Work goes on.................and on !!!

Great Scott, i only just realised how long it was since my last posting.

Lots going on in around the boat, the electronics are now (finally) complete, the anchors have been amended and re-stowed, with lots of fun and games.
Novara has two anchors on the bow (also called "ground tackle"), they have  massive 12mm stainless steel chains on them.
They originally comprised of a "CQR" anchor with 40m of chain and a "Bruce" anchor with 40m of chain. We have rearranged this, so now we have 60m on the CQR and 20m on the Bruce.
This was instigated by David Scott Cowper, who we met earlier this year in Newcastle. David is possibly one of Britain's greatest Polar explorers (check him out on Google).
He has traversed the NW Passage 6 times.............amazing guy !!! In his experience it is best policy to have one of our anchors with braid (rope) as well as chain. This is in case we are at anchor and the ice builds up quickly, we need to be able to release / chop away the anchor (and loose it) as the ice can force the bow down.

So, here are the anchors + chain...............one CQR (on the left) & one Bruce

New anodes in place and the anti-foul finished Novara is nearly ready to lift back into the water

Most of the upper sides have been cleaned, stainless steel polished, she is looking spic and span.
The new 8 person liferaft (PC) is also here and lashed to the deck.

During all this work on the boat, the harbour has burst into life, ducks and various other wildlife (including tourists) are enjoying the sunshine and generally preparing for spring.

A new addition to the seascape, a work barge has arrived to repair a section of the harbour wall on the opposite side to the dockyard. It's home from home, just like being back at work................Volker Stevin eat your heart out........ha ha ha !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  

Lift out

The electronics are ongoing nicely now, new chart plotters (x2) are in place and ready for connecting by Wayfarer's electronics boffin.
The AIS , HD colour radar and various other updates are nearing completion.
Steve and i have been crawling through hatches, over tanks under floorboards and generally getting ourselves stuck / wedged into small spaces pulling new cables for the aforementioned.

However, great fun has been had by all.

The weather is warming up nicely now and it is amazing how quickly nature is blooming and preparing itself for spring, it really is incredible how quickly the landscape has changed in the last week. Barren, dark brown patches have turned into lovely grassy lawns, the trees are blooming, cherry , apple and broom are out in abundance.
The fauna are also waking up after a very long winter, we have chipmunks in the garden and have seen some amazing birds. On the way back from the boat the other day we saw a bald eagle on a tree at the side of the road......just sat there, shame my camera did'nt have a better zoom on it, so it's a bit short on clarity, but still a blast.
Then, when we got home 4 Osprey's flew over, only got chance to get a photo of one, but hey.............just amazing to see them.

Camden harbour is coming alive, new boats are coming in every day.

On Tuesday, Novara was lifted out of the water to ready to have her undersides anti fouled, the anchor chain cleaned and refitted, the locker cleaned out and repainted, new anodes bolted on, the log cleaned and serviced, all the through hull fittings checked and cleaned, sea cocks checked and re-greased.
All in all a fair bit to do, at least the weather has improved.........result !!!!! :-)

We managed to "fry" the boat batteries last week , so Steve had to order new one's, they arrived today $5000 worth ..................ochhhhhhhhhhhhhh !!!!!

When the boat came out yesterday, we noticed there are rope deflectors on each side of the propeller, Steve and i decided they needed to be a bit smaller just in case some large chunks of ice smash into them and push them onto the prop.
So, off i blasted this afternoon grinding away with the angle grinder from the boat, next minute i'm alight ...........the grinder caught fire !!!! Smoke everywhere, i quickly disconnected it and stood there completely at a loss. It's a 220v grinder, running on the boat's 220v system..................WHY has it gone up in flames ???
Of course Steve's first comment..........."what have you bust now"???, hey i reply, i've got a claim here .....LOL. Not my fault YOUR grinder caught fire !!!!
As luck would have it, the boatyard electrician was walking past, he checked it over and was as baffled us.

All we can think is, the grinder has been on the boat for so long, it has absorbed some salt / moisture (bearing in mind it is in new condition, though old) and just was'nt keen on being wound up ............whoops scotties.


