"Papillon" is a Robert Tucker designed 'Fantasie 19' and my first boat.. I've been sailing since the age of 15 (when I did my RYA Part 1 and 2 at Emsworth Sailing School) so I've been on the water (but more in it) for going on 30+ years now... this blog is about our adventures together - they may be small one's (because despite the years I have little experience in boats - I was mostly windsurfing!), but they are adventures none the less..

Friday 23 April 2010

The marine wheels...

grind rather slow...

I've been in touch with the company who I hope can repair the boat (that was last Saturday 17th); their rigging man is hoping to visit the boat tomorrow (24th)....

Then I'll get a quote, then I can find out whether I can proceed...

...sigh.......

Saturday 17 April 2010

Back ashore...

Well that was a first - I've never intentionally grounded "Papillon" before - she's a bilge keeler (twin keels) so it's all possible, but either way this was a first on anything other than the (very) soft mud of my normal mooring..

In the end I need not have worried (though I did!) - just motored forward very gently - minimum revs - until there was a gentle scrunch as she stopped. Threw a mooring rope ashore - tied her to a post - and then just waited for the tide to go out..

I'd arranged to have a lift from our tractor and mechanical (hydraulic) hoist - one of these:


..heart in your mouth stuff when you see the hoist straps slip until they hold! Either way she's now back on her trailer, same spot as before... it's like she never went into the water...

Next step is to get her repaired as soon as possible - have contacted one of the local repair companies, and passed them the following..

This is the bottom of the mast where the mast foot came out - some damage but surprisingly little...

Roller furling - bent at 90' - if it can be repaired great, but not sure.. perhaps you can get replacement foil material and graft it in???

Deck plate with mastfoot still attached - and a trio of stripped plugs - when the mast went over the side the wires got pulled out...

...should hear from them Monday ..fingers crossed for a quick and cheap fix!

Thursday 15 April 2010

Dismasted...

...and it all started so well...

Spent my first night on "Papillon" on Saturday evening - wished I hadn't as it was absolutely freezing!!

Got up first thing Sunday morning and for the first time this year raised the mainsail - everything going to plan, and as you can see from the following - after a couple of large loops at the top of the harbour (the wind was too strong at the time) once the wind had calmed, and in brilliant sunshine, I headed down to the bottom of the harbour on port tack (wind north easterly)... brilliant sail...

I got all the way to the new Eastoke buoy and about 50 yards short of it, just as I was turning to come back, the starboard side stays parted and the mast went over the side.................................



To say I was shocked, gutted, and slightly distressed is an understatement...

When the mast went over she took the VHF aerial with her - so I had no means of contacting the coastguard or RNLI other than my mobile phone (which would have worked OK as I was close enough to shore) - first lesson - have an alternative means of using a radio - either a separate emergency aerial, or a hand held

Undeterred I stirred myself into action - I wasn't going to die - boat was fine, I was well clear of the beach/obstacles, and I had an engine...

The mast was hanging over the side of the boat upside down - still partially connected with the remaining stays and various sheets.. I managed to get the boom off the mast with the mainsail and stowed that out of the way.

While I was doing this and wondering what to do next a couple of boats went past and offered assistance - I agreed to one of them calling up the harbour master to let him know what was going on...

Before I know it a large (bloody huge) inflatable turned up from "Hayling Rescue" the local volunteer rescue group... between the two of us we freed up the mainmast, and when another inflatable turn up I started to get the engine going, and it wouldn't start.... bugger.....

They took me in tow and moved me into the harbour - the other rescue boat then joined me with my mast...

By this time I had got the engine going - second lesson - hard not to, but don't panic - I'd not opened the fuel tap so no wonder it wouldn't start, the moment I did it started first time!

I took my mast on board, strapped her down, thanked the resuce guys from the bottom of my heart , opened the throttle and went for home...

I got there with about 20 minutes to spare - tidied up as much as I could, secured the mast to the top of the boat, and went home for a much needed beer, shower, and sit in a dark space (in no particular order!)

Oh, and then I went to Tesco's for the weekly shop.....!

Not a good day.... the rigging didn’t snap – it looked to like the bottle screws had worked loose (I'd been on the same tack all the way down the harbour, and they were on the leeward "loose" side).. either way both of them went at the same time..

My roller furling is bent at 90’ – I strongly suspect that will have to be replaced…

The rescue guys who helped me out had to cut the fore-stay to recover the mast so I’ll need a new fore-stay..

When she went sideways she ripped the mast foot out of the bottom of the mast – deck plate seemed to be OK – no idea if the mast foot is repairable – hoping they can take a couple of inches off the bottom and re-insert, or just re-insert, the foot and re-rivet…

Touch wood everything else (sails, other stays, boom) seemed to be OK…

I've now made arrangements for Papillon to come back out of the water (tomorrow in fact), I've submitted an insurance claim - I now need to get some pictures of the problems, and some quotes to get her fixed.

Thursday 8 April 2010

Fancy buying a Fantasie 19...??

Happened to spot this nice example on eBay today..

Worth checking out if you fancy one of the fantastic little mini-cruisers yourself...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/sailing-boat-yacht.-fantasie-19-bilge-Keel-_W0QQitemZ110515586691QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxq20100406?IMSfp=TL100406161001r11732

I was interested in his comment about the new bilge plates.. I wonder how much they'd cost should I want to replace mine!?

Monday 5 April 2010

First sail of the year..!

A few repairs done and the jib put back up, and first sail of the year under my belt, though just a short one.. not a bad day!

Basically a gentle run to the end of the channel was what I planned - what I got was a force 4 gusting 5.. so jib only, and watch what I was doing - and it was great fun! So good to be out again after the winter...

Also got to play with the new GPS (Garmin GPS 72) - that's the downloaded track above.. and then I found out you can load it into Google Earth - not only do I now get a detailed distance sailed, it also tells me what my best speed was (just less than five and a half knots - but I may have been motor assisted at the time!) interesting to see that I was clocking up 4 knots at times with just the foresail though...

Distance: 3.4 miles (3.4 miles year to date)
Wind: Force 4 gusting force 5.