And so Winter starts to draw in

Pictures, various themes, of the year as it has gone.

And I've been quite neglecting this Blog again, not having posted since
around midsummer. For which I make little apology as it's essentially
cathartic self-indulgence anyway.

It's been a good year all told, albeit not without some saddness and
loss, but that's life.

Haven't been out with Dad in the Lugger for a while now. Weather's
getting a little on the cold and damp side, so for the last outing on
the River, I left Dad and Ondine behind and borrowed LYC's Mirror to
sail up to Newnham with them back in October. It was very wet, very
rough, and very good fun.

We did have two fantastic weeks in Cornwall with the lugger back in
August however, generally pottering around the Fal when we weren't
ashore drinking beer or walking the dogs and having a fine time.

All the plans of travelling away to race with the Enterprise have come
to naught this year. Too many distractions. However, racing locally at
Frampton with Buffy has been fun, with a huge range of conditions to
play with over an up and down season, weatherwise. Better still, after
we put Penny back on the water with a second hand mast at the beginning
of the year, my eldest son Ben found himself a crew and took to racing
her with us, competing consitently and well at Frampton right up until
he left to go to Uni. I'm very proud at how well he's done; in many ways
he's turning into a better sailor than me. Which is probably just as well!

The Winter Series at Frampton has gone good so far. I almost seem to be
in with a shot at winning it this year, though to be honest, if I manage
a third or even a second overall I'll be very pleased with myself. The
weather has been very light, drifting conditions. Enough to knock out
the Lasers and most of the Solo fleet, but the Ent is a lovely boat for
ghosting along if you set her up right; weight well forward, slight
leeward heel to put shape in the sails, don't oversheet and just keep
her moving.

All this lake bashing is good fun, and I love racing. I am missing the
River though. I have had an invitation to crew a sailing canoe for a
trip up through the Noose to Frampton Pill in a couple of weeks, so
really looking forward to that.

Aside from boats, we've been as as busy as ever with the band, with some
great gigs across the Summer and Autumn, and on the homefront, my better
half continues to collect four-pawed waifs and strays that need endless
walking. We're getting much better at rehoming them now.

Fishy Business

The big tank

The Small Tank

One of my two aquarium.

A 120 litre Fluval tank donated to me by a friend, now establised just
over two months and still very much a work in progress. Intended
primarily as a planted tank, it has a biological based CO2 injection
system and an external Fluval cannister filter. Substrait is Underworld
Aqua Grit.

Plants include:
Vallisneria americana
Alternanthera reineckii 'Roseafolia'
Echinodorus 'Ozelot Green'
Limnophila sessiliflora
Elodea canadensis
Hygrophila polysperma 'Rosanervig'
Eleocharis parvula

Livestock includes:
White Cloud Mountain Minnow
Red Platty
Siamese Fighting Fish
Amano Shrimp
Assassin Snail

The CO2 has made a huge difference to the plant growth. The big tank
next to it (260 litres, established about 10 years now) is almost
entirely planted with cuttings from this one.

Need to replace the lighting tubes as they're old, especially the back
one. Think the Platties were, visually, a mistake, I brought them to try
and control the algae, but the Amano Shrimp have more than managed that
on their own. Thinking of adding one last shoal of fish, haven't quite
decided what. I like the idea of Rainbow Fish, don't know if they're
suitable. Might move the Platties to the big tank. Maybe. Need to
consider how they'd cope with the Clown Loaches and Silver Shark already
there.

The planting and hardscape are continually evolving. Intend to add a top
layer of sand substrate to cover the Aqua Grit and give the bottom some
more weight. The grit is a little too coarse for the lighter cuttings.

Half wish I could empty the tank of stock and start again, as I've
learned so much since starting this in April. But we are where we are.
Overall, generally very pleased with how this one is turning out, so
can't complain.

A random post, just to try out Android voice recognition on my mobile :)

This is something of an experiment. I'm dictating this to my phone, and it has nothing to do with sailing. Instead, this is all about my newest fish tank.

120 litres, it's set up as a tropical planted tank and, about 40 days in, seems to be doing quite well. It's my first foray into using CO2 to suppliment the plants. I'd originally intended to set up a DIY yeast / sugar arrangement, but buying an off-the-shelf JBL ProFlora CO2 kit pretty much came to the cost of a decent diffuser.

It doesn't use compressed gas, but instead uses the same idea as a DIY setup, and produces CO2 by fermentation. You buy the charges at about £7.50 and they're supposed to last 40 days.

The first charge worked really well, and there was a noticable improvement in the growth and health of the plants. About 40 days later however, it was running out so I brought another charge and refreshed it. Replacement charge didn't work well at all, and we barely got 1 bubble every 11 seconds after about a week, which was about a fifth of the original output.

