"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..

Tuesday 27 December 2011

That was the year that was... 2011

Last year I did a review of my 2010, I enjoyed putting it together so much I decided to do the same for my 2011...  it's a good excuse to review and read all the posts, video and pictures from this years logs....and brings next summers sailing a little closer! smiley emoticons

Like a spider dipped in blue ink and left to wander all over Google Earth - here's where Papillon went this year - click again for slightly bigger views of the pictures in this post:


...and this time with the two trips out to the Nab - one successful, one not!



...so many times up and down the harbour she almost knows her own way now...

...and the following in "Ami-Ly" as part of the training for the Round the Island we finally finished late in the season!


~~~~~~~~~


Number of visits down to the boat: 17 (one less than last year) but once again if you count all the times I visited in the mornings/evenings while she was on shore (usually two to three times a week), and the days I worked on her pre-season - easily triple that...smiley emoticons

Total distance sailed: 193.41 miles; this compares with 154.23 miles in 2010, and 125 miles in 2009... another increase - indicative of the fact that I'm more confident, and as a result taking her further..  that will carry on 2012 - my target for next summer is Cowes...

Nights on board: 0 - I had plans to make her more comfortable for 2011 (new cabin cushions etc.) which never reached fruition but that aside she's already comfortable enough, I just never got round to staying overnight..!

Crew on occasion: 1 daughter - youngest - she's good company but says sailing is "boring"... smiley emoticons

Cruising range: The mooring in the west, Printead/Thorney in the East and the Nab Tower to the south... my mooring is also as far north as I can go..

Biggest Cruise: The Nab Tower (29 miles in one day!)...

Best Cruise: So hard, as 2011 was brilliant - but probably down to a choice of two the trip to the Nab was monumental (there'll be others out there laughing at this, but it was a big deal for me!), but also the last cruise of the season up the Thorney Channel; just the right amount of breeze, some sunshine, and your own boat..

Worst cruise: Goes to Easter Monday - what a disaster! smiley emoticons

Oddest cruise: Round the Island race - not on Papillon but it was still one weird day...  on Papillon it would have to be Easter Monday again!

Best anchorages: None... didn't anchor this year...  really need to do something about that, I've never anchored in all the years I've had her!

Best mooring: My own.. smiley emoticons

Worst mooring: None... they're all good when you need a cup of tea!

Plans for next year: Cowes and the Folly (on my own boat!) - there was talk after the Round the Island of taking Ami-Ly over to Cherbourg - that'd be good!

2011 sailing mileage:
  • 2nd April : 7.9 miles - force 1 or 2 gusting 4
  • 10th April : 7.24 miles - force 1 or 2 SSW going SSE - tack, tack, tack
  • 22nd April : 10.26 miles - force 1 or 2 SE - Round Hayling Windsurf race day
  • 25th April : 2.33 miles - force 4 N - Bad luck comes in 3's!
  • 9th May : 3.2 miles - force 4 (and gusting) SSW - shear pin!
  • 15th May : 8.16 miles - force 4 gusting 6 NW - Double reefs
  • 16th May : 40.8 miles (not included in the total) - race training on "Ami-Ly" in the Solent
  • 2nd June : 10.02 miles - SE Force 2 (occasionally gusting 3) - Heaving to practice
  • 10th June : 27.99 miles - between SW & NW Force 0 to Force 4 (occasionally gusting 5) - Nab Tower ... almost
  • 30th June : 13.46 miles - W - mostly Force 4 - Thorney Channel
  • 3rd July : 10.52 miles - S/SSW - low Force 4 - NW Pilsey
  • 9th August : 28.99 miles - NNW/NW - Force 4 ending Force 3 - Nab Tower Redux
  • 14th August : 12.86 miles - SWW - Force 3 ending Force 4 - West Pole Beacon jaunt
  • 21st August : 11.95 miles - WSW - Force 4 gusting 5 - East Head meander
  • 29th August : 9.12 miles - NW to WNW - Force 3 gusting 4 - Maricel spotted..
  • 24th September : 10.36 miles - S to SE - Force 1 gusting 2 - Stoke Point meandering..
  • 2nd October : 6.16 miles - S - Force 2 - Emsworth Beacon amble..
  • 7th October : 75 miles (not included in the total) - Round the Island on "Ami-Ly"
  • 16th October : 12.89 miles - SW/SWW - Force 2 gusting 3 - Prinstead Channel testing self steering.

Year total: 193.41 miles

Saturday 24 December 2011

Merry Christmas!

Happy Christmas to anyone who pops in here hoping for moments of maritime marvel...  trust there are plenty of sailing goodies under the tree, and don't drink too much - spring is on it's way and there's a work list to get through first 


Friday 16 December 2011


Saturday 10 December 2011

Not much going on....

..but that's the nature of the beast...

...the downside is that it's now got cold so painting, gluing, and all the rest of it will take far, far, longer - the upside is that the boat is ashore and this week alone was reason enough to welcome that....  ...this is from Bramblemet on Thursday..


Yup... force 9 gusting 10...


...I can only thank goodness I wasn't on the mooring, but it was still windy enough to blow the damn Windex off the top of the mast!

..stay tuned - I hope to get down to the boat on Sunday to finish the tender and wire up the amplifier so will post after that's done, and I also have a summary of 2011 to post...