repair on Teasel at a later date.

A swim, yarning with my mum and neighbours, second number plate light fitted, rounded off the day nicely.

Still no accommodation for the AP, Saturday night, Salzburg. 

318. Indulged

Innsbruck, Austria

I have often felt envious of other travellers sitting reading all day when I am rushing around like a mad thing so today I sat down in the sun, with Kindle and set about reading

  The Unlikely Voyage of Jack De Crow: A Mirror Odyssey from North Wales to the Black Sea

His description of his Mirror dinghy which is the same as our Teasel is written in a style that I can only aspire to. His description, please indulge me

A Mirror is to the sailing world what a Volkswagen Beetle is to the world of motoring. Everyone, anywhere, without exception. who has ever sailed a dinghy,  seems to have learnt the basic skills in one of these gallant little tubs with their distinctive scarlet sails, almost invariably taught by some eccentric great aunt* wearing a big straw hat and calling out “Swallows and Amazons for ever!” with every tack and turn. 

People will tell you that they were first designed in the 1950s in response to a competition initiated by the Daily Mirror, but, frankly. I don't believe it. No. it was clearly designed some time in the 1900s as a joint project between Arthur Ransome and Heath Robinson, with Ernest Shephard chipping in occasionally on the blueprints.  

It is appropriate here, I suppose, while I am standing over the dinghy in the warm sunshine waiting for the black paint to dry, to describe a Mirror dinghy for the benefit of those not privileged enough to have had a nautical Swallows-and-Amazons aunt. I comfort myself with the thought that all the classics are unashamedly dull when it comes to describing the minutiae of nautical travel and seafaring adventures. 

Half-an-hour's perusal of any Ransome book will enable even the most landlubberly of readers to rig up a mainsail jury hitch with belayed cross-over, and in Robinson Crusoe, there are detailed instructions for such things as converting a goat into a pair of moccasins without fatally damaging the original animal. 

A Mirror dinghy is eleven feet long and four feet wide. Her nose is not pointed like most dinghies, but cut off square, giving her a sturdy, snub-nosed look. There is nothing even remotely aggressive or shark-like about a Mirror. She looks about as streamlined and racy as a toy hippo. The front three feet consist of a flat deck beneath which are two door-less lockers. This is where your aunt stows away bottles of ginger pop and pemmican sandwiches and more serious sailors store spare bits of rope or sail or shackles. It was where I was to stow all my worldly possessions to last me for a year of sailing: a space about the size of your average vegetable crisper. 

Three broad decks or seats run right around the cockpit. making a Mirror the most sofa-like of all small dinghies to sail. and enabling several First Mates, an Able Seaman and a Ship's Boy to be deployed in relative comfort about the dinghy. Across the middle, however, is a sturdy thwart where a solitary oarsman will sit to row. Slotting into the gunwale on either side to hold the oars are the rowlocks, pronounced ‘rollocks'. much to the amusement of the Third Form when attending sailing lessons. (Yes, all right, settle down, Smithers, settle down). 

So much for the dinghy as a mere rowing boat. However, she is primarily a sailing vessel and as such needs a mast. rigging. a centreboard and a rudder. These may be briefly explained thus. 

A Mirror's mast is only about ten feet tall, not nearly tall enough to take a full sized sail, so it makes use of a gaff. This is a long light beam of wood with a hollow groove along its underside into which the thick leading edge of the sail is threaded. It is this gaff that is hauled aloft and when fully erect. (All right, Smithers, I've warned you once) projects out another six feet or so above the mast top, providing the necessary height for the sail. By modern design standards this is a clumsy contraption, but was ideal for my purposes. You see, unlike most dinghy sailors out for a quick skim on a local reservoir, I would be encountering bridges and it is a very rare bridge that is generous enough to allow a fully masted dinghy to sail beneath it with impunity. With the ability, however, to simply lower the gaff and dip the peak and still keep sailing onwards, I was sure that I could escape being mauled by all but the lowest and meanest of the bridge tribe. Such confidence 