Bald Eagle on a tree roadside, top and bottom are electric cables, could'nt get the shot without them in

Osprey flying over the house

Tanker plying up Penobscot Bay past Bill's house, on it's way to the oil terminal at Searsport

Novara passing in front of the church in Camden, coming down the harbour to be lifted out

Getting into position in front of the 110 T boat lift

On her way out

  

Saturday 26th

The forecast for today is not too good, though calm,  rain coming in after lunch.
Steve thought we could take the opportunity to check the sails again before the rain swept in. We now have the reefs in on both main sails and need to test them out.
We slipped the dock about 09:00 and motored out into Penobscot Bay, the sails were soon up and we were trundling along nicely.
Reefs in and out.....ropes up and down, Terje and i were surrounded by a mass of twisted lines. The jammers were on and off, winches whirring and whining, we were exhausted. The reef lines worked well, we had a few adjustments to make, but on the whole we had a pleasing morning......certainly getting to know Novara now and her idiosyncrasies.
We decide to head back to harbour, get the boat settled down and have a late lunch, homemade beef burgers.............made by my own fair hands !!!!!
Oh no say Steve and Terje.
On the way back in we played about with the "variable pitch" propeller, quite an art in itself, having never used one before it appears to be  "black magic" !!!!
After some head scratching we reckon we've cracked it, in harbour we need the pitch to be around 32 for low revs and when motoring any distance, a pitch of 37 at approximately 1600 revs, It does'nt sound much, but makes a huge difference to fuel economy, an important issue for us.

Yesterday was a lovely day and one of neighbour's went out to do some sea trials.
Belle Aventure is a Fife, 94 feet long, built in 1929 of Oak and Teak, she is just stunning.
A few photos of her just before leaving harbour :

A few last minute finishing touches to the shrouds:

 and away she goes

Weekend out

It's been a busy few days since the last blog report. We've had two birthdays to celebrate; Steve was 61 on the 15th April and Bryn was 29 on the 17th April.
We all went to our favorite hostelry for Steve's birthday, namely "Cappy's", they do excellent food (clam chowder being a specialty of there's) and have a good range of beers from local micro breweries in the region.
We have tried other bar / restaurants in the town, but find Cappy's to be the best for atmosphere, food and beer. The others tend to be a bit lacking in the atmosphere stakes, however, food in all is very good.
The people we have encountered so far have been extremely friendly and helpful, always good when you are away from home.
We had to stay on the boat last Tuesday and Wednesday night, as Wayfarer needed it for one of their employees to drive to Connecticut to attend a course. It was great to have out first night on board, we quickly settled in and all slept well. in the morning we woke to find 1" of snow everywhere. This was a bit of a nuisance, as we had planned to fill all the water tanks, not easy with snow on the ground and freezing conditions. The sun eventually came up and it was all gone just after lunch, so all the plastic piping we could find was jointed together and connected to the water main in the marina buildings.
Work on the boat has been going at a furious pace, most of the systems are now commissioned and running well. The only item still to commission is the generator, this was serviced quite recently by Wayfarer, so it should be no major problem. We now have hot and cold running water, a toilet (heads), a working boiler for the central heating and water heating. The sails are all back on board and in their correct positions.
Each mast has a Main sail and a permanently rigged "Trysail" (storm sail) on the main boom and a furling jib on the fore boom, 6 No. in total.
We noticed some nets on the foreshore near the waterfall / weir the other day and as we sat having a coffee in the Camden Deli this morning (Sat) we spotted 3 guys working on them, intrigued, we asked the guy in the Deli what the nets were for, apparently they catch "Elver eels", ( i think that's what he called them) they bring $1000 / Ib at the fish market and they go to Japan. It's a very strictly regulated operation , to ensure a sustainable population.

Elver eel fishermen

This weekend we got Novara out for our proper sail with the revamped sails on.

We anchored overnight in Kent Cove on North haven island.................this was the view at breakfast

North Haven Island

Saturday 12th April, an excellent day for a run out in Novara. Still no sails on as yet, they are still at the sail maker being repaired. 

Day break was about 06:00, we all got up, had a quick breakfast and got on the road for Camden.

What a stunning day, brilliant blue skies and beautiful sunshine.

A panorama of Camden harbour to prove the point: 

It appears we have a visitor too, this schooner must have come into harbour overnight.

All the necessary checks done, we set off for North Haven Island. An interesting chain of islands with a "thoroughfare" separating the North island ( North Haven Island) and the South island (Vinal Haven Island).
They separate West & East Penobscot Bay.
This is one of the most prolific areas i ever seen for Lobster pots, hardly surprising i guess, as the area is world famous for it's Lobster.
We carried on into the "thoroughfare" and found the an amazing place, where the rich & famous have their holiday homes :

North Haven township

Talk about being on "millionaires row" !!!!
Just amazing, what a time i'm having...........talk about the luckiest guy alive !!!!!



