Worm Ropes

Worm ropes

When the children were young and we were sailing to the Mediterranean on a small Trimaran, they called the genoa sheets ‘worm ropes’ as the dratted things tangled as soon as your eye was off them.
My Corribee ‘Trivial Pursuit’ has a lot of worm ropes!
Today, Sunday August 23rd is very warm, something to do with a Spanish plume? Anyhow pulling the Junk sail out of its bag was irresistible and I need to lose a few pound weight. Fortunately I have a wonderful set of instruction, handed down from owner to owner (thanks Chris) without which sorting out the string would be a nightmare. Now I’m home, clad in a tatty pair of shorts (Spanish plume!!) secure in the knowledge that I know what it all does and the ropes are (mostly) in the right place for raising the mast. To quote the instructions ‘the mast is dressed’.

Bouncing Baby

I am delivered a bouncing baby Corribee, now safe at its new home, drying in the Shed. Yippee!
It turned out that all I had to do was locate a professional boat deliverer.
Of course I had to be there and neurotically check everything, but that was just for me.
The most fun bit was taking the lead in my van; lights on full, hazards flashing, up the very long single track road (with miniature passing places) to freedom. (no, I shall not call it a birth canal) While of course I enjoyed imperiously ordering on-coming vehicles to pull over. (except the one that made me back into a ditch)
The least fun bit was following my boat on its trailer at forty to fifty miles per hour and watching my new baby bouncing for seventy miles. (it was the trailer suspension bouncing not the boat)  I’m at home now, drinking red-bush tea and smiling.

A little knowledge?

Today my Corribee was not delivered.
It is rumoured that in a land far-far-away there lives a band of happy people who know what they are doing? One day I may get to go there, but not today.
We had it all arranged. The boat yard, where my Corribee is sitting on its trailer, was expecting collection. The crew with the car know where the boat yard is and had a picture of the boat. They set off at nine AM and two hours later I had a phone call. “The lever on the hitch is locked. We cannot get the cup on the ball” I am some 80 miles away and so remain calm.
“That doesn’t make sense the yard towed the boat ashore last week on that trailer”
“Well  it will not open enough to fit” (This goes on for some time)
I get the yard manager to go check, but by now the tow has departed, without my boat.
He says there is no problem, the lever moves as it should, nothing is locked!
I phone the tow, their phone is on ‘answer’ for the next several hours.
When at last contact is resumed I explain that it is not possible for both statements to be correct. (kit locked, kit not locked)
Problem, I have to drive 200 miles tomorrow and shall not be back for a week.
(Mr Google has been consulted)

Boat Bondage?

Today is Saturday and things are getting exciting. First we had to drive 80 miles to another boatyard, no distance at all for Scotland. Letitia and I did some last checks and made sure that ‘TP’ is lashed down to her trailer with a multitude of straps and ropes. I jacked up the trailer to test the wheel bearings and they sounded fine. Actually there was no sound from them at all (a good thing!) but for the intermittent scrape of the brakes. (not a bad thing!) Now I have to wait until Thursday next for her to be towed to our local marina at the Holy Loch. The suspense, the suspense!

Back in '73 when I had my first Trimaran I corrisponded with Tom Colvin, of Junk Rig fame. I sailed that Trimaran from Cornwall to the Med under conventional bermudan rig. The next year and in the following years untill 2015 and seven boats later I stiil sailed mostly under Bermudan rig.
But now? I have my first Junk Rigged boat! A case of Old Dogs and new tricks?
This blog is about the joy of new things. Some 40 years late but never mind.

'Trivial Pursuit' a 21foot bilge keel JR Corribee, now to be known as 'TP' will be the subject and star of the blog and I hope what she has to teach an old sea-dog will be of interest