We have just hauled up the mainsail and noticed that along its bottom edge is a long, heavy and potentially deadly wooden beam called a boom. This is what swings about in a gale in a Conrad film and sweeps hero and villain off into the raging seas to battle it out there once all the poop deck fighting has become tedious. At the outer end is a dangling pulley through which a rope, the mainsheet. threads. This then runs through a series of pulleys, but ends up in the skipper’s hand, allowing him to haul in or let out the mainsail with ease. The only thing you need to know about this is that of all the myriad pieces of tackle and equipment on a sailing boat, this is the one that will jam, tangle or catch at every opportunity and cause imminent death by drowning, strangulation or sheer bloody bad temper. 

Nearly finished. A smaller sail known as the jib runs up the forestay and this is apparently invaluable or sailing into the wind for some mysterious aerodynamic reason which I've never been able to fathom. 

Very soon after setting off, I abandoned the additional complexity of a jib, and the appropriate Law of Aerodynamics went off in a sulk somewhere and Jack and I got on perfectly well without its pedantic presence. So much for science. 

The rudder, I assume, hardly needs explaining unless, dear Reader, you have grown up entirely as a member of some desert dwelling tribe without even the scantiest knowledge of boats, the sort of people Odysseus went looking for in his dotage. Nevertheless I will explain that it is the most vulnerable piece of the dinghy's equipment. being prone to ploughing into underwater obstacles, crushing against lock walls, jamming against banks and so on but. by some divine mystery, by the end of the whole trip. it was the single part of the entire boat that had not needed patching, mending. replacing or discarding 

As opposed to the centreboard  in fact. a hefty solid slab of hardwood that seemed to break at every opportunity, and the last item in this over-technical catalogue. The centreboard is simply a slim but heavy vane of timber that slots down through the hull and projects like an upside-down shark's fin several feet below the keel. When down it provides stability and prevents the dinghy drifting sideways in certain sailing conditions. When drawn up and out of the long centreboard case. it lies around, barks your shins and, if you are going fast enough, allows the foamy brine to well up through the case like a bubbling spring and fill half the dinghy with water before you notice what is happening. 

So there you have a Mirror Dinghy described. Any questions? No, not you, Smithers, put your hand down, I don't want to know. Dismissed.

So there you have it, Teasel described with a flourish and seeing our boat out of the corner of my eye atop the Disco while a sat in this thirty degree day was delicious. The book has me laughing out loud on many occasions as the man is as foolish as me. Getting the text was an ordeal that kept me up far too long. Kindle reader on my MacBook, screen grabs, online OCR then stringing it all together. Won't be doing that again in a hurry.

From memory from her book

Roman had spotted that there was an organised camp activity for playing with Play Doe. He had cycled the camp without success so we set off about an hour after the session had started and after enquiring at the office found two lovely teenage girl facilitators sitting playing with their phones and no children in sight. Roman immediately peddled off to get Audrey then the two of them basked in the teenagers attention for the next couple of hours.

The same went for the afternoon's hat and bag making course except this time there were two facilitators and four Royds'. Roman checked the clock every four minutes for the two hours till the afternoon's session started and lolled around BORED. All four disappeared off for the afternoon session leaving me to the adventures of Jack de Crow. The teenagers happy to speak English got a through briefing on all our adventures and probably a few secrets as well.

*Auntie Stephanie, my enthusiastic sister fills this role beautifully when we are in NZ (as does their Grandmother, my Mum an enthusiastic Ransome disciple, as am I). 

