In August 2011 I left Grimsby and headed South - starting an extended cruise that hopefully will take the rest of my life.
I visited -
Blakeney - 3 nights at anchor.
Lowestoft - 4 nights in the Haven marina.
Harwich - 4 nights in Shotley marina.
The river Orwell - 3 nights anchored just down river from pin mill.
The Walton backwaters - 3 nights in Titchmarsh marina.
Stone point - 2 nights at anchor.
The river Deben - 3 nights on a buoy at Ramsholt.
Woodbridge - 3 nights in the Tide mill marina.
Then finally down the Wallet channel - across the Swin spitway - into the Whitaker channel - to the river Crouch.
Almost at the head of the river is North Fambridge yacht station.
I took a visitors swinging mooring and sailed locally for a week or so before leaving Blazer there and going home to Sheffield and WORK!
I was away for about a month that first period - Jonathan was at home looking after Paddy & Lizzy our cats.
Since then, I visited once every 2 weeks - mainly by train ( Senior Railcards are Great!!) for usually 5 days at a time.
Early December Blazer was lifted out into the Yacht Station compound for the winter and the biggest refit she has ever had.
The Refit
The first job was bold move - the installation of a solid fuel stove!!!
I found an antique Tortoise stove size 1 - the smallest that they made - I think it could be over 100 years old and hardly used.
I engineered at 316 stainless steel flue with a ceramic fiber insulated section through the coachroof and extending 18 inches above it.
As you can see - I surrounded it with fireproof board faced with brass sheet.
I reinforced the floor and bolted it down solid.
Then I discovered that the Tortoise stoves were designed to burn one filling of fuel very slowly and then go out!
That's because they were not fitted with a grate.
I found a cast iron gulley grate that fitted perfectly - I spaced it up from the bottom about 3 inches using 3 screws - It worked a treat.
I can now burn continuously - raking it out into a steel dust pan.
I burn smokeless fuel and it has made such a difference - the heat is dry and is easy to control.
For safety I leave the wash boards out and I have fitted a smoke detector and a CO2 detector.
The whole idea is that the stove will extend my season and of course it uses no battery power and is silent.
I had the mast unstepped to sort the wind instrument and fit the Echomax active radar reflector at the mast top.
I also took the opportunity to change the standing rigging - it was seven years old and could have gone on much longer but I didn't trust the yard that re - rigged it previously - piece of mind.
Dave Nichols did a great job and we even changed the bottle screws for shiny new ones.
The facilities at Fambridge are great, and I engaged Rob of RMC mouldings to sort out cracked deck areas under 2 stantions and to change all the through hull fittings for new bronze ones.
He also sorted a deep scratch on the hull - perfect!!
I also changed the sea cocks and hose tails for bronze.
I went to the London boat show and had a spending spree!!
A 45 amp - 3 stage battery charger - with battery temperature sensing.
A 12 volt fridge kit - works well.
A Seago canister 4 man liferaft - the old one was well out of service and was described in the magazines as a kids paddling pool!!!
Barton blocks for a new main sheet and kicker - replacing the originals.
A very lightweight portable VHF that floats - Great.
I fitted all this lot over many visits plus -
New canvas covers for the anchor windlass, liferaft & out board engine - made by my friend - Jayne Toyne - www.pushtheboatout.co.uk
I fitted the calorifier that I bought on Ebay years ago - along with a water pump and new galley taps.
It's not connected to the engine yet - I need to find the right fittings - but there is hot water with shore power.
Plus - of course - Anti fouling the hull.
Kevin of Boat Solutions Did a fantastic job of cutting back and polishing the hull - it shines better than ever before - NICE ONE KEVIN.
I marked the anchor chain at 10 metre intervals - red-yellow-blue-red-yellow-blue - I can remember that!
I found a new garage door opener remote control on Ebay and fitted it to the anchor windlass control - works great - £14 !!! - the Lewmar one is £300 - WOW.
I upgraded the Nav software to Seapro sailing with up to date bouyage and upgraded the pc to much faster and at the same time less power consumption - plus a solid state hard drive.
Two new 110 ah batteries replaced 2 old ones that failed when I did a capacity test.
A new - one metre flagstaff - ( I made it of course! ) and a wonderful new 3ft X 2ft sewn Ensign - THANKS NIGEL.
Throughout all this work Nigel has kept me company and put up with my endless reasoning the projects through.
His boat - Molly Reynolds - is a really good boat - a Nicholson 32 - go anywhere.
Blazer was re launched 28th of May after about 6 months ashore - the first winter ashore in 32 years perhaps.
Since then I have a couple of visits and completed 2 shake down trips to the windfarm including a night at anchor in Yokesfleet creek - wonderful - lots of seals and sea birds.
So - We are all ready for off - All redundant stuff taken home - all tanks topped off - all clean and tidy.
Preparations for France -
All documentation up to date and filed.
ICC completed - Crouch sailing school - Thanks to George Clarke.
All the red diesel removed and replaced with white - you never know.
Flares - in date.
Fire extinguishers - in date.
Insurance notified - sailing area now as far as La Rochele.
Ships radio licence updated with PLB and Echomax registration - easy to forget that one.
I hope to get away at the end of the first week in July for about a month and to find somewhere to leave Blazer over in France for August ( the French holiday month - too busy) and then to potter on in September for another month. But really - there is no plan.
Mike.
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