And so to the story of Morgan, not a factual account, just my thoughts:

Morgan - Ancient Britain - An introduction

Morgan was born in 960 AD in what is now known as Cheshire / Shropshire. He belonged to the Cornovii tribe, a long established group in this region. His father (Adaryn) was a land owner, in a small way.
He had a an acre or two of land, in which he grew vegetables, as a way to supplement his families food.
It had been left to him, when his great uncle Cymbaline had died a few years earlier.
Adaryn really worked for the local landowner, Crevan, not quite as a slave, but very close to it.
Morgan worked in the fields with his father, as his father had done with his father, and his father with his father and so on.
Life was good, they had food, lived well ,worked hard and they all enjoyed themselves.
Unfortunately, life was about to change, forever...................

Grand day out Steve

Up early this morning, out by 7:30, Steve decided we could have an "easier " day today.
As they say, early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
I've been up at 6:00 am most of my working life, about 40 years, so looking at this proverb, i'm beginning to think it is quite correct.
I'm fairly healthy and of course wise !!!!
If being wealthy means, living simply, doing what you love and having a brilliant family behind you ......then i'm a millionaire.

Into the Wayfarer courtesy car we jumped and away we went to the cafe in Camden for our first coffee of the day.
We sipped our coffee and discussed the issues for the day and how things are progressing on Novara.
Steve wanted to have a look at the sails, which had been taken away to be cleaned. They are only a few years old, with little wear on them, however, Steve has been concerned about the stitching on them.
Due to UV and the ravages of time / use, the stitching can become very poor.
Off we drove to "Aurora Sails" in Hope, about 3 miles outside Camden.
On the way we went through Charity & Faith.........would i lie ????
Andy was there to meet us and immediately had the fore mast furling jib sail out on the floor..........frowns and huffs and puffs emitted from Steve and Andy, eventually it was the consensus of opinion that double stitching was required and a couple of areas need repairs. The deal was done and Andy promised us they would be ready next Wednesday.
Next, off to Rockport to pick up some struts for the cockpit lockers and a letter from the "Watermaker" company for Steve sent to Grasshopper (Bill & Johanna's shop).
On Highway 1 we sped, then all of a sudden the car swerved into the roadside............i looking at Steve, he grinned and looked a bit sheepish........we've run out of petrol......oooooooooooohhhhhhh joy.
Luckily we had just passed a gas station, stupidly i volunteered to walk back to the station and get some petrol. I wandered back on Highway 1, vehicles flying past me in all directions, eventually i got to the station.
In i went, spoke to the lady behind the counter, she looked me up and down and quizikly queried, "which part of England are you from?............Blackburn ?"
No, i replied, but you're close; i live just a bit further North in Cumbria, how did you know that, i asked.............."oh, i have a penfriend in Blackburn and we speak now and then" she replied.
We had a good banter for a few minutes and then she whisked me over to the shelving and found me a plastic petrol can.
Excellent, 2 gallons of Gasoline procured and off i went back to the car.
We were soon back on Highway 1 on our way to Rockport.
New struts in the bag, then onto Grasshopper, Steve picked up his letter and i went to purchase some bread for lunch, really tasty sourdough....mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Back to the boat to sort out a few issues before we have a day out tomorrow, excellent

The tool & spares inventory are complete............thank goodness for that !!!!!!
What a job, crikey, how can a boat have so many items on board :-)
Next job is to locate and itemize, the through hull fittings and skin fittings (sonar, forward looking sonar, depth sounder and log), problem being everything is hard to find. The boat was built as a one off and not much thought has been given to maintenance and ease of running.
However, Terje, Steve and i are onto it and will soon have it sorted.
Lovely sunny day , but cold in Camden on Monday. Pouring with rain and coastal fog on Tuesday, lovely again today, strange climate, but loving it here in Maine.
Had a bit of bad news today, my Auntie Shelagh has died unexpectedly, so i am a bit sad as i won't be able to make it to the funeral. Shelagh was a star and a great friend of my mothers, the end of an era...... sadly missed.
Big hugs to Kate my cousin, hope you're ok dude.