311. Angle

UNTERÄGERI - NEARISH TO ZÜRICH AND LUCERNE

16.4 kilometres, further than I thought

Unfortunately, there is no fairlead track
adjustment available

Board meeting tonight, starting for me at eleven pm, so a long chat with Richard and reading the board notes in preparation. After lunch the breeze was up so took the opportunity to go for a sail on Lake Agerisee, joining the camp. Launched in a good breeze, just strong enough to have me sitting on the gunnel, beating tight reaching up the lake. Sailing, wondering why the angle of attack is so poor I looked hard at the jib sheet angle and the sheet is pointing high into the jib. I recall that the jib sheet should be pointing, the line continued from the clew ⅞ of the way down the length of the jib forestay sail length. I think Teasel's sheet was pointing to the centre of the forestay. Noticed that Teasels jib was attached at the tack by a three inch loop of rope. Hove to and attached the tack directly to the eye, dropping the sail by three inches and the sheeting angle was improved. The result of this high sheeting angle is the leech is chocked when the jib is sheeted. Un-choking the leech results in a tight reach not close hauled as desired. Modification and further thinking required.

Tacked up the lake in the dying breeze, loving the views and just being there. There was a commercial fishing boat on the lake setting gill nets, the tourist boat, a couple of paddlers and me. The water was beautifully warm and as the breeze died I could hear the cow bells on the hills around me as I sailed close to the shore then eventually, I could hear the bells on both sides of the lake. Add to this was the pealing church bells as it is Sunday, a four hour sail - it was a day I will remember for the rest of my days.

Photos all taken on Romans little waterproof camera before it went flat.

Ready to go

Heading for Oberägeri
Jib high

The hand cut hillsides are beautiful.
Jib now low

308. Pumped

UNTERÄGERI - NEARISH TO ZÜRICH AND LUCERNE

Inflatable cat in background looks
good but sails poorly

Rigged on site

Children off colour so another day at camp which is always very pleasant. Took Teasel down to the lake towing it behind the Disco with Iris and Fyfe walking alongside the boat to keep it level. By the time I got set up the wind died completely so ignoring the signs (this is Switzerland) saying no boats to be parked I set about doing some more glueing then packed it up for the night, leaving the boat near the water.

There is a dry horse trough halfway down to the lake with a pump. Passing children pump it enthusiastically with no result. Roman headed off with a bottle of water, and me, to try priming it and got a result. Half an hour of pumping later the trough was full, I admire his tenacity. 

Todays photos are all taken on Roman's little Pentax Optio which is waterproof so I was going to take it with me on the boat. We purchased it in Lisbon from a second hand shop and Roman has had a lot of fun playing with it but this is the first time I have downloaded photos and am very impressed though, like all decade old cameras the video is low resolution though not a bad thing for children.

In the evening we enjoyed a bit of The Grand Tour on the free camp wifi.

305. Rescued

INTERLAKEN, SWITZERLAND

Last day at this beautiful camp. Knowing that we had to be at our next camp in good time today was a day for packing up and enjoying our last day at Interlaken.

Sorry to leave and thank you Margret and Alfred, it was lovely meeting you, see you in NZ.

Iris was keen to go for a row on her own.
Here she is leaving and steering with her strokes
as the rudder is out of the water. 

This amazing 300cc BMW Isetta with home made caravan
drove two hundred kilometres today.

Obviously, the guy is a super enthusiast so was very happy to talk

Roman felt he was ideal for this rig 

Fyfe also went for a solo row

Fyfe and Iris rescuing a wayward Winged Unicorn

that had escaped downwind 

Swimming off Teasel 

Ohhhhh, it's cold out here in the middle

Heading back in

Fyfe power

302. Chopped

INTERLAKEN, SWITZERLAND

Much better job this time

Hair cuts for Iris and Audrey at eight thirty this morning made for a prompt start. After this burst of activity and commotion the boys and I settled into a quiet morning. Fyfe using up, in one hit, the four hours of computer play time he negotiated for his birthday, Roman did two maths lessons then half an hour of computer time then playing with Audrey's Lego MacDonalds. I removed the door of the Giantavan's front locker which was still leaking and removed some of the mastic which was still tacky and messy, a very tedious job. I resealed it then reattached and it looks a lot better. Also glued up and reattached the rowlock block that had broken on Teasel and parted company during yesterdays boat play. PVA glue, wonder stuff on wood. I also observed that one of the thwarts holding the centre case had parted company so clamped it with the big G-Clamp purchased for working on the Disco's brakes and regaled it also. A good fix but meant no sailing this morning.