So I gave up on that one, washed out the canister, and replaced it with two cups of sugar and teaspoon of the Wife's "Easy Bake" yeast (I asked first)

Six hours later, and it's bubbling away like bubbles are going out of fashion.

The catch will be in how long it lasts. I'll count it a win if we get a week or two. Sugar and yeast are quite cheap, especially compared to the commercial ProFlora bio charges.

Current population of this tank:

Four white cloud mountain minnows and an unspecified amount of their fry.

Five red platies; one male and four females.

Three assassin snails.

Twelve amano shrimp.

Multimedia message

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If you would like to reply, please either text, phone or send a photo
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Or not. Here's the boiler!

Mobile Phone

For almost twelve months now the camera on my mobile has been essentially broken, as the lens had got itself scratched to hell and back. Consequent to that was the almost emotionally crippling experience of having no easy of snapping quick, convenient shots.

Last weekend my mobile packed in, so Orange replaced the handset for me.

Happy upshot is.... I have a camera phone again!

So, to celebrate, a picture of a boiler, taken mere seconds ago  :-)

Wednesday Evening Club Racing at Frampton

Part of the price of keeping membership costs down at a sailing club is
that it is run on a "voluntary" basis by the members, which means that
we all get rota'd for a couple of duties each per year to enable,
amongst other things racing to be organised and run at the Club.

For the seven or eight years I've been a member, with one exception of
about six years ago, I've always managed to dodge the race officer
duties (OOD and AOD, being Officer of the Day and Assistant
respectively) by snagging safety boat duties instead. Race officer
involve organising, taking responsibility for stuff and sitting in the
committee boat stressing out and trying to keep track of everything
that's going on. Then recording the results, working out everybody's
final positions according to their handicap and resolving any arguments.
The OOD is the first one to arrive and the last one to leave.

Safety boat, on the other hand, is fun. You get to play in a powerboat,
and get some great oportunities to take photos in between helping the
OOD set up the course and making sure people don't drown if they capsize
or crash. Very much my preference.

However, this year they caught me, and I've been saddled with two OOD
duties, one last night, and the other on a Sunday later in the year.

I was quietly dreading last night. Safety boat I can do in my sleep, but
OOD seems complicated and high stress.

Paranoid, I arrived early to find the lake in a dead calm. My team
turned up on time as promised. I took cares over making sure the
windward mark gave a good, long beat down the length of the lake, and
then a couple of beam reaches followed by a run to complete a figure of
eight course. I kept it simple and small, knowing that in the still
conditions the laps would likely take about twenty minutes to half an
hour each.

And then, just as we were about to start, the wind filled in.

By the end of the race an hour later, most of the fleet had completed
eight or nine laps, making for a frenzied, concentrated effort on the
committee boat trying to keep track of everybody. The beat stayed true
to the wind, and the crossing port reaching leg and tightness of the
course added a further dimension of tactics for everybody as they had to
stay on their toes to keep out of each others way.

Despite the stress of "being in charge" of everything and keeping track
of twenty-four boats racing concurrently in three separate fleets, I
really enjoyed myself, and the feedback from the competitors once we
were all back on shore and the results were being filed was gratifying;
that the course was great, cleverly set and the race well run.

I can't say I wouldn't have preferred to have been racing, or even on
safety boat duty, but I am very much less stressed now about my next OOD
duty later in the year.

Frampton Pill 2013

A plan for a trip upriver to revisit Frampton Pill in a couple of weeks time.



Entering Frampton Pill in 2009

Last year
Sat 7th July 2012, 8.7m at Sharpness for 11.16am
Sun 8th July 2012, 8.2m at Sharpness for 11.53am

This year:
Sat 11th May 2013, 8.2m at Sharpness for 09.37hrs
Sun 12th May 2013, 7.8m at Sharpness for 10.10hrs
Frampton is Sharpness + 15 minutes

Brian says:
9.3m to make the slip tenable
8.8m to make first landing area on second bend
7.5m to clear sandbanks in river
7.2m for tide to make the mouth of the pill

Mouth of the Pill on an 8.2m tide

Critical Timings:

Saturday 11th
HW Frampton 09:52hrs
HW Lydney 09:37hrs

Lydney viable 08:00hrs
Last launch 08:30hrs

Pill viable from 09:32hrs
Distance LYC to Frampton Pill is approx 5.75nm

Sunday 12th
HW Frampton 10:25hrs
HW Lydney 10:10hrs

Lydney viable 11:40hrs
Last Arrival 12:10hrs

Lydney Harbour to Frampton Pill & The Noose

Frampton Pill to Frampton-on-Severn Sailing Club

Landing area in Frampton Pill

Ondine's Plan:

Saturday 11th
We'll arrive at LYC approx 07:00hrs to rig & prepare for launch
Briefing & launch 08:30hrs (and no later than 08:50hrs)
Arrive Frampton Pill 09:30hrs

