She Floats!

I’m sorry that there’s a bit of a gap………Allotments, research and all sort of other stuff has got in the way. Also, I’ve been evicted from the cowshed – the farmer has reaslised that he can refurbish the site and earn much more rent from real businesses.

So, there was a frantic week or so to take delivery of the pod and to install it in the boat.

And here it is, lowered and ready to power up!

Then I rushed to Gwbert and enlisted the designer for some consultancy about the sale plan The mast, boom and spar were ready, the sail had arrived from somewhere, so she was ready to rig.

The new stainless steel rudder stock appeared and was coupled to the rudder blade. Piecs of suitable rope were found from stock and we now had the means to raise and lower both the rudder and the motor. We moved on to the centreboard. It was resoloutely stuck “up”. We’d worry about that later.

By the afternoon, we were able to raise both mast and sail for the first time:

But it was too late to take to the water – the spring tide had receeded, leaving acres of sand – we’d have to wait until the morning. So we floated her in the “test tank” adjacent to the workshop. After half an hour she still seemed to be dry inboard. I attempted to couple the “remote” controller for the motor to the motor using bluetooth. This was a complete failure, so I had to rapidly work out how to use the wired connection, where to route the wire and where to locate the controller in this new configuration. This involved a trip to the local Screwfix for some plastic conduit. I hoped that this was a temporary arrangement and put in a call to the supplier of the Epropulsion pod to see if he had the answer to my technical problem. He had, but it was not re-assuring: “I think that feature has been discontinued” I was told……..

The following morning we still left it a little late, by the time we were organised and the winters collection of driftwood had been cleared from the slip, high water had come and gone. We didn’t have much time.

Down the slip and off the trailer she slid. We forced the centre board down a little and I did a quick trip under power – it all seemed to work. The breeze was light and dropping, the tide was dropping quickly. We had about five minutes of light airs sailing, two minutes of running agroud and then dragged her back on the trailer before the sea disappeared for another 8 hours or so. So here she is, under sail, with the designer in control.

And here’s picture of me running her aground:

Then it was onto the trailer and off to Northeny (Hayling Island) trailer park, where she awaits an anchor, some oars and a clean before the real trial begin! I see she’s been discovered there by one of my readers!