The view as I write this blog

When the commotion returned at about ten thirty the subject was despair due to hair now being too short - not my department. I kept out of the way. Roman's appointment was eleven thirty so once Jacqueline and he had departed we went for a lovely long swim in the beautifully warm lake well into the early afternoon.

Jacqueline and Roman returned late afternoon after exploring Interlaken's commercial centre and going to the supermarket. I settled down to find our next campsite somewhere near Lucerne. Zürich being our next stop after that. Camps are available but if not careful could pay eighty five francs per night (seventy three euro). Trying to keep daily charges around the fifty euro mark.

No go

This wooden beauty moored
in the evening.
Spectacularly small cabin and cockpit,
but beautiful

Rigged Teasel and went for a sail as the evening breeze was light and felt the thwart would be sufficiently strong but the wind died as I launched so gave it up for a bad job and will try again in the morning.

301. Triple century

INTERLAKEN, SWITZERLAND

Today is our three hundredth day touring in the Giantavan. I am glad I have kept this blog up as I doubt I would be able to recall half of it. For the children, this is just life, for me I am incredibly grateful to have this opportunity to be with the family and seeing Europe. I feel incredibly lucky and thank:

1. NZ & UK family - your enthusiastic support for what we are doing
2. The board, particularly Kendall our chairman for encouraging me to trust the process and let go of the minutae
3. Andy and the team at Link for taking the business to another level
4. Mark in the UK for all the Disco support and building on what we started in the UK
5. The Holyport lads (and families) - lots of travel advice and laughs. I miss the twice weekly tennis and the yarns
6. Jacqueline

Audrey and Teasel

A bike ride was the thing today as there seems to be lovely bike tracks everywhere. Prior to leaving Audrey had a quick row in Teasel, her first without a helmsman but didn't like battling the wind in the open water.

The ride was lovely, through open country, me watching the paragliding. It certainly looks appealing but not really one for family holidays. 

We biked into Unterseen which is across the river from Intelarken and enquired about haircuts for the children as, unlike me, they need professional attention. They were able to do Fyfe immediately and the other three tomorrow, the girls at eight thirty tomorrow morning which will be interesting.

When we got back the younger three went for a row and ended up swimming with Teasel for a couple of hours with much shouting and merriment. I stood, at a distance, chatting to a lovely Swiss couple who are next to us.

Having broken a rowlock which didn't stop play,
the children eventually swum the boat in

286. Points of Sail

Lake Annecy

Slow start this morning, the online board meeting finished at two thirty this morning for me. Looking forward to being there in person next year when I am back but very aware that all this will be just a memory.... and a blog.

Wrote up yesterdays blog this morning as I was prepping for the board meeting last night after returning from Chamonix before the meeting started. I must have been trigger happy yesterday as sorting the photos took ages, our upload rate slow and the day outside beautiful. The process was not helped by Fyfes camera clock being incorrect so the the photos were out of order with my iPhone photos.

Today was a lovely day, mostly yarning with fellow campers and with my Mum for a bit this morning. Meet Lois, a lovely French chap with the twenty two foot trailer-sailer tied to to the camp jetty. We are planning to take it out for a spin tomorrow as he doesn't feel so confident sailing any more when his adult children aren't present. We have employed a two pronged approach to meeting people at this camp. Fiddling around with Teasel seems to induce conversation and the other, much more successful technique is Roman, whom every body seems to know.

Given the chance, I think I would live here, somewhere around the Lake Annecy, the beautiful lake to swim and sail, the possibility of paragliding and ski-ing at Chamonix for the other six months - paradise. Two weeks ago when Paul (Holyport mate) said the same I was surprised but the location has now seduced me completely.

