The 5th Wind

Having a week away in the Loire, we stumbled upon an interesting community project in Chalonnes, the construction of a new Gabarot - a traditional river freight boat of the region.

A temporary building shed had been erected on the town quay, where the boat or rather barge which is a true description, is taking shape.

The history of the Gabarot dates back to around 1850, with examples up to 25 meters (82 feet) in length used for transporting goods along the river.

Construction is of heavy clinker, Douglas Fir  planking for the topsides above a flat bottom. The floors, frames and keel are Oak and the inside floorboards Chestnut.

The description shows the new boat to be 59 feet in length with a draft of just under 2 feet. Powered by an inboard diesel, the top speed of 74.5 mph  on page 3 of the pdf, might well be a typo.

Being a French boatyard, food and good coffee are as important as woodworking, the stylish cafe was well positioned to catch the spring sunshine.

My French isn't that good but it seemed that the Chalandoux 5eme Vent (5th Wind Boat builders seems to be the most direct translation) were mostly volunteers and a very friendly crew.

Freya

I don't know anything about Freya other than she's at the top of the creek at what was dolphin quay in Emsworth, looks to be in need of some TLC but for sure is a lovely looking classic.

If you look closely the mast is broken, or at least there are scarfs either failed or new ones prepared for replacement wood.

The cabin sides are interesting made up from short planks, but the portholes and other fittings speak of quality construction.

Don't you just love those windows onto the cockpit, whether that's a view to the chart table, galley or just as area for the off watch to shelter it's a lovely feature.

Moores Law

Anyone in the IT indursty will be familiar with Moores Law, which says that computing power from silicone will double every two years. Less well know is a similar claim by Frederik Eskuttel who is widely acknowledged for the commercialisation of Lycra fibres into Spandex and the other materials which are ubiquitous today.

Constant improvements have meant thinner, lighter, high performance fabrics which have contributed massively to comfort and safety in water sports.

Details of some Herr Eskuttel's work here,

After Storm Katy

As predicted Storm Katy blew through on Easter Sunday, all night the wind howled and the chimneys whistled, while the house generally creaked and rain rattled against the windows.

The next day we went over to Emsworth for a late breakfast and spotted a catamaran clearly where it shouldn't be.

There was also a yacht, not a bilge keeler, left high and dry. Presumably with the combination of high winds and high tide it might be a while before either of these are off and in deep water again.

In the dinghy park things weren't much better, although there was a big turnout for a work party who soon had things back on an even keel and more than a few covers straightened out and secured.

Whether this boat had washed ashore or had been left on the town pontoon wasn't clear, either way it had a very hard time, both sails were flogged and shredded, the starboard windows were missing and the saloon cushions were splayed along the pontoon.

Up at the end of the creek a yacht and fishing boat were hard up against the wall and not where they should be, making for pretty novel garden ornaments.

And probably worse of all what looks like the remains of a Caprice washed up on the hard with the mast broken, probably lucky that it didn't come through the living room windows.

All in all one of the worst gales we've had in recent years, hopefully no one was hurt and the boats can get fixed.

Making the most of the Easter Weekend

With gales, rain and storm Katy threatening the Easter holiday weekend I managed to get up and out early on Friday morning which promised some sunshine and light winds before the trouble bearing depressions swept in.

There was no one about at the yacht club and I had Tosh, our Cornish Cormorant rigged, in the water and away in no time for a sail over to Ashlett creek.

The wind had been falling all morning and just as I got back to Hamble in the early afternoon it dropped off to almost nothing as the wind swung around to the south.

I couldn't decide if the  wind was going to pick back up, so after sailing back to the club on the slightest of zephyrs, I decided to go for a coffee down on the quay.

The new Hamble Lifeboat station had just opened, the build of he new facility has taken a long time, but now it's finished it's a huge improvement over the old shed. I chatted to one of the crew who were busy trying to put away all the equipment that's been in storage for so long.

Friends James and Emma were launching their new to them Wayfarer and fortunately the afternoon breeze set in enough for them to get away in perfect conditions for a shakedown sail.

All in all a pretty perfect way to spend Good Friday while Joseph and Mum were away visiting Grandma and Granddad.

PS. Things were a bit different on Saturday afternoon with gusts up to 50 knots and rain, pretty typical bank holiday weather.

Bikes and boats

Boat owners and bike owners are pretty similar, they like to gather around and chat which is what happened in Lymington when I stopped to take a picture.

My first motorcycle was Royal Enfield Crusader and although the old Redditch based Royal Enfield company closed it’s doors back in the early 1970’s the entire manufacturing operation was transferred to India where production continues and thrives.

The owner explained that this was a 535cc single and I was interested to understand what it was like to ride on modern roads compared to my old early 1960’s vintage experience, apparently very well.

I've been thinking for some time that one of these newly built machines might be a good alternative to a restored classic which would avoid some of the issues with old bikes. I used to keep mine in the garage with a drip tray to catch the oil which leaked no matter how carefully I assembled the crankcase.

The yellow bike is a BSA C11, the owner also has a Royal Enfield Constellation a 700cc twin from the 1960’s.

While we were chatting we were joined by an old gentleman, and I use the word gentleman very deliberately, who apparently started riding with a Velocette before the war. He then went on to explain how he had purchased a German BMW and side car just after the war while stationed in North Africa, removed the side car and had ridden it for many years.

Which in turn took the conversation to the Ural, apparently during the war, Russia acquired the design and production techniques for the BMW R71 and built a version of the horizontally opposed twin cylinder engine which is still in production today.

By coincidence when we were on holiday in Austria last summer, our neighbour had just taken delivery of a brand new Ural (the one above), We got chatting, and he explained it was the last one allowed to be imported into Austria since it was in military camouflage and as a result had come under the US led trade embargo in response to the Ukraine situation.

Like most boat/motorbike enthusiasts he was also keen to chat and show me his collection which included 2 very sporty Harley’s, a brand new Royal Enfield 350 Bullet, a model which has been in production in India for around 45 years and this Morgan 3 wheeler. I didn't find out quite why it was in camouflage with RAF roundels and the shark teeth motif, but apparently it’s a lot of fun.

Hardway

We haven't been over to Hardway on the west shore of Portsmouth harbour for ages, going back 20 years and more we used to keep a boat on a swing mooring in Bomb Ketch Lake out in the harbour.

The main hard was built up during WW2 to embark tanks and military vehicles for the D Day invasion.

Hardway sailing club was founded in 1945, the clubhouse and compound occupy a prime position on the waterfront, leading to an extensive pontoon which provides access to the waters of Portsmouth harbour at all states of the tide. We were members back in the 1990's when there was very active dinghy and keel boat racing scene, probably still is.

The industrial and military legacy of the area is all around, but it's no less a great spot, here with views across to the Portsmouth dockyards in the distance.