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DandV

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Everything posted by DandV

  1. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  2. We nearly had a similar incident bringing the 23 ton 129 year old cutter Waitangi with about 25 people onboard, stern first into her berth in the centre of the Auckland waterfront late last year. The bronze gear leaver broke off at the hub when the skipper attempted to take it out of reverse just short of the dock. We were heading fairly decisively, to ride up stern first up onto the pontoon, and put our 43ft long boom through the front window of a well patronised upmarket waterfront restaurant. I jumped into the cockpit to at least be able to switch the engine off, and warn the party of pre teen school children and their minders, that were below, but instead was handed the tiller, whilst the skipper used both hands on the hub, and successfully got it out of gear. Whew! A turn around the pontoon finger bollard with the aft spring succesfully took the way off, before anybody else really realised our close call.
  3. Looks like a very nice boat to use for what it is designed to used for, Sailing. Lots of nice rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, and even most of the various configurations of the sea. Nothing like a puff of wind, a bit of heal, and the unique sound once you get going fast enough, of the gentle fizz of water against the hull.
  4. I am not going. On reflection I think it was the all female crew on Maiden undertaking their pre departure food stocktake. Harbour and inshore racing is my limit. None of this blue, green water, with big white streaks stuff. Even now I am now passing on the races that are followed by an overnight stop over after a social evening. Faithfully restored accommodation is not that great when restored to replicate 19th Century standards! The combination of a derated bladder, alcohol, and no ensuite, is less tolerable then it was.
  5. That is actually another of our native birds. The pukeko. Glad it was a succesful recycle! We now have a sewing machine but no boat! Photo earlier today of checking off the food stores. Race restart in about 24hrs. Next stop South America via Cape Horn
  6. We bought a vintage hand operated Vesta sewing machine for sewingrepairs while on board our narrow boat. Truthfully it was probably more use as ballast. But a competing French yacht in the Round the World Globe yacht race takes it to a whole new level as they lay over in Auckland
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  8. In a partnership such as you have with Dave, the only thing that matters is what you can collectively acheive. If collectively you could no longer do the things required, then you had to move on. Nobody let the other down, nature just took it's unpredictable course. No need to beat yourself up. It could have just as easily been Dave that suffered a sudden reduction in capacity. Sure, it is natural that you feel short changed in this aspect of your life though. But what happened was actually inevitable, there was always going to be a time that the two of you could no longer collectively manage boating. It just happened much much earlier then you liked. I would be pissed off too. But this is why some provision for this post boating time is always prudent. But aren't you incredibly glad you did all you did when you did? We certainly are. Not that our canal boating was curtailed by a health event, but had we not sold by the beginning of 2020 Covid travel restrictions would have made things incredibly difficult for us. If you had deferred the the start of your boating a year, or two years, you would have totally missed out on those one, or two incredible years you had boating together. Yours is actually a case study on why if there is something you want to do, do not delay. Now is a good time to start setting up to do it. We never know the precise timing of when we will no longer to be able to do it.
  9. If you are thinking of full time living on a boat, you need to also plan for how long? What could cause you to have to move ashore? And then what? For us a period of inhabiting the British inland waterways was a good option for our time and resources compared to what else we could have done at the time. As it obviously is, or was, for the bulk of the posters on this forum. And it obviously, for the vast numbers of livaboards who choose this as a lower priced option for housing for a time, close to their place of work or study, or just as nice way to pass the early active years of retirement. This inspite of the real challenges, especially in inclement weather of this lifestyle for even those young and fit. But our life cycle is one towards growing decrepitude. We increasingly leave behind being young and fit. Bugger it. And the process usually includes one or more significant sudden degradation steps in our health and abilities. So making provision for this almost inevitable occurrence increasingly transitions from being prudent, to something much more urgent. Real estate is a finite resource spread ever more thinly amongst a growing population. Hence it's ever increasing value, enhanced considerably by populist government policies to "preserve value/privilege" of real estate owners. Hence advice on this forum to obtain, or at least retain, an interest in this asset class as a priority. With the relitive market movements of boats and real estate increasingly widening, coming ashore is increasingly becoming more and more financially fraught.
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  16. I think it depends a bit on where you are in the queue on the passage up and down Savick Brook. On the way up the flotilla has to wait until the tide has dropped enough to get under the bridge. But then on an ever dropping tide the flotilla spreads out queuing for the next lock. I am not sure about the recharge rate between the locks maintaining depth, as a quick succession of boats lock through. We were at the tail of the queue on the run down and were running short of depth 0.6m on the approach to the bottom pontoon. A most enjoyable trip though.
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  18. A rural mooring is delightful. A view outside on both sides. And any neighbours are located beyond the narrow ends of the boat. Marina moorings can be quite claustrophobic. Views from near all of the windows are of neighbours boats just a very few feet away, and vica versa. They are similarly close to seeing you, perhaps too much of you for either of your likings. But you own your lodgings which is an undoubted advantage over renting your dwelling. The advice to go exploring and talk to those doing what you think would work for you, is incredibly sound.
  19. I tried a variety of methods using springs, bow thruster, and pole to get free in 58ft narrowboat, and did usually succeed, but I was unsuccesful in actually identifying a single reliable method. I did learn though to avoid stopping on the outside of a lee shore bend in windy conditions. Success was instead was most likely by a fortuitous timed drop in wind.strength. Tying up and waiting was allround much less stressful..
  20. We certainly insured our boat with just our NZ address with Haven Knox Johnson 10 yeara ago. Took while to find someone, because of obligations under FMA? We never had a claim in 5years so cannot comment on performance except they were prompt in reimbursing refund for unexpired portion when we sold.
  21. And as a variation of buy your own boat that we knew of one person who did this. A sell and buy back agreement. The seller agrees to buy the boat back after a predefined period and at a pre agreed price. The difference between the two prices being effectively the hire fee for the period. Whether this included an arrangement when the seller also acted as a financier I do not know. But the mooring stayed with the boat for the duration.
  22. An interesting thread on anticipating, and then countering problems on a complex project. Thank you.
  23. The fisherman's anchor was largely just that. Something to temporarily hold a fishing boat in position whilst working lines or pots. A task where failure to hold was very largely just an inconvenience. The weak point to allow upside down retrieval, to work, cannot be stronger then the ability of the crew to break it under tension. When you look at the breaking strain of modern filaments and cords what is required us suprisingly thin. But for secure, or emergency mooring, and if you are going to cart something around for years, it's best that it is something that actually has a very good chance of doing just that, when needed.
  24. DandV

    Where is MtB?

    Tis the season of goodwill, grumpiness and very unfortunately, gunfire, for far too many people.
  25. Bit drastic, even by current UK Government standards isn't it?
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