WE MUST LAND ON NORTH SIDE OF PILL

Tide turns 09:52hrs
If we can't reach Frampton, return to LYC
LYC slip should be viable till 11:30hrs

Spend the day in Frampton, play with boats
Either BBQ in the evening or eat at the pub.
Camp overnight at Club

Sunday 12th
Walk to Pill for 09:30hrs
Rig and wait on tide
Launch approx 10:00hrs
Return LYC for 11:00hrs
Should be water on slip until 12:00hrs

Conifer & right hand pylon make a transit for the Pill

Frampton Church can also be seen from out on the River

Dreaming of Blue Skies and Fair Winds

The planned sailing itinary for 2013:

March
3rd FOSSC Racing season starts with the Spring Handicap
9th Instructing, RYA Powerboat Level 2 course at FOSSC
16th Instructing, RYA Safety Boat course at FOSSC
30th British Moth Open at FOSSC. Supposed to be on Race duty, but might
blag a boat and sail :)

April
6th Instructing, 6 week RYA Adult Level 2 sailing course starts at FOSSC
27th & 28th Drascombe downchannel cruise to Portishead with LYC
....OR....
27th & 28th Enterprise Masters at Bristol Corinthian Yacht Club

May
11th & 23th Upriver Frampton Pill cruise in Drascombe with LYC
26th LYC Bullo Banger in Drascombe [but clashes with a gig that
evening.....]

June
1st & 2nd Enterprise Area Nationals at Penarth
8th Instructing, 6 week RYA Junior Level 4 course starts at FOSSC
23rd LYC Newnham Tea Clipper in Drascombe
29th & 30th Enterprise Open at Thornbury Sailing Club Regatta

July
20th Upriver Broadoak cruise in Drascombe with LYC

August
16th to 30th Two weeks in Mylor, Cornwall with Drascombe & family

September
1st Enterprise Open at Penarth
13th to 15th Drascombe Association Fowey Rally
21st Drascombe downchannel cruise to Portishead with LYC

October
6th Enterprise Open at Tata Steel
27th Enterprise Open at FOSSC [clashes with boy_v2's birthday]

December
26th FOSSC John Sanguin Cup

January
1st FOSSC True Grit Trophy

So November's looking a little quiet. Though the above isn't accounting
for the Club Championship series at Frampton, or any of the racing
series beyond the start of the Spring Handicap in March or any of the
odd bits and pieces we'll invariably get up to at Lydney. In reality,
November will probably be completely occupied with the Frampton Winter
Series. It's usually the one we get most chance to focus on.

Aside from the above, I'd like to get back to Plymouth for a weekend
with Dad and the Drascombe, and would like to fit an upchannel cruise
with Dad out of Lydney, taking us over the Llanthony Wier on the tide
and then hauling out at Lower Lode below Tewkesbury.

Also really, really want to get at least one downchannel cruise in with
the Drascombe this year, and sail under the Severn Bridges with Dad.
There are two Portishead cruises with Lydney in the above plan that
might realise that. Circumnavigating Lundy will have to wait for another
day I suspect.

The Club Championship at Frampton is going to be too interupted for us
to do well at this year, but it would be nice to get some glassware for
one of the club series, after having come so close last year. That'll be
an ambition for the Winter Series.

Ben (boy_v1) heads off to Uni [with a bit of luck and a following wind]
come September, so we'll have to see how that impacts things.

Other ambitions will be to sell the Europe and the sadly neglected
Topper once the weather warms up, and if Ben doesn't race her regularly,
Penny will also have to go. If finances stretch to it, then it would be
nice to replace the sails on Buffy.

Main ambition however is just to get back out on the water ASAP. Will
try for this Sunday, I think!

The Doldrums

I do dislike this time of year.

Without the fixture of the routine Sunday racing every weekend, my weeks
feel cast adrift and start to blur into each other. Even the annual
work-parties that usually put such demands on our time out of season
seem, for some reason, disjointed and quite irregular this year.

Of course, I could just go sailing anyway, and we did just that a couple
of weeks ago, relaunching Penny and then racing my son around the lake
for a very pleasant afternoon [and do note from the photos above that
he's BEHIND us :) ]

But the more typical story is wake up Sunday morning, a little groggy
from the Saturday night before, look out the window, think "Meh, not
enough wind to bother with" and then get distracted by something else
for the day. Next thing you know the wind picks up into an unexpected
blow and you've missed a fantastic day's sailing and the weekend ends
and Sunday passes with all the impact and consequence of a damp squib.
That was this Sunday just gone. I think. It's actually kind of hard to
picture it now.

And I must look up what a damp squib actually is.

I've never regretted going to the effort of actually heading down to the
water, rigging the boat and setting sail. I've frequently regretted not
bothering because it didn't seem worth it at the time. You'd think I'd
learn.

Never mind, February is almost over, and the racing season relaunches
itself on Sunday 3rd March. Not long to go now.