Had a swim in the lake with the kids then another sail across the lake this afternoon with Iris who is getting quite keen on sailing (sans rigging errors). When we got to the other side the wind really built so we turned for home scooting along in a broad reach which was very nice in such temperatures, both water and air. While sailing across, close reaching, I had lee helm leading me to think that I needed to rake the mast next time I rigged. Had just decided this action when, near the lee shore, the helm almost got overwhelmed in a big gust and I finally noticed the rudder had popped half up moving the centre of effort - duffer, might as well drown. Into irons, secured the rudder and continued with the neutral helm which I had established the first time I tuned the boat. I really am impressed how beautifully the Mirror dinghy sails given the chance and a sometimes competent skipper.

Lois appeared with a camera while Iris and I were departing and took the following snaps.

Slip is the right word, it is downright treacherous

Lois' trailer sailer in foreground

Getting out towards the breeze.

281. Almost a swim

Lake Annecy - The French Alps

3.6 km in each direction

Most days have been around three to four knots but today was promising eight to ten knots, perfect for sailing. Got the kids going on Mathsbuddy while I prepped Teasel. Finally got everything ready and we hit the water mid afternoon. Had to turn back as I had mis-threaded the main as the block on the boom is not on a swivel. Had to turn back a second time as the mainsail lacing onto the mast came adrift - duffer. Mirror Dinghy’s have rear sheeting which takes a bit of getting used to but it does keep the main out of the way and we fitted four comfortably though stopped Iris hiking as I doubted she could recover should we heel windward.

Sailed on a tightish port beat making the far shore. The wind was strong enough to have good white caps and we punched into the waves often with spray showering over us, the benefit of warm weather and warm water as we were only in togs and life jackets. Roman was on the foredeck and a bit apprehensive initially but, surprisingly, Iris was upbeat so he

Venturi fitted in floor to suck water out

took solace from that. I must admit that there was more wind than ideal and I was very glad for the venturi as we had a lot of water coming onboard with the steepish waves and the pram bow. A largish tourist ferry came close with us all waving and the Captain gave us a few blasts on the horn, a wave and a thumbs up, not bad for a boat with a large GBR on the main and NZ ensign fluttering from the masthead. I guess it was around twelve knots. The children knew that I had cash in pocket so were keen to dispose of some of it on making the far shore.

Lots of rocker (front to back curve)

As we made the far shore I realised that there weren’t any villages within easy reach so we turned for a broad reach home and scooted along quite happily, not getting showered. Mirror Dinghys have a lot of rocker so don’t bury the bow which makes a nice change. About half way across Fyfe shouted Wave and we got picked up by the starboard rear and thrown, Iris pitched into the boat with a scream. I let fly the main which travels easily having only two purchases and bore away as hard as I could (years of balancing R Class Skiffs). I thought we were going over (we nearly did) - not a happy thought - so much so that I woke during the night thinking about righting the boat holding onto Roman, organising others and getting going again. On the plus side there were plenty of others on the water who could/would have helped I am sure, mostly kite surfers. I admit that I feel a bit stressed writing this. The problem being, most days are two to four knots so hopeless. Might have learnt something.

Before

After

This evening I observed, to my horror that the rear cabinetry had parted company with the ceiling, pulling the screws. Yikes.

Unloaded probably twenty five books, encyclopaedias etc. that have been arranged in there over the last six months. Came up with a Heath-Robinson arrangement to push it all back up into place and hold it using the bottle jack, Teasel’s centreboard and the jack out of the borrowed Peugeut to stop the cupboard collapsing under the pressure. Departed for the local supermarket five minutes bike ride away for Araldite or similar and had to settle for a pressurised container of No More Nails. With little confidence I squirted the

Fyfe's purchase from Roman's shop

glue along the gap, running out before I was ready but did manage to get a good coating onto the screws also. Jacked it all up and inserted blocks to hold it overnight for the necessary twelve hours recommended as I know from bitter experience that bottle jacks sag. Didn’t run the air con in order to keep the ambient temperature up for the benefit of the glue. No particularly confident of a result and wouldn’t be surprised if there is a loud crack in the morning when I remove the jacks and the whole lot drops again.

Disco now not ready for collection till Monday.

Holyport - Jacqueline and Audrey

Audrey, Amelia, Holly & Theo 

Painting was the order of the day